Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Run Equilibrium Modeling of Emissions Allowance Allocation Systems in Electric Power Markets

Carbon dioxide allowance trading systems for electricity generators are in place in the European Union and in several U.S. states. An important question in the design of such systems is how allowances are to be initially allocated: by auction, by giving away fixed amounts (grandfathering), or by allocating based on present or recent output, investment, or other decisions. The latter system can bias investment, operations, and product pricing decisions and increase costs relative to the other systems. A nonlinear complementarity model is proposed for investigating the long-run equilibria that would result under alternative systems for power markets characterized by time-varying demand and multiple technology types. Existence of equilibria is shown under mild conditions. Solutions for simple systems show that allocating allowances to new capacity based on fuel use or generator type can yield large distortions in capacity investment, invert the operating order of power plants, and inflate consumer costs. The distortions can be smaller for tighter CO2 restrictions and are somewhat mitigated if there is also a market for electricity capacity or minimum-run restrictions on coal plants. Distortions are also less if allowances are allocated to plants in proportion to sales rather than capacity.
2017 Global Blockchain Benchmarking Study

The first global blockchain benchmarking study presents a systematic and comprehensive picture of a rapidly evolving industry, examining how blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) are being used in the public sector and enterprise. The study analysed non-publicly available data gathered from over 200 central banks, other public sector institutions, DLT start-ups, and established companies. Findings from the study include which protocols central banks and are testing (57% of surveyed central banks are experimenting with the Ethereum codebase), targeted use cases, emerging revenue models, timing of deployment, and key challenges.
Effects of collisions in optical CDMA networks

We propose a new receiver structure for optical code-division multiple-access (CDMA) networks avoiding data collisions. These collisions result from the used addressing scheme, and they occur, if more than one transmitter sends its data packets to the same receiver. By using a receiver for multiple data packets and considering the capture effect we show, that the effect of data collisions can be reduced significantly. Moreover, we analyze the performance of this scheme using packet success probability and network throughput.
A Novel Query-by-Singing/Humming Method by Estimating Matching Positions Based on Multi-layered Perceptron

The increase in the number of music files in smart phone and MP3 player makes it difficult to find the music files which people want. So, Query-by-Singing/Humming (QbSH) systems have been developed to retrieve music from a user’s humming or singing without having to know detailed information about the title or singer of song. Most previous researches on QbSH have been conducted using musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) files as reference songs. However, the production of MIDI files is a time-consuming process. In addition, more and more music files are newly published with the development of music market. Consequently, the method of using the more common MPEG-1 audio layer 3 (MP3) files for reference songs is considered as an alternative. However, there is little previous research on QbSH with MP3 files because an MP3 file has a different waveform due to background music and multiple (polyphonic) melodies compared to the humming/singing query. To overcome these problems, we propose a new QbSH method using MP3 files on mobile device. This research is novel in four ways. First, this is the first research on QbSH using MP3 files as reference songs. Second, the start and end positions on the MP3 file to be matched are estimated by using multi-layered perceptron (MLP) prior to performing the matching with humming/singing query file. Third, for more accurate results, four MLPs are used, which produce the start and end positions for dynamic time warping (DTW) matching algorithm, and those for chroma-based DTW algorithm, respectively. Fourth, two matching scores by the DTW and chroma-based DTW algorithms are combined by using PRODUCT rule, through which a higher matching accuracy is obtained. Experimental results with AFA MP3 database show that the accuracy (Top 1 accuracy of 98%, with an MRR of 0.989) of the proposed method is much higher than that of other methods. We also showed the effectiveness of the proposed system on consumer mobile device.
Human Resource Accounting Disclosure Practices in Bangladesh

Using secondary sources of data, the study reports the human resource accounting disclosure (HRAD) practices scenario and relationship between corporate characteristics and HRAD level in the companies listed with Dhaka stock exchange in Bangladesh. The relationships were steadfast using a HRAD index under a number of hypotheses. The study results indicate that average HRAD were about only 27% in the companies of Bangladesh. Regression model testimony that company categories are significant at 10% level, and total assets are significant at 5% level whereas total earnings and years of operation in the market is insignificant at 5% level. However, T statistics implies that HRAD has a significant relationship with the size (total assets), category (bank, insurance, pharmaceutical, non-financial, etc.), profitability (total earnings), and age (years of operation in the markets) of the company. Aus. J. Acc. Eco. Fin. Vol 2(2), October 2016, P 100-113
Solar Burn Reactivation Induced by Methotrexate

