Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The valuation effects of research and development spending announcements by companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange

As we move into the second millennium, companies continue to spend ever more on research and development (R&D). A justification for this trend is that historically, investment in R&D has yielded at least 30% annual return to society, compared with 8% to 10% return on investment in physical capital such as new machines (Mandel, 1998:78). Innovation drives the economy and will continue to do so in the future. However, there is also evidence that the real rate of growth in R&D expenditures has declined in the last decade. The primary emphasis in corporate R&D today is on tying the research more closely to corporate strategy and on shortening the time between the expenditure on R&D and the anticipated benefits to the firm. This has meant, among other things, cutbacks in basic research along with greater collaboration with universities, government research institutions, and other companies operating in the industry concerned (Pinches, Narayanan and Keirn, 1996).
Single-stage Transpedicular Decompression and Posterior Instrumentation in Treatment of Thoracic and Thoracolumbar Spinal Tuberculosis: A Retrospective Case Series

Objective We compare the surgical results of single-stage posterior surgical procedure performed at a single institute with those of anterior procedure, and propose single-stage posterior surgical approach, laminectomy and posterior decompression with transpedicular instrumentation as an alternative operative method for thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis. Methods From January 2001 to December 2004, 10 patients (group 1) who had less bone destruction or poor medical condition were treated with posterior decompression and transpedicular instrumentation that was supplemented with posterolateral bone fusion and chemotherapy. Seven patients (group 2) who had greater bone destruction were treated with anterior decompression, bone fusion, and anterior instrumentation. Except one case who expired, all patients were followed up for average 18 months (6 mo to 3.5 y). Results Spinal tuberculosis was completely cured and the grafted bones were fused in all 16 patients. The visual analog scale and Frankel grade improved in all cases. There was no persistence or recurrence of infection possibly related to the instrumentation. There were no differences in the radiological results in both groups. The kyphosis was significantly corrected after surgical management. However, the loss of correction also occurred considerably in both groups. Conclusions The posterior decompression with transpedicular instrumentation can be an alternative treatment method of less-involved spinal tuberculosis especially for patients in early phase of bone destruction or ones with mild kyphosis.
Unconventional Monetary Policy: Between the Past and Future of Monetary Economics

In this paper we discuss some of the monetary policy issues that have involved major central banks worldwide since the 2008 financial crisis, and which remain open. We provide an ex-cursus of the unconventional monetary policies adopted by central banks in the last decade, focusing on the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve, and we discuss the rationale and efficacy of some unconventional monetary instruments, of inflation targeting and of central bank independence. We also provide a perspective on possible future developments of monetary policy. We argue that while unconventional monetary policy was useful, there is still ample space for improvement: in the recessions to come, unconventional monetary policy will need to be better coordinated with fiscal, micro- and macro-prudential policies to provide more inclusive results that might positively affect the real economy beyond the financial system.
Empirical evidence for discrete neurocognitive subgroups in bipolar disorder: clinical implications

Background Recent data suggest trait-like neurocognitive impairments in bipolar disorder (BPD), with deficits about 1 s.d. below average, less severe than deficits noted in schizophrenia. The frequency of significant impairment in BPD is approximately 60%, with 40% of patients characterized as cognitively spared. This contrasts with a more homogeneous presentation in schizophrenia. It is not understood why some BPD patients develop deficits while others do not. Method A total of 136 patients with BPD completed the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and data were entered into hierarchical cluster analyses to: (1) determine the optimal number of clusters (subgroups) that fit the sample; and (2) assign subjects to a specific cluster based on individual profiles. We then compared subgroups on several clinical factors and real-world community functioning. Results Three distinct neurocognitive subgroups were found: (1) an intact group with performance comparable with healthy controls on all domains but with superior social cognition; (2) a selective impairment group with moderate deficits on processing speed, attention, verbal learning and social cognition and normal functioning in other domains; and (3) a global impairment group with severe deficits across all cognitive domains comparable with deficits in schizophrenia. Conclusions These results suggest the presence of multiple cognitive subgroups in BPD with unique profiles and begin to address the relationships between these subgroups, several clinical factors and functional outcome. Next steps will include using these data to help guide future efforts to target these disabling symptoms with treatment.
Communicating emotions in instant messaging , an overview

