Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The United Nations Concept of Water as a Human Right: A New Paradigm for Old Problems?

Water history reveals millennia-old struggles over the ownership of water, the pollution and depletion of water sources, and conflicting water uses. What is new is the scale of these problems, particularly access to water for the poorest of the poor. This paper discusses the various conceptual responses to the water problématique, including the commodity, public and social approaches. The human rights aspects of the latter are analysed in some detail in light of the recent General Comment on the Right to Water by a United Nations body. The paper argues that countries have international legal obligations, to respect, protect and fulfil this right without discrimination, that carry clear implications for policy and practice. While the report does not argue that this human right requires the complete decommodification of water or that it provides a ‘magic bullet’ solution, it seeks to show the benefits of a human rights approach and provides some suggestions for implementing the right at the local, national and international levels.
Financial Reporting for Financial Instruments

Financial Reporting for Financial Instruments provides an integrated examination of the four most active areas of empirical accounting research on financial reporting for financial instruments: (1) banks' loan loss accruals, (2) fair value versus amortized cost accounting measurement bases, (3) balance sheet presentation of risk-concentrated financial instruments such as derivatives and retained residual securities in securitizations, and (4) risk disclosures. The author explains conceptual and practical issues regarding financial reporting for financial instruments, summarizes extant empirical research in these areas, and indicates future empirical research possibilities. He emphasizes that empirical researchers should strive to incorporate four ideas into their research topics and designs: (1) financial instruments exhibit identifiable heterogeneity in their contractual features and risks; (2) at a first approximation, financial institutions are portfolios of interrelated financial instruments; (3) the markets in which financial instruments trade and the institutional settings in which financial institutions operate affect their value and risks; and (4) accounting and disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) imperfectly capture the first three ideas.
The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination

Using data from two longitudinal surveys of American high school seniors, we show that basic cognitive skills had a larger impact on wages for 24-year-old men and women in 1986 than in 1978. For women, the increase in the return to cognitive skills between 1978 and 1986 accounts for all of the increase in the wage premium associated with post-secondary education. We also show that high school seniors' mastery of basic cognitive skills had a much smaller impact on wages two years after graduation than on wages six years after graduation.
Tumor and Stem Cell Biology Ron Kinase Transphosphorylation Sustains MET Oncogene Addiction

Receptors for the scatter factors HGF and MSP that are encoded by the MET and RON oncogenes are key players in invasive growth. Receptor cross-talk betweenMet and Ron occurs. Amplification of theMET oncogene results in kinase activation, deregulated expression of an invasive growth phenotype, and addiction to MET oncogene signaling (i.e., dependency on sustained Met signaling for survival and proliferation). Here we show that cancer cells addicted to MET also display constitutive activation of the Ron kinase. In human cancer cell lines coexpressing the 2 oncogenes, Ron is specifically transphosphorylated by activated Met. In contrast, Ron phosphorylation is not triggered in cells harboring constitutively active kinase receptors other than Met, including Egfr or Her2. Furthermore, Ron phosphorylation is suppressed by Met-specific kinase inhibitors (PHA665752 or JNJ-38877605). Last, Ron phosphorylation is quenched by reducing cell surface expression of Met proteins by antibody-induced shedding. InMET-addicted cancer cells, short hairpin RNA–mediated silencing of RON expression resulted in decreased proliferation and clonogenic activity in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo. Our findings establish that oncogene addiction toMET involves Ron transactivation, pointing to Ron kinase as a target for combinatorial cancer therapy. Cancer Res; 71(5); 1945–55. 2011 AACR.
Distribution of the Serine Protease HtrA1 in Normal Human Tissues

The human HtrA family of proteases consists of three members: HtrA1, HtrA2, and HtrA3. In bacteria, the chief role of HtrA is recognition and degradation of misfolded proteins in the periplasm, combining a dual activity of chaperone and protease. In humans, the three HtrA homologues appear to be involved in diverse functions such as cell growth, apoptosis, allergic reactions, fertilization, control of blood pressure, and blood clotting. Previous studies using RNA blot hybridization have shown that the expression of HtrA1 is ubiquitous in normal human tissues. Here we show by immunohistochemistry (IHC) that HtrA1 is widely expressed, although different tissue distributions and/or levels of expression were detected in the different tissues examined. In particular, high to medium HtrA1 expression was detected in mature layers of epidermis, in secretory breast epithelium, in liver, and in kidney tubules of cortex, in concordance with its secretory properties. Furthermore, we show a higher protein expression level in the epithelium of proliferative endometrium, in contrast to epithelium of secretory endometrium, which is almost completely negative for this protein. This suggests a possible role for HtrA1 in the modulation of tissue activity in this organ. The various expression levels in human tissues indicate several possible roles for HtrA1 in different cell types.
Africa's Future is up to Africans. Really?

