Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ownership concentration, corporate risk-taking and performance: Evidence from Vietnamese listed firms

Abstract This study examines the associations of corporate governance with firm risk-taking and performance in a typical frontier equity market characterized by high ownership concentration and weak investor protection. Using an extensive sample of Vietnamese listed firms, we find (1) no relation between ownership concentration and firm profitability, but a non-linear relation between ownership concentration and firm valuation; and (2) that concentrated ownership increases the riskiness of accounting performance; however, there is no evidence of the linkage between concentration and the riskiness of market performance. Ultimately, our findings confirm essential differences in using the two alternatives of performance measurement.
Multivariate adaptive regression splines: a powerful method for detecting disease–risk relationship differences among subgroups

In a wide variety of medical research scenarios one is interested in the question whether regression curves differ for subgroups in the sample. Examples are gender differences in the effect of drug treatment or the study of genotype–environment interactions. To address this question exploratory techniques are often required because detailed knowledge concerning the shape of the regression curves and how that shape differs across subgroups is lacking. In this article we explored the power of two such exploratory techniques: multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and least squares curve fitting using polynomials. For this purpose simulations were performed using linear, logistic, and complex non‐linear curves. The power obtained from MARS was on average 1.4 times higher than with polynomials. It was shown that power was higher even if the regression curve was linear, that gains increased with the complexity of the curve, and that for highly non‐linear curves model‐free methods such as MARS might be the only alternative. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enhancing the Bandwidth of Electromagnetic Cloaks Using Multi-Objective Optimization

Reducing the scattering and enhancing the bandwidth (BW) are two desirable aspects in cloak applications. In this paper, we propose their optimization using a simplified objective function, which avoids a costly detailed frequency sweep to get the BW at each iteration. The multi-objective characteristic of our optimization permits us to obtain a set of possible solutions (the Pareto-Front), which represents different compromises between the two objectives. Two examples of dielectric cloaks are presented and discussed.
The Effects of Collective Bargaining Rights on Public Employee Compensation

Widespread public-sector unionism emerged only in the 1960s, as individual states opened the door to collective bargaining for state and municipal workers. In this study, the author exploits differences in timing of legislative reforms across states to construct estimates of the causal effects of public-sector collective bargaining rights on pay, benefits, and employment for teachers, firefighters, and police. Perhaps surprisingly, estimates that allow for state fixed effects and state-specific trends show little effect on teachers’ pay, benefits, or employment, despite significantly increasing union presence among teachers. For firefighters, the results show a substantial positive effect on wages. For police, the wage effect was more modest but the workweek was significantly shortened.
Statistical methods for robust analysis of transcriptome data by integration of biological prior knowledge

Au cours de la derniere decennie, les progres en Biologie Moleculaire ont accelere le developpement de techniques d'investigation a haut-debit. En particulier, l'etude du transcriptome a permis des avancees majeures dans la recherche medicale. Dans cette these, nous nous interessons au developpement de methodes statistiques dediees au traitement et a l'analyse de donnees transcriptomiques a grande echelle. Nous abordons le probleme de selection de signatures de genes a partir de methodes d'analyse de l'expression differentielle et proposons une etude de comparaison de differentes approches, basee sur plusieurs strategies de simulations et sur des donnees reelles. Afin de pallier les limites de ces methodes classiques qui s'averent peu reproductibles, nous presentons un nouvel outil, DiAMS (DIsease Associated Modules Selection), dedie a la selection de modules de genes significatifs. DiAMS repose sur une extension du score-local et permet l'integration de donnees d'expressions et de donnees d'interactions proteiques. Par la suite, nous nous interessons au probleme d'inference de reseaux de regulation de genes. Nous proposons une methode de reconstruction a partir de modeles graphiques Gaussiens, basee sur l'introduction d'a priori biologique sur la structure des reseaux. Cette approche nous permet d'etudier les interactions entre genes et d'identifier des alterations dans les mecanismes de regulation, qui peuvent conduire a l'apparition ou a la progression d'une maladie. Enfin l'ensemble de ces developpements methodologiques sont integres dans un pipeline d'analyse que nous appliquons a l'etude de la rechute metastatique dans le cancer du sein.
Near-Infrared Surface Plasmon Resonance Measurements of Ultrathin Films. 1. Angle Shift and SPR Imaging Experiments

