Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of OCDMA using nested ring resonators

We present an implementation of an optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) encoder using compact nested two-ring-resonators filter. The encoder is based on silicon on insulator (SOI) technology to filter three wavelengths. The proposed implantation footprint has a 3 0% reduction of those using cascaded-ring-resonators filters.
Bilateral total occlusion during the critical period of visual development. Case report.

To the Editor. —Research has clearly documented that a blurred retinal image (image distortion) occurring during the critical period of visual development causes functional and anatomical damage to the central visual pathways, resulting in impaired vision, ie, amblyopia. In humans, the critical period extends from birth to approximately 2 months of age. Bilateral, symmetrical image distortion during this time results in bilateral amblyopia, as is seen in patients with high hypermetropia and bilateral congenital cataracts. Unilateral image distortion is even more amblyogenic, as exemplified by the poor postoperative visual results in patients born with monocular opacities in the optical media. There has been controversy as to whether unilateral amblyopia occurs secondary to a lack of light stimulus or secondary to image distortion. Animal studies 1 clarified the situation by showing that unilateral total light deprivation or unilateral image distortion resulted in amblyopia. In contrast to the detrimental effects of unilateral total
Decentralised adaptive output feedback stabilisation for stochastic time-delay systems via LaSalle-Yoshizawa-type theorem

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the decentralised output feedback stabilisation problem for a class of large-scale stochastic time-delay nonlinear systems. A general theorem is firstly given to guarantee the global existence and uniqueness of the solution for stochastic time-delay systems. In addition, a stochastic version of the well-known LaSalle-Yoshizawa theorem with time-varying delay is initially proposed for the controller design and stability analysis. Then, for a class of large-scale stochastic systems with time-varying delays, totally decentralised adaptive delay-dependent controllers are designed by using K-filter and backstepping approach. Via LaSalle-Yoshizawa-type theorem and constructing a general Lyapunov function, it is shown that all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded almost surely and the solution is almost surely asymptotically stable. Finally, a simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the results of this paper.
Inflation differentials in the Euro area: did the ECB care?

Compared to inflation differentials among regions in the United States, European Monetary Union (EMU) inflation differentials are larger and more persistent. Based on augmented monetary policy reactions functions, this article addresses the question whether the presence of pronounced inflation differentials in combination with low average inflation rates has influenced monetary policy decisions of the ECB. The article finds statistical evidence that the ECB took inflation differentials into account which may reflect the fear of deflation in low inflation countries like Germany.
Geographic distribution, frequency, and specimen source of Mycobacterium avium complex serotypes isolated from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Isolates of Mycobacterium avium complex from 727 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were submitted by medical centers across the United States to the Centers for Disease Control for serotyping. We were able to type 630 (87%) of these isolates by our seroagglutination procedure. Almost all typeable isolates were M. avium (serotypes 1 to 6 and 8 to 11). Blood was the major specimen source for both M. avium and the nontypeable isolates. M. intracellulare serotypes made up only 3% of all isolates from AIDS patients, with sputum being the major specimen source. More than 50% of the isolates originated from either New York or California, with serotype 4 being isolated most frequently in New York and serotype 8 appearing most frequently in California. AIDS patients in Los Angeles had a significantly higher isolation frequency for serotype 8 and a significantly lower one for serotype 4 in comparison with patients in either San Francisco or New York City.
The relationship between glucocorticoid replacement and quality of life in 2737 hypopituitary patients.

OBJECTIVE Quality of life (QoL) is impaired in hypopituitary patients and patients with primary adrenal insufficiency. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of glucocorticoid (GC) replacement on QoL. The main hypothesis was that ACTH-insufficient patients experience a dose-dependent deterioration in QoL. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of data from KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database). Data from 2737 adult GH-deficient (GHD) hypopituitary patients were eligible for analysis. Thirty-six per cent were ACTH sufficient and 64% ACTH insufficient receiving a mean±s.d. hydrocortisone equivalent (HCeq) dose of 22.3±8.7 mg (median 20.0). QoL at baseline and 1 year after commencement of GH replacement was assessed by the QoL-assessment of GHD in adults. RESULTS At baseline, no significant difference in QoL was observed between ACTH-sufficient and -insufficient patients. Increasing HCeq dose was associated with worse QoL. Patients on HCeq≤10 mg had the best and patients receiving ≥25 mg demonstrated the poorest QoL. At 1 year of GH replacement, the improvement in QoL did not differ between ACTH-sufficient and -insufficient patients, and no association was observed between HCeq dose and QoL improvement. CONCLUSION Adult hypopituitary patients with untreated GHD receiving GC replacement have similar QoL as ACTH-sufficient patients. Among ACTH-insufficient patients, there is a dose-dependent association between increasing dose and impaired QoL. This association may be explained by supraphysiological GC exposure although it remains plausible that clinicians may have increased GC doses in order to address otherwise unexplained QoL deficits.
Corporate strategy and the environment: towards a four-dimensional compatibility model for fostering green management decisions

