Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of the financial tsunami on stock investment behavior: the case of individual investors in Taiwan

This paper investigates how the financial tsunami changed individual investors’ attitudes toward risk and investment behavior in Taiwan. The empirical results show that the global financial crisis greatly impacted investors; more than 50% of investors claim their financial position severely worsened. After 15 months one third of investors had not recovered their financial losses. Generally, the individual investors who went through the financial tsunami became more risk-averse, traded less, and were more inclined to realize losses. In addition, the more severe their financial losses, the more risk-averse the investors became and the less amount they traded.
Factor-B Modulates the p 53 Response in Neurons Exposed to DNA Damage

Previous studies have shown that DNA damage-evoked death of primary cortical neurons occurs in a p53 and cyclin-dependent kinasedependent (CDK) manner. The manner by which these signals modulate death is unclear. Nuclear factorB (NFB) is a group of transcription factors that potentially interact with these pathways. Presently, we show that NFB is activated shortly after induction of DNA damage in a manner independent of the classic I B kinase (IKK) activation pathway, CDKs, ATM, and p53. Acute inhibition of NFB via expression of a stable I B mutant, downregulation of the p65 NFB subunit by RNA interference (RNAi), or pharmacological NFB inhibitors significantly protected against DNA damage-induced neuronal death. NFB inhibition also reduced p53 transcripts and p53 activity as measured by the p53-inducible messages, Puma and Noxa, implicating the p53 tumor suppressor in the mechanism of NFB-mediated neuronal death. Importantly, p53 expression still induces death in the presence of NFB inhibition, indicating that p53 acts downstream of NFB. Interestingly, neurons cultured from p65 or p50 NFB-deficient mice were not resistant to death and did not show diminished p53 activity, suggesting compensatory processes attributable to germline deficiencies, which allow p53 activation still to occur. In contrast to acute NFB inhibition, prolonged NFB inhibition caused neuronal death in the absence of DNA damage. These results uniquely define a signaling paradigm by which NFB serves both an acute p53-dependent pro-apoptotic function in the presence of DNA damage and an anti-apoptotic function in untreated normal neurons.
AFM Imaging of biological sample surfaces

This article illustrates the clinical and environmental researches of intermittent contact mode atomic force microscopy, utilizing AFM imaging of canine renal epithelial cell and influenza viruses. The images include topography, amplitude, and phase. In the AFM images of canine renal epithelial cell, not only the structure of single cell surface, but also the granules and the hole on the cell surface are shown, and the structure of glycocalyx on the cell membrane is obtained. In the AFM images of influenza viruses, the virus is obtained, and the glycoprotein protrusions on the virus surface are shown. The information from AFM images is helpful to understand the functions of biological sample surface structures.
Pose Interpolation for Laser‐based Visual Odometry

In this paper, we present two methods for obtaining visual odometry (VO) estimates using a scanning laser rangefinder. Although common VO implementations utilize stereo camera imagery, passive cameras are dependent on ambient light. In contrast, actively illuminated sensors such as laser rangefinders work in a variety of lighting conditions, including full darkness. We leverage previous successes by applying sparse appearance‐based methods to laser intensity images, and we address the issue of motion distortion by considering the timestamps of the interest points detected in each image. To account for the unique timestamps, we introduce two estimator formulations. In the first method, we extend the conventional discrete‐time batch estimation formulation by introducing a novel frame‐to‐frame linear interpolation scheme, and in the second method, we consider the estimation problem by starting with a continuous‐time process model. This is facilitated by Gaussian process Gauss‐Newton (GPGN), an algorithm for nonparametric, continuous‐time, nonlinear, batch state estimation. Both laser‐based VO methods are compared and validated using datasets obtained by two experimental configurations. These datasets consist of 11 km of field data gathered by a high‐frame‐rate scanning lidar and a 365 m traverse using a sweeping planar laser rangefinder. Statistical analysis shows a 5.3% average translation error as a percentage of distance traveled for linear interpolation and 4.4% for GPGN in the high‐frame‐rate scenario.
QoS-Based Cloud ERP Selection Model for SMEs

