Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Slum mapping

Very high resolution image data are required for detailed mapping and analysis in urban environments. Their widespread availability has driven attention for urban remote sensing applications in general and slum mapping in particular. Recently the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for urban/slum mapping has become reality. We provide a brief overview of slum mapping requirements and how these two data sources and related data extraction technologies are now being developed and used. Some examples of current practice and future research and application directions are highlighted.
Starting participation in an employee fitness program: attitudes, social influence, and self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND This article presents a study of the determinants of starting participation in an employee fitness program. Information from 488 employees, recruited from two worksites, was obtained. From these employees the determinants of participation were studied. METHODS A questionnaire based on two theoretical models was used. The Stages of Change model was used to measure the health behavior, consisting of precontemplation (no intention to participate), contemplation (considering participation), preparation (intending to participate within a short period), and action (participating in fitness). The possible determinants were measured according to the ASE model, including the attitude toward an employee fitness program, social influence, and self-efficacy expectations. RESULTS Subjects in action stage were most convinced of the benefits of participation in the employee fitness program and of their own skills to participate in a fitness program. Subjects in precontemplation stage were least convinced of the advantages of participation and had the lowest self-efficacy scores. Subjects in action stage experienced the most social support to participate in the employee fitness program. CONCLUSIONS Health education for employees within industrial fitness programs can be tailored toward their motivational stage. Promotional activities for industrial fitness programs should concentrate on persons in the precontemplation and contemplation stages, since people in these stages are insufficiently convinced of the advantages of a fitness program and expect many problems with regard to their ability to participate in the program.
A comparison of monetary policy operating procedures in six industrial countries

The institutional environments in which central banks operate have become more alike over the past decade. The author examines the monetary policy operating procedures of the Federal Reserve and central banks in Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland. In particular, he compares how monetary authorities in different countries have adapted their reserve management techniques to lower reserve requirements.
Ultrasensitive Nanomechanical Photonic Sensor Based on Horizontal Slot-Waveguide Resonator

A novel integrated nanomechanical optical sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity is presented. The photonic device consists of a silicon-based disk resonator formed by a horizontal slot-waveguide acting as a circular cantilever. The overall sensitivity results from the product of the sensitivities of the slot-waveguide and the disk resonator. Calculations indicate a sensitivity as high as 33 nm-1 , which is four orders of magnitude larger than that of state-of-the-art microcantilever sensors
Meditations on birth weight: is it better to reduce the variance or increase the mean?

A conceptual model is presented here in which the birth weight distribution is decomposed into a distribution of target weights and a distribution of perturbations from the target. The target weight is the adaptive goal of fetal development. In the simplest model, perinatal mortality is independent of variation in target weight and determined solely by the magnitude of the perturbation of birth weight from the target. In this model, mortality risk is concentrated in the tails of the birth weight distribution. A difference between populations in their distributions of target weights will be associated with a corresponding shift in their curves of weight-specific risk, without any difference between the populations in overall risk. In this model, risk would be reduced by decreasing the variance of the distribution of perturbations. The model is discussed in the context of the so-called "paradoxes of low birth weight. "
Decision Making for ERP Investments from the Perspective of Organizational Impact -Preliminary Results from an Empirical Study

This study addresses the complex relationship between decision making for ERP investments and the consideration of organizational impact under 2 different perspectives: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system decisions in organizations with Business Process Improvement (BPI) in particular Business Process Reengineering (BPR) efforts and ERP decisions without BPI/BPR efforts. On the basis of a questionnaire sent to 813 austrian middle und large scale organizations, this paper shows that companies have weighted the inquired decision aspects very differently. ERP decisions are frequently made without a complete consideration and evaluation of all inquired aspects. Furthermore mainly standard financial measures have been used to support the decision. We propose that ERP decision making models can be based on the concept of bounded rationality and satisficing. Conceptual Background An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is an organizational and management solution based on information technology towards challenges and problems in the business environment (Laudon et al. 1998). The power and potential of such systems need to be understood from the business perspective in order to choose the most appropriate ERP solution. This is a semistructured decision problem because only part of the problem can be handled by a definite or accepted procedure such as standard investment calculations and on the other hand the decision maker needs to judge and evaluate all relevant (and intangible) business impact aspects. There is no agreed-upon and formal procedure for this important task (Laudon et al. 1998; Hecht 1997). Nevertheless the corresponding decisions strongly influence long-term business success. This paper investigates, i) how managers in Austrian middle and large scale businesses have weighted the inquired aspects of this decision problem, ii) what the most important aspects concerning organizational impact for these decision makers were, and iii) to what degree process characteristics in the case of a supplementary Business Process Improvement (BPI) initiative have been considered. We attempt to answer the questions i) and ii) under 2 different perspectives: ERP investments in organizations with Business Process Improvement in particular Business Process Reengineering (BPR) efforts and ERP investments without BPI/BPR efforts. In order to maximize the benefits of ERP investments the supplementary redesign of business processes promises the highest ROI but also increases the level of complexity, risk and costs especially in the implementation stage of any ERP system (Kirchmer 1998). For this reason the combination of ERP and BPI/BPR initiatives intensifies the problem to meet all necessary requirements, i.e. considering and evaluating all important aspects imposed by the environment of the organization.
Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow and the CEO Pay-Performance Relationship