Purpose – This article aims to draw on the contingency theory to develop a conceptual model of compatibility between corporate environmental responsibility and business strategy that reflects heterogeneity in this relationship. Four dimensions of compatibility are explored: trade-off, ambidexterity, synergy and symbiosis. Design/methodology/approach – The intended contribution is essentially conceptual. A company case study is included to contribute to the development of the four dimensions of compatibility and support the practical relevance of the model. Twelve in-depth interviews with six managers in different functions of the company were conducted. A grounded theory approach was used to identify and express the patterns of compatibility that emerge from the qualitative data and how these patterns are grounded in managers’ meaning-in-use. Findings – The contribution of the compatibility framework is essentially made to the literature on environmental strategy management, evolved from an implicit and, .
The domestic politics of financial internationalization in the developing world

ABSTRACT This paper examines the domestic politics of financial internationalization. Financial internationalization has two components, the liberalization of cross-border capital flows and the liberalization of foreign ownership restrictions, yet most research to date has concentrated exclusively on the former. Building on existing theoretical work, this paper argues that in the developing world, domestic finance favors the joint abolition of restrictions on the inflow of foreign capital alongside continued restrictions on the ability of foreigners to own and operate domestic financial institutions. I test the argument on a unique dataset of foreign entry restrictions in developing economies and by examining interest group pressures for financial internationalization in Indonesia and Mexico. The findings complement and extend recent work on financial internationalization in the developing world and suggest further areas for research in the role of domestic interest group preferences for global economic integration.
Intergroup bias and self-evaluation: domain-specific self-esteem, threats to identity and dimensional importance.

Recent theoretical statements argue that two predictions about self-esteem and intergroup bias may be derived from social identity theory. The first suggests that in-group bias enhances self-esteem. The second suggests that threats to self-esteem enhance in-group bias. Previous research has provided little firm evidence for either prediction. Much of this work has, however, tended to ignore realistic groups, domain-specific self-esteem, the assessment of self-esteem prior to and following the display of in-group bias and the importance attached to evaluative dimensions. The current investigation sought to redress these issues. In separate experiments, men and women presented with positive and negative feedback, evaluated in-group and out-group success and failure on dimensions important and unimportant to the in-group. Women displayed out-group bias on dimensions unimportant to their in-group (i.e. physical ability) with respect to evaluations of failure. Women subsequently manifested a decrease in physical self-esteem. Men displayed in-group bias on dimensions unimportant to their in-group (i.e. verbal ability) and, following positive feedback, on dimensions important to the in-group (i.e. physical ability). Men subsequently manifested an increase in verbal and physical self-esteem. Global self-esteem was unaffected in each study. These findings suggest that the relative display of bias can affect domain-specific self-esteem. No support was found for the postulate that low or threatened self-esteem can enhance bias on evaluative dimensions important to the in-group.
Molecular data suggest an early acquisition of the mitochondrion endosymbiont

The three deepest branching eucaryotic lineages in small subunit ribosomal RNA phylogenies are the amitochondriate Microspora, Metamonada and Parabasala. They are followed by either the Euglenozoa (e.g. Euglena and Trypanosoma) or the Percolozoa as the first mitochondria-containing eucaryotes. To investigate the hypothesis of an even earlier timing of the mitochondrion endosymbiosis we have amplified a partial cpn-60 coding region from the parabasalid Trichomonas vaginalis and the first such sequence from a percolozoan, Naegleria fowleri. Analysis of predicted protein sequences reveals a high degree of sequence similarity (≥ 40%) with a selection of published bacterial and mitochondrial cpn-60s for both taxa. Both sequences were recovered within a strongly supported monophyletic group, otherwise defined by mitochondrial sequences, which systematically clustered with alpha-proteobacteria. These results provide compelling evidence that the ancestor of T. vaginalis once contained the endosymbiont which gave rise to mitochondria, and suggest that this symbiosis probably occurred before the Trichomonas lineage diverged from the main eukaryote trunk. It also makes feasible the published hypothesis that the Trichomonas hydrogenosome might represent a biochemically modified mitochondrion. Analysis of the N. fowleri cpn-60 did not support the hypothesis that the mitochondrion-containing Percolozoa represent an earlier branch in the cpn-60 tree than Trichomonas or Trypanosoma.
Attempting to Reduce Confused Nonsense of Business Ethics

