Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of bbc3, a pro-apoptotic BH3-only gene, is regulated by diverse cell death and survival signals

BH3-only proteins function at a proximal point in a conserved cell death pathway by binding, through their BH3 domains, to other Bcl-2 family members and triggering mitochondrial events associated with apoptosis. Here, we describe a strongly pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein, designated Bbc3, whose expression increases in response to diverse apoptotic stimuli. bbc3 mRNA levels were induced by exposure to DNA-damaging agents and by wild-type p53, which mediates DNA damage-induced apoptosis. p53 transactivated bbc3 through consensus p53 binding sites within the bbc3 promoter region, indicating that bbc3 is a direct target of p53. Additionally, bbc3 mRNA was induced by p53-independent apoptotic stimuli, including dexamethasone treatment of thymocytes, and serum deprivation of tumor cells. Insulin-like growth factor-1 and epidermal growth factor, growth factors with broad anti-apoptotic activity, were each sufficient to suppress Bbc3 expression in serum-starved tumor cells. These results suggest that the transcriptional regulation of bbc3 contributes to the transduction of diverse cell death and survival signals.
Does the firm size matter on firm entrepreneurship and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance is dependent on firm size within a small and medium‐size enterprise (SME) population, using non‐manufacturing, industry‐specific empirical data.Design/methodology/approach – Survey methodology was employed, using a national sample of US apparel import intermediary (AII) SMEs. Regression analysis was performed to determine the type of the moderator variable, firm size, and to test statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance measures.Findings – The paper's results suggested that the firm size effect was present on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' longevity performance; however, there was no statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' creative contribution or profitability performance.Research limitations/implications – Although.
The distinct nature of Chinese capitalism

Abstract There is debate over the future shape of economic systems in Asia and specifically the issue of whether Asian values will determine societal systems. The alternative position that convergence is taking place around democratic capitalism, and that this will lead Asian systems to take heavy influence from it, is considered via the example of the business systems of the ethnic Chinese. Four of these are considered and they are examined in terms of their origins, the way in which they now reflect those origins and the common features which suggest a pattern of determinacy uniting them. The complexity and variety of tracks towards modernization, and ways in which institutions are embedded in societal history, are taken into account, as is the possibility of hybrid systems of capitalism.
An Efficiency-Based Metafrontier Approach To Menu Analysis

The decision about which dishes should appear on the menu is crucial to attracting customers and maximizing restaurant profitability. There is a paucity of empirical research on quantifying the effects of particular menu items on the efficiency of a restaurant. The present research used an innovative metafrontier-to-data-envelopment analysis method to aid decision making when distinguishing between desirable, improved, and undesirable menu items by efficiency measurements to increase a restaurant’s profitability. The metatechnology ratio obtained via the metafrontier approach compared the technology level in different meal periods. The results, based on real data gathered during 3 months from two same-brand units of a chain restaurant, show that the efficiency of the metafrontier-to-data-envelopment analysis method increased the profitability of the restaurants by more than 15% compared with the traditional menu-engineering method. The metatechnology ratios also identified that the skill level differed between the meal periods, which was because of the presence of different operators. Managerial and strategic implications for menu planners and future research are described.
Different effects on gating of three myotonia‐causing mutations in the inactivation gate of the human muscle sodium channel.

1. Three mutations at the same site in the inactivation gate of the alpha‐subunit of the human muscle Na+ channel, G1306E, G1306V and G1306A, cause three phenotypes of K(+)‐aggravated myotonia: G1306E as the most severe and G1306A as the most benign form. 2. Recombinant wildtype (WT) and mutant (G1306E, G1306V and G1306A) human Na+ channels were expressed in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293). G1306E and G1306V channels showed a distinct increase in the time constants of inactivation (tau h1 and tau h2) and in the ratios of steady‐state to peak currents (Iss/Ipeak) (e.g. at 0 mV, G1306E vs. WT; tau h1, 1.29 +/‐ 0.10 vs. 0.52 +/‐ 0.01 ms; Iss/Ipeak, 2.90 +/‐ 0.40 vs. 0.93 +/‐ 0.19%). G1306A channels showed only an increase in tau h1 (0.74 +/‐ 0.07 ms). For G1306E and G1306V channels, the steady‐state inactivation curves, as well as the voltage dependence of the rate of recovery from inactivation, were shifted by +15 mV. For G1306A the h infinity curve was shifted by only +5 mV. 3. G1306E and G1306V channels showed prolonged current rise times and later first openings suggesting slowing of activation. For G1306E channels only, the steady‐state activation curve was shifted by ‐7 mV. For all mutants the deactivation time constants were increased. 4. We conclude that (i) the combination of alterations in inactivation and activation produces the slowing of the current decay, (ii) the slowed inactivation is most responsible for myotonia, and (iii) the shift of the steady‐state activation curve, seen only with G1306E channels, may explain the severity of this phenotype. 5. The results suggest that two of the mutations in the Na+ channel inactivation gate also alter channel activation and deactivation.
Speckle Reduction with Improved Resolution in Ultrasound Images

