Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bankruptcy and the Cost of Organized Labor: Evidence from Union Elections

Unionized workers are entitled to special treatment in bankruptcy court that can be detrimental to other corporate stakeholders, with unsecured creditors standing to lose the most. Using data on union elections, we employ a regression discontinuity design to identify the effect of worker unionization on bondholders in bankruptcy states. Closely won union elections lead to significant bond value losses, especially when firms approach bankruptcy, have underfunded pension plans, and operate in non-RTW law states. Unionization is associated with longer, more convoluted, and costlier bankruptcy court proceedings. Unions depress bondholders’ recovery values as they are assigned seats on creditors’ committees. Received September 19, 2016; editorial decision September 19, 2017 by Editor David Denis. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University PressWeb site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Failure sources in R&D consortia: the case of mobile service development

This study reveals the processes through which firms can cope with sources of failure in R&D consortia in emerging high-tech markets. We use a single case design, focusing on mobile service development to investigate the value-creating and value-dissipating activities in a R&D consortium. We collected longitudinal data on the collaborative processes in the alliance through semi-structured interviews, observations and archival researches for over 24 months. The findings suggest that R&D consortia increase the chances of success, when diverging interest can be mitigated, cognition can be aligned and agreement on time preferences can be reached. We also find that if attempts to manage such challenges are ill-timed in the process phases of strategic imagination, common ground development, coordinating contributions and performance, the success of R&D consortia is called into question, because the participants maximise their private benefits at the expense of the common ones. We conclude with managerial implications, which suggest a simple, yet integrative framework for managing R&D consortia in the context of service development, and offer fruitful future research avenues.
Exploiting Game Theoretic Analysis for Link Recommendation in Social Networks

The popularity of Online Social Networks (OSNs) has attracted great research interests in different fields. In Economics, researchers use game theory to analyze the mechanism of network formation, which is called Network Formation Game. While in Computer Science, much effort has been done in building machine learning models to predict future or missing links. However, there are few works considering how to combine game theoretic analysis and machine learning models. Therefore, in this paper, we study the problem of Exploiting Game Theoretic Analysis for Link Recommendation in Social Networks. Our goal is to improve link recommendation accuracy via leveraging the power of Network Formation Games into machine learning models. We present two different approaches to solve this problem. First, we propose a three- phase method that straightforwardly combines game theoretic analysis with machine learning models. Second, we develop a unified model, BPRLGT, that incorporates Network Formation Game into a Bayesian ranking framework for link recommendation. Specifically, BPRLGT takes advantage of network topology and we design a game theoretic sampling approach to improve its training process. The experiments are conducted on four real world datasets and the results on all datasets demonstrate that both our proposed three-phase method and the unified ranking model outperform the baseline methods.
Ownership of Capital in Monetary Economies and the Inflation Tax on Equity

Financial instruments are subject to inflation taxes on the wealth they represent and on the nominal income flows they provide. This paper explicitly introduces financial instruments into the standard stochastic growth model with money and production and shows that the value of the firm in this case is equal to the firm's capital stock divided by inflation. The resulting asset-pricing conditions indicate that the effect of inflation on asset returns differs from the effects found in other papers by the addition of a significant wealth tax.
Communications in Mathematical Physics Fusion of Symmetric D-Branes and Verlinde Rings

We explain how multiplicative bundle gerbes over a compact, connected and simple Lie group G lead to a certain fusion category of equivariant bundle gerbe modules given by pre-quantizable Hamiltonian LG-manifolds arising from AlekseevMalkin-Meinrenken’s quasi-Hamiltonian G-spaces. The motivation comes from string theory namely, by generalising the notion of D-branes in G to allow subsets of G that are the image of a G-valued moment map we can define a ‘fusion of D-branes’ and a map to the Verlinde ring of the loop group of G which preserves the product structure. The idea is suggested by the theorem of Freed-Hopkins-Teleman. The case where G is not simply connected is studied carefully in terms of equivariant bundle gerbe modules for multiplicative bundle gerbes.
Increased Dependence of Humans on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity

Humans have altered ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than ever, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for resources along with economic development. These demands have been considered important drivers of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. Are humans becoming less dependent on ecosystem services and biodiversity following economic development? Here, we used roundwood production, hydroelectricity generation and tourism investment in 92 biodiversity hotspot and 60 non-hotspot countries as cases to seek the answer. In 1980–2005, annual growth rates of roundwood production, hydroelectricity generation and tourism investment were higher in hotspot countries (5.2, 9.1 and 7.5%) than in non-hotspot countries (3.4, 5.9 and 5.6%), when GDP grew more rapidly in hotspot countries than non-hotspot countries. Annual growth rates of per capita hydropower and per capita tourism investment were higher in hotspot countries (5.3% and 6.1%) than in non-hotspot countries (3.5% and 4.3%); however, the annual growth rate of per capita roundwood production in hotspot countries (1%) was lower than in non-hotspot countries (1.4%). The dependence of humans on cultural services has increased more rapidly than on regulating services, while the dependence on provisioning services has reduced. This pattern is projected to continue during 2005–2020. Our preliminary results show that economic growth has actually made humans more dependent upon ecosystem services and biodiversity. As a consequence, the policies and implementations of both economic development and ecosystems/biodiversity conservation should be formulated and carried out in the context of the increased dependence of humans on ecosystem services along with economic development.
Probing brain function with pharmacological MRI

Pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI) provides a powerful means to map the effects of drugs on brain activity, with important applications in pharmacological research. However, phMRI studies in preclinical species are often conducted under general anaesthesia as a means to avoid head motion and to minimise the stress induced by the procedure. Under these conditions, the phMRI response to the drug of interest may be affected by interactions with the anaesthetic agent, with consequences for the interpretation of the data. Here, we have investigated the phMRI response to phencyclidine (PCP), an NMDA receptor blocker, in the halothane-anaesthetised rat for varying levels of anaesthesia and different PCP challenge doses. PCP induces psychotic-like symptoms in humans and laboratory animals and is widely applied as a pharmacological model of schizophrenia. However, PCP possesses anaesthetic properties per se, and its interactions with halothane might result in significant effects on the phMRI activation patterns. We observed two qualitatively different patterns of phMRI response. At 0.5 mg/kg iv PCP and 0.8% halothane maintenance anaesthesia, the lowest doses explored, an activation of discrete cortico-limbo-thalamic structures was observed, consistent with neuroimaging studies in humans and 2-deoxyglucose functional mapping in conscious animal models. However, higher anaesthetic concentrations or higher PCP challenge doses resulted in complete abolition of the positive response and in a widespread cortical deactivation (negative response). In the intermediate regime, we observed a dichotomic behaviour, with individual subjects showing one pattern or the other. These findings indicate a dose-dependent drug–anaesthetic interaction, with a complete reversal of the effects of PCP at higher challenge doses or HT concentrations. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Resistance to endotoxic shock in mice lacking natriuretic peptide receptor-A

Background and purpose: Excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is thought to underlie the vascular dysfunction, systemic hypotension and organ failure that characterize endotoxic shock. Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) are raised in animal models and humans with endotoxic shock and correlate with the associated cardiovascular dysfunction. Since both NO and natriuretic peptides play important roles in cardiovascular homeostasis via activation of guanylate cyclase‐linked receptors, we used mice lacking natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)‐A (NPR1) to establish if natriuretic peptides contribute to the cardiovascular dysfunction present in endotoxic shock.
TOWARDS SEMANTIC INTERACTION IN HIGH-DETAIL REALTIME TERRAIN AND CITY VISUALIZATION

: On the one hand, the extent, modeled detail and accuracy of virtual landscapes, cities and geospeciﬁc content is rapidly increasing. Realtime visualizations based on geometric levels-of-detail (LODs) allow the user to explore such data, but up to now, the methods of interaction are very low-level. On the other hand, we have semantic categories for the objects which are modeled in ontologies. We propose an approach which allows to combine the advantages of both, realtime visualization techniques and semantic hierarchies, in a single application without establishing an explicit link. That way, we can achieve semantic interaction without interfering with the rendering techniques which is crucial for performance on large datasets. Moreover, we are able to exchange geometric and semantic models independently of each other.
An open-label, single-arm, phase I/II study of lower-dose decitabine based therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose We conducted this phase I/II clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of lower-dose decitabine based therapy in pretreated patients with advanced HCC. Experimental Design Patients with advanced HCC were eligible. The administered dose of decitabine was 6 mg/m2/d intravenously on days 1 to 5 of a 28-day cycle. Additional therapies were given based on their disease progression status. The endpoint was to ensure the safety, hepatotoxicity, clinical responses, progression-free survival (PFS) and pharmacodynamics assay of lower-dose decitabine. Results Fifteen patients were enrolled. The favorable adverse events and liver function profiles were observed. The most beneficial responses were 1 complete response (CR), 6 stable disease (SD) and 8 progressive disease (PD). MRI liver scans post-treatment indicated a unique and specific characteristic. The immunohistochemistry result from the liver biopsy exhibited noteworthy CTL responses. Median PFS was 4 months (95% CI 1.7, 7), comparing favorably with existing therapeutic options. Expression decrement of DNMT1 and global DNA hypomethylation were observed in PBMCs after lower-dose decitabine treatment. Conclusion The lower-dose decitabine based treatment resulted in beneficial clinical response and favorable toxicity profiles in patients with advanced HCC. The prospective evaluations of decitabine administration schemes and tumor tissue-based pharmacodynamics effect are warranted in future trials.
Lifting D-instanton zero modes by recombination and background fluxes

