Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of extending the spectral information acquired by a photon-counting detector for spectral CT

Photon-counting x-ray detectors with pulse-height analysis provide spectral information that may improve material decomposition and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in CT images. The number of energy measurements that can be acquired simultaneously on a detector pixel is equal to the number of comparator channels. Some spectral CT designs have a limited number of comparator channels, due to the complexity of readout electronics. The spectral information could be extended by changing the comparator threshold levels over time, sub pixels, or view angle. However, acquiring more energy measurements than comparator channels increases the noise and/or dose, due to differences in noise correlations across energy measurements and decreased dose utilisation. This study experimentally quantified the effects of acquiring more energy measurements than comparator channels using a bench-top spectral CT system. An analytical and simulation study modeling an ideal detector investigated whether there was a net benefit for material decomposition or optimal energy weighting when acquiring more energy measurements than comparator channels. Experimental results demonstrated that in a two-threshold acquisition, acquiring the high-energy measurement independently from the low-energy measurement increased noise standard deviation in material-decomposition basis images by factors of 1.5–1.7 due to changes in covariance between energy measurements. CNR in energy-weighted images decreased by factors of 0.92–0.71. Noise standard deviation increased by an additional factor of 2 ? > due to reduced dose utilisation. The results demonstrated no benefit for two-material decomposition noise or energy-weighted CNR when acquiring more energy measurements than comparator channels. Understanding the noise penalty of acquiring more energy measurements than comparator channels is important for designing spectral detectors and for designing experiments and interpreting data from prototype systems with a limited number of comparator channels.
Latitudinal Patterns in Rodent Metabolic Flexibility

Macrophysiology is defined as the study of variation in physiological traits—including physiological trait flexibility—over large geographical and temporal scales, and the ecological implications of this variation. A classic example of a macrophysiological trend is the one emerging from the climatic variability hypothesis, which states that as the range of climatic fluctuation experienced by terrestrial animals increases with latitude, individuals at higher latitudes should be more plastic than individuals inhabiting lower latitudes. In this context, we evaluate the correlation between absolute metabolic scope during cold exposure (an instantaneous measure of metabolic flexibility) and different geographic and climatic variables for 48 rodent species. Conventional and phylogenetic informed analyses indicated a positive correlation between metabolic scope and geographic latitude. These findings, together with previous reports on latitudinal pattern in phenotypic flexibility, suggest that an increase in physiological flexibility with latitude may hold for many phenotypic traits.
Additional Evidence on Integration in the Canadian Stock Market

This paper reexamines the integration of the Canadian and U.S. stock markets in the 1977-86 period that is relatively free from capital controls. The study employs both the capital asset pricing model and the arbitrage pricing theory frameworks. Under both models, the evidence is consistent with segmentation in the 1977-81 subperiod, but supports integration in the 1982-86 subperiod. Using the arbitrage pricing theory framework, the author finds that the Canadian stocks interlisted on the U.S. exchanges and NASDAQ are priced.in an integrated market and segmentation is predominant for the noninterlisted Canadian stocks. Copyright 1992 by American Finance Association.
Parallel replacement under capital rationing constraints

Contrary to serial replacement, parallel replacement problems require a decision maker to evaluate a portfolio of replacement decisions in each time period because of economic interdependencies among assets. In this paper, we describe a parallel replacement problem in which the economic interdependence among assets is caused by capital rationing. The research was motivated by the experience gained from a vehicle fleet replacement study where solutions to serial replacement problems could not be implemented since they violated management's budget plan. When firms use budgets to control their expenditures, competition for the limited funds creates interdependent problems. In this paper, we formulate the problem as a zero-one integer program and develop a branch-and-bound algorithm based on Lagrangian relaxation methodology. A multiplier adjustment method is developed to solve one Lagrangian dual.
Sources of hepatic triglyceride accumulation during high‐fat feeding in the healthy rat