As this volume was being put together, President Barack Obama, the first African American to hold this high office paid his first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa – to Ghana – where he made a major policy statement on US–Africa relations. So Africa is no longer to be treated with benign neglect, or is that just cunning? The feverish expectation of the speech was not unlike Harold Macmillan’s ‘Wind of Change’ Speech of February 1960 to the South African Parliament, and the message was just as candid. This time it was not an old colonial coming to ‘talk down’ to the rulers of modern Africa, but a son of Africa, who happens to hold the most powerful office in the world.
An exploration of the directional change based trading strategy with dynamic thresholds on variable frequency data streams

The Directional Change (DC) is an event approach for summarizing price movements in financial markets based on a given threshold value. The Dynamic Threshold Trading Strategy (DT-TS) is a trading strategy built based on the DC approach with daily dynamic defined threshold values. The DT-TS trading action is triggered, if a DC event is detected (price change is spotted) and the prices continue to increase or decrease. The Buy or Sell trading action to be taken depends on the previous day price changes (short term history). In this paper, we apply the DT-TS trading strategy on data streams of different frequency to investigate its potential to generate surplus. One major issue under examination is the strategy's applicability and ability to provide good results on data streams of different frequency (higher versus lower frequency). An experiment was conducted using the FTSE 100 index min-bymin and day-by-day streams for more than 35 weeks. Results showed that the DT-TS works better (gained higher profits) with higher frequency data rather than lower frequency data.
Phased array antenna for avalanche FMCW radar

In this work, design and analysis of a single element of a 16-element phased array antenna is presented. By means of sub-arraying and overlapping techniques, the required ±14.5° azimuth and ±22.5° elevation angles were achieved while 200 MHz bandwidth and 13.7 dBi gain were obtained.
A Grid Fundamental and Harmonic Component Detection Method for Single-Phase Systems

Single-phase grid-connected converters are widely used in many applications such as photovoltaics, fuel cells, active power filters, etc. An important topic for the development of their control schemes is ac signal detection, such as grid phase detection for grid-interfacing inverters, and harmonic detection for harmonic compensation devices. Since only one signal is available, the task is more difficult than in three-phase systems. Among the existing methods, the frequency-domain ones are known to have a one-cycle delay and heavier computational burden. Meanwhile, the time-domain methods often rely on phase-locked loop, quadrature signal generation, and complex filtering techniques; the resulted multiple-looped system may suffer from slow transients and stability issues. This paper proposes a new detection method based on anticonjugate harmonic decomposition and cascaded delayed signal cancellation. The method uses constant zero as the quadrature signal, and has a completely open-looped structure. The resulted detection system is very simple and robust. The fundamental and harmonic detection transients can be as short as 0.47 cycle in most cases, or 1.5 cycles for cases with considerable frequency variations. Meanwhile, zero steady-state error can be guaranteed in complicated harmonic scenarios, including all typical single-phase system harmonics. The performance of the proposed detection method is verified by experiments.
An Improved Algorithm for Laser Point Detection Based on Otsu Thresholding Method

Welding manipulators are important machines in industrial production. It is very important to use the manipulator to weld to the correct spot. However, there are lots of light with surface due to welding process. Nevertheless, we have to find the exact welding point in order to perform accurate welding. Elimination of variable illumination is a bottleneck in laser point detection. It is vitally important to adopt an effective method to solve the problem. In this paper, we propose a thresholding method for laser point detection. The proposed algorithm uses Otsu algorithm and S information in HSV color space for real-time calculation. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm effectively eliminates the illumination in the image.
A Comparative Analysis of Steganographic Tools.

Steganography is the art and science of hiding data in a transmission medium. It is a sub-discipline of security systems. In this paper we present a study carried out to compare the performance of some common Steganographic tools distributed online. We focus our analysis on systems that use digital images as transmission carriers. A number of these systems exceptionally do not support embedding images rather they allow text embedding; therefore, we constrained the tools to those which embed images files. Visual inspection and statistical comparison methods are the main performance measurements we rely on. This study is an introductory part of a bigger research project aimed at introducing a robust and high payload Steganographic algorithm.
Sources of Changes in Emissions from Energy: A Structural Decomposition Analysis

