Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MULTINOMIAL LOGIT MODEL OF MOTORCYCLE OWNERSHIP AND CAR OWNERSHIP IN TAIWAN

: Motorcycle has its advantage of price and mobility to become the main transportation mode in Asia countries where there are high density of population and the economic development falls behind the developed countries. When people have enough economic capability to buy a motor vehicle, the car and the motorcycle have a relation of substitution. It is also a major work to develop a Multinomial Logit Model of motor vehicle chosen. The variables of cost in Multinomial Logit Model are insignificant to the models, and car owners and motorcycle owners usually underestimated the expected cost of another type of vehicle. In sensitive analysis, we can find that three utility factors, such as travel time reliability, convenience and safety are the major reasons influenced the ownership of motor vehicle. In Taiwan, due to a lot of strategies for improving motorcycle traffic safety, such as helmet wearing duty, motorcycle exclusive lane, two stage left turn regulation, and head start waiting zone, the ownership of motorcycle didn’t decrease rapidly following the increasing income, and it is now still in a situation of high motorcycle ownership.
A new loss function for robust classification

Loss function plays an important role in data classification. Many loss functions have been proposed and applied to different classification problems. This paper proposes a new so called the smoothed 0-1 loss function, that could be considered as an approximation of the classical 0-1 loss function. Due to the non-convexity property of the proposed loss function, global optimization methods are required to solve the corresponding optimization problems. Together with the proposed loss function, we compare the performance of several existing loss functions in the classification of noisy data sets. In this comparison, different optimization problems are considered in regards to the convexity and smoothness of different loss functions. The experimental results show that the proposed smoothed 0-1 loss function works better on data sets with noisy labels, noisy features, and outliers. ; ;
Does Industry-Level Analysis Improve Profitability and Growth Forecasts?

A long history of economic theory suggests that industry membership plays an important role in explaining a firm's financial performance. In this paper we investigate the usefulness of industry benchmarks and industry level analysis for predicting a firm's future profitability and growth. Specifically we investigate whether incorporating the industry performance metric provides incremental information over the firm specific metric for explaining performance one-year-ahead. We also investigate the usefulness of performing industry level analysis relative to an analysis of all firms pooled across the economy. We find little or no incremental explanatory power from incorporating industry information for predicting future profitability, defined either as return on equity or return on net operating assets. Nor do we find industry information incrementally informative for predicting growth in net operating assets. We do, however, find significant improvement from incorporating industry information for predicting growth in sales. These general results hold for one-, three-, and five-year windows, and are robust to alternative industry classification schemes.
Screening for Chronic Kidney Disease: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

DESCRIPTION New U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement on screening for chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS The USPSTF reviewed evidence on screening for CKD, including evidence on screening, accuracy of screening, early treatment, and harms of screening and early treatment. POPULATION This recommendation applies to asymptomatic adults without diagnosed CKD. Testing for and monitoring CKD for the purpose of chronic disease management (including testing and monitoring patients with diabetes or hypertension) are not covered by this recommendation. RECOMMENDATION The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of routine screening for CKD in asymptomatic adults (I statement).
View-invariant face detection method based on local PCA cells