Over the years, instant messaging has evolved from simply delivering textual messages from one person to another, to a concept in which rich content can be shared across remote participants. However, despite the importance of technologies like instant messaging in interpersonal interaction, communication of affect (and other emotional expressions) is not well supported by current technology. This paper shows that although the problem of emotion communication in instant messaging was subject of several studies, the field is still in premature condition. Different emotion capture and expression methods have been researched, but attempts to combine them are rather scarce. Also, only a limited set of methods have been researched, compared to the general field of emotion communication. Finally, problems arising with cultural differences have hardly been taken into account in past research.
Tomographic Wire-Mesh Imaging of Water-Air Flow Based on Sparse Minimization

The wire-mesh sensor is widely used in the measurement of two-phase flow. Comparing with the other flow imaging methods, the wire-mesh method has the advantages of high temporal resolution, cost efficiency, and with high robustness against effects of flow patterns, but suffers from the comparatively low resolution. In this paper, a tomographic method was proposed to enhance the spatial resolution of the wire-mesh sensor. The wire-mesh image is refined through reconstruction with a linear observation model and the raw data from the wire-mesh sensor. The sparse minimization method with folded concave penalty was presented to solve the image reconstruction problem. The numerical and experimental results show that the proposed method can produce the resolution-enhanced wire-mesh images with less artifacts and distinct phase interfaces, and thus gives a theoretically possibility to observing the details of the target flow conditions.
The Governance as a Determinant of Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America

This paper shows the relationship between foreign direct investment and governance of Latin American countries. In order to avoid multicollinearity problems with the "worldwide governance indicators", we build up a government efficiency index. Overall, the results show that the government efficiency index has a direct and significant relationship to foreign direct investment. Therefore, this paper highlights the role of governance to attract foreign investors. En este trabajo se analiza la relacion entre la inversion extranjera directa y la gobernabilidad de los paises de America Latina. Se elabora un indice de eficiencia gubernamental que incorpora los indicadores del “ Worldwide Governance Indicators ” para evitar problemas de multicolinealidad. En general, los resultados del estudio muestran que el indice de eficiencia gubernamental exhibe una relacion positiva y significativa con la inversion extranjera directa. Por lo tanto, este trabajo destaca el rol que ostenta la gobernabilidad como mecanismo de atraccion de inversionistas extranjeros.
Approaches for Curriculum and Assessment in Leader and Leadership Education and Development Programs in American Medical Schools

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Problem: There is a growing call to add leader and leadership education to undergraduate medical education (UME). Yet, there currently are no established standards, competencies, curricula, or requirements for UME leader and leadership education and development (LEAD) programs. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine LEAD program hosts annual Summit and Working Group meetings to address issues and to share experiences about LEAD programs. Approach: Based on survey results following the 2017 USU LEAD Summit, working group participants reported that the meeting was valuable, should be repeated, and should address the specific topics of curriculum and assessment. Therefore, the 2018 Summit’s goal was for participants to share experiences, ideas, and ways forward regarding leader and leadership curricula and assessment measures for UME. Themes from working groups were compiled and reported. Outcomes: Themes within LEAD curriculum include: (1) what to teach: relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities/attitudes (KSA) for specific topics; (2) when to teach: a life-cycle program woven through UME into graduate medical education and beyond; and (3) how to teach: near peers, development of mentors, and near-term, practical applications of skills. Themes within LEAD assessment include: (1) what to assess: alignment with program goals and curriculum within a positive culture of assessment and trust; (2) when to assess: occur at times that are consistent with the learning objectives and curriculum to provide information on incremental “growth” of students and the program; (3) how to assess: use formative and summative, qualitative and quantitative measures that are reliable and valid. Next steps: Based on feedback from working group participants at the 2018 Summit, the USU LEAD team will host a third Summit in April 2019 focusing on leader and leadership education and development across the healthcare work force life cycle.
PBL13 Is a Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase That Negatively Regulates Arabidopsis Immune Responses1[OPEN]