Hepatic triglyceride (HTG) accumulation from peripheral dietary sources and from endogenous de novo lipogenesis (DNL) was quantified in adult Sprague–Dawley rats by combining in vivo localized 1H MRS measurement of total hepatic lipid with a novel ex vivo 2H NMR analysis of HTG 2H enrichment from 2H‐enriched body water. The methodology for DNL determination needs further validation against standard methodologies. To examine the effect of a high‐fat diet on HTG concentrations and sources, animals (n = 5) were given high‐fat chow for 35 days. HTG accumulation, measured by in vivo 1H MRS, increased significantly after 1 week (3.85 ± 0.60% vs 2.13 ± 0.34% for animals fed on a standard chow diet, P < 0.05) and was maintained until week 5 (3.30 ± 0.60% vs 1.12 ± 0.30%, P < 0.05). Animals fed on a high‐fat diet were glucose intolerant (13.3 ± 1.3 vs 9.4 ± 0.8 mM in animals fed on a standard chow diet, for 60 min glycemia after glucose challenge, P < 0.05). In control animals, DNL accounted for 10.9 ± 1.0% of HTG, whereas in animals given the high‐fat diet, the DNL contribution was significantly reduced to 1.0 ± 0.2% (P < 0.01 relative to controls). In a separate study to determine the response of HTG to weaning from a high‐fat diet, animals with raised HTG (3.33 ± 0.51%) after 7days of a high‐fat diet reverted to basal HTG concentrations (0.76 ± 0.06%) after an additional 7 days of weaning on a standard chow diet. These studies show that, in healthy rats, HTG concentrations are acutely influenced by dietary lipid concentrations. Although the DNL contribution to HTG content is suppressed by a high‐fat diet in adult Sprague–Dawley rats, this effect is insufficient to prevent overall increases in HTG concentrations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electoral systems and democratization in Southern Africa

Introduction 1. Defining and Measuring the Trajectory of Democratization 2. Defining the Intervening and Explanatory Variables 3. Choosing an Electoral System 4. Majoritarian or Power-Sharing Government 5. Plurality Case Study Election Results: Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe 6. PR Case Study Election Results: South Africa and Namibia 7 8 Cross-Country Comparisons: Legislative and Executive Inclusion 9. Conclusion: The Case for Democratic Optimism
Disease Severity in Adult Patients of Turkish Ancestry With Familial Mediterranean Fever Living in Germany or Turkey. Does the Country of Residence Affect the Course of the Disease?

BackgroundThe environment may affect the course of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare disease severity between adult FMF patients in Turkey (TR) and Germany (G). MethodsAdult FMF patients of Turkish ancestry on colchicine living in Turkey (n = 40) or G (n = 35) were compared. Disease severity, C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were assessed. ResultsGroups differed significantly in the following aspects: age at onset of disease (TR: 15.6, G: 10.8 years; P = 0.02), delay between onset and initiation of colchicine treatment (TR: 6.8 years, G: 14.9 years; P < 0.001), female gender (TR: 80%, G: 57.1%; P = 0.04), and duration of disease (TR: 14.4 years, G: 23.4 years; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in colchicine treatment concerning average dosing and duration of therapy. No significant difference could be found between the 2 groups in CRP and disease severity as assessed by the score of Pras et al. (Am J Med Genet. 1998;75:216–219) even after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate was significantly higher among patients living in G (TR: 13.2 mm/first hour, G: 26.3 mm/first hour; P < 0.001). Among patients living in Germany, there was a significant difference in age at FMF onset depending on their country of birth (born in TR: 14.9 years, born in G: 6.9 years; P = 0.0001). ConclusionsIn adult FMF patients living in Turkey or Germany, no difference in disease activity or CRP could be found. German patients were younger at onset of disease and had a longer delay between onset and initiation of colchicine treatment.
Toward a theory of public sector entrepreneurship

Existing theories of public sector entrepreneurship lack a sense of entrepreneurial discovery ubiquitous in human action. Instead, existing theories emphasise rational calculation in a public sector setting. Existing theories of public sector entrepreneurship, therefore, are inadequate to account for the observed entrepreneurial behaviour in political and bureaucratic settings. The purpose of this paper is to redress the limited theories of public sector entrepreneurship by integrating Kirznerian and Schumpeterian theories of entrepreneurship with Buchanan and Tullock's constitutional political economy to move toward a theory of public sector entrepreneurship. The following analytic definition is offered: public sector entrepreneurship occurs whenever a political or governmental actor is alert to, and acts on, potential political profit opportunities, thus equilibrating the policy subsystem in which the actor is embedded and moving it toward a new equilibrium.
The provision of other services by auditors: Independence and pricing issues

Abstract This research has three objectives: to identify the extent and level of other services provided by incumbent auditors in the Australian business environment; to examine pricing issues by investigating the relationship between fees for other services and audit fees; and to address the question of independence by (a) identifying whether the incidence of audit qualification is related to the level of other services purchased and (b) investigating whether there is a relationship between audit tenure and the level of other services provided. Information on audit fees, fees for other services, size, audit qualifications, industry and auditor (Big 8(6)/Non-Big 8(6)) was obtained from publicly available information for the majority of the top 500 Australian companies listed on the Australian stock exchange between 1986–1990. This study provides evidence that an increasing number of clients are purchasing other services from their auditor. A significant positive relationship between fees paid for other se.
Segmentation of cell clumps for quantitative analysis

