Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Checking on Banks: Autonomy and Accountability in Three Federal Agencies

Eager to make government work better, cost less, and be more accountable, reformers are embracing a common prescription: consolidate and downsize government agencies to eliminate duplication and overlap. But is this prescription really a panacea for what ails government, or is the solution for better government performance more complex? This book tackles that question by examining the three federal agencies responsible for supervising the nation's banksthe Federal Reserve Board (the Fed), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Clinton administration has proposed to consolidate these three agencies into one to improve efficiency and accountability.Anne Khademian argues that downsizing government activities through consolidation does not guarantee better performance. Consolidation implies agreement on the best way to perform a task, but each of the three banking agencies has its own unique and valuable management style and level of autonomy, growing out of the agencies' history and politics. For example, the Fed has a high degree of expertise and autonomy, the OCC is known for innovation, and the FDIC places high priority on examiner training. Khademian maintains that the jurisdictional overlap among the agencies reflects an essential tension between accountability and autonomy. And a new consolidated agency would destroy that tension.Khademian contends that in the rush to consolidate, we might destroy administrative systems that have real benefits or provide important lessons about implementing government programs and risk creating new "super agencies" whose systems of accountability and operational autonomy are at odds with expectations for performance. Before we can improve government performance, we need to know why agencies behave the way they do. This book offers a framework for understanding agency behavior. In the case of banking, Khademian argues that the diverse approaches to supervision provide an important balance in the system that has worked to keep U.S. banks among the safest and strongest in the world. "
Secondary Structure of a Conserved Domain in the Intron of Influenza A NS1 mRNA

Influenza A virus is a segmented single-stranded (−)RNA virus that causes substantial annual morbidity and mortality. The transcriptome of influenza A is predicted to have extensive RNA secondary structure. The smallest genome segment, segment 8, encodes two proteins, NS1 and NEP, via alternative splicing. A conserved RNA domain in the intron of segment 8 may be important for regulating production of NS1. Two different multi-branch loop structures have been proposed for this region. A combination of in vitro chemical mapping and isoenergetic microarray techniques demonstrate that the consensus sequence for this region folds into a hairpin conformation. These results provide an alternative folding for this region and a foundation for designing experiments to probe its functional role in the influenza life cycle.
HPLC Quantitative Analysis of Rhein and Antidermatophytic Activity of Cassia fistula Pod Pulp Extracts of Various Storage Conditions

Cassia fistula is well known for its laxative and antifungal properties due to anthraquinone compounds in the pods. This study quantitatively analyzed rhein in the C. fistula pod pulp decoction extracts kept under various storage conditions using HPLC. The antifungal activity of the extracts and their hydrolyzed mixture was also evaluated against dermatophytes. The contents of rhein in all stored decoction extracts remained more than 95% (95.69–100.66%) of the initial amount (0.0823 ± 0.001% w/w). There was no significant change of the extracts kept in glass vials and in aluminum foil bags. The decoction extract of C. fistula pod pulp and its hydrolyzed mixture containing anthraquinone aglycones were tested against clinical strains of dermatophytes by broth microdilution technique. The results revealed good chemical and antifungal stabilities against dermatophytes of C. fistula pod pulp decoction extracts stored under various accelerated and real time storage conditions.
Synovial sarcoma. Evaluation of Prognosis with Emphasis on the Study of DNA Ploidy and Proliferation (PCNA and Ki-67) Markers

Controversy still exists regarding the validity of parameters commonly used in the evaluation of prognosis of patients with synovial sarcoma (SS). Forty-nine cases of previously untreated primary SS (23 females and 26 males, ranging in age from 7 to 81, with 31 tumors located in the lower extremity, 8 at the upper extremity and 10 at the trunchus), without regional lymph-node or distant metastases were studied. We investigated the relationship between (flow and image) DNA cytometry, proliferation activity, clinicopathologic parameters, and relapse-free and overall survival of the patients. The prognostic value of gender, age, duration of symptoms, location, compartmentalization, size, adequacy of surgical margins, residual tumor, adjuvant therapy, histologic subtype, extent of necrosis, glandular differentiation, calcification, and extent of hemangiopericytic areas, mitotic rate, amount of mast cells, blood vessel invasion, histologic (UICC and NCI) grades, DNA ploidy, percentage of cells in S and S+G2 phases, PCNA and Ki-67 labeling indices (LI), and TNM (UICC) stage of the tumors, were evaluated by univariate and multivariate (Cox hazard model) analyses. Short duration of symptoms (<12 months), biphasic SS, scarcity of mast cells (<10/10 HPF), high mitotic rate (≥10/10 HPF), high histologic grade (grade 3), high PCNA-LI (≥20%), high Ki-67-LI (≥10%), DNA aneuploidy, and advanced TNM stage (stage III) were features associated with significantly shorter relapse-free and overall 5-year survival rates in the univariate analyses. Scarcity of mast cells, high mitotic rate, or high PCNA-LI were significant predictors of poor survival, in addition to TNM stage in the multivariate analyses. The amount of mast cells was inversely correlated with mitotic rate and PCNA-LI. Scarcity of mast cells, high mitotic rate, or high PCNA-LI are factors associated with poor prognosis, in addition to advanced TNM stage in patients with localized SS
Constrained Pricing for Cloud Resource Allocation