La composition spatiale et la composition frequentielle c'est-a-dire l'observation d'une cible a partir de differents lieux dans l'espace ou avec differentes frequences et en combinant les echos independant statistiquement pour produire une image composee ont ete utilisees pour reduire l'effet de speckle. Amelioration du rapport signal sur bruit mais reduction de la resolution. On compose alors avec des signaux correles spatialement c'est-a-dire des faisceaux se recouvrant pour la composition spatiale ou des bandes passantes se recouvrant pour la composition frequentielle
A Simple Model for Time-Varying Expected Returns on the S&P 500 Index

This paper presents a parsimonious, implementable model for the estimation of the short- and long-term expected rates of return on the SP and the option market's (priced) implied volatility on the S&P 500 Index. The model accounts for past rates of return by modeling and estimating the impact of an assumed increasing relative risk aversion, which gives rise to an increased willingness to invest in risky assets as the realized rate of return for the recent past is "high".
Leadership Style and Job Commitment of Library Personnel in Universities: A Study of Private University Libraries in Southwest Nigeria

The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leadership style and job commitment of library personnel in private universities in the Southwest, Nigeria. The research instrument used in the collection of data was questionnaire. In measuring the research questions and testing hypotheses, mean and standard deviation, analysis of variance (one way), correlation and multiple regression analysis and multiple pair wise comparison were used. The result of the study shows that Leadership Style had a significant relationship with the job commitment of respondents (β=.102, P>.05). Moreover, the study found out that there was significant difference in the comparative Job Commitment of Library Personnel of University (F (14,155, P <.05). Based on the findings, it was concluded that library managers should evolve leadership styles that will motivate the job commitment of their subordinates. It was also concluded that the respondents are committed to their job but the degree of commitment varies from one university to the other. The study recommends that the management can improve working conditions of the library personnel, especially the availability of material, human and financial resources so as to enhance their job commitment.
Assessing and differentiating the quality of Internet-based services: a case of online banking in Taiwan

This study investigates the assessment and differentiation of the quality of online banking services. A hypothesis is developed, followed by the presentation of a methodology that combines a service quality measurement model and an importance–performance matrix to help banks differentiate service quality and thus effectively increase the satisfaction of existing customers (old customers). Competitive features among banks are also incorporated to lure potential customers (new customers). Following a cross-bank empirical testing, four theoretical and four business implications are presented. Since online banking is an Internet-based service, the empirical finding of this study may also apply to other Internet-based services.
Application of Machine Learning Methods to Risk Assessment of Financial Statement Fraud: Evidence from China

This study presents a method of assessing financial statement fraud risk. The proposed approach comprises a system of financial and non-financial risk factors, and a hybrid assessment method that combines machine learning methods with a rule-based system. Experiments are performed using data from Chinese companies by four classifiers (logistic regression, back-propagation neural network, C5.0 decision tree and support vector machine) and an ensemble of those classifiers. The proposed ensemble of classifiers outperform each of the four classifiers individually in accuracy and composite error rate. The experimental results indicate that non-financial risk factors and a rule-based system help decrease the error rates. The proposed approach outperforms machine learning methods in assessing the risk of financial statement fraud. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cytoplasmic Trafficking of Minute Virus of Mice: Low-pH Requirement, Routing to Late Endosomes, and Proteasome Interaction

ABSTRACT The cytoplasmic trafficking of the prototype strain of minute virus of mice (MVMp) was investigated by analyzing and quantifying the effect of drugs that reduce or abolish specific cellular functions on the accumulation of viral macromolecules. With this strategy, it was found that a low endosomal pH is required for the infection, since bafilomycin A 1 and chloroquine, two pH-interfering drugs, were similarly active against MVMp. Disruption of the endosomal network by brefeldin A interfered with MVMp infection, indicating that viral particles are routed farther than the early endocytic compartment. Pulse experiments with endosome-interfering drugs showed that the bulk of MVMp particles remained in the endosomal compartment for several hours before its release to the cytosol. Drugs that block the activity of the proteasome by different mechanisms, such as MG132, lactacystin, and epoxomicin, all strongly blocked MVMp infection. Pulse experiments with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 indicated that MVMp interacts with cellular proteasomes after endosomal escape. The chymotrypsin-like but not the trypsin-like activity of the proteasome is required for the infection, since the chymotrypsin inhibitors N-tosyl-l-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone and aclarubicin were both effective in blocking MVMp infection. However, the trypsin inhibitor Nα-p-tosyl-l-lysine chloromethyl ketone had no effect. These results suggest that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays an essential role in the MVMp life cycle, probably assisting at the stages of capsid disassembly and/or nuclear translocation.
Evaluation of Thermal Cycling Reliability of Sintered Nanosilver Versus Soldered Joints by Curvature Measurement

