Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioral and Psychiatric Features of Sturge-Weber Syndrome

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is characterized by seizures, port-wine birthmarks, vascular malformations, and rarely studied psychobehavioral features. This study describes a small group of outpatients (N = 16, age, 3–34 years) with Sturge-Weber syndrome seeking medical services (due to seizures, ophthalmological, and dermatological problems among others). The patients were screened for psychiatric diagnoses. The most frequent diagnoses were mood disorder (31%), disruptive behavior disorder (25%), and adjustment disorder (25%). A substance-related disorder was the most frequent in adults (67%). A significant association was found between disruptive behavior disorder not otherwise specified and more left frontal and left parietal involvement. A trend toward significant association of having a seizure in the past 3 months with disruptive behavior disorder not otherwise specified was observed. Problems with mood, attention, sleep, learning, and substance use were common. Disruptive behavior disorders and their association with medical conditions should be further investigated.
Quality management practices and their relationship with customer satisfaction and productivity improvement

Purpose – There is considerable confusion surrounding the applied role and business value of TQM. Anecdotal evidence and empirical studies in the literature suggest considerable variability in the performance of TQM. The purpose of the paper is to test the strength of the relationship between quality management practice and two key operational performance measures: productivity improvement and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – A large database consisting of 962 responses from Australian manufacturing firms and 379 responses from New Zealand manufacturing firms is used to test the hypotheses.Findings – The major finding of the paper is that multiple quality management practices when implemented simultaneously have a significant and positive effect on productivity improvement and customer satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – The results presented in this paper are drawn from one industry at one point in time. Generalising the results to other industries should be done with caut.
Plants and Productivity in International Trade

We reconcile international trade theory with findings of enormous plant-level heterogeneity in exporting and productivity. Our model extends basic Ricardian theory to accommodate many countries, geographic barriers, and imperfect competition. Fitting the model to bilateral trade among the United States and its 46 major trade partners, we see how well it can explain basic facts about U.S. plants: (i) productivity dispersion, (ii) the productivity advantage of exporters, (iii) the small fraction who export, (iv) the small fraction of revenues from exporting among those that do, and (v) the much larger size of exporters. We pick up all these basic qualitative features, and go quite far in matching them quantitatively. We examine counterfactuals to assess the impact of various global shifts on productivity, plant entry and exit, and labor turnover in U.S. manufacturing.
Multiproduct Cost Relationships for Retail Fertilizer Plants

Retail fertilizer plants produce a number of products and services. To analyze the relationship between cost and output for these multiproduct firms, a short-run, translog cost function is estimated using pooled data. Measures of economies of scope and scale are calculated. Results indicate plants can lower average cost by increasing output and by diversifying into anhydrous ammonia. Furthermore, preliminary evidence indicates that firms in the sample are overinvested in plant and equipment.
The Effect of Grading Practices on Gender Differences in Academic Performance

This paper adds to the debate about the sources of the gender gaps in student outcomes by highlighting explanations related to interactions between teachers and students. The evidence comes from the lower secondary school in Norway. The teachers' grading practices are the focal point of the analysis. First, it is shown that girls are exposed to easier grading than boys. Thereafter, evidence is provided that both boys and girls are negatively affected when the teacher practises easy grading. The boys' responses to easy grading are more uniformly negative than the girls' responses. Some exploratory analyses that make use of information about the students' school motivations are provided to make sense of these findings.
Microbial reduction of Fe(III) in the Fithian and Muloorina illites: Contrasting extents and rates of bioreduction

Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 reduces Fe(III) within two illites which have different properties: the Fithian bulk fraction and the <0.2 µm fraction of Muloorina. The Fithian illite contained 4.6% (w/w) total Fe, 81% of which was Fe(III). It was dominated by illite with some jarosite (∼32% of the total Fe(III)) and goethite (11% of the total Fe(III)). The Muloorina illite was pure and contained 9.2% Fe, 93% of which was Fe(III). Illite suspensions were buffered at pH 7 and were inoculated with CN32 cells with lactate as the electron donor. Select treatments included anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) as an electron shuttle. Bioproduction of Fe(II) was determined by ferrozine analysis. The unreduced and bioreduced solids were characterized by Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The extent of Fe(III) reduction in the bulk Fithian illite was enhanced by the presence of AQDS (73%) with complete reduction of jarosite and goethite and partial reduction of illite. Mössbauer spectroscopy and chemical extraction determined that 21–25% of illite-associated Fe(III) was bioreduced. The extent of bioreduction was less in the absence of AQDS (63%) and only jarosite was completely reduced with partial reduction of goethite and illite. The XRD and TEM data revealed no significant illite dissolution or biogenic minerals, suggesting that illite was reduced in the solid state and biogenic Fe(II) from jarosite and goethite was either released to aqueous solution or adsorbed onto residual solid surfaces. In contrast, only 1% of the structural Fe(III) in Muloorina illite was bioreduced. The difference in the extent and rate of bioreduction between the two illites was probably due to the difference in layer charge and the total structural Fe content between the Fithian illite (0.56 per formula) and Muloorina illite (0.87). There may be other factors contributing to the observed differences, such as expandability, surface area and the arrangements of Fe in the octahedral sheets. The results of this study have important implications for predicting microbe-induced physical and chemical changes of clay minerals in soils and sediments.
The importance of an export-oriented culture for export performance