Constrained pricing in a cloud computing environment is addressed using game theory. The objective of the model and the game is to enable cloud providers to maximize their revenue while satisfying users by maximizing their utilities. The users net utility is modeled as a function of resource demand with a corresponding price. The game consists in the cloud provider suggesting differentiated prices according to demand and users updating their requests in view of the proposed price. The objective is to determine the optimal suggested prices by the cloud-provider and the optimal user demands. A theoretical model based on Stackelberg game is proposed and a Stackelberg/Nash equilibrium solution is found. Performance results show that rejecting a certain number of users is not the best decision to select. Cloud provider should deploy the right amount of resources to maintain good reputation while satisfying users' requirements.
Equivalent piezoelectric actuator circuits and comparison

Equivalent piezoelectric actuator circuit is necessary for certain applications. Previous models have limits and are not accurate on modelling the real part of piezo impedance at low frequency range. A simple inverse proportional to frequency model is proposed and experimentally validated. The comparison with other models show also it is the most robust model.
Approaching ideal weak link behavior with three dimensional aluminum nanobridges

We investigate unshunted dc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) consisting of aluminum nanobridges of varying length L contacted with (two dimensional, or 2D) and (three dimensional, or 3D) banks. 3D nanobridge SQUIDs with L≤150 nm (approximately four times the superconducting coherence length) exhibit ≈70% critical current modulation with applied magnetic field, approaching the theoretical limit for an ideal short metallic weak link. In contrast, 2D nanobridge SQUIDs exhibit significantly lower critical current modulation. This enhanced nonlinearity makes 3D nanobridge Josephson junctions well suited to optimize sensitivity in weak link SQUID magnetometers as well as realize ultralow-noise amplifiers and qubits.
Where is the love?: Investigating multiple membership and hotel customer loyalty.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore polygamous program loyalty in hotel loyalty programs and the relationship between members’ behavioral loyalty and their perceptions of the program effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive statistics, discriminant analysis, ordinary least square regression and one-way ANOVA methods. Findings – This study suggests that the flexibility to purchase points in a loyalty program is significantly associated with the polygamous program loyalty. Members will stay in only one program if they perceive such flexibility. Although members tend to emphasize purchasing accommodation from the loyalty programs’ hotels, they do not necessarily advocate or pay price premiums for the brand. Compared with basic members, elite members exhibit higher levels of loyalty behaviors in general, but not in terms of paying price premiums. Research limitations/implications – The results suggest that how customers value a loyalty program can differentiate the number of memb.
Inadequate Dietary Calcium and Vitamin D Intake in Patients with Osteoporotic Fracture

Background Inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake is a possible risk factor of osteoporosis. Our purposes were to estimate calcium and vitamin D intake in women with osteoporotic fractures, to determine associated factors for low calcium and vitamin D intake, and to evaluate the effects of calcium and vitamin D intake on bone mineral density (BMD). Methods This is a multicenter, hospital-based, and cross-sectional study involving 277 women with osteoporotic fractures. Dietary calcium and vitamin D intake were evaluated using the Korean Calcium Assessment Tool (KCAT) self-reported questionnaire. BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Results Average daily calcium and vitamin D intake was 503.7±274.7 mg and 7.5±12.6 µg, respectively. Patients with low calcium intake had less family history of osteoporosis and were older. There was a negative correlation between age and calcium intake (r=-0.14; P=0.019). In multivariate analysis, calcium intake showed a positive correlation with BMD of femoral neck (β=0.0005, P=0.021). Conclusions About 80% of patients with osteoporotic fracture had calcium and vitamin D intake below the recommended dietary intake. Low calcium intake was associated with no family history of osteoporosis and older age. Dietary calcium intake showed positive effect on BMD.
In vitro Bond Strengths and SEM Evaluation of Dentin Bonding Systems to Different Dentin Substrates

