Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inverse Planning Optimization Method for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

In order to facilitate the leaf sequencing process in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and design of a practical leaf sequencing algorithm, it is an important issue to smooth the planned fluence maps. The objective is to achieve both high-efficiency and high-precision dose delivering by considering characteristics of leaf sequencing process. The key factor which affects total number of monitor units for the leaf sequencing optimization process is the max flow value of the digraph which formulated from the fluence maps. Therefore, we believe that one strategy for compromising dose conformity and total number of monitor units in dose delivery is to balance the dose distribution function and the max flow value mentioned above. However, there are too many paths in the digraph, and we don't know the flow value of which path is the maximum. The maximum flow value among the horizontal paths was selected and used in the objective function of the fluence map optimization to formulate the model. The model is a traditional linear constrained quadratic optimization model which can be solved by interior point method easily. We believe that the smoothed maps from this model are more suitable for leaf sequencing optimization process than other smoothing models. A clinical head-neck case and a prostate case were tested and compared using our proposed model and the smoothing model which is based on the minimization of total variance. The optimization results with the same level of total number of monitor units (TNMU) show that the fluence maps obtained from our model have much better dose performance for the target/non-target region than the maps from total variance based on the smoothing model. This indicates that our model achieves better dose distribution when the algorithm suppresses the TNMU at the same level. Although we have just used the max flow value of the horizontal paths in the diagraph in the objective function, a good balance has been achieved between the dose conformity and the total number of monitor units. This idea can be extended to other fluence map optimization model, and we believe it can also achieve good performance.
Does culture and social capital impact on the networking attributes of indigenous entrepreneurs

Purpose - The purpose this paper is to determine the impact that culture and social capital has on indigenous entrepreneurs' business networking. Design/methodology/approach - A comparative case study analysis was undertaken on a three-nation sample of indigenous entrepreneurs in Australia, Hawaii and New Zealand. The specific research questions investigated were: does culture influence indigenous entrepreneurs' networking, and does social capital influence indigenous entrepreneurs' networking? Participants were stand-alone commercial operators. Findings - Reduced social capital for indigenous Australians resulted in active social networking to be a necessity in the operation of their basic business functions, the role of the family was negligible to negative, they were dependent on racial acceptance, they experienced little diversity in their networking, their business relationships were often that of dependence with a distinct separation between social and business networking interactions. The Hawaiians displayed a solid cultural capital base with spontaneous drivers in the interaction of relationships, networks were culturally accepted, the family role was supportive, a dynamic networking interaction ensued, networking was diverse and well maintained, they took an avid interest in their networking relationship which for many was personal and their networking relationships were highly integrated between their social and business spheres. Maori displayed a solid cultural capital base. Networks were culturally accepted, the family role was supportive, a dynamic networking interaction ensued with strong economic motivators, networking was diverse and well maintained, they took an avid interest in their networking relationship which culturally supported and their networking relationships were highly integrated between their social and business spheres. Practical implications - This research provides an increased understanding of the business environment for policy makers, NGOs, business support organisations and the indigenous entrepreneurs themselves. The relationship between culture and social networking which is stimulated or reduced by the presence of varying levels of social capital can and will assist the indigenous entrepreneurs in their business planning. Originality/value - This paper provides the reader with a new perspective on how the existence of social capital impacts on networking for indigenous entrepreneurs.
Investigating Factors that affecting the Continued use of Internet Banking: Case Study of Libya

After technological progress and in particular the development of internet, internet banking service has intensified the competition between banks as well as allowed customers to easily compare the services that provided by different banks. While the goal of any business entity in the long term is to increase its productivity and maximisation of the profits, customer retention becomes an important component of banking strategy in today’s increasingly competitive environment to foster customer relationship management. In order to achieve this, it is important to concentrate on the consumer’s continued use of a service rather than solely on their acceptance of the service (Adapa, 2011). Therefore, understanding the importance of consumers’ continued use is the key element to maximise customers’ retention in internet banking services.
Online Investors: Do the Slow Die First?