The roles played by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in any organizations in achieving operational excellence and competitive advantage cannot be underestimated. However, the cost of implementing traditional ERP has been observed to be a bane for most Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which are globally known as the major drivers of most agile economies. Cloud computing is a paradigm technology concept that affords the SMEs opportunities of affordable services in which ERP can be Cloud-hosted and rented on pay-per-use basis, which does not require a great deal of initial capital to ensure business continuity in a highly competitive market. There are a lot of providers offering ERP as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the SMEs therefore is being faced with the challenge of selecting a provider with Quality of Service (QoS) suitable enough to meet the customized requirements of the organizations. A model is presented in this paper which seeks to address this selection challenge. Apart from the suitability efforts, the model also further attempts to select the cheapest among a few selected providers already found suitable for the SMEs.
The culture of safety: results of an organization-wide survey in 15 California hospitals

Objective: To understand fundamental attitudes towards patient safety culture and ways in which attitudes vary by hospital, job class, and clinical status. Design: Using a closed ended survey, respondents were questioned on 16 topics important to a culture of safety in health care or other industries plus demographic information. The survey was conducted by US mail (with an option to respond by Internet) over a 6 month period from April 2001 in three mailings. Setting: 15 hospitals participating in the California Patient Safety Consortium. Subjects: A sample of 6312 employees generally comprising all the hospital’s attending physicians, all the senior executives (defined as department head or above), and a 10% random sample of all other hospital personnel. The response rate was 47.4% overall, 62% excluding physicians. Where appropriate, responses were weighted to allow an accurate comparison between participating hospitals and job types and to correct for non-response. Main outcome measures: Frequency of responses suggesting an absence of safety culture (“problematic responses” to survey questions) and the frequency of “neutral” responses which might also imply a lack of safety culture. Responses to each question overall were recorded according to hospital, job class, and clinician status. Results: The mean overall problematic response was 18% and a further 18% of respondents gave neutral responses. Problematic responses varied widely between participating institutions. Clinicians, especially nurses, gave more problematic responses than non-clinicians, and front line workers gave more than senior managers. Conclusion: Safety culture may not be as strong as is desirable of a high reliability organization. The culture differed significantly, not only between hospitals, but also by clinical status and job class within individual institutions. The results provide the most complete available information on the attitudes and experiences of workers about safety culture in hospitals and ways in which perceptions of safety culture differ among hospitals and between types of personnel. Further research is needed to confirm these results and to determine how senior managers can successfully transmit their commitment to safety to the clinical workplace.
Ten Myths of 'Say on Pay'

Say on pay is the practice of granting shareholders the right to vote on a company’s executive compensation program at the annual shareholder meeting. Under the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, publicly traded companies in the U.S. are required to adopt say on pay. Advocates of this approach believe that say on pay will increase the accountability of corporate directors and lead to improved compensation practices.In recent years, several myths have come to be accepted by the media and governance experts. These myths include the beliefs that:1. There is only one approach to “say on pay. "2. All shareholders want the right to vote on executive compensation.3. Say on pay reduces executive compensation levels.4. Pay plans are a failure if they do not receive high shareholder support. 5. Say on pay improves “pay for performance. "6. Plain-vanilla equity awards are not performance-based.7. Discretionary bonuses should not be allowed.8. Shareholders should reject nonstandard benefits.9. Boards should adjust pay plans to satisfy dissatisfied shareholders.10. Proxy advisory firm recommendations for say on pay are correct.We examine each of these myths in the context of the research evidence and explain why they are incorrect. We ask: Should the U.S. rescind the requirement for mandatory say on pay and return to a voluntary regime? Topics, Issues and Controversies in Corporate Governance and Leadership: The Closer Look series is a collection of short case studies through which we explore topics, issues, and controversies in corporate governance. In each study, we take a targeted look at a specific issue that is relevant to the current debate on governance and explain why it is so important. Larcker and Tayan are co-authors of the book Corporate Governance Matters, and A Real Look at Real World Corporate Governance.
Submicron Structure in Biocompatible Ferrofluids