The relationship between exorbitant chief executive officer (CEO) compensation and weak performance has been widely criticised as an abuse of managerial power and the intrusion of agency problems. This study examines whether the agency problem of free cash flow (FCF), identified by Jensen (1986), influences the CEO pay-performance relationship at firms. The FCF hypothesis suggests that firms with low growth opportunities and excess funds reduce managers’ incentives to improve firm value by providing them the opportunity to indulge in value-destroying activities that enhance their personal benefits. Using a sample of public listed firms in the United States, covering fiscal years 2004 to 2011 (inclusive of both years), we provide new evidence suggesting that the CEO pay-performance relationship is weaker for low growth firms with high FCF. Moreover, as expected, this relationship is significantly positive for high growth firms.
Snoring and sleep apnea in children

What is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where the child repeatedly stops breathing during sleep. These episodes last from 10 seconds to a minute or so. Usually they occur because of an obstruction in the airways, in children this obstruction is most commonly due to big tonsils and adenoids. This is called obstructive sleep apnea. A less common form of apnea is called central sleep apnea and results from a problem with the mechanisms that control breathing.
Strategic Management Accounting: Concepts, Processes and Issues

This text supports the view that traditional management accounting systems are no longer sufficient in today's competitive environment. The book takes a comprehensive and multidisciplinary look at the design and use of accounting and performance measurement systems within a business context. The book shows that business must establish key success factors to allow managers to see how strategies are or are not leading to achieving organizational goals and objectives. In today's changing business environment managers must ensure that the management accounting system evolves to provide the relevant data for guiding line managers' strategic decisions.
Family Policies and Fertility: Parents' Parental Leave Use, Childcare Availability, the Introduction of Childcare Cash Benefit and Continued Childbearing in Norway

We address the relationship between family policies and fertility in Norway, including three somewhat different policies: parental leave, formal childcare, and the childcare cash benefit. Norwegian family policy has been considered dualistic, giving priority to both dual-earner support and general family support. Our data are administrative register data covering the period 1995-2002. The analysis shows that policies that promote father involvement in childcare and gender equality are positively associated with timing of second births, while policies giving more general family support are positively associated with timing of third births. The so-called "double-tracked" family policy seems to apply to different couples in a positive matter. An important insight of this paper is that both policies designed to improve reconciliation of work and family, and policies designed to improve childcare choices for parents, are indeed popular; however, in terms of fertility outcomes, there is wide heterogeneity in how they respond to the policies.
Agonist-promoted Ubiquitination of the G Protein-coupled Receptor CXCR4 Mediates Lysosomal Sorting*

Ligand-induced trafficking plays an important role in the physiologic regulation of many G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Although numerous GPCRs are sorted to a degradative pathway upon prolonged stimulation, the molecular events leading to degradation are poorly understood. Here we report that the human immunodeficiency virus co-receptor CXCR4 undergoes rapid agonist-promoted degradation by a process involving endocytosis via clathrin-coated pits and subsequent sorting to lysosomes. Studies analyzing the sorting of various CXCR4 mutants revealed the presence of a degradation motif (SSLKILSKGK) in the carboxyl terminus of CXCR4. The first two serines as well as the dileucine motif were critical for agonist-induced endocytosis, whereas all three serines but not the dileucine were important in mediating degradation. Mutation of the three lysine residues had no effect on CXCR4 endocytosis yet completely inhibited receptor degradation. Because lysine residues represent potential sites of ubiquitination, we also examined the ubiquitination of CXCR4. Interestingly, CXCR4 was shown to undergo rapid agonist-promoted ubiquitination that was attenuated by mutation of the lysine residues within the degradation motif. These studies implicate a specific role for ubiquitination in sorting endocytosed GPCRs to lysosomes.
Changing Rationales for the Internationalization of Higher Education