This paper explores the anatomy of Danish energy consumption and emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO,) and nitrogen oxides (NO,). Changes in emissions between 1966 and 1988 were investigated using input-output structural decomposition analysis. Production-based emissions have undergone substantially greater changes than have private consumption emissions, and the increased level of final demand explains most of this development. Although the level of CO2 emissions has risen proportionally to energy consumption, the NO, emissions level has increased relatively more and the SO, emissions level has declined considerably. There are several reasons for these developments, the main reason being changes in fuel mix in the energy-supply sector. Energy conservation has been implemented throughout the economy-with the important exception of transportation fuel. In most sectors and all demand categories, there has been a shift towards less energy-intensive composition of inputs and commodities. Both effects have considerably reduced emissions, but this has been outweighed by economic growth, which has required energy for further production throughout the whole period studied.
Languages under concatenation and shuffling

The shuffle product of two words u and v, denoted u‖v, is the set of all words of the form x1y1x2y2…xnyn for some n and for some (possible empty) words x1, …xn, y1, …yn, such that u = x1x2…xn, and v = y1y2…yn. In other words, u‖v is the set of all possible words that can be obtained by merging u and v so that the letters of u and v separately maintain their original orders but are allowed to alternate arbitrarily. The shuffle product of languages L and M, denoted L‖M, is the union of all u‖v for u ∈ L and v ∈ M.
Small hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma revealed by double arterial phase CT performed with single breath-hold scanning and automatic bolus tracking.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of double arterial phase CT for the detection of small hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas, using an automated bolus-tracking technique to initiate the hepatic arterial phase CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Double arterial and late phase contrast-enhanced helical CT scans were obtained on 287 consecutive patients suspected of having hepatocellular carcinoma. These included 56 patients with 90 small (< or 3 cm) hepatocellular carcinomas and 50 patients with no hepatocellular carcinomas. CT scans of these patients were interpreted by three reviewers. The first arterial phase scan was initiated automatically 10 sec after the bolus-tracking program detected the threshold enhancement of 50 H in the abdominal aorta. Three reviewers interpreted the late phase CT scans in combination with the first, second, or both hepatic arterial phases. Measures of the reviewers' detection of hepatocellular carcinoma included analysis of interobserver variation, sensitivity, specificity, and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (A(z)). RESULTS The time elapsed from bolus initiation to threshold aortic enhancement ranged from 10 to 24 sec (mean, 13 sec), resulting in initiation of the first arterial phase CT scan from 20 to 34 sec (mean, 23 sec). The combination of late phase CT and both first and second arterial phase images showed significantly better performance than the combination of the late phase and either the first or second arterial phases, although the difference was most evident in comparison with the combination of second arterial and late phases. CONCLUSION An automated bolus-tracking program can be used to optimize the timing of hepatic arterial phase CT. Multiphasic CT performed using this technique is useful in detection of small hepatocellular carcinoma.
Bank capital forbearance and valuation of deposit insurance

The authors set up a deposit insurance pricing model that treats forbearance as an option to delay the resolution of undercapitalized financial institutions and, subsequently, derive a closed-form solution for the deposit insurance put. The put is decomposed into a capital component and a time component. They then evaluate how the critical policy parameters relate to the cost of deposit insurance, and examine how moral hazard behaviour and the accompanying risk-taking behaviour affect deposit insurance premiums. Resume Les auteurs de l'article qui suit mettent au point un modele de fixation des prix de l'assurance-depots qui considere l'abstention comme un moyen visant a reporter la resolution des institutions financieres sous-capitalisee. Ils en deduisent une solution analytique pour l'option de vente de l'assurance-depots. Cette derniere comprend une composante de capital et une composante temporelle. Les auteurs de l'article evaluent lafacon dont les parametres de politique critique sont relies au cout de l'assurance-depots. Ils examinent aussi la maniere dont l'alea de moralite et le comportement a risque qui l'accompagne influencent les primes d'assurance-depots.
Common pattern of cortical pathology in childhood-onset and adult-onset schizophrenia as identified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging.

OBJECTIVE Multislice proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H-MRSI) permits simultaneous acquisition and mapping of signal intensities of N-acetyl-containing compounds (mainly N-acetylaspartate, NAA), choline-containing compounds (CHO), and creatine plus phosphocreatine (CRE) from multiple whole-brain slices consisting of small single-volume elements. Previous 1H-MRSI studies of adult patients with schizophrenia showed small NAA relative signals in the hippocampal area and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in comparison with healthy subjects. As part of a program to address the pathophysiological continuity between childhood-onset and adult-onset schizophrenia, the authors performed 1H-MRSI of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia to specifically test whether the hippocampal area and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex show the same abnormalities as seen in adult-onset schizophrenia. METHOD A 1.5-T nuclear magnetic resonance machine was used to test 14 patients (mean age, 16.4 years) and 14 comparison subjects. Ratios of areas under the metabolite peaks of the proton spectra were determined (i.e., NAA/CRE, NAA/CHO, CHO/CRE) for multiple cortical and subcortical regions. RESULTS The patients showed significantly lower NAA/CRE ratios bilaterally in the hippocampal area and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex than the comparison subjects. There were no significant differences in CHO/CRE or in NAA ratios in any other area sampled. CONCLUSIONS The present study shows that patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia have smaller than normal regional NAA relative signals, suggesting neuronal damage or malfunction in the hippocampal area and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These differences were similar in magnitude to those found in patients with adult-onset schizophrenia. The present data extend other evidence of a biological continuum between childhood- and adult-onset schizophrenia.
Win, Lose, or Draw: Predicting the Outcome of Civil Wars