This paper presents a comparative study between the microstructural features of two water-ferrofluids intended for biological applications. In both cases the ferrophase was prepared by auto-catalytic reaction between ferrous and ferric salts and resulted in magnetite and some maghemite precipitates. The difference is given by the stabilizer molecule: tetramethylammonium hydroxide and, respectively, citric acid. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were utilized for ferrophase size investigation. The evidence of short chains and large aggregates was obtained mainly by atomic force microscopy analysis (the tip diameter being equal to 5 nm). Their role in the ferrofluid rheological properties was studied by carrying out comparative measurements of viscosity and surface tension. Complementary investigation of the ferrofluid composition was done by means of IR absorption spectra. The suitability of the prepared ferrofluids for biological goals was proved by their convenient ferrophase diameter as well as by their stability in time.
Performance evaluation of a whole-body PET scanner using the NEMA protocol. National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

UNLABELLED This study evaluates the performance of the newly developed high-resolution whole-body PET scanner ECAT EXACT HR+. METHODS The scanner consists of four rings of 72 bismuth germanate block detectors each, covering an axial field of view of 15.5 cm with a patient port of 56.2 cm. A single block detector is divided into an 8 x 8 matrix, giving a total of 32 rings with 576 detectors each. The dimensions of a single detector element are 4.39 x 4.05 x 30 mm3. The scanner is equipped with extendable tungsten septa for two-dimensional two-dimensional measurements, as well as with three 68Ge line sources for transmission scans and daily quality control. The spatial resolution, scatter fraction, count rate, sensitivity, uniformity and accuracy of the implemented correction algorithms were evaluated after the National Electrical Manufacturers Association protocol using the standard acquisition parameters. RESULTS The transaxial resolution in the two-dimensional mode is 4.3 mm (4.4 mm) in the center and increases to 4.7 mm (4.8 mm) tangential and to 8.3 mm (8.0 mm) radial at a distance of r = 20 cm from the center. The axial slice width measured in the two-dimensional mode varies between 4.2 and 6.6 mm FWHM over the transaxial field of view. In the three-dimensional mode the average axial resolution varies between 4.1 mm FWHM in the center and 7.8 mm at r = 20 cm. The scatter fraction is 17.1% (32.5%) for a lower energy discriminator level of 350 keV. The maximum true event count rate of 263 (345) kcps was measured at an activity concentration of 142 (26.9) kBq/ml. The total system sensitivity for true events is 5.7 (27.7) cps/Bq/ml. From the uniformity measurements, we obtained a volume variance of 3.9% (5.0%) and a system variance of 1.6% (1.7%). The implemented three-dimensional scatter correction algorithm reveals very favorable properties, whereas the three-dimensional attenuation correction yields slightly inaccurate results in low- and high-density regions. CONCLUSION The ECAT EXACT HR+ has an excellent, nearly isotropic spatial resolution, which is advantageous for brain and small animal studies. While the relatively low slice sensitivity may hamper the capability for performing fast dynamic two-dimensional studies, the scanner offers a sufficient sensitivity and count rate capacity for fully three-dimensional whole-body imaging.
Correlation of In Vitro Susceptibilities to Newer Quinolones of Naturally Occurring Quinolone-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains with Changes in GyrA and ParC

