Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preempting an Alert Rival: Strategic Timing of the First Plant by Analysis of Sophisticated Rivalry

This paper examines the strategic rivalry in a duopoly where firms must correctly time the construction of the first plant in a growing market. We explicitly model rivalry for market share. Firms recognize the effect of the rival's actions on their profits; they behave noncooperatively to maximize discounted profits over the infinite horizon. For the timing problem we develop an appropriate solution concept. It is a Nash equilibrium in the space of sequential decision rules which specify each firm's correct action as a function of the state of the world. We then show how the equilibrium can be computed by backward induction dynamic programming. Numerical examples illustrate the sequential Nash solution and characterize the rivalry to be the first to build. Parametric analysis of the example enables us to explore the competitive dynamics of capacity choice in new markets.
1 “ Making the money work ” : Global AIDS actors and challenges towards coordination of HIV / AIDS programs in Africa

Introduction Recent years have witnessed a substantial increase in funding and activities related to global health, in particular in developing countries. Several new actors have entered the stage of global health, ranging from multilateral funding entities to private foundations and to large-scale bilateral programs, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. HIV/AIDS is an area where funding has increased manifold in recent years; it has quadrupled from 2001 to 2006. The rapid increase in funding channelled towards HIV/AIDS programs in Africa has resulted in “a crisis of implementation”, which is due to “national capacity gaps in areas such as programme management and service delivery” (UNAIDS 2005b).
Boundary Spanning in Business Process Management: Theoretical Framing and Case Study

Based on dynamic capability and boundary spanning theory, this study develops a theoretical framework for collaborative BPM in inter-organizational networks. The framework presents collaborative BPM as an organizational capability that serves for connecting business processes through the purposeful employment of boundary objects (e.g., information systems) and boundary spanners (people) at the interfaces between different network partners. Collaborative BPM itself is also considered to rely on boundary spanners and boundary objects as they are needed to facilitate the cross-organizational sensing, seizing, and implementation of business process changes. The framework is applied in a multiple case study in which the collaborative BPM efforts of three exemplary organizations, which all participate in inter-organizational networks, are analyzed. As for practice, the framework provides a systematic blueprint that organizations can use to reflect on their capabilities for collaborative BPM. As for research, the study provides a theoretical framing from which future studies can depart to explore phenomena related to collaborative BPM.
Fertility preservation for patients with cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline update.

PURPOSE To update guidance for health care providers about fertility preservation for adults and children with cancer. METHODS A systematic review of the literature published from March 2006 through January 2013 was completed using MEDLINE and the Cochrane Collaboration Library. An Update Panel reviewed the evidence and updated the recommendation language. RESULTS There were 222 new publications that met inclusion criteria. A majority were observational studies, cohort studies, and case series or reports, with few randomized clinical trials. After review of the new evidence, the Update Panel concluded that no major, substantive revisions to the 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology recommendations were warranted, but clarifications were added. RECOMMENDATIONS As part of education and informed consent before cancer therapy, health care providers (including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, urologists, hematologists, pediatric oncologists, and surgeons) should address the possibility of infertility with patients treated during their reproductive years (or with parents or guardians of children) and be prepared to discuss fertility preservation options and/or to refer all potential patients to appropriate reproductive specialists. Although patients may be focused initially on their cancer diagnosis, the Update Panel encourages providers to advise patients regarding potential threats to fertility as early as possible in the treatment process so as to allow for the widest array of options for fertility preservation. The discussion should be documented. Sperm and embryo cryopreservation as well as oocyte cryopreservation are considered standard practice and are widely available. Other fertility preservation methods should be considered investigational and should be performed by providers with the necessary expertise.
Stem Cell Therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease

Low back pain is widely recognized as one of the most prevalent pathologies in the developed world. In the United States, low back pain is the most common health problem for adults under the age of 50, resulting in significant societal and personal costs. While the causes of low back pain are myriad, it has been significantly associated with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. Current first-line therapies for IVD degeneration such as physical therapy and spinal fusion address symptoms, but do not treat the underlying degeneration. The use of tissue engineering to treat IVD degeneration provides an opportunity to correct the pathological process. Novel techniques are currently being investigated and have shown mixed results. One major avenue of investigation has been stem cell injections. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise in small animal models, but results in larger vertebrates have been mixed.
A New Algorithm for Tracking Objects in Video s of Cluttered Scenes