I is high on the agendas of national governments, international bodies, and institutions of higher education. Might this be the beginning of a revival of the medieval cosmopolitan university, within the context of a new age, in which the society, the economy, and knowledge itself are part of a global environment? However, the time when universities could hide within their ivory towers are far behind us. Subsequently, higher education came to serve the administrative and economic interests of the nation-states, becoming essential in the development of national identity. The scholar evolved from a cosmopolitan wanderer into a citizen. But toward the end of this century, learning has again become more international. Not only are nations and international bodies placing greater emphasis on international cooperation and exchange, but the institutions themselves are developing their own strategies to internationalize research and teaching.
Managing metastatic renal cell carcinoma-challenges, pitfalls, and outcomes in the real world

Abstract Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common cancer of the kidney accounting for 85% of renal tumors. Metastatic RCC (mRCC) had a poor prognosis and with the introduction of tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, such as sunitinib, pazopanib the outcomes improved. There is only one study reported from India on the use of sunitinib in mRCC. We present our analysis of mRCC and use of sunitinib at our institute over 5 years. Materials and Methods: All patients with mRCC receiving sunitinib were analyzed with respect to patient characteristics, response, toxicity, and outcomes. Results: A total of 108 patients were seen during the study period. The male to female ratio was 9.8:1. The median age of patients at presentation was 58 years (range: 15–80 years). Of the 108 patients, 68.51% had metastatic disease at initial presentation. The most common sites of metastases were lung followed by bone. Of the 97 patients eligible for sunitinib, only 76 received at least one cycle of sunitinib, out of which only 48 received further cycles (range: 2–36). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in our patients were 10.2 and 28.2 months, respectively. The most common adverse effect noticed in our population was mucositis followed by hand-foot syndrome. Conclusion: Sunitinib is an option for the treatment of mRCC and shows a good PFS in Indian patients. Median OS and PFS in this study are similar to other reported studies despite the presence of poor risk factors in the patient population. The pitfall in this study is significant attrition due to poor compliance to treatment and follow-up, which is a major factor in the clinic thereby compromising outcomes.
Currency Risk in Capital Adequacy

In this paper we analyze currency risk for an insurance company in the context of capital adequacy. We discuss the difference between translation and structural currency risk and show how a zero-currency-risk benchmark can be chosen in a natural way. We show that by aggregating risk in a particular artificial currency, a currency basket, translation risk can be eliminated and the capital position of the insurer can be decomposed in a way that makes the calculation of currency risk tractable.
Low-delay code-excited linear-predictive coding of wideband speech at 32 kbps

The authors report on the use of the codebook-excited linear-predictive (CELP) algorithm for 32 kb/s low-delay (LD-CELP) coding of wideband speech. The main problem associated with wideband coding, namely, spectral noise weighting, is discussed. The authors propose an enhanced noise weighting technique and demonstrate its efficiency via subjective listening tests. In these tests, involving 20 listeners and 8 test sentences, the average rating for the proposed 32 kb/s LD-CELP was essentially equal to that of the 65 kb/s standard (G.722) CCITT wideband coder. <<ETX>>
Temporal Trends in Radiation Dose Associated with Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

Background: In 2010, the International Atomic Energy Agency launched the “3A’s campaign” as an effective tool for primary cancer prevention. In 2011, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine recommended the size specific dose estimate (SSDE). Objectives: To audit doses of Coronary CT Angiography (Coronary CTA) in tertiary care referral center. Methods: We reviewed 998 consecutive Coronary CTA (from 2007 to 2012). Doses (CTDIvol mGy), DLP (mGy*cm), effective dose (DLP*0.014, mSv) were on-line archived. SSDE was estimated retrospectively. Appropriateness score was evaluated for exams performed from the 2010. Results: Overall median dose per Coronary CTA was 49.7 mGy for CTDIvol, 55.5 mGy for SSDE, 994.96 mGy*cm for DLP, 13.9 mSv for effective dose. Median DLP decreased over time (1452.94 in 2007, 1605.56 in 2008, 1113.49 in 2009, 759.99 in 2010, 448.61 in 2011 and 497.88 mGy*cm in 2012, p 1 (88%) CTDIvol underestimated SSDE (48.49 vs 57.19 mGy), whilst in patients with SDF < 1 (12%) CTDIvol overestimated SSDE (56.46 vs 50.3 mGy). Scans were appropriate in 58%, uncertain in 24%, and inappropriate in 18% of cases. Doses were similar in appropriate, uncertain or inappropriate examinations and in excellent-to-good (81%) vs. sufficient-to-poor (19%) image quality exams. Conclusions: Coronary CTA reference doses can be very misleading. SSDE can allow individual technique optimization. The dose is similar in appropriate and inappropriate examinations, and unrelated to image quality. The rate of inappropriate examinations is still too high even after dissemination of guidelines.
Electricity market of the future: Assessing economic feasibility and regulatory constraints for demand response aggregators in Europe