An Arabidopsis kinase possesses a unique repeat motif and suppresses resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) are a subset of plant receptor-like kinases lacking both extracellular and transmembrane domains. Some of the 46 members in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) RLCK subfamily VII have been linked to plant innate immunity; however, most remain uncharacterized. Thus, multiple subfamily VII members are expected to be involved in plant immune signaling. Here, we investigate the role of AvrPphB SUSCEPTIBLE1-LIKE13 (PBL13), a subfamily VII RLCK with unique domain architecture. Unlike other characterized RLCKs, PBL13 transfer DNA insertion lines exhibit enhanced disease resistance after inoculation with virulent Pseudomonas syringae. The pbl13-2 knockout also exhibits elevated basal-level expression of the PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1 defense marker gene, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst in response to perception of bacterial microbial patterns, and accelerated flagellin-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Recombinant PBL13 is an active kinase, and its primary autophosphorylated sites map to a 15-amino acid repeat motif unique to PBL13. Complementation of pbl13-2 with PBL13-3xFLAG converts the enhanced resistance and elevated ROS phenotypes back to wild-type levels. In contrast, kinase-dead PBL13K111A-3xFLAG was unable to rescue pbl13-2 disease phenotypes. Consistent with the enhanced ROS burst in the pbl13-2 knockout, PBL13 is able to associate with the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced oxidase RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG PROTEIN D (RBOHD) by split-luciferase complementation assay, and this association is disrupted by flagellin treatment. We conclude that the PBL13 kinase negatively regulates plant innate immunity to pathogenic bacteria and can associate with RBOHD before pathogen perception. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that PBL13 acts to prevent inappropriate activation of defense responses in the absence of pathogen challenge.
Maatalouden rakennekehitysnäkymät vuoteen 2013

Tiivistelmä Tällä hetkellä maataloustukea saavia maatiloja on Suomessa noin 70 000 kappaletta. Viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana tukea saavien tilojen määrä on vähentynyt noin 25 000 tilalla eli yli neljänneksellä. Keskimäärin tämä on merkinnyt noin 3,5 prosentin vuotuista poistumaa. Tässä selvityksessä arvioidaan maatalouden toteutunutta ja tulevaa rakennekehitystä geometrisen trendin ja viljelijöiden demografisen analyysin avulla. Vuosien 1995-2004 keskimääräisen vähenemisvauhdin (-3,6% vuodessa) mukaan aktiivitilojen määrän voidaan arvioida vähenevän vuoden noin 72 000 tilasta noin 53 000 tilaan vuoteen 2013 (taulukko 4.1). Vuosien 1995-2003 kehityksen mukaan arvioituna vuoden 2013 tilamäärä olisi 50 500 tilaa. Vuosina 1995-2003 alle 20 hehtaarin tilojen suhteellinen osuus on pienentynyt 56 %:sta 43 %:iin ja yli 50 hehtaarin tilojen osuus vastaavasti yli kaksinkertaistunut 7 %:sta 17 %:iin. Tilojen keskikoon kasvusta huolimatta tilarakenne painottuu edelleen suhteellisen pieniin tiloihin. Suuret, yli sadan hehtaarin tilat edustivat noin 3 % tiloista vuonna 2003. Niiden osuus pinta-alasta oli sen sijaan yli 10 % kokonaispeltoalasta. Keskimääräisen koon kasvaa trendin mukaan noin 44 hehtaariin tilaa kohden vuoteen 2013 mennessä Kotieläintuotantotilojen vähenemisvauhti on ollut 6-7 % vuositasolla, siipikarjataloudessa 9-10 %. Vuosina 1995-2004 kotieläintalouden päätuotantosuunnista väheni 24 000 tilaa. Vuosina 1995-2004 viljatilojen lukumäärä väheni vain 0,1% vuodessa. Koska huomattava osa luopuvista kotieläintiloista jatkaa kasvinviljelyä, viljatilojen lukumäärässä ei tapahtune jatkossakaan suuria muutoksia. Lypsykarjatiloja olisi geometrisen arvion mukaan runsaat 9 000 vuonna 2013, vähennystä vuoteen 2004 siis noin 7 500. Arvion mukaan vähennys olisi CAP-reformin vuoksi kuitenkin vähän tätä nopeampi, kuitenkin korkeintaan 1000 tilaa nopeampi vuoteen 2013. Jos kuitenkin maidon hinta alenee merkittävästi, jopa 20 % vuoden 2003 tasosta se aiheuttaa merkittävän lypsykarjatilojen vähenemisen suhteessa geometriseen arvioon pitkällä aikavälillä (vuoteen 2020). Eteläja Länsi-Suomessa ei voida havaita pitkään toimineiden päätuotantosuuntana viljaa viljelevien tilojen luopuneen merkittävässä määrin tuotannosta. Kasvitilojen määrä alentunee jatkossa nopeasti Itäja Pohjois-Suomen alueilla joilla viljatilojen määrä on selvästi kasvanut viime vuosina. Viljelijöiden keski-ikä kasvaa arvion mukaan 46,7:stä vuonna 2004 47,4:ään vuoteen vuonna 2013. Keski-iän nousu olisi suurempaa Itäja Pohjois-Suomessa kuin Eteläja Länsi-Suomessa. Ikärakenne muuttuisi kuitenkin jonkin verran. Sekä nuorimpien että vanhimpien viljelijöiden suhteellinen osuus kasvaisi verrattuna lähtötilanteeseen. Tämä johtuu siitä, että suurten ikäluokkien myötä myös jatkajien määrä kasvaa, kun jatkamisaktiivisuuden oletetaan säilyvän arviossa samana Hintojen ja tukien alenemiset voivat jatkossa nopeuttaa tässä arvioitua maatalouden rakennekehitystä. Investointituen korkea hankekohtainen maksimitaso antaa mahdollisuuden Suomen mittakaavassa erittäin suuriin investointeihin ja nopeutuvaan rakennekehitykseen.
Tubular injury marker netrin-1 is elevated early in experimental diabetes.