The work presented in this paper describes a novel algorithm for aut omatic video object tracking based on a process of subtraction of successive frames, where the prediction of the direction of movement of the object being tracked is carried out by analyzing the changing areas generated as result of the object’s motion, specifically in regions of interest defined inside the object being tracked in both the current and the next frame. Simultaneously, it is initiated a minimization process which seeks to determine the location of the object being tracked in the next frame usi ng a function which measures the grade of dissimilarity between the region of interest defined inside the object being tracked in the current frame and a moving region in a next frame. This moving region is displaced in the direction of the object’s motion predicted on the process of subtraction of successive frames. Finally, the location of the moving region of interest in the next frame that minimizes the proposed function of dissimilarity corresponds to the predicted location of the object being trackedin the next frame. On the other hand, it is also designed a testing platform which is used to create virtual scenarios that allow us to assess the performance of the proposed algorithm. These virtual scenarios are exposed to heavily cluttered conditions w here areas which surround the object being tracked present a high variability. The results obtained with the proposed algorithm show that the tracking process was successfully carried out in a set of virtual scenarios under different challenging conditions .
FBM: Combining lexicon-based ML and heuristics for Social Media Polarities

This paper describes the system implemented by Fundaci´ o Barcelona Media (FBM) for classifying the polarity of opinion expressions in tweets and SMSs, and which is supported by a UIMA pipeline for rich linguistic and sentiment annotations. FBM participated in the SEMEVAL 2013 Task 2 on polarity classification. It ranked 5th in Task A (constrained track) using an ensemble system combining ML algorithms with dictionary-based heuristics, and 7th (Task B, constrained) using an SVM classifier with features derived from the linguistic annotations and some heuristics.
Do municipal bond yields forecast tax policy

During the recent flat tax debate, interest rates on long-term municipal bonds rose relative to the rate on U.S. Treasury bonds. This was widely attributed to expectations of a reduction in future tax rates. While an axiom of finance states that current asset prices reflect expectations about future events, there is no consensus on how sensitive municipal bond yields are to expectations about future tax rates. This study assesses that question by examining the relationship between the implicit tax rate and actual future tax rates. > Efficient markets theory predicts that the implicit tax rate--the tax rate that equates the after-tax yield on a Treasury bond to the yield on a tax-exempt bond--will be an excellent predictor of future tax rates. The author finds that although the Efficient Markets prediction is not supported, implicit tax rates do contain some information about future tax rates. The information content in implicit tax rates is particularly high around the time of major tax debates that have resulted in significant changes in tax rates. At other times, including the flat tax debate of 1996-96, implicit tax rates carry little information about future tax rates.
Integracja handlowa a synchronizacja cykli koniunkturalnych Polski i Unii Europejskiej

Analysis of the synchronization of economic fluctuations has become nowadays a key issue in the debate on the process of economic integration. Special interest of economists are related to the issue of the analysis of convergence and divergence processes of business cycles in the European Union. One of the factors determining the convergence of business cycles of economies is the intensity and structure of foreign trade. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of international trade on the synchronization of business cycles between Poland and the European Union in the period 1995-2011. In the study were used a research methods based on literature studies in macroeconomics and international finance and econometric methods (Vector Autoregression Model). The results of empirical studies indicate that the increase in trade does not necessarily lead to increase of business cycles synchronization in analyzed economies. The impact of external trade on the business cycles synchronization depends not only on the intensity of trade, but mainly on the commodity structure of foreign trade.
A generalized parallel algorithm for frequent itemset mining

A parallel algorithm for finding the frequent itemsets in a set of transactions is presented. The frequent individual items are identified by their index. We assume that processors number (m) is less than the frequent items number (n). At the first stage, every processor Pi, i isin; {1, . ,m - 1} sequentially computes the frequent itemsets from the interval Ii = [(i - 1) cdot; p + 1, i cdot; p], where p = lfloor;n/mrfloor;. The processor Pm computes frequent itemsets from the interval Im = [(m - 1) cdot; p + 1, n]. In the second stage, the parallel algorithm is applied. The processor Pi computes, step by step, the sets FIi,Ij of the frequent itemsets with individual items from the intervals Ii,j = Ii∪Ii+1∪. ∪Ij, j = i+1,. ,m. In order to compute the set FIi,Ij, the processor Pi uses FIi,Ij-1 obtained in the previous step and FIi+1,Ij received from the processor Pi+1. The main advantage of our parallel algorithm is that it uses a communication pattern known before algorithm start, which permits to map the communication to hardware. Another major advantage is that the set of the transactions can be distributed to processors before the beginning of the algorithm. This is possible because a processor Pi has to compute FIi,Ij, j = i + 1, . , m and therefore only the transactions containing the frequent items starting with Ii are needed.
Heat shock protects synaptic transmission in flight motor circuitry of locusts