ABSTRACT The in vitro activities of ciprofloxacin, trovafloxacin, moxifloxacin, and grepafloxacin against 174 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Sydney, Australia, were determined. The strains included 84 quinolone-less-sensitive and -resistant N. gonorrhoeae (QRNG) strains for which ciprofloxacin MICs were in the range of 0.12 to 16 μg/ml. The QRNG included strains isolated from patients whose infections were acquired in a number of countries, mostly in Southeast Asia. The gyrA and parCquinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) of 18 selected QRNG strains were sequenced, and the amino acid mutations observed were related to the MICs obtained. The activities of moxifloxacin and grepafloxacin against QRNG were comparable to that of ciprofloxacin. Trovafloxacin was more active than the other quinolones against some but not all of the QRNG strains. Increments in ciprofloxacin resistance occurred in a step-wise manner with point mutations initiated ingyrA resulting in amino acid alterations Ser91-to-Phe, Ser91-to-Tyr, Asp95-to-Gly, and Asp95-to-Asn. Single gyrAchanges correlated with ciprofloxacin MICs in the range 0.12 to 1 μg/ml. The Ser91 changes in GyrA were associated with higher MICs and further QRDR changes. QRNG strains for which ciprofloxacin MICs were greater than 1 μg/ml had both gyrA and parCQRDR point mutations. ParC alterations were seen in these isolates only in the presence of GyrA changes and comprised amino acid changes Asp86-to-Asn, Ser87-to-Asn, Ser87-to-Arg, Ser88-to-Pro, Glu91-to-Lys, and Glu91-to-Gln. QRNG strains for which MICs were in the higher ranges had double GyrA mutations, but again only with accompanying ParC alterations. Not only did the nature and combination of GyrA and ParC changes influence the incremental increases in ciprofloxacin MICs, but they seemingly also altered the differential activity of trovafloxacin. Our findings suggest that the newer quinolones of the type examined are unlikely to be useful replacements for ciprofloxacin in the treatment of gonorrhea, particularly where ciprofloxacin MICs are high or where resistance is widespread.
A novel scale‐down cell culture and imaging design for the mechanistic insight of cell colonisation within porous substrate

At the core of translational challenges in tissue engineering is the mechanistic understanding of the underpinning biological processes and the complex relationships among components at different levels, which is a challenging task due to the limitations of current tissue culture and assessment methodologies. Therefore, we proposed a novel scale‐down strategy to deconstruct complex biomatrices into elementary building blocks, which were resembled by thin modular substrate and then evaluated separately in miniaturised bioreactors using various conventional microscopes. In order to investigate cell colonisation within porous substrate in this proof‐of‐concept study, TEM specimen supporters (10–30 μm thick) with fine controlled open pores (100∼600 μm) were selected as the modular porous substrate and suspended in 3D printed bioreactor systems. Noninvasive imaging of human dermal fibroblasts cultured on these free‐standing substrate using optical microscopes illustrated the complicated dynamic processes used by both individual and coordinated cells to bridge and segment porous structures. Further in situ analysis via SEM and TEM provided high‐quality micrographs of cell–cell and cell–scaffold interactions at microscale, depicted cytoskeletal structures in stretched and relaxed areas at nanoscale. Thus this novel scaled‐down design was able to improve our mechanistic understanding of tissue formation not only at single‐ and multiple‐cell levels, but also at micro‐ and nanoscales, which could be difficult to obtain using other methods.
Long-term results of a prospective trial of mantle irradiation alone for early-stage Hodgkin's disease.