BACKGROUND Netrin-1 was recently identified as an early diagnostic biomarker of acute kidney injury. However, its usefulness for early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. The current study evaluated whether these proteins are increased in urine from experimental animals with diabetes. METHODS The current study evaluated whether netrin-1 is increased in urine from diabetic rats and mice, and whether netrin-1 correlated with development of nephropathy. RESULTS In rats, urinary netrin-1 excretion was significantly (p<0.001) higher in the diabetic group at 4 and 10 weeks after induction of diabetes as compared with the control group. Similarly, netrin-1 was increased significantly (p<0.001) in urine from hypertensive rats at 4 weeks as compared with controls. Likewise, urinary albumin excretion rates were increased in diabetic rats at 4 and 10 weeks as compared with controls and were increased in hypertensive rats at 4 weeks. Consistent with the diabetic model in rats, netrin-1 excretion was also increased early in diabetic mice's urine, and peak levels correlated with disease severity. CONCLUSION Netrin-1 can be detected in urine from diabetic and hypertensive rats and may serve as a useful early diagnostic biomarker for development of CKD.
Changes in the Executive Bonus Payment Patterns in India Between 2008 - 2016: Some Evidences

This article provides a brief overview of the trends in bonus payment to executives in India. Using data from the voluntary web based survey of Paycheck India, which is a part of WageIndicator Foundation, this article analyzes the trends in five types of bonuses, viz., performance, end-of-year, festival, profit-share and others, from 2008 to 2016, across public and private sectors and four types of industries, viz., manufacturing and construction; trade, transport and hospitality; commercial services; and public sector, health care and education. The results suggest that performance bonus is the most popular type of bonus, while profit-share is the least popular. However, from 2008 to 2016, the shares of all types of bonuses in both sectors (Public and Private) and all industries have been declining, and in most of the large industries and firms, bonuses in terms of cash payments are now restricted to fewer executives.
Fingerprint-based Forensics Identify Argentina's Desaparecidos

