Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF THE SET OF COMPARABLE FIRMS ON THE ACCURACY OF THE PRICE EARNINGS VALUATION METHOD

The price-earnings (PIE) valuation method estimates a firm's stock price as the product of its earnings and the PIE multiple determined from a set of comparable firms. This paper studies empirically the accuracy of the PIE valuation method when comparable firms are selected on the basis of industry, risk, and earnings growth. The effect of adjusting earnings for cross-sectional differences in leverage is also examined.
Applying a MDE approach to a healthcare environment: A case study of an AE dept

One of the main challenges of Healthcare services is to find a suitable way of managing limited resources within a highly demanding environment. This challenge can now be tackled by deploying reliable software systems that are supported by Software Engineering practices. In this paper, we present a Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approach that, by way of an example, is applied to an Accident and Emergency (AE) department. This approach works by designing a UML class diagram annotated with a set of OCL constraints. These constraints formally express restrictions on interactions between various elements of the system. We formally evaluate our model by using a logic solver. This approach lays the foundation of our intentions to further develop a more complete health care system. We report the valuable lessons learnt from the work and explain the limitation we observed.
Does the Company Programme have the same impact on young women and men? A study of entrepreneurship education in Norwegian upper secondary schools

Abstract This paper asks whether a European entrepreneurship programme called the ‘Company Programme’ (CP) has an impact on young women and men with regard to career preferences, and perceptions of business skills and the likelihood of having a company. CP is taught to 270,000 students in 39 European countries, and approximately 15% of Norwegian students participate in CP during upper secondary school. The data used are from a student survey in Norway with 1160 respondents, who were 17–18 years old. The response rate was 81%. Controlling for competing explanations, CP positively influences young women and men and their perceptions of the knowledge and skills related to starting a business, increases the share of young women that prefer self-employment and increases the share of young women and men that find it probable that they will own a company. It seems that the perceived effect of CP on skills and knowledge and preference for self-employment is somewhat stronger among young women, while the perceived effect on the likelihood of owning a company is somewhat stronger among young men.
Statistical Analyses of Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Head of the Caudate Nucleus in Colombian Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the caudate nucleus have reported reversal asymmetry and alterations of its size, suggesting a striate cortical disorder related to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective was to evaluate whether alterations of the asymmetry and size of the caudate nucleus head exist in a sample of well-controlled 7- to 11-year-old Colombian children, with different types of ADHD. Two groups of cases—ADHD of the combined type and ADHD of the inattentive type—and one control group, were selected. Multiple methods for assessing ADHD (rating scales, psychologic interview, neurologic history and examination, and neuropsychologic evaluation) were used to confirm the diagnoses. Participants with a history of language disorder, learning disabilities, depression, and other major neurologic and psychiatric conditions were excluded. Finally all groups had 15 children, matched by sex (7 male, 8 female), age, socioeconomic status, and grade. Height, weight, head circumference, and encephalic index were statistically controlled. Three T1-weighted volumetric (three-dimensional) MRI slides of the caudate nucleus head were obtained with a 1.5-Tesla Gyroscan apparatus. The control group had a significantly higher Wechsler Full-Scale IQ than the groups with ADHD of the combined type and ADHD of the inattentive type (P < .001). Volumes from the left caudate nucleus head were significantly larger than volumes from the right in all groups (P < .001). There were no group differences when volumes were compared between groups. All of the groups had left caudate nucleus head volumes significantly higher than right, although there were no between-group differences. The results in relation to previous studies are discussed. (J Child Neurol 2002;17:97-105).
The influence of positive selection on RAG expression in thymocytes

