Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Transmission Rights and Auction Revenue Rights

This paper surveys on two important issues in restructured power systems. One of them is Financial Transmission (FTR). Financial transmission right is a financial instrument which can improve the liquidity of operation in power system from point of view of all decision makers in competitive power systems. Another approach is Auction Revenue Rights (ARR) which ARR allocation consistent with congestion as determined by the FTR Auction. Analysis of these two mechanism and their impacts on long-term operation of power system are considered in this paper. Suppliers and large consumer, therefore, desire to contract in FTR to hedge their long-term risks. The FTR mechanism is based on the after settling market and determination Locational Marginal Price (LMP). In this area, delivery of energy (quantity and price) from the amount of FTRs which supplier is bidding for distinct path, and the price that the supplier is willing to pay for each FTR, are determined. This paper surveys on the long- term conditions of the FTR and mature one. (Mohammad Sadegh Javadi, Amin Javadinasab. Financial Transmission Rights and Auction Revenue Rights, Journal of American Science 2011;7(7):40-43). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience. org.
Accuracy of whole-body fluorine-18-FDG PET for the detection of recurrent or metastatic breast carcinoma.

UNLABELLED This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of whole-body PET on a patient and lesion basis using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for the detection of tumor foci in patients with suspected recurrent or metastatic lesions of breast carcinoma. METHODS Whole-body FDG-PET imaging was performed on 57 patients with a previous history of breast carcinoma who were referred for a clinical suspicion of disease recurrence. Whole-body PET images were scored from 1 (definitely negative) to 5 (definitely positive) by three independent observers, and discrepancies were resolved by a fourth observer. Patients were clinically followed for up to 24 mo to assess the accuracy of PET diagnosis by biopsy, follow-up imaging and other diagnostic tests. RESULTS PET scans showed that there were 41 sites indicating recurrent or metastatic disease in 29 patients. There were 38 sites in 28 patients that showed no evidence for malignant disease. On a patient basis, with scores 4 or 5 considered to be positive, sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 79%, respectively. The corresponding positive and negative predictive values were 82% and 92%. On a lesion basis, with scores 4 or 5 considered to be positive, the sensitivity was 85% and specificity 79%. The area index in receiver operating characteristic analysis was 0.91 for patient-based analysis and 0.88 for lesion-based analysis. To determine the cause for false-negative and false-positive findings more precisely, false-negative lesions with scores of 3 or lower and false-positive lesions with scores of 4 or higher were analyzed. Bone metastases had a significantly larger proportion of false-negative lesions than other nonosseous malignant sites (p < 0.05). False-positive lesions were due to muscle uptake (n = 5), inflammation (n = 4), blood pool activity in the great vessels (n = 2), bowel uptake (n = 1) and unknown causes (n = 6). CONCLUSION The whole-body FDG-PET scan is a useful diagnostic test for detecting recurrent or metastatic lesions of breast carcinoma. However, the sensitivity for metastases to bone appears to be lower than that to other organs. Specificity may be improved by more strict attention to patient preparation and better recognition of physiologic skeletal muscle or artifactual uptakes.
Investment performance of pension funds

1.1. This paper has its origins in practical work carried out over the last 6 years on behalf of a number of pension funds whose trustees wished to obtain an independent assessment of their investment performance. Annual investigations have been made with two main objectives; first, to compare each fund's performance with that of the other funds under investigation and with investors in general; secondly, to analyse the factors which affected performance in the year and to explain differences between the results obtained by the participating funds. It was hoped that, in addition to providing a historical record, the investigations would reveal strengths and weaknesses in past practice, leading to suggestions for improving performance in the future. As the results for successive years became known it was possible to make statistical analyses over lengthening periods, to reach some tentative conclusions about longer-term performance and to attempt an assessment of the value of investment performance analysis in the practical world where trustees, investment managers and advisers have to operate.
A silicon-based yield gain evaluation methodology for embedded-SRAMs with different redundancy scenarios

Yield improvement is an essential issue for modem high-volume manufacturing CMOS processes. Process yield is particularly low for area-critical designs, such as embedded memories. The use of redundancy structures which replace faulty memory locations with good ones, has a direct impact on the final chip yield. This paper describes an experimental methodology employed to evaluate the yield gain associated with different redundancy approaches and shows how this method can be applied to determine the optimal redundancy configuration which maximizes the number of good dies per wafer, depending on the embedded memory requirements of a specific product.
Relationships between top management team characteristics and firm R&D investment