The paper presents a view-invariant face detection method based on local PCA cells. In order to extract the general features of faces at each view and position, Gabor filters and local PCA are used. Local PCA cells specialized to each view and position are made by applying a Gaussian to the outputs of the local PCA of Gabor features. By applying the Gaussian, only the local PCA cells which are a similar view to an input give large values. This decreases the bad influence of the local PCA cells of other views. As a result, only one classifier can treat multi-view faces well by integrating the outputs of local PCA cells. It is confirmed that the proposed method can detect multi-view faces. Generalization ability is improved by selecting the local PCA cells using a reconstruction error of local PCA.
A study of P 300 and Mini Mental State Examination in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer ’ s Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia worldwide and its prevalence increases steadily with age. The present study was undertaken to appreciate neural dynamics in Alzheimer’s Disease in terms of amplitude and latency of event related potentials (ERPs) giving an insight into working of neuronal pools sub-serving P300, an endogenous cognitive component of ERP. The results of present study define the role of P300 as an early predictor of conversion of Mild Cognitive Impairment to AD, wherein the component P300 could become a potential non-invasive, and economical, diagnostic and prognostic tool. The study was conducted in Departments of Physiology and Neurology at S.M.S. Medical College and Attached Hospitals, Jaipur. The age range of the study population was 5570 years that was categorized into three groups namely, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) group, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) group and Healthy Control group using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-V criteria. The sample consisted of 5 patients with mild to moderate AD, 30 patients with MCI, and 30 were healthy controls. ERP was recorded at Fz, Pz and Oz electrode sites using visual oddball paradigm, in which the subject was presented with a series of 100 visual stimuli, each consisting of a string containing eleven “S” alphabets out of which 80 stimuli consisted of all blue coloured “S” alphabets and the remaining 20 stimuli consisted of all red coloured “S” alphabets presented in the background of white colour. The amplitude of P300 displayed a significant difference across the three groups at Fz electrode site while the latency of P300 was significantly increased at Fz in AD group as compared to that observed in healthy controls.The time-locked feature of Fronto-Occipital Neuronal Pool and (space) amplitude-locked feature of Fronto-Parietal Neuronal Pool elicit the limiting neural mechanisms underlying neurocognitive processes that are sub-served by the select neuronal pools through P300 wave-form, a finding that could contribute significantly to prevention and management of Alzheimer’s disease.
Some studies of perception in relation to age.

A series of experiments to discover extent of age differences in visual perception when temporal integration was required suggested that: 1 Whore displays were simple, performance of different age groups was nearly equal, but with increasing complexity of displays older subjects were relatively increasingly slow in making correct identifications. 2 With complex displays there was a relationship between degree of correct identification and (a) cumulative viewing time; (b) amount of display seen at one moment, such that an increase in both led to a greater improvement in performance of older subjects than an increase in either time or amount alone. Given a sufficient increase, performance of older subjects equalled that of younger. 3 greater difficulty of older subjects with complex material appeared to be due mainly to greater amount of temporal integration required with such material.
Three level LLC series resonant DC/DC converter

Paper presents a three level soft switching LLC series resonant DC/DC converter. ZVS is achieved for each main switch without any auxiliary circuit. Voltage stress of each main switch is half of input voltage. ZCS is achieved for rectifier diodes. Wide input/output range can be achieved under low frequency range because of two-stage resonance. Only one magnetic component is needed in this converter. Efficiency is higher in high line input, so this converter is fit for power products with hold up time requirement. The principle of operation and the characteristics of the new converter are analyzed and verified on a 500 V/spl sim/700 V input 54 V/10 A output experimental prototype, whose efficiency is 94.1% at rating condition.
Managing EPS and Signaling Undervaluation as a Motivation for Repurchases: The Case of Accelerated Share Repurchases

Accelerated share repurchases (ASRs) represent an important recent innovation in repurchase methods. While corporate managers and investment bankers often cite signaling undervaluation as a motivation for ASRs, the financial press highlights managing earnings per share (EPS) as an alternative motivation. I find that 29 percent of ASR firms (“EPS-suspect” firms) would have missed the consensus EPS forecasts had they not implemented the repurchase. Managerial incentives — securing bonuses and maintaining reputation by avoiding EPS misses — appear to lie behind this opportunistic use of ASRs. Upward revision observed in analysts’ EPS forecasts upon the announcement of ASRs is short-lived, indirectly facilitating firms’ use of ASRs to meet or beat consensus forecasts. Unlike EPS-suspect firms, non-EPS-suspect firms exhibit positive abnormal operating performance during the post-ASR period, suggesting that these firms use ASRs as a signaling device rather than as an earnings management device. I also find evidence that investors see through both motives. Evidence also suggests that, despite being prone to managerial opportunism, ASRs have an edge over regular open market repurchases with respect to sending a more credible signal of undervaluation to investors.
Spreading pre-saccadic attentional resources without trade-off

When preparing a saccade, attentional resources are focused at the saccade target and its immediate vicinity. Here we show that this does not hold true when saccades are prepared towards a recently extinguished target. We obtained detailed maps of orientation sensitivity when participants prepared a saccade toward a target that either remained on the screen or disappeared before the eyes moved. We found that attention was mainly focused at the immediate surround of the visible target and increasingly spread to more peripheral locations as a function of the delay between the target’s disappearance and the saccade. Interestingly, this spread was accompanied by an overall increase in sensitivity, speaking against a dilution of limited resources over a larger spatial area. We hypothesize that these results reflect the behavioral consequences of the spatio-temporal dynamics of visual receptive fields in the presence and in the absence a structured visual cue.
Competition, Concentration and Foreign Capital in the Polish Banking Sector (Prior and During the Financial Crisis)