What characteristics of a civil war determine whether it will end in a government victory, a rebel victory, or a negotiated settlement? To explore this question we present an expected utility model of the choice rebels and governments face between accepting a settlement or continuing to fight. The model implies that a settlement becomes more likely as (1) estimates of the probability of victory decline; (2) costs of conflict increase; (3) estimates of the time required to win increase; or (4) the utility from a settlement increases relative to that of victory. Factors that (1) increase one party's probability of victory; (2) increase its payoffs from victory; (3) reduce the costs of conflict; and/or (4) reduce the time required to achieve victory increase that party's probability of winning and decrease the likelihood of a settlement. We test these propositions with a multinomial choice model that correctly predicts the outcome in 86 percent of the cases.
Management of atrial fibrillation: What is new in the 2014 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline?

Abstract Recently, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society published an updated guideline on the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). This document is a complete revision of the 2006 guideline. Prominent changes in the 2014 guideline include the use of the CHA2DS2-VASc score for risk stratification of stroke, recommendations on when and how to use newer oral anticoagulants for thromboprophylaxis, downgrading of the use of aspirin for thromboprophylaxis of moderate-risk patients, and the use of catheter ablation in selected patients as first-line therapy for paroxysmal AF. In regard to rate control, the 2014 guideline reverts back to a previous recommendation for stricter targets for mean and maximum heart rate on therapy. The current guideline incorporates many recent trials in updating existing recommendations from the 2006 guideline. The 2014 guideline will be a vital tool in guiding physicians in the management of AF.
Collision detection based on scale change of image segments for the visually impaired

A variety of portable or wearable navigation systems mounted on smart glasses and smartphones have been developed to assist visually impaired people over the last decade. In these systems, collision detection is one of the key components. Many conventional methods with the monocular vision estimate the collision risk based on the motion information of obstacles in the image by measuring the size change of objects using detected feature points and their corresponding motion vectors. However, the size change is sometimes incorrectly measured due to unreliable feature points and motion vectors. To overcome this problem, we present a motion clustering scheme to remove outliers among both feature points and motion vectors. Experimental results indicate that the proposed collision detection method outperforms the conventional one in terms of detection and false positive rates.
How Investors React to Political Risk

Investor reaction to political risk alternates: During or soon after a crisis, investors are quite reluctant to invest in politically risky securities, and will do so only at high 'lemons' discounts. After a period of calm, investors return, and bid down spreads to quite low levels-- levels that, after the next crisis, seem in retrospect too low. Investors are often depicted as overreacting to political risk: at times they are too scared,and at other times, they are not scared enough. My paper argues that while there may be some component of irrationality, the pattern of alternating skittishness and confidence may be the best even rational investors can do, as an investor's best guess about political risk may be that the future will be more like the recent past than the distant past. In other contexts, involving better-understood risks, heavily weighting recent events may be a cognitive mistake; in this context, where the 'correct' weighting is not known, it may sometimes be the best choice. Political risk is quite heterogenous, rising to the level of Knightian uncertainty. Payoffs and probabilities are difficult to estimate with precision. Our knowledge does not cumulate very effectively; indeed, events may, not infrequently, prompt us to redefine what political risk is, and what results it can have for investors. But standard finance methodology is predicated on homogeneity: saying that an event with a particular payoff will occur with 20% probability implicitly conjures up multiple trials where 20% of the time, an event akin to -- in the same 'class' as -- the event being considered occurs. While few classes in the real world are homogeneous -- even coin tosses are in some respects different from one another -- most risks investors face can be treated as belonging to classes more homogeneous than political risk. How, then, will investors react to political risk? At times of crisis, many investors may make a broad-brush determination to minimize their exposure to politically risky securities until they know more. After a period of calm, the spreads then being offered seem too high relative to the risks involved, more investors return, and the spread narrows. Eventually, there is another crisis and the cycle begins again.