The expression of recombination activating gene (RAG) products, responsible for T cell receptor (TcR) gene rearrangement, is shut off during positive selection of thymocytes. The precise stage at which this down‐regulation occurs remains somewhat controversial. We have analyzed RAG‐1 expression in thymocytes of TcR transgenic mice carried on selecting versus non‐selecting genetic backgrounds, both by in situ hybridization on thymus sections and by polymerase chain reaction amplification of RNA from sorted cells. The data from several transgenic lines indicate that RAG expression is already reduced in immature, cortical, CD4+CD8+ cells in the presence of positively selecting major histocompatibility complex molecules, although complete shut‐off is not achieved until the mature, medullary, single‐positive stage. This finding has practical and theoretical significance for studies on the mechanism of positive selection.
Prostaglandin D2 Causes Preferential Induction of Proinflammatory Th2 Cytokine Production through an Action on Chemoattractant Receptor-Like Molecule Expressed on Th2 Cells

PGD2, produced by mast cells, has been detected in high concentrations at sites of allergic inflammation. It can stimulate vascular and other inflammatory responses by interaction with D prostanoid receptor (DP) and chemoattractant receptor-like molecule expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2) receptors. A significant role for PGD2 in mediating allergic responses has been suggested based on the observation that enhanced eosinophilic lung inflammation and cytokine production is apparent in the allergen-challenged airways of transgenic mice overexpressing human PGD2 synthase, and PGD2 can enhance Th2 cytokine production in vitro from CD3/CD28-costimulated Th2 cells. In the present study, we investigated whether PGD2 has the ability to stimulate Th2 cytokine production in the absence of costimulation. At concentrations found at sites of allergic inflammation, PGD2 preferentially elicited the production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 by human Th2 cells in a dose-dependent manner without affecting the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Gene transcription peaked within 2 h, and protein release peaked ∼8 h after stimulation. The effect of PGD2 was mimicked by the selective CRTH2 agonist 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGD2 but not by the selective DP agonist BW245C, suggesting that the stimulation is mediated by CRTH2 and not DP. Ramatroban, a dual CRTH2/thromboxane-like prostanoid receptor antagonist, markedly inhibited Th2 cytokine production induced by PGD2, while the selective thromboxane-like prostanoid receptor antagonist SQ29548 was without effect. These data suggest that PGD2 preferentially up-regulates proinflammatory cytokine production in human Th2 cells through a CRTH2-dependent mechanism in the absence of any other costimulation and highlight the potential utility of CRTH2 antagonists in the treatment of allergic diseases.
Identification of the Immunodominant Protein and Other Proteins of the Bacillus anthracis Exosporium

ABSTRACT Spores of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, are enclosed by a prominent loose-fitting, balloon-like layer called the exosporium. Although the exosporium serves as the source of surface antigens and a primary permeability barrier of the spore, its molecular structure and function are not well characterized. In this study, we identified five major proteins in purified B. anthracis (Sterne strain) exosporia. One protein was the recently identified collagen-like glycoprotein BclA, which appears to be a structural component of the exosporium hair-like nap. Using a large panel of unique antispore monoclonal antibodies, we demonstrated that BclA is the immunodominant antigen on the B. anthracis spore surface. We also showed that the BclA protein and not a carbohydrate constituent directs the dominant immune response. In addition, the length of the central (GXX)n repeat region of BclA appears to be strain specific. Two other unique proteins, BxpA and BxpB, were identified. BxpA is unusually rich in Gln and Pro residues and contains several different tandem repeats, which also exhibit strain-specific variation. In addition, BxpA was found to be cleaved approximately in half. BxpB appears to be glycosylated or associated with glycosylated material and is encoded by a gene that (along with bclA) may be part of an exosporium genomic island. The other two proteins identified were alanine racemase and superoxide dismutase, both of which were reported to be associated with the surface of other Bacillus spores. Possible functions of the newly identified proteins are discussed.
Global Shutter CMOS Image Sensor With Wide Dynamic Range