In comparison to enamel, bonding to normal dentin is a greater challenge because of its organic constituents, fluid-filled tubules, and variations in intrinsic composition. Bonding to sclerotic dentin is even more difficult. To evaluate the shear bond strengths of four adhesive systems to dentin substrates with different levels of mineralization, 120 extracted human teeth were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 40). After mid-coronal dentin was exposed, groups of specimens were artificially hypermineralized by immersion in a remineralizing solution, demineralized by means of an acetic acid demineralizing solution, or stored in distilled water to model sclerotic, carious, and normal dentin, respectively. Resin composite was bonded to dentin by use of commercial adhesive systems. After the specimens were thermocycled, shear bond strengths were determined in an Instron universal testing machine. Dentin substrates and resin/dentin interfaces were examined by SEM. For each adhesive system, the mean shear bond strength to normal dentin was significantly higher than that to either of the other substrates. Shear bond strengths to hypermineralized dentin were significantly higher than those to demineralized dentin with all adhesives except Prisma Universal Bond 3.
Reduced activity of SKCa and Na-K ATPase underlies the accelerated impairment of EDH-type relaxations in mesenteric arteries of aging spontaneously hypertensive rats

Aging is accompanied by endothelial dysfunction due to reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) and/or reduced endothelium‐dependent hyperpolarizations (EDH). This study examines the hypothesis that hypertension aggravates the impairment of EDH‐type relaxation due to aging. EDH‐type relaxations were studied in superior mesenteric arteries isolated from Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats of 12, 36, 60, and 72 weeks of age. EDH‐type relaxations in WKY were reduced with aging, and this was associated with an impairment of the function of small‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium channels (SKCa) and sodium‐potassium ATPase (Na‐K ATPase). EDH‐type relaxation in SHR was smaller than that in WKY arteries, and further reduction occurred with aging. Pharmacological experiments suggested a reduced involvement of SKCa and Na‐K ATPase and activation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase and silent information regulator T1 (sirtuin‐1; SIRT1) in mesenteric arteries of 12‐week‐old SHR. These pharmacological findings suggest that in superior mesenteric arteries of the rat, the reduction in EDH‐type relaxation occurs with aging and that such a reduction is exacerbated in hypertension. The latter exacerbation appears to involve proteins associated with the process of cellular senescence and is related to impaired function of SKCa and Na‐K ATPase, a phenomenon that is also observed in mesenteric arteries of older normotensive rats.
Somatostatin receptor 1–5; expression profiles during rat development

Abstract Background. Somatostatin acts through five receptor subtypes (SSTRs 1–5). We aimed to investigate SSTRs mRNA expression and protein distribution in whole rat embryos, with special emphasis on the pancreas. Material and methods. Rat embryos were collected on embryonal days 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, and at birth. Presence of SSTRs was investigated with RT-PCR techniques and immunohistochemistry. Results. There was no SSTR5 mRNA expression in the whole rat embryos. All SSTR1–5 proteins were observed at embryonal day 10, but the localization varied between the different subtypes. From day 11 to birth SSTRs protein presence increased with time in major structures such as skin and cartilage. It remained similar over time in the heart and liver. In the fetal pancreas mRNA expression of SSTR2 and 4 was detected at day 14, and there was an increase up to birth. Only SSTR1 protein co-localized to a higher extent with the islet hormones studied. SSTR2 was present in all islet endocrine cells except for β-cells. In contrast, the immunostaining for SSTR3–4 was co-localized with insulin and PP, and, finally, SSTR5 with glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide. In mRNA isolated from whole rat embryos SSTR1-2 and SSTR4 expression showed a peak at day 14, while SSTR3 mRNA was not present until day 15. Conclusion. The present data suggest a role for SSTRs during the development of the rat embryo. Subsequent functional studies may elucidate regulatory roles of specific SSTRs for the growth and differentiation of the pancreas as well as other organs.
Bayesian change‐point analysis for atomic force microscopy and soft material indentation

Summary. Material indentation studies, in which a probe is brought into controlled physical contact with an experimental sample, have long been a primary means by which scientists characterize the mechanical properties of materials. More recently, the advent of atomic force microscopy, which operates on the same fundamental principle, has in turn revolutionized the nanoscale analysis of soft biomaterials such as cells and tissues. The paper addresses the inferential problems that are associated with material indentation and atomic force microscopy, through a framework for the change‐point analysis of pre‐contact and post‐contact data that is applicable to experiments across a variety of physical scales. A hierarchical Bayesian model is proposed to account for experimentally observed change‐point smoothness constraints and measurement error variability, with efficient Monte Carlo methods developed and employed to realize inference via posterior sampling for parameters such as Young's modulus, which is a key quantifier of material stiffness. These results are the first to provide the materials science community with rigorous inference procedures and quantification of uncertainty, via optimized and fully automated high throughput algorithms, implemented as the publicly available software package BayesCP. To demonstrate the consistent accuracy and wide applicability of this approach, results are shown for a variety of data sets from both macromaterials and micromaterials experiments—including silicone, neurons and red blood cells—conducted by the authors and others.
Patterns of Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in European Manufacturing: "Convergence" or "Polarization"?