Top management team demography characteristics have implication on innovation and stra-tegic decisions.This paper ex- amines the relationships between top management team(TMT)charac-teristics and firm RD intensity.The study is based on a sam- ple of 155 Chinese listed companies in the manufacturing sector.Findings indicate that firms with higher levels of RD intensity are likely to have TMTs characterized by shorter organizational tenures,higher technological backgrounds.In addi-tion,findings indicate that the TMT's age and educational backgrounds and TMT's heterogeneity have not impacts on RD intensity.
Protein kinase Cdc15 activates the Dbf2-Mob1 kinase complex

Exit from mitosis in budding yeast requires inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinases through mechanisms triggered by the protein phosphatase Cdc14. Cdc14 activity, in turn, is regulated by a group of proteins, the mitotic exit network (MEN), which includes Lte1, Tem1, Cdc5, Cdc15, Dbf2/Dbf20, and Mob1. The direct biochemical interactions between the components of the MEN remain largely unresolved. Here, we investigate the mechanisms that underlie activation of the protein kinase Dbf2. Dbf2 kinase activity depended on Tem1, Cdc15, and Mob1 in vivo. In vitro, recombinant protein kinase Cdc15 activated recombinant Dbf2, but only when Dbf2 was bound to Mob1. Conserved phosphorylation sites Ser-374 and Thr-544 (present in the human, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster relatives of Dbf2) were required for DBF2 function in vivo, and activation of Dbf2-Mob1 by Cdc15 in vitro. Although Cdc15 phosphorylated Dbf2, Dbf2–Mob1, and Dbf2(S374A/T544A)–Mob1, the pattern of phosphate incorporation into Dbf2 was substantially altered by either the S374A T544A mutations or omission of Mob1. Thus, Cdc15 promotes the exit from mitosis by directly switching on the kinase activity of Dbf2. We propose that Mob1 promotes this activation process by enabling Cdc15 to phosphorylate the critical Ser-374 and Thr-544 phosphoacceptor sites of Dbf2.
An acceptance-based intervention for children and adolescents with cancer experiencing acute pain – a single-subject study

Background Children and adolescents with cancer report pain as one of their most recurrent and troublesome symptoms throughout the cancer trajectory. Pain evokes psychological distress, which in turn has an amplifying effect on the pain experience. Acceptance-based interventions for experimentally induced acute pain predict increased pain tolerance, decreased pain intensity and decreased discomfort of pain. The aim of this study was to preliminarily evaluate an acceptance-based intervention for children and adolescents with cancer experiencing acute pain, with regard to feasibility and effect on pain intensity and discomfort of pain. Methods This is a single-subject study with an AB design with a nonconcurrent multiple baseline. Children and adolescents aged four to 18 years undergoing cancer treatment at the Children’s University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden, reporting sustained acute pain were offered participation. Pain intensity and discomfort of pain were measured during baseline and at post-intervention. The intervention consisted of a pain exposure exercise lasting approximately 15 minutes. Results Five children participated in the study. All participants completed the intervention and reported that it had helped them to cope with the pain in the moment. All participants reported decreased discomfort of pain at post-measurement, three of whom also reported decreased pain intensity. Conclusion The results suggest that an acceptance-based intervention may help children and adolescents with cancer to cope with the pain that is often associated with cancer treatment in spite of pharmacological pain management. The results are tentative but promising and warrant further investigation.
Coordinated power control strategy based on primary-frequency-signaling for islanded microgrids

In a flexible microgrid, the power regulation of each electronic-converter-based unit should be not only determined by the load demand, but also controlled according to the power and energy available in each unit. This paper proposes a coordinated control strategy in which each unit can operate in different operation modes taking into account the resource limitation. Firstly, a Primary-Frequency-Signaling (PFS) is introduced to realize coordinated control between units in a distributed way. Then the whole control structure of system is descripted in detail, which includes innerloop control with virtual impedance and primary control based on droop method for modes changes. The four modes changes for operation of ESS and RES are illustrated. Finally, simulation results will be presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed control strategy.
Use of the Agency Theory to Analyze the Commissioning System of Commune Real Estate Management

Abstract Municipal real property, including commune real estate usually managed through a model of a direct or indirect commissioning system, is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the context of the public management paradigm. The aim of the article is to present the essence of the commissioning system of commune real estate management and indicate the supervisory consequences which rest on the commune as a result of choosing this system. In order to fulfill the assumed research objectives, the article analyzes the commissioning system of commune real estate management in Poland with the use of the agency theory, a dominant theoretical concept of corporate governance.
Prognostic significance of positive surgical margins in patients with extraprostatic carcinoma after radical prostatectomy