In March 1976 a military junta took control of the government in Argentina and began a campaign of horror. Between 1976 and 1983 this military government was responsible for the disappearances of an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people in the name of national security. These desaparecidos (the vanished or disappeared) included people from all walks of life. When Argentina restored democracy in 1983, the National Commission on the Disappeared (CONADEP) was formed to investigate the fate of the thousands of people who vanished during military rule. Unfortunately, most of the victims remain unidentified. Despite earlier claims that all (or most) of the junta's victims were fingerprinted, experts in Argentina today state that fingerprinting people during those years was very uncommon. According to scientists working on identifying the desaparecidos in Argentina, most of the fingerprints taken from the victims were deliberately mistreated, resulting in very poor quality or incomplete images. This makes positive identifications very difficult or impossible. Thus the greatest challenge facing the Forensic Anthropology Argentine Team, a group of investigators assigned the task of identifying the desaparecidos, was to find a way to enhance the fingerprints available in a meaningful way. Otherwise, it might be impossible to identify the individuals for registration with human rights offices and to give the victims' families some peace of mind with positive identification of their loved ones.
Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor modulates GAP‐43 but not tα1 expression in injured retinal ganglion cells of adult rats

The administration of neurotrophins affects neuronal survival and growth, but less is known about their ability to modify the expression of growth associated genes following injury to CNS neurons. Here we characterize the effect of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on mRNA levels for Tα1 α‐tubulin, and for GAP‐43, two genes whose expression levels in retinal ganglion cells (RGC) tend to correlate with growth. We first determined that most adult rat RGCs can retrogradely transport BDNF by injecting 125I‐BDNF into RGC target sites in vivo. We then used quantitative in situ hybridization to characterize the effect of axotomy, or axotomy and BDNF administration on mRNA levels for GAP‐43 and Tα1. Axotomy alone resulted in a general decrease in Tα1 α‐tubulin mRNA levels by 2 weeks, and elicited an increase in GAP‐43 mRNA levels in an average of 30% of surviving RGCs. The intravitreal administration of a single dose of BDNF (5 μg) to axotomized RGCs on the day of injury did not affect Tα1 α‐tubulin mRNA levels, but was followed by a moderate (approximately 80%), and short‐lasting enhancement of GAP‐43 mRNA levels in most RGCs during the first week after axotomy. No significant increase in GAP‐43 mRNA levels was observed when BDNF was injected into the uninjured eye. We conclude that BDNF specifically enhances GAP‐43 but not Tα1 mRNA levels in injured RGCs. Because BDNF is known to stimulate branch length of injured RGCs, we suggest that changes in the expression of GAP‐43, but not Tα1 tubulin, correlate with branching of injured neurons as opposed to long distance regrowth. J. Neurosci. Res. 47:561–572, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
在线影评留言回帖初探：以电影《我不是潘金莲》为例 Preliminary Study of Message Replies to Online Film Reviews: Taking “I Am Not Pan Jinlian” as an Example

近几年人们阅读和发表影评的形式逐渐发生着变化，在观影之后的观点交流、心得分享也越来越多。 影评文化中大量的在线留言和评论，是具有价值、需要被关注的。 影评作者和留言用户都是影评人，对于电影营销、电影票房都有着举足轻重的地位。 用户之间对于影评的留言回帖互动、共享信息和知识构建，对于促进更多的建设性评价来共同促进电影的质量是有贡献价值的。 本研究聚焦在线影评的留言回帖区，通过深入研究影评留言回帖内容，对留言进行分类，探讨知识构建的内容层次和种类、知识构建的留言对用户解读影评是否产生意义、留言用户的心态等。 为电影营销、电影创作团队、豆瓣平台等相关电影机构和从业人员提供参考。 In recent years, the way people read and make film reviews is undergoing changes. More and more people tend to exchange views and share ideas after seeing films. A large number of online messages and comments in the film culture are valuable and are therefore worth attention. People who write film reviews as well as leave comments can all be regarded as film critics. They are of great significance to the marketing strategies and box office of films. Users’ discussion, information exchange and knowledge construction can attract more constructive ideas, which will help promote the quality of films. In order to gain a better understanding of the present situation of online feedback, this study focuses on the replies and knowledge constructions of the online review. “Online review” is based on the new media environment and is aimed at sharing, interaction and communication. This study makes an in-depth analysis of content of the replies, classifies them into different categories so as to explore the levels of knowledge construction and the mindset of users. It utilizes content analysis method to categorize and summarize the users’ replies in order to explore whether the comments about knowledge construction are meaningful to the interpretation of the films and film reviews. Through the investigation of the users’ reviewing behavior, the motives of their participation in online review are explored and concluded, which can serve as the reference for such relevant film institutions and practitioners as film marketing team, film creation team and Douban platform.