The increasing amounts of microscopy data generated in cell biology requires the development of automated tools for the quantitative analysis of images. Clumps of cells are difficult to segment due to the frequent lack of clear boundaries between cells and are often ignored, but communication between cells is an intrinsic part of the response of cells to their environment. In addition cells often show a large variation in their responses, even within a clump, and an accurate segmentation is therefore vital to prevent the unwanted averaging of measurements over multiple cells. Here we present a method for segmenting clumps of cells by using a multi-scale ridge filter to enhance unclear boundaries. A multi-phase level set method incorporating a region competition term is used to identify a boundary for each cell based on the ridge filter response.
Square ring microstrip patch triple band antenna for GSM/ WiMAX/ WLAN systems

The proposed antenna is implemented for three bands operation system modern global system for mobile (GSM), microwave worldwide interoperability (WiMAX), and local area network (WLAN). The designed antenna consisted of a low profile square-ring planar microstrip antenna, with dimensions of 37×37 mm2. The antenna operates at 1.8 GHz, 3.6 GHz, and 5.5 GHz frequencies for GSM, WiMAX and WLAN characteristics all in one system. The proposed tri-band antenna is constructed by stacking square ring patch antenna utilizing slots, microstrip feed line, and the ground plane. The general configuration procedure is explained and the parametric values are optimized to produce suitable dimensions, which can be operated in different frequency bands. However, the radiating part and overall antenna size are less than the individuals of the tri-band antenna concentrated on. The antenna modelling has been designed using CST MWS environment. The proposed design fabricated using a FR4 substrate with a dielectric permittivity of 4.3. The simulated and measured results were certified using vector network analyzer. Therefore, the outcome results indicate great concurrence between the simulation and measurement.
Rules or Discretion in Public Sector Decision-Making

Rules and discretion in public sector decision making are compared in a macroeconomic setting where there is a potential role for an active stabilization policy when the policymaker has private information about nominal shocks. The credibility of announcements about the state of nature is shown to depend critically on both the policymaker's preferences over output and inflation, and on the institutional setting (rules or discretion). Th e issue of rules versus discretion is found to depend on the flexibility lost under a rule relative to the time-inconsistency problem arising under discretion. Copyright 1988 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
Comparison between line and surface mesh models to represent the rotator cuff muscle geometry in musculoskeletal models

Abstract Accurate muscle geometry (muscle length and moment arm) is required to estimate muscle function when using musculoskeletal modelling. In shoulder, muscles are often modelled as a collection of independent line segments, leading to non-physiological muscles trajectory, especially for the rotator cuff muscles. To prevent this, a surface mesh model was developed and validated against 7 MRI positions in one participant. Mean moment arm errors was 11.4% for the line vs. 8.8% for the mesh model. While the model with independent lines led to some non-physiological trajectories, the mesh model gave lower misestimations of muscle lengths and moment arms.
Active damping of LCL filter without capacitor voltage sensors for three phase PWM inverter

In this paper, new sensorless active damping method of the grid-connected LCL filter for a three-phase PWM inverter is proposed. The resonance component of capacitor voltage of LCL filter is observed by a simple MRAS (Model Reference Adaptive System) observer without additional sensors or circuits. The active damping is implemented by feed-forward compensation of the observed capacitor voltage for current controller. The validity of the proposed method is verified by the simulation and experiment.
Conditions on Option Prices for Absence of Arbitrage and Exact Calibration

Under the assumption of absence of arbitrage, European option quotes on a given asset must satisfy well-known inequalities, which have been described in the landmark paper Merton (1973). If we further assume that there is no interest rate volatility and that the underlying asset continuously pays deterministic dividends, cross-maturity inequalities must also be satisfied by the bid and ask option prices.In this paper, we show that there exists an arbitrage-free model, which is consistent with the option quotes, if these inequalities are satisfied. One implication is that all static arbitrage strategies are linear combinations, with positive weights, of those described here. We also characterize admissible default probabilities for models which are consistent with given option quotes.
The effectiveness of vaccination with whole-cell pertussis vaccine by age group in Poland 1996–2001