The prevailing corporate culture of an organisation plays a fundamental role in the generation and exchange of knowledge and can have a crucial effect on business performance. In the export field, corporate culture usually influences the levels of strategic orientation of organisations and affects decision-making and the outcomes associated with the exporting activity. In this context, the aim of this paper is to propose and test a model examining the implications of strategic export orientation on (a) export commitment; (b) the extent of marketing-mix adaptation to the international context; (c) perceived competitive advantage in foreign markets; and (d) export performance. To analyse the data and evaluate the relationships between the different constructs, we chose structural equation modelling via PLS (partial least squares). Using a sample of 150 Spanish export firms, the results corroborate the important role of strategic export orientation in the success of firms in foreign markets, and yield important implications for export managers.
Coalition Formation for Interference Management in Visible Light Communication Networks

Visible light communication (VLC) can accomplish the two-fold goal of illumination and short-range communication with the advantages of low cost, free spectrum, natural confidentiality, and low energy consumption, whereas interference management is a major challenge in VLC networks. In this paper, we propose a coalition formation framework for interference management in VLC networks. VLC access points (APs) are designed to self-organize into cooperation coalitions for interference cancellation through orthogonal time or frequency domain. The performances of VLC APs with and without forming coalitions are both analyzed. Based on coalition formation game theory, a simple merge-and-split algorithm based on Pareto order is proposed. The convergence, stability, and complexity of the proposed algorithm are further discussed. Numerical results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
An investigation into how corporate real estate in the financial services industry can add value through alignment and methods of performance measurement

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate corporate real estate (CRE) performance measurement and how value can be added to the core business. Design/methodology/approach – An analysis is made of the appropriate literature and primary research conducted via interviews with 11 senior professionals from three globally renowned companies, one global financial organisation and two corporate advisory firms. Findings – The findings from this research provide evidence that CRE can be used to add value to the core business, both in the physical and behavioural environment. By aligning aims and objectives with the business, continually conducting portfolio analytics, encompassing size, cost, space, retention and productivity, value can be added, maximising shareholder worth. Research limitations/implications – The main conclusions drawn from this study are that CRE can add value to the business. The role of corporate real estate asset managers (CREAMs) needs to change from the physical environment to the .
Intermittent water supplies: challenges and opportunities for residential water users in Jordan

Intermittent access to improved urban water supplies is a large and expanding global problem. This paper describes 16 supply enhancement and 23 demand management actions available to urban residential water users in Jordan to cope with intermittent supplies. We characterize actions by implementation, costs, and water quantities and qualities acquired or conserved. This effort systematically identifies potential options prior to detailed study and shows that water users have significant capacity to affect demand. We suggest several methods to evaluate options and highlight the need to include local water management decisions in integrated water resources management and planning at utility and regional scales.
Susceptibility of mice to invasive aspergillosis correlates with delayed cell influx into the lungs

Ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) is involved in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), a frequent infection in immunocompromized patients. Genetic differences are likely to play a role predisposing to IPA. This study was aimed to compare six genetically different mouse strains in their susceptibility to IPA and to determine possible mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of this infection. Immunosuppressed BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice infected with A. fumigatus conidia were more resistant to IPA than DBA/1, DBA/2, CBA, and A/Sn strains. Phagocytosis of A. fumigatus conidia by blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) or bone marrow derived dendritic cells showed no difference between strains. All IPA susceptible strains demonstrated decreased PMN influx into the lungs during infection compared with resistant strains. Flow cytometry analysis of the composition of lung infiltrating cells showed that IPA susceptible mice had a decreased number of phagocytes before the infection. After infection the numbers of Gr‐1+CD11b+ PMN cells in the lungs of immunosuppressed mice increased from 10–20% to 50–60% while the percentage of CD11+F4/80+ resident macrophages was unchanged. Among susceptible strains DBA/2 and A/Sn have a defect in C5 component of complement. Injection of normal serum into complement deficient but not into complement sufficient CBA or DBA/1 mice significantly improved their survival. We showed that complement replacement significantly increased PMN homing to the lungs of complement deficient mice. Thus, defect in complement system can predispose to IPA. Our results demonstrated that early influx of PMN into the lungs of mice is important for the resistance to IPA.
On Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access With Finite-Alphabet Inputs in Z-Channels