The aim of the study is to estimate the level of competition and concentration in the Polish banking sector in 1997-2009 (prior the financial crisis and during the crisis). In this paper the Panzar and Rosse model (P-R) and the Lerner index (LI) have been used for the evaluation of competition. Concentration in the Polish banking industry was analysed by using concentration indices (k bank concentration ratios (CR5) and the Herfindahl-Hirschman indices (HHI)). Empirical analysis shows that the degree of competition in the Polish banking market in the period between 1997-2007 followed a slight upward trend. Results demonstrated also a slight decrease in competition in 2008-2009, caused by financial crisis. This results are confirmed by the Panzar and Rosse model (P-R) and the Lerner index (LI). The same channels (prior the financial and during the crisis) which had an impact on changes in the competition of banking sectors in the euro zone countries, had an impact on the Polish banking sector due to the involvement of the capital from the euro zone. It might also mean that that increase of foreign participation stimulated competitive pressures. Furthermore, foreign capital was positively correlated with concentration indices.
Weighted median filter with minimum spanning tree-based adaptive window

We propose an extended weighted median filter which removes random-valued impulse noise with preserving detailed structures in a grayscale image. This filter combines the median filter with a square window and that with adaptive ones constructed by using 8-neighborhood minimum spanning trees (MSTs). The former one has superior capability in the impulse noise removal. However, it tends to destroy detailed structures in an image. To cope with this problem, the proposed method calculates a weighted median by using the pixels both in the square window and the adaptive one which fits to a detailed structure in the image. In this paper, the superior performance of the proposed method is verified through the experiments with grayscale natural and artificial images by comparing with some MST-based noise removal methods.
Predicting East African spring droughts using Pacific and Indian Ocean sea surface temperature indices

Abstract. In eastern East Africa (the southern Ethiopia, eastern Kenya and southern Somalia region), poor boreal spring (long wet season) rains in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011 contributed to severe food insecurity and high levels of malnutrition. Predicting rainfall deficits in this region on seasonal and decadal time frames can help decision makers implement disaster risk reduction measures while guiding climate-smart adaptation and agricultural development. Building on recent research that links more frequent East African droughts to a stronger Walker circulation, resulting from warming in the Indo–Pacific warm pool and an increased east-to-west sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the western Pacific, we show that the two dominant modes of East African boreal spring rainfall variability are tied to SST fluctuations in the western central Pacific and central Indian Ocean, respectively. Variations in these two rainfall modes can thus be predicted using two SST indices – the western Pacific gradient (WPG) and central Indian Ocean index (CIO), with our statistical forecasts exhibiting reasonable cross-validated skill (rcv ≈ 0.6). In contrast, the current generation of coupled forecast models show no skill during the long rains. Our SST indices also appear to capture most of the major recent drought events such as 2000, 2009 and 2011. Predictions based on these simple indices can be used to support regional forecasting efforts and land surface data assimilations to help inform early warning and guide climate outlooks.
Combined Use of High Radiofrequency Disk Ablation, Annulus Modulation, and Manual Nucleotomy in a Patient with Extruded Disk Herniation

Different minimally invasive procedures are used to treat lumbar disk herniation. It is important to differentiate these techniques due to their specific effects and the disparate technical issues associated with each. This report describes a successful case involving the use of mechanical decompression in conjunction with radiofrequency ablation to treat a patient with pain and neurological deficits due to an extruded disk hernia.
An amphipathic peptide from the C-terminal region of the human immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoprotein causes pore formation in membranes