We analyze 1,607 investors who switched from phone-based to online trading during the 1990s. Those who switch to online trading perform well prior to going online, beating the market by more than 2% annually. After going online, they trade more actively, more speculatively, and less profitably than before--lagging the market by more than 3% annually. Reductions in market frictions (lower trading costs, improved execution speed, and greater ease of access) do not explain these findings. Overconfidence--augmented by self-attribution bias and the illusions of knowledge and control--can explain the increase in trading and reduction in performance of online investors. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Market making, prices, and quantity limits

This article develops a model of spread and depth setting under asymmetric information where the equilibrium depth is proportionally more sensitive than the spread to changes in the degree of information asymmetry. The analysis uses a one-period model in which a risk-neutral, monopolistic market maker faces a price-sensitive liquidity trader and a better informed trader who is alternatively risk neutral and risk averse. The equilibrium depth can take values ranging from 0 to infinity, depending on the information asymmetry, the asset volatility, and the strength of the liquidity demand, while the spread remains positive and finite.
Modernization, order, and the erosion of a democratic ideal: American political science 1960–70

Studies of ‘modernization’ conducted by American political scientists over the past decade (1960–70) show a shift in teleological emphasis through which democracy as a goal for developing polities has been gradually displaced by another ideal, that of institutional order. This shift in emphasis is here related (a) to an emerging pattern of political dislocation in new states; (b) to United States government policy in dealing with these states; (c) to the domestic politics of the United States, and in particular to the salience of ‘law and order’ as a political issue in the late 1960s. Preoccupied with problems of political order at home and abroad, political scientists have looked to authoritarian solutions: in some cases they have re‐examined Lenin's organizational principles, and found merit in the achievements of ‘totalitarian’ regimes which can build and maintain stable political institutions.
Endothelial dysfunction associated with obesity and the effect of weight loss interventions

Endothelial damage is central to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, while in addition vascular endothelial cells secrete several anti-atherogenic substances including the potent vasodilator nitric oxide. Increased adhesion molecule expression, in response to pathophysiological stimuli is perhaps the earliest indicator of compromised endothelial integrity. Obesity and adiposity are associated with an increased risk of CVD, influencing disease progression via a number of mechanisms, including enhanced endothelial activation. This review discusses possible mechanisms linking adiposity and more specifically regional fat depots with endothelial function and evaluates studies investigating the effect of weight loss on endothelial function, assessed by biochemical and physiological measurements. Overall, the research to date suggests that visceral adiposity is a stronger predictor of endothelial activation than overall adiposity, possibly mediated via the action of NEFA in circulation. While in general there is a suggestion that weight loss is associated with significant improvements in endothelial function, this is not apparent in all interventions and published literature to date provides less than convincing evidence for the effects of weight loss on endothelial activation.
Making Governance "Good": The Production of Scale in the Environmental Impact Assessment and Governance of the Salween River

Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are generally considered an important component of formal decision-making processes about development, serving to ensure that a project's environmental impacts are considered in decisions about whether and how it will proceed. Scale is an important part of the narrative built into the assessment. Building on a rich literature at the intersection of human geography and political ecology, I focus on the way that scale is remade through the environmental impact assessment process for the Hatgyi hydroelectric dam proposed on the Salween River. Proposed near the stretch of the river that makes up the Thai-Burma border, the scales of governance for this cross-border project challenge assumed definitions of 'local' impacts for 'national' decision-making. By illustrating how scale-making is accomplished through producing and mobilising ecological knowledge, I illustrate how the scale of the local and the nation are at stake in these projects.
Zero-Compensation Method and Reduced Inductive Voltage Error for the AC Josephson Voltage Standard

In the pulse-driven ac Josephson voltage standard, the low frequency (LF) component of a drive signal increases the system complexity and induces unwanted voltages through on-chip inductances. A novel zero compensation (ZC) method for pulse-driven ac waveform synthesis is presented in this paper. A pulse train is obtained through a two-level Δ-Σ modulation and then reconstructed by replacing each pulse with three pulses of a negative-positive-negative pattern. The amplitudes of the reconstructed pulse train are carefully adjusted so that the positive pulses drive the Josephson junctions to the first quantum state, whereas the negative pulses keep the junctions on the zero quantum state and cancel the contribution of the positive pulses to the LF inductive voltage component. This new method eliminates the need for LF signal reinjection required by the conventional bias method and eliminates the need for a direct-current bias required by the recently proposed ZC method. An 8-kHz sinusoidal waveform with an amplitude of 1 mV rms is synthesized to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach. We also demonstrate that the inductive voltage error is significantly reduced for waveforms synthesized with the new method.
HRM Practices Affecting Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation of Knowledge Receivers and Their Effect on Intra-MNC Knowledge Transfer