WE investigated the effects of heat shock on the temperature sensitivity of synaptic transmission in the motor circuit for flight in Locusta migratoria. In heat shocked animals synaptic transmission failed at 5–6°C higher than in control animals and recovery of transmission was more than three times faster upon return to room temperature. We also found that synaptic delay was rendered insensitive to increases in temperature by heat shock. Thus we have shown in the locust that heat shock has important protective effects on synaptic transmission, thereby extending the upper temperature limit for the motor patterns that generate flight. This is the first description of an effect of heat shock that preserves neuronal communication under subsequent stressful conditions.
Nuclear Energy and Renewables - System Effects in Low-Carbon Electricity Systems

This report addresses the increasingly important interactions of variable renewables and dispatchable energy technologies, such as nuclear power, in terms of their effects on electricity systems. These effects add costs to the production of electricity, which are not usually transparent. The report recommends that decision-makers should take into account such system costs and internalise them according to a "generator pays" principle, which is currently not the case. Analysing data from six OECD/NEA countries, the study finds that including the system costs of variable renewables at the level of the electricity grid increases the total costs of electricity supply by up to one-third, depending on technology, country and penetration levels. In addition, it concludes that, unless the current market subsidies for renewables are altered, dispatchable technologies will increasingly not be replaced as they reach their end of life and consequently security of supply will suffer. This implies that significant changes in management and cost allocation will be needed to generate the flexibility required for an economically viable coexistence of nuclear energy and renewables in increasingly decarbonised electricity systems.
WHO's looking after the tobacco industry

Abstract On 21st May 2003, after four years of negotiation, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Once ratified this frameworkconvention will ultimately constrain the activities of the tobacco industry globally. In light of increasinglitigation and exposure of the industry’s strategies to maintain profitability, will the tobacco industry remainquiescent on this further threat to their legitimacy? A weapon in the tobacco industry’s armoury is to redefinethe public policy agenda via a legitimate forum. This can include eliciting debate in any credible forum and indoing so, attempt to validate all points of view (Davidson, 1991), This legitimating forum can includecorporate social reporting (CSR) (Deegan, 2002), as practised by British American Tobacco in 2001/2002,an exemplar for an industry dominated by several large multinational corporations (Davidson, 1991: Sethi&Steidlmeier, 1991). Keywords tobacco industry, corporate social reporting, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Amphibians: Field Experiments

SYNOPSIS. Numerous reports suggest that populations of amphibians from a wide variety of locations are experiencing population declines and/or range reductions. In some cases, unusually high egg mortality has been reported. Field experiments have been used with increasing frequency to investigate ultraviolet radiation as one of the potential factors contributing to these declines. Results from field experiments illustrate that hatching success of eggs is hampered by ultraviolet radiation in a number of species, while other species appear to be unaffected. Continued mortality in early life-history stages may ultimately contribute to a population decline. Although UV-B radiation may not contribute to the population declines of all species, it may play a role in the population decline of some species, especially those that lay eggs in open shallow water subjected to solar radiation and in those that have a poor ability to repair UV-induced DNA damage.
Piriformis Syndrome: Anatomic Considerations, a New Injection Technique, and a Review of the Literature

Background Piriformis syndrome can be caused by anatomic abnormalities. The treatments of piriformis syndrome include the injection of steroid into the piriformis muscle and near the area of the sciatic nerve. These techniques use either fluoroscopy and muscle electromyography to identify the piriformis muscle or a nerve stimulator to stimulate the sciatic nerve. Methods The authors performed a cadaver study and noted anatomic variations of the piriformis muscle and sciatic nerve. To standardize their technique of injection, they also noted the distance from the lower border of the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) to the sciatic nerve. They retrospectively reviewed the charts of 19 patients who had received piriformis muscle injections, noting the site of needle insertion in terms of the distance from the lower border of the SIJ and the depth of needle insertion at which the motor response of the foot was elicited. The authors tabulated the response of the patients to the injection, any associated diagnoses, and previous treatments that these patients had before the injection. Finally, they reviewed the literature on piriformis syndrome, a rare cause of buttock pain and sciatica. Results In the cadavers, the distance from the lower border of the SIJ to the sciatic nerve was 2.9 ± 0.6 (1.8–3.7) cm laterally and 0.7 ± 0.7 (0.0–2.5) cm caudally. In 65 specimens, the sciatic nerve passed anterior and inferior to the piriformis. In one specimen, the muscle was bipartite and the two components of the sciatic nerve were separate, with the tibial nerve passing below the piriformis and the peroneal nerve passing between the two components of the muscle. In the patients who received the injections, the site of needle insertion was 1.5 ± 0.8 (0.4–3.0) cm lateral and 1.2 ± 0.6 (0.5–2.0) cm caudal to the lower border of the SIJ as seen on fluoroscopy. The needle was inserted at a depth of 9.2 ± 1.5 (7.5–13.0) cm to stimulate the sciatic nerve. Patients had comorbid etiologies including herniated disc, failed back surgery syndrome, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, SIJ dysfunction, and complex regional pain syndrome. Sixteen of the 19 patients responded to the injection, their improvements ranged from a few hours to 3 months. Conclusions Anatomic abnormalities causing piriformis syndrome are rare. The technique used in the current study was successful in injecting the medications near the area of the sciatic nerve and into the piriformis muscle.
O 2 OOD : A Methodology for Converting Objective-Based Requirements into Object-Oriented Design