A novel concept for global shutter CMOS image sensors with wide dynamic range (WDR) implementation is presented. The proposed imager is based on the multisampling WDR approach and it allows an efficient global shutter pixel implementation achieving small pixel size and high fill factor. The proposed imager provides wide DR by applying adaptive exposure time to each pixel, according to the local illumination intensity level. Two pixel configurations, employing different kinds of a 1-bit in-pixel memory were implemented. An imager, including two different pixels was designed and simulated in 0.18-mum CMOS technology. System architecture and operation are discussed and simulation results are presented.
Claviers GAG: claviers logiciels optimisés pour la saisie de texte au stylet

The character layout on the keyboards of our computers dates from more than one century and had been designed for reasons which are no longer standing. This layout is all the more annoying when the text input is doing with one finger (or via a stylus) such as for example on soft-keyboards.This article proposes a system (based on a genetic algorithm) making it possible to generate key layouts with a character arrangement which theoretically enable to increase the text input speed. The generation of soft keyboard with our system was tested for English and French. The keyboards we propose, engendered from our system, would theoretically increase the text input speed with a stylus of almost 50% compared with the qwerty and azerty soft keyboards.
Optimal control of polynomial systems with performance bounds: A convex optimization approach

This paper is concerned with an approach for a nonlinear optimal control of polynomial systems. The Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation is relaxed into HJB inequalities. Both an upper bound and a lower bound on the cost function, as well as a suboptimal controller, can be computed from solutions of the resulting inequalities. Solving the HJB inequalities can be cast as state-dependent matrix inequalities (SDMIs), whose derivation is based on representation of the given polynomial system in a linear-like form. The resulting SDMI for the upper-bound computation is nonconvex in the decision variables, and hence an iterative procedure is proposed to deal with the nonconvexity. On the other hand, the resulting SDMI for the lower-bound computation can be written as a state-dependent linear matrix inequality (SDLMI), which is a convex optimization problem solvable by existing numerical tools. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed approach.
Effect of Zero-Vector Placement in a Dual-Inverter Fed Open-End Winding Induction-Motor Drive With a Decoupled Space-Vector PWM Strategy

An open-end winding induction-motor drive with two two-level inverters achieves three-level inversion. The drawback of this configuration is the presence of a high zero-sequence current, stressing the semiconductor switching devices and the motor. To avoid this, two isolated dc power supplies are needed to feed individual inverters. In this paper, it is shown that it is possible to operate this drive with a single dc power supply, with reasonable engineering compromises. The new decoupled space-vector-based pulsewidth modulation (PWM) strategy proposed in this paper achieves this objective. This PWM strategy exploits the dependence of the zero-sequence voltage on the placement of the zero-vector of individual inverters. It is shown that the zero-sequence voltage of the dual-inverter system is suppressed by forcing the zero-sequence voltage of the individual inverters to a value of zero, in the average sense, in each sampling-time interval. This strategy, therefore, achieves a dynamic balancing of the zero-sequence current. It is also shown that this PWM scheme achieves the center spacing of effective-time period for the dual-inverter drive and its associated advantages. In addition, the effect of the placement of the zero-vector for individual inverters on the dual-inverter drive is investigated, and the experimental results are presented.
Sub-Lobar Lung Resection of Peripheral T1N0M0 NSCLC Does Not Affect Local Recurrence Rate

Background and Aims: The use of sub-lobar resection versus lobectomy for stage I non small cell lung cancer is still controversial. This study was undertaken to compare the results of limited resection in terms of survival and local recurrence rate to lobectomy in patients with peripheral stage I non small cell lung cancer. Material and Methods: During the 8 year period from 1999 to 2007, 152 consecutive patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer underwent lung resection at our thoracic surgery unit. In 116 cases we performed a standard lobectomy while in the remaining 36 cases we did sub lobar resection through mini-thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopy. The survival, local recurrence rate and the clinical outcome were analyzed and compared. Results: Fifty-one patients were staged as T1 N0 M0, 22 in the sub-lobar resection group (61,1%) and 29 (25%) in the lobectomy group. The remaining were staged as T2 N0 M0. Although the patient population undergone to sub-lobar resection was older, with poorer lung function and more co-morbidities, the Kaplan-Meier survival proportion at 5 year did not differ significantly between the two groups: 64% for lobectomy group vs 66,7% for sub-lobar resection group. Overall local recurrence did approach significance in favour of lobectomy group but analyzing only T1 patients, no differences in terms of survival and local recurrence rate were observed. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that in patients with peripheral T1N0M0 non small cell lung cancer the outcome of limited resection is comparable with that of pulmonary lobectomy.
An analysis framework of two-level sampling subspace for speaker verification