The application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements to the study of ultrathin organic and inorganic films adsorbed onto gold surfaces utilizing near-infrared (NIR) excitation from 800 to 1152 nm is described. SPR scanning angle measurements of film thickness are demonstrated at 814 and 1152 nm using low-power diode and HeNe laser sources, respectively. Several advantages of SPR in the NIR are noted. The in situ reflectivity versus angle of incidence curves sharpen greatly (as compared to 632.8 nm) at longer wavelengths so that there is no loss in sensitivity in the measurement of film thickness despite a doubling of the excitation wavelength. The sharper resonance and longer wavelengths also allow for the measurement of thicker films. Examples of SPR thickness measurements for self-assembled alkanethiol monolayers and composite biopolymer/SiO2 nanoparticle electrostatic multilayer films are given. SPR imaging experiments are also performed at various NIR wavelengths using an incoherent white l.
Localisation de la lumière dans des rugosités de taille nanométrique de surfaces métalliques traitée par les équations intégrales et les ondelettes

Le cadre de cette these est la simulation numerique de l'interaction de la lumiere avec des surfaces metalliques rugueuses pouvant etre a l'origine de fortes localisation du champ electromagnetique du a des resonances plasmoniques. Les profils accidentes de ces surfaces ont des tailles caracteristiques de quelques nanometres de largeur et de quelques dizaines de nanometres de hauteur. La principale difficulte dans la simulation de tels phenomenes reside dans la diff'erence d'echelle entre la longueur d'onde de l'onde incidente et la taille des rugosites ainsi que les variations brutales du champ magnetique a la surface. Une methode de simulation adaptee est la resolution numerique d'equations integrales de surface ayant un profil periodique. Cette methode a ete implementee en C++ et la part principale de ce travail a ete le calcul de la fonction de Green pseudo-periodique. L'intensite du faisceau refracte ainsi que les cartes de champ proche peuvent etre calculees rigoureusement a partir de la solution obtenue. A l'aide de cette methode, on a montre que des resonances plasmoniques situees dans les cavites d'un reseaux ayant des rainures de forme Gaussienne de taille nanometrique ont un comportement electrostatique similaire a celles des cavites rectangulaires, notamment une reflectivite speculaire tres faible en condition de resonance. Les performances actuelles des ordinateurs limitent cependant les etudes a des reseaux de petite periode. Afin de depasser ces limitations, on a fait appel a des bases de fonctions permettant de decomposer une fonction en ses parties de resolutions differentes: les ondelettes. Ce travail se conclue par une discussion sur le potentiel de deux utilisations differentes des ondelettes pour la resolution d'equation integrales.
THE EMISSION BY DUST AND STARS OF NEARBY GALAXIES IN THE HERSCHEL KINGFISH SURVEY