The peptide fragment of the carboxy-terminal region of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmembrane protein (gp41) has been implicated in T-cell death. This positively charged, amphipathic helix (amino acids 828 to 848) of the envelope protein is located within virions or cytoplasm. We studied the interaction of the isolated, synthetic amphipathic helix of gp41 with planar phospholipid bilayer membranes and with Sf9 cells using voltage clamp, potentiodynamic, and single-cell recording techniques. We found that the peptide binds strongly to planar membranes, especially to the negatively charged phosphatidylserine bilayer. In the presence of micromolar concentrations of peptide sufficient to make its surface densities comparable with those of envelope glycoprotein molecules in HIV virions, an increase in bilayer conductance and a decrease in bilayer stability were observed, showing pore formation in the planar lipid bilayers. These pores were permeable to both monovalent and divalent cations, as well as to chloride. The exposure of the inner leaflet of cell membranes to even 25 nM peptide increased membrane conductance. We suggest that the carboxy-terminal fragment of the HIV type 1 envelope protein may interact with the cell membrane of infected T cells to create lipidic pores which increase membrane permeability, leading to sodium and calcium flux into cells, osmotic swelling, and T-cell necrosis or apoptosis.
Corporate Special EventsA Strategic Tool in Internal Marketingto Motivate and Retain Employees

To have a high rate of absence as well as employee turnover is very costly for organisations. Having personnel, who are motivated, inspired and diligent, might assist in avoiding such inconveniences. In today's global and increasingly competitive workplace, events have become a strategic means in many areas for companies to attract and retain both customers and employees. Corporate special events (CSE), such as Christmas parties, kick-offs, company celebrations, incentive trips, recognition dinners are one of the strategic tools available to companies that can be used to satisfy the social needs of the employee. CSE also provide an opportunity to communicate corporate policies, strategies and goals to employees, or to enhance the team spirit and the feeling of belonging to the company. Despite the enormous amounts spent on CSE annually, very few companies measure and evaluate the effects and potential benefits of the events. The main focus and purpose of this thesis was to examine how CSE are used in companies’ internal marketing (IM), as a strategic tool, to motivate and retain employees. More specifically we studied what perceptions managers and employees have of CPE; why they are being held, their potential benefits and effects on work motivation and employee retention, how these effects are being measured and evaluated, how they are used in IM, and how they contribute to form an organizational culture. We used five Swedish companies for our case study. In-depth interviews were conducted with both managers and employees in order to consider the two different perspectives.
The Prognostic Value of Telomerase Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Objective:This study investigates the expression of telomerase in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of head and neck cancer patients and the relationship between the telomerase expression in PBMCs and clinicopathological features with prognosis. Methods:Peripheral blood samples were collected from 100 head and neck squamous cell cancer patients and 20 normal control group. The telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured by telomerase rapid amplification protocol (TRAP) assay using TRAPeze telomerase detection kit. Pearson &khgr;2 test was used to analyze the correlation of telomerase expression with clinicopathologic parameters. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used for prognostic analysis. Results:Regarding the expression of telomerase in PBMCs of patients, 73 out of 100 (73.0%) were found to be positive, and the remaining 27 cases (27.0%) were negative. The difference to the telomerase expression of PBMCs in the normal and cancer patients was significant (P < 0.001). The expression of telomerase in PBMCs of patients was significant correlated with T classification (P = 0.005), N classification (P = 0.002), and AJCC stages (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, N classification (P = 0.007), AJCC stages (P = 0.02), and telomerase expression (P = 0.017) showed independent factors associated with poor survival. Conclusion:The detection of telomerase expression in PBMCs of head and neck cancer patients is a simple and very useful molecular marker for the progression and prognosis of head and neck cancer.
Corporate Governance Legal Reforms and Stock Return in Malaysia

This paper examines the relationship between the changes in corporate governance legal system and stock return in Bursa Malaysia (formally known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, KLSE) in Malaysia for the period from 1996 to 2003. The cross-sectional evidence indicates that the corporate governance is positively associated with stock return before the Asian financial melt down, but there is no evidence of such connection during the 1997 crisis. After the crisis, an implementation of Financial Reporting Act in 1997 and the Code on Corporate Governance in 2000 combined with a revise of Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) regulations in 2001 have restored the investors’ confidence and enhanced the investor’s awareness and realization of the value of good corporate governance. This study supports a proposition that the changes in legal system have improved the corporate governance in Malaysia.
Predictors of Delinquency among Adolescents of Divorced Families

Although delinquency is universal, few studies examined it from an Asian perspective, and even fewer considered adolescents of divorced families in Iran. The current study examined whether correlates of delinquency among western adolescents are similarly effective for predicting delinquency among adolescents from divorced families in the Mashhad city in Iran. Post-divorce parental conflict, maternal distress, economic hardship and parent-child relationship were regressed against delinquency. The parent-child relationship was the strongest significant predictor of self-reported delinquency.