A significant number of prostate adenocarcinoma patients undergoing radical prostatectomy are found to have microscopic extraprostatic disease extension. A majority of these patients have focal extraprostatic extension limited to one or both sides of the prostate. In addition, positive surgical margins are a common pathologic finding in this patient subgroup. In the current study, the authors evaluated the impact of positive surgical margins as an independent predictive factor for prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression in patients with pT3a/b N0M0 carcinoma.
The Association Between Corporate Social Responsibility Activities And Earnings Quality: Evidence From Donations And Voluntary Issuance Of CSR Reports

This paper examines the association between the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and earnings quality with the level of donation expenses and the voluntary issuance of CSR reports filed with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as proxies for CSR activities. Donation expenditures could be the most direct measure of managers’ willingness to conduct CSR activities, while the voluntary issuance of CSR reports filed with GRI captures a direct signal of managers’ willingness to conduct CSR activities. The results of this study provide evidence that firms active in CSR are likely to report earnings of a higher quality. More specifically, after controlling for firm-specific factors, we find that firms with more corporate donations have lower discretionary accruals and greater accounting conservatism. Furthermore, this negative relationship between donation and discretionary accruals is more pronounced when firms voluntarily issue CSR reports. Prior studies have focused on the association between financial performance and CSR activities of firms. However, managerial choices and signals on financial performance with voluntary CSR activities have not been specifically considered. This study adds to the existing literature on CSR by providing evidence of the role of CSR on earnings quality and helps academics and practitioners to understand the role of corporate donations and voluntary CSR disclosures in earnings quality.
Xenobiotic metabolism, genetic polymorphisms and male infertility

Male reproductive function may be impaired by various occupational and environmental chemical agents. The majority of these xenobiotics, however, require metabolic activation in order to exert adverse effects via covalent interactions between intermediate metabolites and cellular macromolecules such as DNA or protein. In addition, metabolization may alter endocrine‐disrupting properties of xenobiotics. Thus tissue‐specific expression and regulation of multiple xenobiotic‐metabolizing enzymes are likely to play an important role in chemically induced disorders of male reproductive organs. Recent studies suggest that genetic polymorphisms underlying inter‐individual and inter‐ethnic variability of xenobiotic metabolism modulate susceptibility to male reproductive disorders. For cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1), a key enzyme in extra‐hepatic metabolic activation of lipophilic xenobiotics, increased frequencies of two genetically linked polymorphisms have been found among infertile men.
Prevalence of cataract and pseudophakia/aphakia among adults in the United States.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of cataract and pseudophakia/aphakia in the United States and to project the expected change in these prevalence figures by 2020. METHODS Summary prevalence estimates of cataract and of pseudophakia/aphakia were prepared separately for black, white, and Hispanic persons (for whom only cataract surgery data were available) in 5-year age intervals starting at 40 years for women and men. The estimates were based on a standardized definition of various types of cataract: cortical, greater than 25% of the lens involved; posterior subcapsular, present according to the grading system used in each study; and nuclear, greater than or equal to the penultimate grade in the system used. Data were collected from major population-based studies in the United States, and, where appropriate, Australia, Barbados, and Western Europe. The age-, gender-, and race/ethnicity-specific rates were applied to 2000 US Census data, and projected population figures for 2020, to obtain overall estimates. RESULTS An estimated 20.5 million (17.2%) Americans older than 40 years have cataract in either eye, and 6.1 million (5.1%) have pseudophakia/aphakia. Women have a significantly (odds ratio = 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-1.50) higher age-adjusted prevalence of cataract than men in the United States. The total number of persons who have cataract is estimated to rise to 30.1 million by 2020; and for those who are expected to have pseudophakia/aphakia, to 9.5 million. CONCLUSION The number of Americans affected by cataract and undergoing cataract surgery will dramatically increase over the next 20 years as the US population ages.
Master submitted for requirement to the degree of Master in Management

This paper provides an analysis of the governance-performance relations in public listed and family-controlled firms. After controlling of potential endogeneity problems, by suing GMM estimators, the results show that family firms perform better compared to nonfamily firms. The active family involvement in management positions implies high firm performance. The results also indicate that beside the fact that family management increase efficiency such control does not imply an increase in valuation levels, and thus may not accrue to minority shareholders. Moreover, the results also sustain an incentive alignment effect between the coalition of large shareholders and firm value. Thus, the results confirm that the incentive to collude or monitoring controlling shareholders is affected by the type of blockholder. Additionally, the results support evidence that board dominance is another channel through which families can extract private benefits.
A design of strategic alliance based on value chain of surveying and mapping enterprises in China