Using new far-infrared imaging from the Herschel Space Observatory with ancillary data from ultraviolet (UV) to submillimeter wavelengths, we estimate the total emission from dust and stars of 62 nearby galaxies in the KINGFISH survey in a way that is as empirical and model independent as possible. We collect and exploit these data in order to measure from the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) precisely how much stellar radiation is intercepted and re-radiated by dust, and how this quantity varies with galaxy properties. By including SPIRE data, we are more sensitive to emission from cold dust grains than previous analyses at shorter wavelengths, allowing for more accurate estimates of dust temperatures and masses. The dust/stellar flux ratio, which we measure by integrating the SEDs, has a range of nearly three decades (from 10−2.2 to 100.5). The inclusion of SPIRE data shows that estimates based on data not reaching these far-IR wavelengths are biased low by 17% on average. We find that the dust/stellar flux ratio varies with morphology and total infrared (IR) luminosity, with dwarf galaxies having faint luminosities, spirals having relatively high dust/stellar ratios and IR luminosities, and some early types having low dust/stellar ratios. We also find that dust/stellar flux ratios are related to gas-phase metallicity ( and −0.22 ± 0.12 for metal-poor and intermediate-metallicity galaxies, respectively), while the dust/stellar mass ratios are less so (differing by ≈0.2 dex); the more metal-rich galaxies span a much wider range of the flux ratios. In addition, the substantial scatter between dust/stellar flux and dust/stellar mass indicates that the former is a poor proxy of the latter. Comparing the dust/stellar flux ratios and dust temperatures, we also show that early types tend to have slightly warmer temperatures (by up to 5 K) than spiral galaxies, which may be due to more intense interstellar radiation fields, or possibly to different dust grain compositions. Finally, we show that early types and early-type spirals have a strong correlation between the dust/stellar flux ratio and specific star formation rate, which suggests that the relatively bright far-IR emission of some of these galaxies is due to ongoing (if limited) star formation as well as to the radiation field from older stars, which is heating the dust grains.
Cobalt chloride enhances angiogenic potential of CD 133 + cells

1. Abstract 2. Introduction 3. Materials and methods 3.1. Human CD133 cell isolation 3.2. Cell culture 3.3. Acetylated LDL uptake and UEA-1 lectin binding site labeling 3.4. Tubule formation 3.5. Flow cytometric analysis of cell surface markers 3.6. Migration assay 3.7. Cell wound healing 3.8. Cell proliferation Assay 3.9. Measurement of VEGF, FGF, and HIF-1α protein by ELISA 3.10. Real time PCR 3.11. Western blot analysis 3.12. Statistical analysis 4. Results 4.1. Characteristics of isolated CD133 positive cells from umbilical cord blood 4.2. Cell migration 4.3. Proliferation 4.4. Tubule formation ability 4.5. Secretion of growth factors by CD133 4.6. Hypoxia induced the protein expression 4.7. HIF-1α and downstream gene expression 5. Discussion 6. Conclusion 7. Acknowledgements 8. References
Selection through predation, snowfall and microclimate on nest-site preferences in the Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

Nest-site characteristics can have a strong impact on reproductive success in birds. Nest sites should simultaneously protect from predators, offer shelter and provide a favourable microclimate. We studied the relationship between three agents of natural selection (predators [i.e. Adders and birds/mammals], snowfall and microclimate), nest-site characteristics and reproductive success to determine whether these influenced preference for specific nest-site characteristics in the Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta. Pooled over all nests, the relative importance as agents of natural selection decreased from mammalian/avian predation (15% of all nests) through Adder predation (12%) to snowfall (7%), but there were clear differences in space and time. Predation by Adders selected for nest sites surrounded by few medium-sized shrubs. Selection by mammalian and avian predators favoured no specific nest-site characteristics. Protection from snowfall was best in nests surrounded by relatively few medium-sized shrubs. Microclimate had a strong influence on nestling survival and duration of nestling period. In nests on ENE-facing slopes, where maximum temperatures were reached in the morning, nestling survival was higher than on WSW-facing slopes, where temperature maxima occurred in the afternoon. Our results indicate that weak, but significant, directional selection is acting on preference for certain nest-site characteristics through effects on survival and development of nestlings. As predation and snowfall are unpredictable, the evolution of an optimal nest placement strategy is unlikely on a small scale. On a larger scale, however, choice of one breeding area over another may be favoured because of predictable differences between locations in terms of survival and nestling development.
Fruit and vegetable consumption and cognitive decline in aging women