We study the conditions under which D-brane instantons in Type II orientifold compactifications generate a non-perturbative superpotential. If the instanton is non-invariant under the orientifold action, it carries four instead of the two Goldstone fermions required for superpotential contributions. Unless these are lifted, the instanton can at best generate higher fermionic F-terms of Beasley-Witten type. We analyse two strategies to lift the additional zero modes. First we discuss the process of instantonic brane recombination in Type IIA orientifolds. We show that in some cases charge invariance of the measure enforces the presence of further zero modes which, unlike the Goldstinos, cannot be absorbed. In other cases, the instanton exhibits reparameterisation zero modes after recombination and a superpotential is generated if these are lifted by suitable closed or open string couplings. In the second part of the paper we address lifting the extra Goldstinos of D3-brane instantons by supersymmetric three-form background fluxes in Type IIB orientifolds. This requires non-trivial gauge flux on the instanton. Only if the part of the fermionic action linear in the gauge flux survives the orientifold projection can the extra Goldstinos be lifted.
A Convention for Explicit Declaration of Environments and Top-Down Refinement of Data

Many problems of block structure derive from the remote specification of parts of the local environment. An alternative to block structure is proposed, in which the local environment is described within each program module. Concise environment descriptions are made possible by creating a tree whose terminal nodes are declarations and whose intermediate nodes can represent all of their descendant terminal node declarations. The tree encompasses all of the data used by the program and can thus be thought of as the data structure for the entire program. Each intermediate node of the tree names an abstract data structure that is implemented from the data named in its descendant nodes. Top-down refinement of abstract data structures consists of creating descendant nodes, and terminates when all terminal nodes of the tree have been created. This activity occurs as a normal part of program development, along with the top-down refinement of program modules. The tree can be used in place of a symbol table as a referencing structure for compilation or interpretation. Compilation time wili then increase linearly with the length of the program and the referencing structure can grow dynamically during compilation.
On Engineering Challenges of Applying Relevance Feedback to Fingerprint Identification Systems

Effective fingerprint identification is critical in crime detection and many security related operations. This article investigates the use of Relevance Feedback with automatic fingerprint identification systems. It also summarises how several unique engineering challenges faced when applying relevance feedback are being addressed. Relevance feedback is a process for acquiring and using knowledge from a human user to improve the quality of results from an information retrieval system. It has been applied extensively to both text-based and images-based information retrieval systems, but not to fingerprint identification systems. Compared to automatic processes, relevance feedback has the potential to assist in faster convergence towards correct fingerprint identification and removes the reliance on black box fingerprint matching algorithm for the system's performance. Experimental results collected from a prototype software implementation confirm that relevance feedback can improve the quality of fingerprint identification queries significantly.
Factors Influencing the Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

Barker first used transcranial magnetic stimulation in 1985 in human brain function research. Since then, it has gradually been developed into a secure and non-invasive treatment method for neurological diseases. In 1994, Pascual Leone first used it for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) and observed an improvement in the motor symptoms of most of the patients. Recent studies have confirmed that both motor and non-motor symptoms of patients with PD could be improved through biochemical, electrophysiological, and functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis. Different therapeutic applications can be achieved by adjusting the stimulation parameters. Physical factors affecting the therapeutic effect include the shape and size of the coil, array orientation, materials and intensity, frequency of stimulus, etc.; the biological factors include stimulating targets, baseline, circadian rhythms, cerebral cortex thickness, and so on. This paper will review these factors and provide a reference for future research.
Differential cytotoxic and radiosensitizing effects of silver nanoparticles on triple-negative breast cancer and non-triple-negative breast cells