This paper explores why and how human resource management (HRM) matters for knowledge transfer within multinational corporations. It is built on the premise that there are certain HRM practices influencing extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of knowledge receivers. It is found that complementarity among HRM practices exists but does not always have a positive effect on knowledge transfer. Three hypotheses derived from these arguments are tested on data from 92 subsidiaries of Danish multinational corporations located in 11 countries.
Equal Opportunities Policy and Practice in Britain:

This article evaluates the nature and incidence of equal opportunities (EO) policies in the UK using data from the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS 98). The article identifies the types of workplaces that are more likely to adopt formal gender, ethnicity, disability and age policies. It then assesses whether the policies are ‘substantive’ or merely ‘empty shells’: first, by evaluating the extent to which workplaces that have adopted EO policies have also adopted supporting EO practices; and second, by evaluating the proportion of employees who have access to EO practices in workplaces where they have been adopted. On balance, the ‘empty shell’ argument is more convincing. Smaller workplaces, private sector workplaces and workplaces without an HR or personnel specialist are identified as being more likely to have an ‘empty shell’ policy.While unionized workplaces are more likely to have a formal policy, those policies are no less likely to constitute ‘empty shells’. Finally, the policy, economic and legal implications of the findings are discussed.
Predicting probability of default of Indian corporate bonds: logistic and Z‐score model approaches

Purpose – This paper aims at developing an early warning signal model for predicting corporate default in emerging market economy like India. At the same time, it also aims to present methods for directly estimating corporate probability of default (PD) using financial as well as non-financial variables. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple Discriminate Analysis (MAD) is used for developing Z-score models for predicting corporate bond default in India. Logistic regression model is employed to directly estimate the probability of default. Findings – The new Z-score model developed in this paper depicted not only a high classification power on the estimated sample, but also exhibited a high predictive power in terms of its ability to detect bad firms in the holdout sample. The model clearly outperforms the other two contesting models comprising of Altman's original and emerging market set of ratios respectively in the Indian context. In the logit analysis, the empirical results reveal that inclusion of financial and non-financial parameters would be useful in more accurately describing default risk. Originality/value – Using the new Z-score model of this paper, banks, as well as investors in emerging market like India can get early warning signals about the firm's solvency status and might reassess the magnitude of the default premium they require on low-grade securities. The default probability estimate (PD) from the logistic analysis would help banks for estimation of credit risk capital (CRC) and setting corporate pricing on a risk adjusted return basis.
Interfuel Substitution within Industrial Companies: An Analysis Based on Panel Data at Company Level

In this paper we estimate two models for interfuel substitution between electricity, district heating and (other) fuels using a micro panel data set containing information for most Danish industrial companies in the period between 1983 and 1997. The main finding of the study is that interfuel substitution is low within the companies, especially between electricity and other fuels. The partial own-price elasticities estimated are small (between -0.04 and -0.13) both for electricity and other fuels, while it is between -0.44 and -0.50 for district heating. The partial own-price elasticity for electricity is smaller than generally found in macro studies. One explanation may be that the macro studies, in addition to technical substitution, capture some derived demand effect (i.e., aggregation bias).
The political and institutional basis of Korea’s skill formation system

Korea’s developmental skill formation system was shaped in the 1970s by the Korean developmental state that proactively sought rapid Heavy and Chemical Industrialisation as the nation’s overarching goal. Vocational education at the upper secondary level and post-school in-company training in particular were strategically nurtured and closely managed by the state to supply the skilled workforce necessary, engendering a skill formation system subject to the state’s policies. The state’s tight control of the skill formation system was largely loosened in the 1980s, but since the 1990s it began to transform into a ‘post-developmental’ skill formation system geared toward Korea’s increasingly knowledge-based and globalising economy. Although it is still in the making, the post-developmental skill formation system is significantly different from the previous system in that the focus has shifted to vocational education at the secondary and the tertiary levels, whereas in-company vocational training is being gradually marginalised. Furthermore, the post-developmental skill formation system in Korea is both state-led and market-based, reflecting fundamental and dynamic changes in the nature of the Korean state since the 1990s.
A Performance Case-Study on Memristive Computing-in-Memory Versus Von Neumann Architecture

Summary form only given. The Von Neumann bottleneck originates from the low bandwidth between processing and memory. One paradigm that could ease the bottleneck is Computing-in-Memory (CiM), where the same elements store logic values and perform logical operations on them in the same physical location. Here, presented are implementations of the K-means clustering algorithm on a Memristive Logic Array-based CiM implementation and a Machine Learning specific Transport-Triggered Architecture (TTA) processor implemented on 28nm FDSOI technology and operating at 0.35V. While running K-means, the Memristive CiM is 5,7 times faster and uses 2,3 times less energy than the TTA processor. However, the average power consumption of the MLA is 2,5 times the power of the TTA.
THE CLUSTERING OF IPO SPREADS IN KOREAN IPO MARKET: COMPETITION OR COLLUSION?