We prospectively examined fruit and vegetable intake in relation to cognitive function and decline among aging women. Participants were followed from in 1976 with biennial questionnaires, and food frequency questionnaires were administered in 1984, 1986, and every 4 years thereafter. From 1995 to 2001, we administered, by telephone, six cognitive tests measuring general cognition, verbal memory, category fluency, and working memory. We repeated assessments two years later for 13,388 women (>90% follow‐up). We averaged dietary intakes from 1984 through the first cognitive assessment, and used linear regression to obtain multivariable‐adjusted mean differences in performance and decline in performance across intake levels. Fruits were not associated with cognition or cognitive decline. However, total vegetable intake was significantly associated with less decline. Specifically, on a global score combining all tests, women in the highest quintile of cruciferous vegetables declined slower (by 0.04 unit; 95% confidence interval, 0.003, 0.07; p trend = 0.1) compared with the lowest quintile. Women consuming the most green leafy vegetables also experienced slower decline than women consuming the least amount (by 0.05 unit; 95% confidence interval, 0.02, 0.09; p trend < 0.001). These mean differences were equivalent to those observed for women about 1 to 2 years apart in age. Ann Neurol 2005;57:713–720
Pathogenicity of the fungus Lecanicillium longisporum against Sipha maydis and Metopolophium dirhodum in laboratory conditions

This study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of two cereal aphids, Sipha maydis (Passerini) and Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker), to the entomopathogenic fungus, Lecanicillium longisporum (Zimm.) Zare and Gams strain LRC 190, under controlled condi- tions. The conidial suspension of the fungus was administered using a sprayer on the whole plant over apterous adult aphids. The results indicated that both aphid species were susceptible to L. longisporum and that aphid populations were significantly reduced, compared to the control. Nine days after treatment, the LC 50 value of the fungus was obtained as 5.9 × 105 and 3.2 × 106 conidia/ml for S. maydis and M. dirhodum, respectively. The LT 50 value of the fungus at a concentration of 108 conidia/ml was obtained as 2.9 and 4.4 days for S. maydis and M. dirhodum, respectively. The results demonstrated that there was a varying susceptibility to the fungus between aphid species. The estimated LC 50 and LT 50 indicated that L. longisporum was more virulent to S. maydis than to M. dirhodum. The LT 50 and R 0 decreased as the conidial concentration increased. This is the first study to demonstrate the susceptibility of S. maydis to the entomopathogenic fungi. The present study suggests that L. longisporum has high virulence against the aphids S. maydis and M. dirhodum. Further research with an emphasis on greenhouse and field tests are required, however, before making any decision about using the fungus in a control program.
A novel surface pattern for 3D facial surface encoding and alignment

In this paper, a novel topological structured pattern, dubbed a spiral facet, is proposed and applied for the encoding and alignment of 3D facial triangular mesh surfaces. After describing the foundation of this representation, we present two direct face alignment methods, that exploit the ordered structure of the spiral facet in addressing the correspondence problem. We study the behavior and the performance of these two methods through experimentation conducted with a subset of a 3D face database. We also showcase the potential of our alignment framework for face recognition.
A fuzzy probabilistic inference methodology for constrained 3D human motion classification

Enormous uncertainties in unconstrained human motions lead to a fundamental challenge that many recognising algorithms have to face in practice: efficient and correct motion recognition is a demanding task, especially when human kinematic motions are subject to variations of execution in the spatial and temporal domains, heavily overlap with each other,and are occluded. Due to the lack of a good solution to these problems, many existing methods tend to be either effective but computationally intensive or efficient but vulnerable to misclassification. This thesis presents a novel inference engine for recognising occluded 3D human motion assisted by the recognition context. First, uncertainties are wrapped into a fuzzy membership function via a novel method called Fuzzy Quantile Generation which employs metrics derived from the probabilistic quantile function. Then, time-dependent and context-aware rules are produced via a genetic programming to smooth the qualitative outputs represented by fuzzy membership functions. Finally, occlusion in motion recognition is taken care of by introducing new procedures for feature selection and feature reconstruction. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework on motion capture data from real boxers in terms of fuzzy membership generation, context-aware rule generation, and motion occlusion. Future work might involve the extension of Fuzzy Quantile Generation in order to automate the choice of a probability distribution, the enhancement of temporal pattern recognition with probabilistic paradigms, the optimisation of the occlusion module, and the adaptation of the present framework to different application domains.
Rap1 Functions as a Key Regulator of T-Cell and Antigen-Presenting Cell Interactions and Modulates T-Cell Responses