Recent developments in the demand response (DR) arena (PowerMatcher platform, Google’s NEST device, FAN communication standard, ENDAX platform etc.) indicate that the world is not becoming simpler. A complex set of interactions and mixtures at different levels of demand response aggregation can be expected in the near future. Given the goal of "liberalization where possible", such a context is bound to lead towards a market where independent market parties capture different parts of the aggregation value chain. Sooner or later, it will become difficult to make sense of the emerging complexity. Therefore, to capture the economics and market model interactions for independent demand response aggregators in Europe, the following research question was developed and explored in this thesis: "Under what market conditions can a viable business model be developed for an independent demand response aggregator in the European power markets? ". In the quest of answering this question, three aggregator roles (an In-home Aggregator (IHA), a Community-level Aggregator (CLA), and a Central Aggregator (CA)) are identified and proposed in this document. Then, to map the interactions between these new roles and existing market participants, the electricity market of The Netherlands was considered as a reference herein. Subsequently, through deliberations with different stakeholders (Suppliers/Balance Responsible Parties (BRPs), Distribution System Operator (DSO), Transmission System Operator (TSO), Industrial lobby group (Eurelectric), A French Aggregator, Researchers, and other commercial 3rd parties), a three-layered market model is developed and proposed. Furthermore, the generic business model of a small end-user demand response aggregator is presented along with the assessment of its business case in the day-ahead and intra-day markets of The Netherlands. System Dynamics is used as the modelling tool for this purpose. It is found that there is a potential of generating approximately 2 Billion Euro revenues in one year if all the Electric Vehicles (7500) and Solar PVs (27000) in The Netherlands provide their generation/consumption as flexibility in the market. If the number of Solar PVs in the country increases to 500000, then an aggregator can create more than 9.5 Billion Euros in revenue. As the number of Solar PVs increase beyond a threshold [which is in between 500000 and 700000], an aggregator’s revenue starts dropping. But, a similar rise in the number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) does not have the same impact. This is because EV-based flexibility is less when compared to the flexibility from Solar PV generation. Lastly, it is found that an aggregator cannot generate enough revenues if only household equipment-based flexibility is used as demand response. As an answer to the main research question, eight market conditions and seven policy recommendations are also presented.
A true low-voltage CMOS class AB current mirror

The authors present a CMOS class AB current mirror which adopts an innovative dynamic biasing approach. Due to it, a minimum power supply is required which is given by one threshold voltage plus two saturation voltages. The excellent performance of the circuit is confirmed by simulations on a design example implemented in a standard 0.8 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. The circuit uses a 1.2 V supply and the threshold voltages of transistors are around 0.8 V.
CrossTalk opposing view: The pre‐Bötzinger complex is not essential for respiratory depression following systemic administration of opioid analgesics

Opioid receptors and enkephalinergic nerve terminals are widely distributed throughout respiratory-related regions of the brainstem and in the phrenic motor nucleus of the spinal cord (Xia & Haddad, 1991; Laferriere et al. 1999; Wang et al. 2002; Haji et al. 2003a; Lonergan et al. 2003a,b; Strornetta et al. 2003). Since opiate drugs given systemically will act on opioid receptors with conjoint selectivity in all respiratory regions, respiratory depression is unlikely to be dependent on actions at a single site. Therapeutic doses of opioids given to most mammalian species depress respiratory rate, minute ventilation, alveolar–arterial gas exchange and respiratory responsiveness to hypoxia and hypercapnia (Jaffe & Martin, 1990). Opioid-mediated depression of respiration is due at least in part to direct effects on the brainstem respiratory network, which includes several sites of action in medullary and pontine regions (reviewed by Pattison, 2008; Lalley, 2008). The degree of opioid-mediated respiratory depression depends on agonist dose, opioid receptor density and the subtypes of opioid receptor in various respiratory regions. Species variability and stage of development are also factors (Santiago & Edelman, 1985). In the paragraphs to follow, we review results of studies that indicate that the pre-Botzinger complex (preBotC) is not essential for respiratory depression by systemically administered opioid analgesics.