Low-temperature silver sintering technology is emerging as a lead-free die-attach solution to significantly improve the heat dissipation and reliability packaging of power devices and modules die attached by solder alloys. With the recent introduction of nanosilver materials, which dramatically simplify the bonding process by lowering the required pressure down to a few megapascals, the silver sintering die-attach solution is poised for wide use in the manufacture of electronic products. In this paper, the thermomechanical reliability of sintered-silver joints was studied in comparison with soldered joints of two lead-free solders, SN100C and SAC305. Die-attach samples were fabricated by bonding 10 mm × 10 mm silicon mechanical chips to silver-metalized copper blocks and direct-bond copper (DBC) substrates according to the respective heating profiles of a nanosilver paste and the two solders. The die-attach samples were thermally cycled between -40 °C and +125 °C. The bonding reliability was evaluated by measuring the bending curvatures of the cycled samples and examining the cross sections of the samples under an electron microscope. Bending of the bonded structures, which is the result of mismatched coefficients of thermal expansion between silicon and copper or DBC, offered a nondestructive method for monitoring the integrity of the bond line. The bending curvatures of all of the die-attach samples decreased rapidly after they were thermally cycled. Most of the drop in curvature can be attributed to stress relaxation in the bonding materials without bond-line cracking. However, in the samples on copper blocks, after 800 cycles, the curvatures of the soldered samples decreased to near 0 μm-1, but those of the silver-sintered samples still had about 30% of the original curvatures. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the joints of the soldered samples with near 0 μm-1 curvature had been cracked almost all the way through, but the joints of the sintered samples were still intact. These results demonstrate that the sintered-silver joints are more reliable than the soldered joints.
TQM journey of an Indian milk‐producing cooperative

Purpose – This paper seeks to focus on the TQM journey of MilkFed, a major milk‐producing cooperative in the state of Punjab in Northern India. It aims to demonstrate how TQM principles have been used to create an organisation‐wide environment of continuous improvement in a cooperative sector organisation that spread into tradition and ways of doing business in spite of facing numerous challenges.Design/methodology/approach – MilkFed hired Punjab Technical University's School of TQM and Entrepreneurship (PGSTE) to create an organisation‐wide system of continuous improvement. PGSTE consultants prepared a road‐map for TQM implementation. In the first phase, 14 teams comprising 76 senior/middle level executives (one team from each of Milkfed's 14 plants/units) were trained in the structured application of TQM principles and the project‐by‐project improvement through a series of workshops. Each team implemented an improvement project, which was facilitated by the consultants.Findings – MilkFed has saved USD 0.
Earnings Announcements: Good News for Institutional Investors and Short Sellers

In this paper, we consider the trading behavior of institutional investors and short sellers around earnings announcements. The results suggest that institutional investors, and to a lesser extent short sellers, successfully anticipate earnings news. In the period immediately after the earnings announcement, both types of traders are active in the market and trade in response to the earnings announcement. In particular, short sellers are quick to increase their short positions when a company releases bad news. Institutional traders also trade in response to the news; however, they take longer to react.
Land rights and SME credit: evidence from Ghana

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to establish whether or not the absence of registered property titles is a barrier to credit access amongst small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - The study involved the conducting of surveys amongst credit officers of financial institutions in Ghana; participants were from both microfinance institutions and universal banks. To achieve the aim of this study the survey was designed to study the attitudes of credit officers towards the use of property as security for SME credit. Their experiences in handling such issues were captured through a series of closed ended questions. Participants were randomly sampled and the data analysed descriptively using SPSS. Findings - The results amongst other things show that most formal lenders accept landed property for collateral purposes irrespective of whether they are covered by registered property titles or not. Also found were differences existing between traditional banks and the microfinance institutions. Originality/value - Small businesses are exposed to several challenges which hinder their growth and have potential to contribute to the overall agenda of poverty reduction. Prominent amongst these challenges is the difficulty in raising funds for investments purposes. Whilst some have attributed this to the lack of assets which could be used as collateral, others have argued that it is the result of the absence of formal property titles which have made land an unacceptable form of collateral. Previous studies have focused on the demand side however; the supply side is the focus of this study.
Computed Tomography Radiation Dose Reduction: Effect of Different Iterative Reconstruction Algorithms on Image Quality