Wayne A. R. Leys is dean of the graduate school, and practicing professor in the philosophy department at Roosevelt University. For years he has wrestled "the good". "the holy" and "the right" in a popular pioneer course titled "Business and Professional Ethics", now part of the Interdepartmental Graduate Program. His many writings in this area stand as classic benchmarks. With few exceptions professional Philosophers prefer not to be drawn into discussion of &dquo;Business Ethics&dquo;. The Logical Empiricists call such discussions &dquo;unverifiable nonsense&dquo;. The Ordinary Language Philosophers find confusion worse confounded when a Philosopher tries to systemize the adages of common sense. The Existentialists are sure that no rational principle can eliminate the ambiguities and anxieties of life. Regardless of the Philosophers’ prefer-
Longitudinal and transversal displacements between triceps surae muscles during locomotion of the rat

ABSTRACT The functional consequences of differential muscle activation and contractile behavior between mechanically coupled synergists are still poorly understood. Even though synergistic muscles exert similar mechanical effects at the joint they span, differences in the anatomy, morphology and neural drive may lead to non-uniform contractile conditions. This study aimed to investigate the patterns of activation and contractile behavior of triceps surae muscles, to understand how these contribute to the relative displacement between the one-joint soleus (SO) and two-joint lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscle bellies and their distal tendons during locomotion in the rat. In seven rats, muscle belly lengths and muscle activation during level and upslope trotting were measured by sonomicrometry crystals and electromyographic electrodes chronically implanted in the SO and LG. Length changes of muscle–tendon units (MTUs) and tendon fascicles were estimated based on joint kinematics and muscle belly lengths. Distances between implanted crystals were further used to assess longitudinal and transversal deformations of the intermuscular volume between the SO and LG. For both slope conditions, we observed differential timing of muscle activation as well as substantial differences in contraction speeds between muscle bellies (maximal relative speed 55.9 mm s−1). Muscle lengths and velocities did not differ significantly between level and upslope locomotion, only EMG amplitude of the LG was affected by slope. Relative displacements between SO and LG MTUs were found in both longitudinal and transversal directions, yielding an estimated maximal length change difference of 2.0 mm between their distal tendons. Such relative displacements may have implications for the force exchanged via intermuscular and intertendinous pathways. Summary: Differences in anatomy, morphology and neural drive between rat ankle plantar-flexors cause substantial intermuscular displacement during locomotion, which may affect mechanical interactions between muscle bellies and tendons.
The Effect of Illicit Drug Use on the Wages of Young Adults

This article examines the effects of cocaine and marijuana use on the wages of young adults. The endogeneity of drug use in a wage equation is considered, and a two-stage least squares procedure is implemented. The results suggest that increased use of marijuana or cocaine is associated with higher wages. The positive relationship between drug use and the wage does not diminish with age. I also investigate whether systematic differences in the return to measures of human capital investments can explain the positive relationship between drug use and wages.
Hierarchical stream aggregates: querying nested stream sessions

This article identifies an interesting class of applications where stream sessions may be organized into a hierarchical fashion - i.e. sessions may consist of sub-sessions. We argue that data streams of this kind have rich procedural semantics - i.e. behavior - and therefore a semantically rich model should be used: a session may be defined by opening and closing conditions, may have data and methods and may consist of sub-sessions. We propose a simple conceptual model based on the notion of "session" similar to a class in an object-oriented environment having lifetime semantics. Queries on top of this schema can be formulated via HSA (hierarchical stream aggregate) expressions.
Constellations: A new paradigm for earth observations

The last decade has seen a significant increase in the number and the capabilities of remote sensing satellites launched by the international community. A relatively new approach is the launching of heterogeneous satellites to form constellations. Constellations provide scientists a capability to acquire science data, not only from specific instruments on a single satellite, but also from instruments on other satellites that fly in close proximity. Constellation design is driven primarily by science requirements. Scientists from each member satellite choose the orbit that enables their science and concurrent observations with the other satellites. Although the satellites are controlled by different organizations around the world, the teams cooperate and coordinate operations to ensure safety. This paper presents the benefits of joining an on-orbit constellation and ideas for the longterm evolution of constellations.
Pricing of Corporate Loan : Credit Risk and Liquidity cost