Identification of differential sensitivity of cancer cells as compared to normal cells has the potential to reveal a therapeutic window for the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a therapeutic agent for cancer therapy. Exposure to AgNPs is known to cause dose-dependent toxicities, including induction of oxidative stress and DNA damage, which can lead to cell death. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes are more vulnerable to agents that cause oxidative stress and DNA damage than are other breast cancer subtypes. We hypothesized that TNBC may be susceptible to AgNP cytotoxicity, a potential vulnerability that could be exploited for the development of new therapeutic agents. We show that AgNPs are highly cytotoxic toward TNBC cells at doses that have little effect on nontumorigenic breast cells or cells derived from liver, kidney, and monocyte lineages. AgNPs induced more DNA and oxidative damage in TNBC cells than in other breast cells. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that AgNPs reduce TNBC growth and improve radiation therapy. These studies show that unmodified AgNPs act as a self-therapeutic agent with a combination of selective cytotoxicity and radiation dose-enhancement effects in TNBC at doses that are nontoxic to noncancerous breast and other cells.
Self-Organization and Self-Coordination in Welding Automation with Collaborating Teams of Industrial Robots

In welding automation, growing interest can be recognized in applying teams of industrial robots to perform manufacturing processes through collaboration. Although robot teamwork can increase profitability and cost-effectiveness in production, the programming of the robots is still a problem. It is extremely time consuming and requires special expertise in synchronizing the activities of the robots to avoid any collision. Therefore, a research project has been initiated to solve those problems. This paper will present strategies, concepts, and research results in applying robot operating system (ROS) and ROS-based solutions to overcome existing technical deficits through the integration of self-organization capabilities, autonomous path planning, and self-coordination of the robots’ work. The new approach should contribute to improving the application of robot teamwork and collaboration in the manufacturing sector at a higher level of flexibility and reduced need for human intervention.
Tag-In-Tag: Efficient flow table management in SDN switches

Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) with O(1) look up performance has become the obvious and irreplaceable choice of high performance switching hardware. However, emerging network paradigm, especially Software Defined Networking (SDN), has changed the nature of operations and the rate of access in this memory subsystem. These conditions are expected to adversely impact TCAM power consumption, increase the silicon area and hence are likely to bring down the expected performance. In this paper we propose Tag-In-Tag an approach that exploits SDN features and replaces the flow entries with two layers of simpler and shorter tags. One level of tagging exploits the availability of unique path for individual flows from the ingress switch to egress switch that can be computed a-priori. Second level of tagging allows finer identification of the flows to enable flow specific actions. Double tagging helps in preserving the finer benefits of the SDNs while providing highest level of compaction to the flow entries in the flow tables. Through various experiments using real world and synthetic data we show that our approach can accommodate 15 times more flow entries in a fixed size TCAM whereas power consumption per-flow is reduced by 80% compared to an unoptimized SDN enabled switch.
Enhancement of video features for vision restoration of dangerous head light glare affected scenario

Though there is a study concerning vision restoration of headlight-glare vision, enhancing visual quality is able to be improved. Current frame information would contain more video features instead of restoring it only from the previous frame in order to achieve higher quality of vision during dangerous-glare encounter. Therefore, this paper proposes a new method recovering information from the surrounding area of glare centroid which distorts the luminance. Three-dimensional recursive search (3DRS) is assigned to retrieve luminance information from Macroblock (MB) of the previous non-glare affected frames. Tone mapping is also applied to improve luminance of the distorted MB. The result shows that frames with the glare area under 15% implemented the proposed method acquires higher peak-signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) than those applied glare simulation. Furthermore, the combination of restoration method and the proposed one results in the best performance of increasing PSNR among applying only a single method.
Wavelets in Recognition of Bird Sounds

This paper presents a novel method to recognize inharmonic and transient bird sounds efficiently. The recognition algorithm consists of feature extraction using wavelet decomposition and recognition using either supervised or unsupervised classifier. The proposed method was tested on sounds of eight bird species of which five species have inharmonic sounds and three reference species have harmonic sounds. Inharmonic sounds are not well matched to the conventional spectral analysis methods, because the spectral domain does not include any visible trajectories that computer can track and identify. Thus, the wavelet analysis was selected due to its ability to preserve both frequency and temporal information, and its ability to analyze signals which contain discontinuities and sharp spikes. The shift invariant feature vectors calculated from the wavelet coefficients were used as inputs of two neural networks: the unsupervised self-organizing map (SOM) and the supervised multilayer perceptron (MLP). The results were encouraging: the SOM network recognized 78% and the MLP network 96% of the test sounds correctly.