Solar burn reactivation, a rare and idiosyncratic drug reaction, has been reported with the use of a variety of drugs. This reaction is believed to be the result of exposure to ultraviolet light during the subsiding phase of an acute inflammatory reaction. It affects areas of the body that have been previously sunburned. We describe a 16–year‐old girl who was receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and experienced a second‐degree solar burn reactivation reaction to methotrexate. The patient had a mild sunburn on her face and shoulders the day she went to the oncology clinic for her interim maintenance chemotherapy with vincristine 1.5 mg/m2/dose and methotrexate 100 mg/m2/dose. Three days later, she returned to the clinic with a 2–day history of fever (≤ 100.2°F), nausea, vomiting, and malaise; the sunburn on her face and shoulders also had become severe, without further sun exposure. Laboratory results revealed elevated blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine concentrations, and her methotrexate level was elevated at 0.9 mM. The patient was diagnosed with acute renal failure, dehydration, methotrexate toxicity, and second‐degree solar burn reactivation reaction. She was admitted to the children's hospital and treated with sodium bicarbonate, acetaminophen with codeine, ondansetron, and silvadene cream. On hospital day 3, the patient's methotrexate level decreased to less than 0.1 mM. The sunburn continued to heal, and after a 14–day hospital stay, complicated by a streptococcal infection, grade 3 mucositis, bacteremia, and mild gastritis and duodenitis, the patient recovered and was discharged. Use of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a probable relationship (score of 6) between the patient's solar burn reactivation and methotrexate. Although methotrexate‐induced solar burn reactivation is rare, clinicians should be aware of this potential adverse reaction and consider delaying administration of methotrexate by 5–7 days if a patient reports ultraviolet‐related erythema in the past 2–4 days or presents with a notable sunburn.
Assessing The Impact Of University Technology Incubator Practices On Client Performance

This research is designed to distinguish and describe or explain incubator practices that affect the performance of incubator clients of university technology incubator programs. The research focuses on understanding which practices significantly contribute to increasing job creation for the firms located in university based technology incubators. An increasing number of communities are embracing economic development strategies that target the high tech sector with high wage, high value jobs as a way to diversify their economies and boost local and regional economies. New economic development strategies include the notion of a creation strategy or “growing your own” instead of relying on recruiting of existing companies from other regions. In 1999-2000 (according to the most recent data), small businesses created three-quarters of U.S. net new jobs (2.5 million of the 3.4 million total). The small business percentage varies from year to year and reflects economic trends. Over the decade of the 1990s, small business net job creation fluctuated between 60 and 80 percent. Moreover, according to a Bureau of the Census working paper, start-ups in the first two years of operation accounted for virtually all of the net new jobs in the economy. 1 Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; Endogenous Growth and Entrepreneurial Activities.
Magnetic resonance imaging in inflammatory bowel disease.

Magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired in 28 consecutive inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients undergoing medical treatment. The protocol employed included i.v. gadopentatate dimeglumine, pre- and post-contrast breath-hold Fast Low Angle Shot (FLASH), and fat-suppressed spin echo imaging. The percent contrast enhancement (% CE) of the fat-suppressed images was compared with severity of inflammation based on endoscopic and/or surgical findings. The %CE of the contrast-enhanced images was 169% +/- 63 in cases of severe inflammation (n = 16), 97% +/- 38 in moderate inflammation (n = 8), and 49% +/- 26 in mild inflammation (n = 4). Significant correlations were found between the clinicopathologic findings and (a) % CE, r = 0.74 (p = 0.0001); (b) length of affected bowel segment, r = 0.49 (p = 0.007); and (c) bowel wall thickness, r = 0.42 (p = 0.02). In a subsequent comparison, %CE was correlated with length of affected bowel and bowel wall thickness. The best correlation was bowel wall thickness, r = 0.53 (p < 0.004). Good correlation was found between MR findings and pathology/histology findings in the determination of bowel wall thickness, length of diseased bowel, and severity of inflammation in 10 patients who underwent bowel resection. The results of this study show that MR images demonstrate the extent and severity of inflammatory changes in the GI tract, which correlate with endoscopic and histological findings.
Concentrations of serum granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE In order to elucidate the potential role of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) during the course of normal pregnancy and preeclampsia, we measured the serum concentrations of G-CSF in both normal pregnant women and preeclamptic patients. METHODS Sera of 10 nonpregnant women, 34 normal pregnant women (n = 10, first trimester; n = 10, second trimester; n = 14, third trimester), 10 postpartum women, 10 mild preeclamptic patients, and 10 severe preeclamptic patients were collected. The serum concentrations of G-CSF were measured by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS The serum level of G-CSF in normal pregnant women (third trimester: 38.3 +/- 15.3 pg/mL; mean +/- SD) was significantly increased when compared with the levels observed in nonpregnant women (20.3 +/- 10.1 pg/mL, p < 0.05), which was similar to the G-CSF concentrations in postpartum subjects (20.7 +/- 9.1 pg/mL). The mild and severe preeclamptic patients showed significantly higher levels of G-CSF (56.9 +/- 18.8 pg/mL, p < 0.05; 73.2 +/- 30.4 pg/mL, p < 0.0001, respectively) than those noted in the third trimester women. The preeclamptic patients who presented with edema had greater (p < 0.01) serum levels of G-CSF (75.5 +/- 25.0 pg/mL) compared with nonedematous patients (44.7 +/- 14.9 pg/mL). The serum levels of G-CSF significantly correlated with both weight gain (p < 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.01), and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.01), but not with white blood cell counts. CONCLUSION Serum concentrations of G-CSF are increased in normal and, even more so, in preeclamptic pregnancies. Because there was no relationship between serum G-CSF concentration and the number of leukocytes, G-CSF might act not to promote the physiological leukocytosis of pregnancy, but to stimulate the function of leukocytes such as phagocytosis. Moreover, it might be that G-CSF plays important roles in the activation of granulocytes or vascular endothelial injury, which are considered to be important pathological conditions in the development of preeclampsia.
Long-Term Lymphohematopoietic Reconstitution by a Single CD34-Low/Negative Hematopoietic Stem Cell