This paper examines whether the clustering of initial public offering (IPO) spreads in the IPO market occurs through competition or collusion, using the period from January 2000 to July 2006 as the analytical range. It finds that the Korean IPO market spread is clustered at 3.5% on moderately sized IPOs (i.e., IPOs between 9 (KRW billion) and 33 (KRW billion)), representing a 74% overall rate that increases gradually over time. Our empirical results refute the collusion theory. The Korean IPO market is characterised by low concentration. A 3.5% spread does not represent abnormal profits relative to other IPOs. Cost saving (i.e. an inverse U shape) is confirmed by the use of 3.5% offers. Our results also show that factors typically related to underwriters and issuers – such as proceeds, secondary sales, earnings and reputation – affect the 3.5% spread used both positively and negatively. Thus, consistent with the efficient contract theory, the use of a 3.5% contract becomes less likely as proceeds increase but becomes more likely for IPOs of over 35 (KRW billion). On the one hand, the use of a 3.5% contract becomes more likely the more insider shares an IPO contains and the higher the volatility of the stock return (an insignificant factor). On the other hand, the use of a 3.5% contract becomes less likely the higher the earnings and debt (insignificant factors) and the more reputable the underwriter. Underpricing in 3.5% IPOs is conditioned by proceeds and secondary sales, not reputation and IPO market concentration. Thus, we conclude – against the cartel theory – that there is no collusive conspiracy in the Korean IPO market and that underwriters do not reap excess profits from 3.5% IPOs.
Trade policy and economic welfare

The second edition of this classic text on international economics includes three completely new chapters on the environment and trade policy, strategic trade policy, and the relationship between trade policy and the exchange rate. The first edition introduced a number of ideas into policy circles; the new edition has been shortened and substantially revised to point up the themes that have subsequently become prominent in discussions of free trade and protection. Trade Policy and Economic Welfare expounds the normative theory of trade policy. It includes discussion of static and dynamic arguments for protection; effects of trade policy on income distribution, monopoly, X-efficieny, foreign investment and capital accumulation; protection of advanced-technology industries; the choice between tariffs and subsidies as methods of protection. The chapters are self-contained to allow flexible use of the book in teaching undergraduate courses on international trade and the economics of developing countries.
Evaluation of Collaborative Strategies Used in the Management of Natural Parks in Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT This paper presents the main conclusions of exploratory research aimed at analyzing the management of eight natural parks in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In view of the participative management guidelines proposed by Law 9985 (“NSCU”), the findings revealed that governmental agencies have, indeed, been making an effort to establish more participative management by means of advisory councils. Despite this, the initiatives have still been partially ineffective. The multiple case studies show that different forms of partnership are sustained with varied organizations; however, factors such as bureaucracy, lack of management autonomy, and the inadequate use of managing tools have hampered the expansion of such collaborative strategies.
A Future for Labour in the Global Economy

From the standpoint of labour around the world, the problem with globalisation is not that it lowers market-determined wages and reduces employment; it is as likely to do the opposite, and what it will do varies from country to country. The more general problem is that labour depends on effective democratic states and trade unions to carry out policies of insurance, demand management, human resource development, and redistribution; the unimpeded movement of capital and goods may undermine their capacity to do this and destroy the political coalitions that historically have pursued these objectives. However, some of the more politically and economically successful examples of such policies – such as Nordic social democracy and East Asian land reform – have occurred in small open economies that would, on the above account, provide a prohibitive environment for egalitarian interventions. I seek to answer the following question: in a liberalised world economy, what programmes to increase employment and real wages are implementable by democratic nation-states acting independently? While in the absence of international coordination globalisation indeed makes it difficult for nation-states to affect the relative (after tax) prices of mobile goods and factors of production, and for this and other reasons may limit the effectiveness of some conventional strategies of redistribution, a large class of state and trade union interventions leading to substantial improvements in the wages, employment prospects, and economic security of workers is not ruled out by globalisation. Included are redistributions of assets to workers in cases where the reassignment of property rights provides an efficient solution to incentive problems arising in principal-agent relationships such as wage employment. A Future for Labour in the Global Economy – Introduction 5