Objective We evaluated the effects of hybrid and model-based iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms from different vendors at multiple radiation dose levels on image quality of chest phantom scans. Methods A chest phantom was scanned on state-of-the-art computed tomography scanners from 4 vendors at 4 dose levels (4.1 mGy, 3.0 mGy, 1.9 mGy, and 0.8 mGy). All data were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) and reduced-dose data also with IR (iDose4, Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3D, Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction, Sinogram-Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction, prototype Iterative Model Reconstruction, and Veo). Computed tomography numbers and noise were measured in the spine and lungs. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were calculated and differences were analyzed with the Friedman test. Results For all vendors, radiation dose reduction with FBP resulted in significantly increased noise levels (⩽148%) as well as decreased SNR (⩽57%) and CNR (⩽58%) (P < 0.001). Conversely, IR resulted in decreased noise levels (⩽48%) as well as increased SNR (⩽94%) and CNR (⩽94%). The SNRs and CNRs of the model-based algorithms at 80% reduced dose were similar to reference-dose FBP. Conclusions Hybrid IR algorithms have the potential to reduce radiation dose with 27% to 54% and model-based IR algorithms with up to 80%.
A multi-factor jump-diffusion model for commodities

In this paper we develop an arbitrage-free model for the pricing of commodity derivatives. The model generates futures (or forward) commodity prices consistent with any initial term structure. The model is consistent with mean reversion in commodity prices and also generates stochastic convenience yields. Our model is a multi-factor jump-diffusion model, one specification of which allows the prices of long-dated futures contracts to jump by smaller magnitudes than short-dated futures contracts, which, to our knowledge, is a feature that has not previously appeared in the literature, in spite of it being in line with stylised empirical observations (especially for energy-related commodities). Our model also allows for stochastic interest rates. The model produces semi-analytic solutions for standard European options, which enable option prices to be evaluated in typically about 1/50th of a second (depending upon parameter values and the required accuracy). This opens the possibility to calibrate the model parameters by deriving implied parameters from the market prices of options. We perform such a calibration on crude oil options and show that, allowing long-dated futures contracts to jump by smaller magnitudes than short-dated contracts, gives a greatly enhanced fit. †This is a condensed and enhanced version of a previous working paper (Crosby 2005) entitled “Commodities: a simple multi-factor jump-diffusion model”.
A hard row to hoe: farming on the economic frontier under incomplete property rights

Abstract Farmers on the economic frontier often do not have clear titles to their land. Therefore, using an infinite-horizon representative agent model calibrated with data for the Brazilian Amazon, this paper analyzes how improved property rights influence the frontier farmer's investment in the land, as well as the farmer's consumption and debt. Three channels through which property rights affect these variables are identified in the analysis. Two involve the expenditure the farmer incurs to defend the land claim, and the third involves the interest rate premium the farmer faces when borrowing without a clear title to the land. Variants of the model allow for labor to defend the land claim and for endogenous property rights. The findings suggest a need and direction for further, empirical research, particularly with regard to informal institutional arrangements, measures of property rights and the means by which they are defended.
Valuation, Observability of Valuation Drivers, and Future Stock Returns

This article shows that the relationship between favorable equity market valuations and subsequent equity market returns depends on the extent to which the reasons for such valuations are likely to be observable to investors. The authors use the Implied Equity Risk Premium (ERP) to measure whether the U.S. equity market is favorably valued, and a macroeconomic model to explain the level of ERP and allow a determination of whether valuations are consistent with observable data. The model for explaining ERPs considers factors such as interest rates, GDP growth, analysts’ longterm growth forecasts, and investors’ preference for equities with high asset value relative to investors’ preference for equities with high future growth opportunities. When the reasons for the favorable valuations are likely to be known to investors, such as when the negative macroeconomic data consistent with current ERP levels are already public information, higher ERPs are predictive of higher future stock market returns in the long term. However, when the reasons for the favorable valuations are not as likely to be known to investors, higher ERPs are predictive of lower stock market returns in the short term. The rationale is that investor concerns that lead to higher ERPs are more likely to be fully priced when those concerns reflect data that are publicly available, setting the stage for higher future returns. The relevant implication for investors is that valuation is not a sufficient signal for increasing equity allocations. Rather, even if valuation appears attractive, investors should wait to increase equity allocations until the valuation level can be explained by observable data.