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) supply all blood cells throughout life by making use of their self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capabilities. A monoclonal antibody raised to the mouse homolog of CD34 (mCD34) was used to purify mouse HSCs to near homogeneity. Unlike in humans, primitive adult mouse bone marrow HSCs were detected in the mCD34 low to negative fraction. Injection of a single mCD34lo/−, c-Kit+, Sca-1+, lineage markers negative (Lin−) cell resulted in long-term reconstitution of the lymphohematopoietic system in 21 percent of recipients. Thus, the purified HSC population should enable analysis of the self-renewal and multilineage differentiation of individual HSCs.
Technical impacts on distribution systems of medium-sized storage plants participating in energy and power reserve markets

The increased contribution of renewable production into the generation mix is leading to a growing need of flexibility in electrical systems that can be partly provided by storage units. These stations are characterized by an important flexibility but are subject to operational restrictions due to their limited capacity. Currently, their added value is therefore derived when they are included within an existing portfolio. Storage utilities are consequently mainly participating in power markets related to the transmission grid, even when they are installed at the medium-voltage level. In this context, this work aims at quantifying their impact on the operating conditions of the distribution network. More particularly, the investigated case study illustrates that such storage plants may have a significant negative impact on the distribution network operation.
Retrieval of canopy water content using multiple priori inromation

The retrieval of parameters through a physical mechanism model is promising for its generality but is challenged by the ill-posed inversion problem. This study focused on the use of multiple priori information to alleviate the ill-posed inversion problem. The priori information included the products of satellite images, the correlations among model free parameters, field survey, and the achievements of previous studies. However, the priori information was of uncertainty, which was described by multi-variables probability distribution in this study. A Bayesian network algorithm was used to retrieve the canopy water content (CWC) by calculating the posterior probability distribution of CWC based on the priori information, the HJ-1B product, and the PROSAIL model. The retrieval results showed that the R2 = 0.83 and RMSE = 0.18 compared to the field measured CWC, which confirmed the feasibility to alleviate the ill-posed inversion problem by the multiple priori information.
Physical and chemical stability of high-dose ifosfamide and mesna for prolonged 14-day continuous infusion

Purpose Ifosfamide plus mesna have been used recently in a high-dose regimen that allows this chemotherapy to be given to outpatients with less toxicity over 14 days using a portable pump. However, there is a need for published stability information. The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical stability of ifosfamide with mesna in normal saline at room temperature over a prolonged period of 14 days. Methods Infusion solutions of 1:1 ifosfamide and mesna at final concentrations of 10, 20 and 30 mg/mL were prepared with 0.9% sodium chloride in PVC bags. Solutions were stored at room temperature. Concentrations of ifosfamide and mesna were measured at 0 and 1, 3, 7 and 14 days using a stability-indicating reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay with ultraviolet detection. Results Ifosfamide and mesna were both physicochemically stable (>94%) for 14 days in all tested infusion solutions (10, 20 and 30 mg/mL). Conclusions Our stability data indicate that ifosfamide and mesna (1:1) combination can be administered as a prolonged continuous infusion with portable pump in an outpatient setting without replacement of the infusion bag. We suggest 20 mg/mL as a reasonable concentration for infusion rates of about 2-4 cc/hr over prolonged periods of time.
Sexual Dimorphism in Diethylstilbestrol-Induced Prolactin Pituitary Tumors in F344 Rats