Besides providing the much needed clarity to all the stakeholders, Objective-based requirements also provide a smooth transition from requirements stage to (object-oriented) design stage. Through an easy process and slight practice, the objects can be easily discovered from the objective-based requirements. This process involves mapping the objectives to various elements of objects (as far as possible). Here, the idea is to keep the focus on objectives when creating objects. Since the transition from requirements to design is made easier and faster through this conversion process, the obvious benefits are realized from it (saves time, effort and money). This insightful paper primarily proposes a quick and easy methodology (O2OOD) for converting objective-based requirements into object-oriented design.
Brokers and business cycles: Does financial market volatility cause real fluctuations?

This paper elaborates on the link between financial market volatility and real economic activity. Using monthly data for Germany from 1968 to 1998, we specify GARCH models to capture the variability of stock market prices, of the real exchange rate, and of a long-term and of a short-term rate of interest and test for the impact of the conditional variance on the future stance of the business cycle and on the volatility of industrial production. The results of our empirical investigation lead us to reject the hypothesis that financial market volatility causes the cycle or real volatility.
A Dependable and Efficient Scheduling Model for Critical Applications on Grid Systems

The possibility of failure occurrence on the grid resources are not negligible and should be considered. This paper proposes a dependable and efficient model for scheduling of safety-critical applications in grid systems. The other focus in this paper is to minimize resource consumption and consequently decrease the cost of requested services in the economic grid. A hybrid and dynamic fault tolerance method which combine fault masking and fault tolerance is used in this paper to improve the reliability of grid scheduling system with low resource consumption. This scheduling model does not have a significant time overhead on the other performance criteria. Analytical approach (Markov approach) is used to analyze the reliability, safety and required resource of proposed scheduling model in the presence of permanent and transient faults.
Organization, Function, and Therapeutic Targeting of the Morbillivirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Complex

The morbillivirus genus comprises major human and animal pathogens, including the highly contagious measles virus. Morbilliviruses feature single stranded negative sense RNA genomes that are wrapped by a plasma membrane-derived lipid envelope. Genomes are encapsidated by the viral nucleocapsid protein forming ribonucleoprotein complexes, and only the encapsidated RNA is transcribed and replicated by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). In this review, we discuss recent breakthroughs towards the structural and functional understanding of the morbillivirus polymerase complex. Considering the clinical burden imposed by members of the morbillivirus genus, the development of novel antiviral therapeutics is urgently needed. The viral polymerase complex presents unique structural and enzymatic properties that can serve as attractive candidates for druggable targets. We evaluate distinct strategies for therapeutic intervention and examine how high-resolution insight into the organization of the polymerase complex may pave the path towards the structure-based design and optimization of next-generation RdRp inhibitors.
Visceral Leishmaniasis and HIV Coinfection in East Africa

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is an important protozoan opportunistic disease in HIV patients in endemic areas. East Africa is second to the Indian subcontinent in the global VL caseload and first in VL-HIV coinfection rate. Because of the alteration in the disease course, the diagnostic challenges, and the poor treatment responses, VL with HIV coinfection has become a very serious challenge in East Africa today. Field experience with the use of liposomal amphotericin B in combination with miltefosine, followed by secondary prophylaxis and antiretroviral drugs, looks promising. However, this needs to be confirmed through clinical trials. Better diagnostic and follow-up methods for relapse and prediction of relapse should also be looked for. Basic research to understand the immunological interaction of the two infections may ultimately help to improve the management of the coinfection.