This PhD thesis investigates the pricing of a corporate loan according to the credit risk, the liquidity cost and the embedded prepayment option. A loan contract issued by a bank for its corporate clients is a financial agreement that often comes with more flexibility than a retail loan contract. These options are designed to meet clients’ expectations and can include e.g., a prepayment option (which entitles the client, if he desires so, to pay all or a fraction of its loan earlier than the maturity). The prepayment is the main option and it will be study in this thesis. In order to decide whether the exercise of the option is worthwhile the borrower compares the remaining payments with the outstanding amount of the loan. If the remaining payments exceed the nominal value then it is optimal for the borrower to refinance his debt at a lower rate. For a bank, the prepayment option is essentially a reinvestment risk, i.e. the risk that the borrower decides to repay earlier his/her loan and that the bank cannot reinvest his/her excess of cash in a new loan with same characteristics.The valuation problem of the prepayment option can be modelled as an embedded compound American option on a risky debt owned by the borrower. We choose in this thesis to price a loan and its prepayment option by resolving the associated PDE instead of binomial trees (time-consuming) or Monte Carlo techniques (slow to converge).
The role of illicit drug use in sudden death in the young

Abstract The recreational use of illicit drugs remains an enormous and growing problem throughout the United States of America and around the world. Cocaine is most frequently thought of when considering the cardiovascular toxicity of illicit drugs. The association of cocaine use with sudden death due to myocardial ischaemia and infarction is well recognised, and this risk appears to be amplified by concomitant cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Like cocaine, amphetamine and its derivatives lead to indirect stimulation of the autonomic nervous system through the release of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin in nerve terminals of the central and autonomic nervous systems. However, amphetamine lacks the ion channel-blocking properties of cocaine. Also similar to cocaine, coronary artery spasm may be induced in individuals with or without atherosclerotic disease and may lead to myocardial infarction. With the movement across the United States of America to legalise marijuana, or cannabis, for medicinal and recreational purposes, it is important to consider its potential deleterious effects. Marijuana has long been thought to have very few adverse effects with the exception of long-term dependence. There are, however, scattered reports of acute adverse events up to and including sudden death. These appear to be due to myocardial infarction. In conclusion, the incidence of sudden death associated with the use of these drugs varies from rare in the case of marijuana use to not infrequent with some drugs such as cocaine. It is important for care providers to recognise the potential for drug abuse when caring for a sudden cardiac arrest survivor.
Digital Product Innovation in Manufacturing Industries - Towards a Taxonomy for Feedback-driven Product Development Scenarios

In the light of pervasive digitalization, traditional physical products get augmented with digital components that create the potential of making the whole product lifecycle visible for product developers. As numerous opportunities sketch out how feedback such as sensor data might be leveraged for future products, a comprehensive model to describe, particularly a classification model to organize and structure these opportunities seems analytically useful. Hence, this paper pursues a scenario-based approach and proposes a taxonomy for feedback-driven product development scenarios in manufacturing industries. Grounded on (1) empirical data from case studies and focus groups and (2) a systematic literature review, we follow an established taxonomy development method employing the general systems theory as meta-characteristic. With the limitation of a (1) qualitative, interpretive empirical research design and a (2) representative literature review, we contribute to the body of knowledge by shedding light on feedback-driven product development from a classification perspective which may act as structuring and creativity fostering tool.
Generalized Estimation of Error Components Models with a Serially Correlated Temporal Effect

For over a decade, econometricians have shown continuing interest in error components models and in the use of panel data. Early contributions to this literature, notably Balestra and Nerlove [1966] and Wallace and Hussain [1969], developed methods for analyzing models in which the error is decomposed into two or more independent, spherical effects. Several useful papers in the early 1970s, Nerlove [1971, 1.971a], Amemiya [1971], and Fuller and Battese [1974], for example, elaborated the properties of error components models and offered alternative methods of estimation. A potentially serious drawback to many previously discussed estimation methods is the tendency to ignore problems typically associated with analysis of time series data. Limited extensions in this direction have been offered by Da Silva [1975], Lillard [1978], Revankar [1980] and Kiefer [1980]. Given these initial efforts, it is important to investigate a more general approach to dealing with time series stochastics in analysis of panel data. This paper examines methods for estimating linear pooled regression models in which the error can be expressed as the sum of a cross section specific component and a serially correlated cross section-time series component. Specifically, we propose two GLS regression estimators, neither of which requires parameterization of the covariance function of the time series errors. There is no unique way to compute these estimates. However, for computational ease, both estimators are computed in the frequency domain. In the case we consider, the problem of serially correlated errors in the time domain is reduced to one of heteroscedasticity in the frequency domain. The only requirements of the data are that time series errors for each cross section be stationary and that errors be stochastically similar across cross sections. Both estimators may be shown to be equivalent to the standard time domain Aitken estimator when error variances and autocovariances are known. When these are unknown, proposed two-step estimators prove equivalent to the Aitken result asymptotically.