Recurrence of pertussis in highly vaccinated populations has been observed in many countries. Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain it: a shift in incidence towards older age groups in which the protective effect of vaccination is diminished; and vaccine-induced changes in genomic and immunological characteristics of circulating strains of Bordetella pertussis, which become different from vaccine strains, thereby reducing vaccine efficacy. Marked increase in the incidence of pertussis has been observed in Poland since 1997, following a decade of stability at a low level. As previously shown, the immunization calendar in Poland does not ensure sufficient protection among children older than 9 y. The decrease in the protective effect becomes noticeable after the age of 5. In this paper we examine changes in the effectiveness of pertussis vaccination in 4 age groups during 1996–2001, using surveillance data. We find that over that period a decrease occurred in the reported effectiveness (in children aged 2 to 5 y, from 97.3% in 1996 to 73.5% in 2001 and in 6 to 9 y-olds, from 84.3% to 68.8%). We also discuss an alternative hypothesis that the above findings are due to selection or measurement bias resulting from incomplete reporting or imperfect diagnostic procedures.
Predicting issuer credit ratings using generalized estimating equations

The dynamic ordered probit model (DOPM) with autocorrelation structure is proposed as a model for credit risk forecasting. It is more appropriate than the DOPM with independence structure, because correlations among repeated credit ratings have been observed by Altman and Kao [J. Financ. Anal. , 1992, 48, 64–75] and Parnes [Financ. Res. Lett. , 2007, 4, 217–226]. The unknown parameters in the proposed model are estimated by a generalized estimating equations (GEE) approach (Lipsitz et al. [Statist. Med., 1994, 13, 1149–1163]). The GEE approach has been applied in many applications to analyse correlated repeated data due to its less-stringent distributional assumptions and robustness properties. Real data examples are used to illustrate the proposed model. The empirical results confirm that the proposed model compares favorably to the usual DOPM with independence structure, in the sense that the out-of-sample total error rate produced by the former is not only of smaller magnitude, but also of lower volatility. Thus the proposed model is a useful alternative for credit risk forecasting.
AMP‐activated protein kinase underpins hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and carotid body excitation by hypoxia in mammals

In order to maintain tissue partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) within physiological limits, vital homeostatic mechanisms monitor O2 supply and respond to a fall in PO2 by altering respiratory and circulatory function, and the capacity of the blood to transport O2. Two systems that are key to this process in the acute phase are the pulmonary arteries and the carotid bodies. Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is driven by mechanisms intrinsic to the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and aids ventilation–perfusion matching in the lung by diverting blood flow from areas with an O2 deficit to those that are rich in O2. By contrast, a fall in arterial PO2 precipitates excitation–secretion coupling in carotid body type I cells, increases sensory afferent discharge from the carotid body and thereby elicits corrective changes in breathing patterns via the brainstem. There is a general consensus that hypoxia inhibits mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in these O2‐sensing cells over a range of PO2 values that has no such effect on other cell types. However, the question remains as to the identity of the mechanism that underpins hypoxia–response coupling in O2‐sensing cells. Here, I lay out the case in support of a primary role for AMP‐activated protein kinase in mediating chemotransduction by hypoxia.
Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization Demand Screening with Slotting Allowances and Failure Fees

In the presence of scarce shelf space, retail grocers face the proliferation of new products and high failure rates. Accurately predicting the demand for a new product becomes increasingly difficult for retailers as the number of product offerings increases. This study explores slotting allowances and failure fees as mechanisms to screen new products' demand distributions. Mechanism design framework and two moments of the product demand distribution are utilized to eliminate mean-variance dominated products and separate non-dominated products by their demand distributions. Model results suggest that accurately designed menus of contracts including retail prices, slotting allowances, failure fees (or success rebates) and sales targets can separate products by their demand distributions and alleviate asymmetric information problems.
Moderated Online Communities and User-Generated Content

Online communities provide a social sphere for people to share information and knowledge. While information sharing is becoming a ubiquitous online phenomenon, how to ensure information quality or induce quality content, however, remains a challenge due to the anonymity of commentators. This paper introduces moderation into reputation systems. We show that moderation directly impacts strategic commentators' incentive to generate useful information, and moderation is generally desirable to improve information quality. Interestingly, we find that when being moderated with different probabilities based on their reputations, commentators may display a pattern of reputation oscillation, in which they generate useful content to build up high reputation and then exploit their reputation. As a result, the expected performance from high-reputation commentators can be inferior to that from low-reputation ones (reversed reputation). We finally investigate the optimal moderation resource allocation, and conclude that the seemingly abnormal reversed reputation could arise as an optimal result.
Excitation optimization in fault diagnosis of analog electronic circuits

This article describes optimization of excitation signal for purpose of fault diagnosis. The goal is to enhance efficiency of faults detection in analog electronic circuits. The method has been verified on cases with single hard (catastrophic) and soft (parametric) faults. Further enhancement of fault detection efficiency has been achieved with additional feature extraction by means of wavelet transform. Obtained results have been compared with diagnosis using step function excitation and diagnosis without feature extraction.