BACKGROUND To determine the long-term treatment outcome and late effects of mantle irradiation alone in selected patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease. METHODS Between 1988 and 2000, 87 patients with pathologic stage (Ann Arbor) I-IIA or clinical stage IA Hodgkin's disease were entered on to a prospective trial of mantle irradiation alone. Patients with B symptoms, large mediastinal adenopathy, or subcarinal or hilar involvement were excluded. The median doses to the mantle field and mediastinum were 36 Gy (range 30.3-40) and 38.6 Gy (range 30.6-44), respectively. The actuarial freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier technique. RESULTS The median follow-up was 107 months (range 23-192). Thirteen of 87 patients (15%) relapsed at a median of 30 months (range 5-62). The 5- and 10-year actuarial FFTF rates were 86% and 84.7%, respectively. All 13 patients who relapsed are alive without evidence of disease at a median of 84 months (range 30-156) post-salvage therapy. Five patients developed a second malignancy at a median of 93 months (range 27-131). The 10-year actuarial risk of a second malignancy was 4.5%. There have been two deaths to date, both due to second malignancies. The 10-year OS rate was 98.2%. CONCLUSION In selected patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease, mantle irradiation alone has an excellent long-term survival rate, comparing favorably with the previous standard treatment of extended-field radiation therapy and the current standard of combined modality therapy.
Cumulative Departure Model of the Cryosphere During the Pleistocene

AbstractA mathematical model is developed to describe changes in ice volume in the cryosphere. Modeling the cryosphere may be useful in assessing future climate impacts currently captured by global circulation models (GCMs) by providing an opportunity to validate GCMs. Leveraging the dominating effects of freezing and thawing in the cryosphere to simplify relevant heat transport equations allows for the derivation of a mathematical model that can be solved exactly. Such exact solutions are useful in investigating other climatic components that may be similarly analyzed for possible GCM validation. The current trend in GCM advancement is to increase the complexity and sophistication of the various heat transport effects that are represented in the governing mathematical model in cumulative form as the heat forcing function. In this paper, simplified models are developed whose solution can be directly compared with available data forms representing temperature and ice volume during the Pleistocene. With car.
The key role of intelligent electronic devices (IED) in advanced Distribution Automation (ADA)

Growing service quality expectations make Distribution Automation (DA) processes increasingly imperative for the power utilities and trigger the next major step in the evolution of distribution systems. A successful distribution system management activity such as DA hinges on the information collected from the network itself using an integrated monitoring system. It enables real-time monitoring of grid conditions for the distribution system operators and allows automatic reconfiguration of the network to optimize the power delivery efficiency and/or reduce the impact and duration of outages. The foundation of the monitoring system infrastructure is based on sensors, transducers and intelligent electronic devices (IED) collecting information throughout the distribution system. Several reports produced worldwide, including CEATI's reports on IEDs and sensors [1][2], try to define and show how intelligent the distribution network should look. Hydro-Quebec is showing leadership in this field with its proposed plan for the intelligent distribution network of the future. It should include: a) Network monitoring (to improve reliability), b)Equipment monitoring (to improve maintenance), c) Product monitoring (to improve power quality). Hydro-Quebec has conducted several projects to qualify and quantify the type of data that can be gathered from IEDs. At this time, pilot projects are underway to demonstrate conservation voltage reduction, load management and fault location based on measurements provided by IEDs. This paper discusses the structure of an integrated monitoring system and reports on some of the results and conclusions of HQ's projects.
A Study in U.S. Export Beef Competitiveness: Do Cattle Inventories Matter?

This paper examines whether competition in major export markets for United States beef has changed between 1994 and 2015 and whether underlying cattle inventories impact that competition. The two models employed examine price markups and comparative advantage. Both models are estimated as systems of equations taking into account competitors in eight major beef export markets. Structural break tests of key functions of the two models are examined. The findings complement each other showing that inventories do have some impact on competition, but that the markets are mostly highly competitive, and that the level of competition the U.S. faced in 2015 is not significantly different than it was twenty years prior.
Local Intrinsic Dimension Estimation by Generalized Linear Modeling

We propose a method for intrinsic dimension estimation. By fitting the power of distance from an inspection point and the number of samples included inside a ball with a radius equal to the distance, to a regression model, we estimate the goodness of fit. Then, by using the maximum likelihood method, we estimate the local intrinsic dimension around the inspection point. The proposed method is shown to be comparable to conventional methods in global intrinsic dimension estimation experiments. Furthermore, we experimentally show that the proposed method outperforms a conventional local dimension estimation method.