ABSTRACT Activation of T cells by antigen requires adhesive interactions with antigen-presenting cells (APC) in which leukocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) and intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) are important. However, it is not well understood what signaling molecules regulate this process and how the modulation of adhesive events influences T-cell activation. Here we show that Rap1 is activated in T cells in an antigen-dependent manner and accumulated at the contact site of T-cell and antigen-loaded APC. Inhibition of Rap1 activation by a dominant-negative Rap1 or SPA-1, a Rap1 GTPase-activating protein, abrogates LFA-1-ICAM-1-mediated adhesive interactions with antigen-pulsed APC and the subsequent T-cell-receptor triggering and interleukin-2 production. Conversely, augmented antigen-dependent Rap1 activation by the expression of wild-type Rap1 enhances these responses but culminates in apoptosis by Fas and FasL. Thus, Rap1 functions as a key regulator of T-cell and APC interactions and modulates T-cell responses from productive activation to activation-induced cell death by regulating the strength of adhesive interactions. Moreover, constitutive Rap1 activation rendered T cells unresponsive with accumulation of p27Kip1. Our study indicates that the activation state of Rap1 has a decisive effect on the T-cell response to antigen.
The Fate of Inflorescence Meristems Is Controlled by Developing Fruits in Arabidopsis

The relationship between fruit development and the proliferative capacities of inflorescence meristems has been examined in Arabidopsis fhaliana. In the wild-type Landsberg erecta (Ler) line, flower production ceases coordinately on all inflorescence branches by a process we have designated global proliferative arrest (GPA). Morphological studies indicate that GPA involves a cessation of proliferative activity at the meristems, but a retention of the structural characteristics of the proliferating meristems. GPA does not occur in the male-sterile (msl-7) line, nor in wild-type Ler when fruits are surgically removed. In these cases, inflorescence meristems continue to proliferate, ultimately terminating by a different process, designated terminal differentiation, in which disruptions in patterning at the apex are followed by the loss of the inflorescence meristem. We present an argument that GPA is mediated by a specific communication system between inflorescence meristems and developing fruits. Analysis of reduced-fertility mutants provided evidence that GPA is dependent on seed development specifically. Mutations conferring hormone deficiency or insensitivity did not disrupt the correlative interactions leading to GPA.
BARNS: Towards Building Backup and Recovery for NoSQL Databases

While NoSQL databases are gaining popularity for business applications, they pose unique challenges towards backup and recovery. Our solution, BARNS addresses these challenges, namely taking: a) cluster consistent backup and ensuring repair free restore, b) storage efficient backups, and c) topology oblivious backup and restore. Due to eventual consistency semantics of these databases, traditional database backup techniques of performing quiesce do not guarantee cluster consistent backup. Moreover, taking crash consistent backup increases recovery time due to the need for repairs. In this paper, we provide detailed solutions for taking backup of two popular, but architecturally different NoSQL DBs, Cassandra and MongoDB, when hosted on shared storage. Our solution leverages database distribution and partitioning knowledge along with shared storage features such as snapshots, clones to efficiently perform backup and recovery of NoSQL databases. Our solution gets rid of replica copies, thereby saving ~66% backup space (under 3x replication). Our preliminary evaluation shows that we require a constant restore time of ~2-3 mins, independent of backup dataset and cluster size.
Determining the cost of health service using cost method based on TDBA / time study

As a result of the developments taking place in the world today in all areas and sectors including the health sector and limited resources allocated to them, so this study addressed the cost of health service, and the importance of research that highlighted the cost of health service by adopting the Time Driven-Activity Based Cost method-TDABC, The research found a set of conclusions, the most important of which was the possibility of using the TDABC method to determine the cost of health service, reduce cost, improve service delivery, identify and address unexploited energies, and reduce costs to the organization enhances the organization's ability to feel The research also recommends that the hospital management adopt the findings of the research to achieve the best performance in providing health services to patients, and to know the best times to perform the health service to reduce the time lost unnatural.