This paper focuses on the design of non-orthogonal multiple access in a classical two-transmitter two-receiver Z-channel, wherein one transmitter sends information to its intended receiver from the direct link while the other transmitter sends information to both receivers from the direct and cross links. Unlike most existing designs using (continuous) Gaussian input distribution, we consider the practical finite-alphabet (i.e., discrete) inputs by assuming that the widely used quadrature amplitude modulation constellations are adopted by both transmitters. To balance the error performance of two receivers, we apply the max–min fairness design criterion in this paper. More specifically, we propose to jointly optimize the scaling factors at both transmitters, which control the minimum Euclidean distance of transmitting constellations, to maximize the smaller minimum Euclidean distance of two resulting constellations at the receivers, subject to an individual average power constraint at each transmitter. The formulated problem is a mixed continuous-discrete optimization problem and is thus intractable in general. By resorting to the Farey sequence, we manage to attain the closed-form expression for the optimal solution to the formulated problem. This is achieved by dividing the overall feasible region of the original optimization problem into a finite number of sub-intervals and deriving the optimal solution in each sub-interval. Through carefully observing the structure of the optimal solutions in all sub-intervals, we obtain compact and closed-form expressions for the optimal solutions to the original problem in three possible scenarios defined by the relative strength of the cross link. Simulation studies are provided to validate our analysis and demonstrate the merits of the proposed design over existing orthogonal or non-orthogonal schemes.
Test for Tax Effects in the Pricing of Financial Assets

This paper tests four competing hypotheses regarding taxation and the pricing of financial assets: no differential tax effects in the pricing of stocks or bonds; the equilibrium condition described by Miller (1977); the two-parameter after-tax pricing equations of Brennan (1970) and Litzenberger and Ramaswamy (1979); and dividend-related clientele effects described by Elton and Gruber (1970) and Litzenberger and Ramaswamy (1980). These hypotheses make substantially different predictions about the impact of taxes on financial decisions; however, when stated in terms of returns the hypotheses imply parameter restrictions with the same functional form. The commonality of the parameter restrictions allows simultaneous testing of all four models by testing the form of the parameter restrictions. This approach differs from that of previous researchers who have by and large implicitly assumed that the parameter restrictions implied by the respective models hold (see Elton and Gruber 1970; Black and Scholes 1973, 1974; Litzenberger and Ramaswamy 1979, 1980; Miller and Scholes 1982). Conditional on this assumption, parameter estimates have been made and This paper tests four models describing the impact of taxes on financial asset returns: no-tax effects; Miller's equilibrium; the twoparameter-pricing models of Brennan and Litzenberger and Ramaswamy; and taxinduced-dividend clientele effects. These tests are carried out by casting the hypotheses in terms of systems of equations and identifying the parameter restrictions implied by each of the hypotheses. The systems approach is particularly useful for testing for clientele effects because we are able to identify withinand between-equation restrictions without specifying the marginal tax rate of the clientele which holds a particular security. My results suggest that none of tax-motivated hypotheses is descriptive of the data. * This paper is a distillation of several research projects I have undertaken in the last two years. Special thanks are in order to G. Constantinides, E. Fama, J. Ingersoll, A. Madansky, and M. Scholes. I owe a particularly important debt to Merton Miller for help and encouragement. Finally, I would like to thank Steve Buser and E. Han Kim.
Calving ease evaluation of French dairy bulls with a heteroskedastic threshold model with direct and maternal effects

Calving ease scores (1 = no assistance, 2 = easy calving, 3 = difficult calving) from two French dairy breeds (NO = Normande and MO = Montbeliarde) were analysed using a heteroskedastic threshold model as proposed by Foulley and Gianola (1996, Genet. Sel. Evol. 2:249). A satisfactory model was first selected to describe the effects of environmental factors on the location and dispersion parameters of the underlying normal variable. Four random effects were then added: sire of calf, sire of dam, dam (within sire of dam) and herdyear-season, assuming homogeneous ratios of variance components across environments. Relatively low estimates of heritabilities were obtained on the underlying scale: 5.4% (resp., 5.4% for MO) for the direct effect and 3.1% (resp., 2.7%) for the maternal effect, with a slightly negative correlation between the two. A routine evaluation of French dairy bulls based on this statistical model is now operational.
On Symmetric Eigenproblems Induced by the Bidiagonal SVD