Using high-dimensional Joint Factor Analysis (JFA) speaker supervectors for the Fishervoice based subspace analysis suffers high computational complexity problem in the model training process. To address this problem, we propose a two-level sampling subspace framework. For the first level of this framework, partial mean vectors are selected from the JFA speaker supervector to form a low-dimensional feature vector. For the second level, PCA is first applied to perform dimension reduction for the feature vector. Several classifiers are then constructed on a collection of random subspaces generated by randomly sampling the reduced feature space. Finally, all classifiers are fused to obtain the final decision. Experimental results on NIST08 show that the proposed framework improves the performance of JFA and Fishervoice by a relative decrease of 13.8% and 7.2% respectively on EER. The minDCF is reduced to 2.19 by using the new model.
A cross-platform survey of CT image quality and dose from routine abdomen protocols and a method to systematically standardize image quality

Through this investigation we developed a methodology to evaluate and standardize CT image quality from routine abdomen protocols across different manufacturers and models. The influence of manufacturer-specific automated exposure control systems on image quality was directly assessed to standardize performance across a range of patient sizes. We evaluated 16 CT scanners across our health system, including Siemens, GE, and Toshiba models. Using each practice’s routine abdomen protocol, we measured spatial resolution, image noise, and scanner radiation output (CTDIvol). Axial and in-plane spatial resolutions were assessed through slice sensitivity profile (SSP) and modulation transfer function (MTF) measurements, respectively. Image noise and CTDIvol values were obtained for three different phantom sizes. SSP measurements demonstrated a bimodal distribution in slice widths: an average of 6.2 ± 0.2 mm using GE’s ‘Plus’ mode reconstruction setting and 5.0 ± 0.1 mm for all other scanners. MTF curves were similar for all scanners. Average spatial frequencies at 50%, 10%, and 2% MTF values were 3.24 ± 0.37, 6.20 ± 0.34, and 7.84 ± 0.70 lp cm−1, respectively. For all phantom sizes, image noise and CTDIvol varied considerably: 6.5–13.3 HU (noise) and 4.8–13.3 mGy (CTDIvol) for the smallest phantom; 9.1–18.4 HU and 9.3–28.8 mGy for the medium phantom; and 7.8–23.4 HU and 16.0–48.1 mGy for the largest phantom. Using these measurements and benchmark SSP, MTF, and image noise targets, CT image quality can be standardized across a range of patient sizes.
Big 5 Personality Changes in Greek bvFTD, AD, and MCI Patients

Patients with neurodegenerative disease show distinct patterns of personality change, some of which may be traced to focal neurological damage, whereas others may be mediated by cultural reactions to functional impairment. Although such changes are early and pervasive in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and milder changes are seen in Alzheimer disease (AD), no study has examined all Big 5 factors of personality in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. In addition, the influence of culture and ethnicity on disease-related personality changes has seldom been examined. Premorbid and current personality were measured in 47 Greek patients with bvFTD, AD, and MCI on the basis of informant reports using the Traits Personality Questionnaire 5, a 5-factor inventory in the Greek language that accounts for Greek cultural factors. bvFTDs showed greater decreases in conscientiousness compared with ADs and MCIs. ADs and MCIs showed increased neuroticism, whereas the bvFTD patients were rated as having become much less neurotic in the course of their disease. The pattern of personality change in MCIs was very similar to that of ADs, supporting recent evidence that personality changes occur as early as the MCI disease stage. In all the groups, personality changes were similar to those previously described in non-Mediterranean cultures, supporting the hypothesis that they may result directly from disease-specific neurological processes.
A Potential Role for Mini-chromosome Maintenance (MCM) Proteins in Initiation at the Dihydrofolate Reductase Replication Origin*

Mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins were originally identified in yeast, and homologues have been identified in several other eukaryotic organisms, including mammals. These findings suggest that the mechanisms by which eukaryotic cells initiate and regulate DNA replication have been conserved throughout evolution. However, it is clear that many mammalian origins are much more complex than those of yeast. An example is the Chinese hamster dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) origin, which resides in the spacer between the DHFR and 2BE2121 genes. This origin consists of a broad zone of potential sites scattered throughout the 55-kb spacer, with several subregions (e.g. ori-β, ori-β′, and ori-γ) being preferred. We show here that antibodies to human MCMs 2–7 recognize counterparts in extracts prepared from hamster cells; furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation data demonstrate the presence of an MCM2-3-5 subcomplex as observed in other species. To determine whether MCM proteins play a role in initiation and/or elongation in Chinese hamster cells, we have examined in vivo protein-DNA interactions between the MCMs and chromatin in the DHFR locus using a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) approach. In synchronizedcultures, MCM complexes associate preferentially with DNA in the intergenic initiation zone early in S-phase during the time that replication initiates. However, significant amounts of MCMs were also detected over the two genes, in agreement with recent observations that the MCM complex co-purifies with RNA polymerase II. As cells progress through S-phase, the MCMs redistribute throughout the DHFRdomain, suggesting a dynamic interaction with DNA. Inasynchronous cultures, in which replication forks should be found at any position in the genome, MCM proteins were distributed relatively evenly throughout the DHFR locus. Altogether, these data are consistent with studies in yeast showing that MCM subunits localize to origins during initiation and then migrate outward with the replication forks. This constitutes the first evidence that mammalian MCM complexes perform a critical role during the initiation and elongation phases of replication at the DHFR origin in hamster cells.
Integrated risk assessment and safety consideration during design of HRC workplaces

Human-Robot-Collaboration (HRC) is seen by many manufacturing enterprises as an opportunity to increase the automation level in their manufacturing without having to acquiesce in flexibility. Accordingly, many system integrators are confronted by an increasing demand for collaborative workplaces. However, system integrators are having difficulties to deliver such safe and efficient workplaces as is evident by the very low number of HRC cells in industry. This is due to the complexity of the safety standards and guidelines governing HRC, as well as the often negative impact of necessary safety measures on the key performance indicators (KPIs) of a collaborative workplace. In this paper, an iterative design method utilizing model-driven risk assessment and decision support is presented, that automatically identifies potential hazards in a workplace design and estimates the impact of necessary safety measures, with regard to the KPIs investment cost, operational cost, cycle time and flexibility.
The Party Autonomy Paradigm: European and Global Developments on Choice of Forum

One of the pillars of international commercial litigation is party autonomy as it has developed over the past fifty years. In Europe, the Brussels regime established considerable freedom for parties to select the court that would have jurisdiction. The enforceability of choice of court agreements has gained ground in many countries worldwide, and the freedom to select the competent forum is exercised widely in commercial practice. Early in 2015, the new Brussels Ibis Regulation became applicable, altering the rules on choice of court. These amendments, particularly the exception to the lis pendens rule, aim at increasing the efficiency of choice of court agreements and at preventing torpedo litigation tactics. This year also marks the entry into force of the Hague Choice of Court Convention that had been adopted ten years earlier. The present paper explores the concept and development of the party autonomy paradigm from the perspective of different disciplines, and discusses the empirical evidence available on the use of party autonomy in commercial practice. It also examines the main changes brought about by the Brussels I recast and the entry into force of the Hague Choice of Court Convention, and analyses these against the background of the party autonomy paradigm, as well as their contribution to effective litigation.