In this paper, we use value chain and strategic alliance theories to analyzing the surveying and mapping Industry and enterprises. The value chain of surveying and mapping enterprises is highly-contacted but split by administrative interference, the enterprises are common small scale. According to the above things, we consider that establishing a nonequity- Holding strategic alliance based on value chain is an available way, it can not only let the enterprises share the superior resources in different sectors of the whole value chain each other but avoid offending the interests of related administrative departments, by this way, the surveying and mapping enterprises gain development respectively and totally. Then, we give the method to building up the strategic alliance model through parting the value chain and the using advantage of companies in different value chain sectors. Finally, we analyze the internal rule of strategic alliance and prove it is a suitable way to realize the development of surveying and mapping enterprises through game theory.
Melatonin induces apoptosis through a caspase‐dependent but reactive oxygen species‐independent mechanism in human leukemia Molt‐3 cells

Melatonin is a naturally occurring indoleamine synthesized in the pineal gland that exhibits an extensive repertoire of biological activities. An increasing number of studies indicate that melatonin protects normal cells, while it reducing cancer cell proliferation. In this study, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the growth of the human leukemia cells and found that it efficiently reduced the number of cells in a concentration‐ and time‐dependent manner. Thus, incubation with the indoleamine increased the percentage of cells with a hypodiploid DNA content, augmented the number of annexin V–positive cells, and also provoked ultrastructural changes that are features of apoptotic cell death. Evaluation of caspases revealed that caspase‐3, caspase‐6, caspase‐7, and caspase‐9, but not caspase‐8 and caspase‐2, were quickly activated (3–6 hr). The increase in the activity of these proteases was associated with up‐regulation of the pro‐apoptotic factor Bax and also with the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. Pretreatment of the cells with the general caspase inhibitor z‐VAD‐fmk, reduced melatonin‐induced apoptosis, but it did not block cell death suggesting that melatonin activates an alternative cell death modality in the absence of caspase activity. Thus, the activation of caspases was preceded by a fast (<30 min) increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Rotenone and antimycin A reduced the levels of ROS stimulated by melatonin, indicating that the complex I and the complex III of the mitochondrial electron transport chain are important sources of these chemical species. However, the role of ROS in melatonin‐induced cell death remains elusive because anti‐oxidants that were shown to decrease ROS levels (glutathione, N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine and Trolox) were unable to abrogate melatonin‐induced cell death.
The meaning of translational research and why it matters.

Translational research means different things to different people, but it seems important to almost everyone. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made translational research a priority, forming centers of translational research at its institutes and launching the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program in 2006. With 24 CTSA-funded academic centers already established, other universities are transforming themselves to compete for upcoming CTSA grants. By 2012, the NIH expects to fund 60 such centers with a budget of $500 million per year.1 Besides academic centers, foundations, industry, disease-related organizations, and individual hospitals and health systems have also established translational research programs and at least 2 journals (Translational Medicine and the Journal of Translational Medicine) are devoted to the topic. By some accounts, translational research has become a centerpiece of the European Commission's 6 billion budget for health-related research, and the United Kingdom .
Strategic Groups: Theory, Research and Taxonomy

This paper discusses the concept of strategic groups, focusing upon the importance of intra-industry strategic groupings in understanding differences across firms within an industry. The problems involved in identifying strategic groups within industries are examined through a comprehensive review of recent studies. It is demonstrated that much of the research has used surrogates for elements of a firm's strategic direction, e.g. vertical integration, product range, R & D expenditure, to suggest bases by which creative and sustainable groups are formed. The authors argue that certain theoretical concepts such as mobility barriers, isolating mechanisms and controllable variablesprovide much firmer bases for identifying strategic groups within industries. Thus, taxonomies for understanding the nature of strategic group formulation can be developed. Implications of the strategic group concept for such strategic issues as the structure-performance linkage, firm mobility, patterns of rivalry, industry evolutionand firm growthare then examined. The paper concludes by indicating fruitful directions for strategic group research in the context of the strategic management field.
Metabolites from Withania aristata with Potential Phytotoxic Activity

A series of apocarotenoids (1-8) and one carotenoid (9) were isolated from the leaves of Withania aristata. In addition, the tetraacetylated apocarotenoid glucosides 10-12 were obtained by acetylation, with derivative 9-hydroxymegastigma-4,6E-dien-3-one 9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside tetraacetate (10) being described for the first time. The structures have been determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric means, mainly NMR and ESIMS, and comparison with data reported in the literature. These metabolites were evaluated on a systematic phytotoxicity assay using the etiolated wheat coleoptile bioassay. Compounds 1-3, 9 and 12 were further assayed for their phytotoxicity on the target species Lepidium sativum, Lactuca sativa, Lycopersicum esculentum and Allium cepa. Among the assayed compounds, lutein (9) showed the most significant values for phytotoxicity, followed by the non-glycosylated apocarotenoids (6S, 9R)-vomifoliol (1) and 9-hydroxymegastigma-4,6E-dien-3-one (2).