Female F344 rats treated chronically with diethylstilbestrol (DES) develop prolactin (PRL)-producing pituitary tumors. These tumors are larger in female than in male rats. To investigate gender differences in DES-induced pituitary tumor formation, we employed female and male rats and neonatally androgenized females, which received 100 µg of testosterone propionate (TP) after birth. At 3 months of age, all rats were deprived of their gonads and divided into control and DES-treated groups. Forty days after beginning treatment, control pituitary weight and serum PRL were similar in gonadectomized males (GDX), ovariectomized females (OVX) and androgenized-ovariectomized females (OVX + TP), but weight of DES-induced tumors was 2.5-fold higher and serum PRL 5.6-fold higher in OVX + DES than in GDX + DES or OXV + TP + DES (p < 0.001). At the pituitary level, nuclear estrogen receptors (NE2R) amounted to >100 fmol/mg DNA in all rats receiving DES. However, NE2R were lower in OVX + DES (101.3 ± 9.0 fmol/mg DNA) than in GDX + DES (174.6 ± 16.8; p < 0.05) and in OXV + DES + TP (150.3 ± 27.7; p < 0.05). A similar profile was found for cytosolic progestin receptors. Using electron microscopy (EM), hyperplasia/hypertrophy of lactotropes was found in all DES-stimulated pituitaries. However, tumors of OVX + DES rats were enriched in hyperstimulated typical lactotropes, i.e., cells with high rate of hormonal synthesis, processing and secretion. Instead, tumors from GDX + DES and OVX + TP + DES rats were a mixture of typical and atypical lactotropes, i.e. a cell subpopulation with refractory secretory response and a few gonadotropes. In agreement with these data, immunoreactive pituitary PRL was lower in OVX + DES than in OVX + TP + DES and GDX + DES groups. Thus, differences in the sensitivity to DES, serum and tumor PRL, NE2R and progestin receptors between estrogenized female rats on one side and male and TP-androgenized females on the other, may by due in part to heterogeneity of cell populations. Our data further suggest that neonatal hypothalamic exposure to androgens, as in normal males or androgenized females with masculinization of hypothalamic centers, may condition the response to DES stimulation later in life.
Tax Amnesty and Asset Repatriation in Indonesia

The government of Indonesia released a tax amnesty policy from July 2016 until March 2017 to eliminate tax penalties done by Indonesian tax residents with respect to unreported assets and investment. The policy also has an option to repatriate assets to be invested in domestic market for at least 3 years. Using a theoretical model, empirical estimation, and comparison with realization data, this thesis will analyze the impact of tax amnesty policy and also the asset repatriation policy for the benefit of Indonesian economy. It is found that taxpayers decide to participate in the tax amnesty policy if the cost of the amnesty which comes from redemption money is lower than the cost of evading money in foreign countries. From the empirical analysis and realization data, asset repatriation from tax amnesty policy still contributes positive gain to investment condition in Indonesia if those repatriated assets are invested through direct investment. Even though the tax amnesty policy is also proposed to increase Indonesian economic growth through repatriated assets invested in the domestic market, apparently the policy is mostly used for domestic residents who evade tax payment in the past. Master
Reliable and Efficient Long-Term Social Media Monitoring

Social media data is now widely used by many academic researchers. However, long-term social media data collection projects, which often involve collecting Twitter data from Twitter's public-use APIs, often encounter various issues when they try to collect streaming social media monitoring data from local-area network servers (LANs). In this technical report, we discuss some of the issues that we have encountered in our Twitter data collection project. We present a cloud-based data collection, pre-processing, and archiving infrastructure which we argue mitigates or resolves the problems we have encountered, at minimal cloud-computing costs. We show how this approach works in different cloud computing architectures, and for collecting streaming data from different social media platforms.
Failure of an International Joint Venture: Implications for the India Enthusiasts

‘Joint Ventures are fanned out of choice a11d not due to regulatory and policy requirements, according to 81% of the respondents to a FICCI study’, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, August 17, 2001 The paper analyses failure of an international joint venture (IJV) in India, which the Indian media highlighted as an icon of the internationalization of Indian industries. IJVs are deemed to be an excellent mode to penetrate overseas market by international aspirants. Although their present failure rate is estimated between 30 to 60% , the enthusiasm for forging IJVs in India is still undiluted. The paper surveys current literature in respect of their importance and of the reasons for which they break-up. Analyzing the break up of an IJV between Timex (USA) and Titan Industries (India) through a conceptual framework, the paper draws implications that might come handy to the IJV enthusiasts in India.
Idiopathic limbal squamous metaplasia.

Squamous metaplasia is an abnormal epithelial differentiation represented on the ocular surface by a spectrum of skin-like changes of conjunctival and corneal epithelium. This pathologic condition can be observed in a variety of ocular surface disorders, including systemic vitamin A deficiency and cicatricial keratoconjunctivitis. We recently encountered a patient with a progressively enlarging limbal epithelial ovoid lesion, who was given a histologic diagnosis of corneal and conjunctival squamous metaplasia of unknown cause. Herein we report this rare case and our successful surgical management of the lesion.