The relatively robust representations (RRR) algorithm is the method of choice to compute highly accurate eigenvector approximations for symmetric tridiagonal matrices. The task of computing singular vector pairs for a bidiagonal matrix $B = U \Sigma V ^T$ is closely connected to the RRR algorithm regarding BTB, BBT, or the Golub--Kahan matrix TGK. Nevertheless, separate application of the RRR algorithm to these matrices leads to poor results regarding either numerical orthogonality or the residual $\| {B}{V} - {U}{\Sigma} \|$. It turns out that the coupling strategy proposed in [B. Grosser and B. Lang, Linear Algebra Appl. , 358 (2003), pp. 45--70] resolves this problem. This article provides the corresponding perturbation theory: We compare the eigenvalues of the separate and coupled decompositions and explain why singular vector pairs approximated via couplings are of superior quality.
Detection of Low Salience Whisker Stimuli Requires Synergy of Tectal and Thalamic Sensory Relays

Detection of a sensory stimulus depends on its psychophysical saliency; the higher the saliency, the easier the detection. But it is not known whether sensory relay nuclei differ in their ability to detect low salient whisker stimuli. We found that reversible lesions of either the somatosensory thalamus or superior colliculus blocked detection of a low salience whisker conditioned stimulus (WCS) in an active avoidance task, without affecting detection of a high salience WCS. Thus, thalamic and tectal sensory relays work synergistically to detect low salient stimuli during avoidance behavior, but are redundant during detection of highly salient stimuli. We also recorded electrophysiological responses evoked by high and low salience stimuli in the superior colliculus and barrel cortex of freely behaving animals during active exploration, awake immobility, and sensory detection in the active avoidance task. Field potential (FP) responses evoked in barrel cortex and superior colliculus by high intensity stimuli are larger and adapt more to frequency than those evoked by low-intensity stimuli. FP responses are also more suppressed and adapt less during active exploration, and become further suppressed in barrel cortex during successful detection of either high or low salient stimuli in the active avoidance task. In addition, unit recordings revealed that firing rate increases in superior colliculus during active exploration and especially during successful detection of either high or low salient stimuli in the active avoidance task. We conclude that detection of low salient stimuli is achieved by a sparse neural code distributed through multiple sensory relays.
Investment Planning under Variable Price Change

The effects of inflation on equity claims and profits have attracted the attention of numerous writers. Earlier articles such as those by Kessel and Alchian [4] and DeAlessi [1] considered the relation between monetary assets and fixed-dollar obligations. Given that product prices change at the same rate as the prices of goods and services acquired, the query posed by Nichols [8] and Motley [7] was whether the change in the real value of tax claims greatly surpassed that of the real value of fixed-income claims. Other recent studies have looked into the inflation-hedge characteristics of common stocks [2 and 9] and have pointed to a potential bias introduced into capital-budgeting decisions by price-level changes [11]. This study confirms the erratic behavior of stock prices and corporate earnings as the price level changes, describes an investment-decision model that allows for both price-change expectations and interaction between stock prices and near-term earnings, and applies the price-change model to selected company environments. Preliminary analyses of the sensitivity of common stock prices, profits, and wholesale price and wage indexes to changes in the Consumer Price Index suggest that management either has failed to incorporate price-change expectations adequately into its decision fabric or has frequently misassessed actual rates of price change. The investrient-decision model-as set forth in this article-extends previous work in this area and merits serious consideration for application by corporate planners. Specifically, it rectifies deficiencies in other capitalbudgeting models by allowing for (1) differential rates of change in prices and costs and (2) management's subjective beliefs as to the rate of inflation. Despite its emphasis on near-term earnings, the model converges on the classical net-present-value decision rule at the limit.
Spectrum sensing and data transmission tradeoff in cognitive radio networks

In cognitive radio networks, a cognitive source node typically requires two essential phases to complete a cognitive transmission process: the phase of spectrum sensing with a certain time duration to detect a spectrum hole (thus also referred to as spectrum hole detection phase) and the phase of data transmission through the detected spectrum hole. In this paper, we focus on the analysis of cognitive transmissions by jointly considering the two phases. An exact closed-form expression of an overall outage probability that accounts for both the probability of no spectrum hole detected and the probability of a channel outage is derived for cognitive transmissions. Based on the derived overall outage probability, we investigate the spectrum hole utilization efficiency, which is used to quantify the percentage of spectrum holes utilized by the cognitive source for its successful data transmission. Numerical results show that there is a tradeoff in determining the time durations for hole detection and data transmission phases in order to maximize the spectrum hole utilization efficiency.