The issue of "structural convergence", defined as convergence in national patterns of trade specialization across countries that are quite similar in terms of economic size, per capita income, broad tecnological levels, factor endowments, is addressed in this paper with a focus on five large manufacturing sectors. We find that there is no evidence of a general trend towards convergence in trade specialization across the four largest European economies; moreover, the data point out that the role of foreign direct investment as an engine of "convergence" cannot be taken for granted. We also argue that an analysis of the sectoral features of production and investment is required in order to improve our understanding of international trade patterns.
The Wobbler Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Displays Hippocampal Hyperexcitability, and Reduced Number of Interneurons, but No Presynaptic Vesicle Release Impairments

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult-onset motor neuron disease. It is a fatal degenerative disease, best recognized for its debilitating neuromuscular effects. ALS however also induces cognitive impairments in as many as 50% of affected individuals. Moreover, many ALS patients demonstrate cortical hyperexcitability, which has been shown to precede the onset of clinical symptoms. The wobbler mouse is a model of ALS, and like ALS patients the wobbler mouse displays cortical hyperexcitability. Here we investigated if the neocortical aberrations of the wobbler mouse also occur in the hippocampus. Consequently, we performed extracellular field excitatory postsynaptic potential recordings in the CA1 region of the hippocampus on acute brain slices from symptomatic (P45-P60) and presymptomatic (P17-P21) wobbler mice. Significant increased excitation of hippocampal synapses was revealed by leftward shifted input/output-curves in both symptomatic and presymptomatic wobbler mice, and substantiated by population spike occurrence analyses, demonstrating that the increased synaptic excitation precedes the onset of visible phenotypic symptoms in the mouse. Synaptic facilitation tested by paired-pulse facilitation and trains in wobbler and control mice showed no differences, suggesting the absence of presynaptic defects. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that symptomatic wobbler mice have a lower number of parvalbumin positive interneurons when compared to controls and presymptomatic mice. This study reveals that the wobbler mouse model of ALS exhibits hippocampal hyperexcitability. We suggest that the hyperexcitability could be caused by increased excitatory synaptic transmission and a concomitant reduced inhibition due to a decreased number of parvalbumin positive interneurons. Thus we substantiate that wobbler brain impairments are not confined to the motor cortex, but extend to the hippocampus. Importantly, we have revealed more details of the early pathophysiology in asymptomatic animals, and studies like the present may facilitate the development of novel treatment strategies for earlier intervention in ALS patients in the future.
Nonfinancial Defined Contribution Pension Schemes in a Changing Pension World : Volume 1. Progress, Lessons, and Implementation

Pensions and social insurance programs are an integral part of any social protection system. Their dual objectives are to prevent a sharp decline in income and protect against poverty resulting from old age, disability, or death. The critical role of pensions for protection, prevention, and promotion was reiterated and expanded in the new World Bank 2012-2022 social protection strategy. This new strategy reviews the success and challenges of the past decade or more, during which time the World Bank became a main player in the area of pensions. But more importantly, the strategy takes the three key objectives for pensions under the World Bank's conceptual framework coverage, adequacy, and sustainability and asks how these objectives and the inevitable difficult balance between them can best be achieved. The ongoing focus on closing the coverage gap with social pensions and the new outreach to explore the role of matching contributions to address coverage and/or adequacy is part of this strategy. This comprehensive anthology on nonfinancial defined contribution (NDC) pension schemes is part and parcel of the effort to explore and document the working of this new system or reform option and its ability to balance these three key objectives. This innovative, unfunded individual accounts scheme provides a promising option at a time when the world seems locked into a stalemate between piecemeal reform of ailing traditional defined benefit plans or their replacement with prefunded financial account schemes. The current financial crisis, with its focus on sovereign debt, has enhanced the attraction of NDC as a pension scheme that aims for intra and intergenerational fairness, offers a transparent framework to distribute economic and demographic risks, and, if well designed, promises long-term financial stability. Supplemented with a basic minimum pension guarantee, explicit noncontributory rights, and a funded pillar, the NDC approach provides an efficient framework for addressing poverty and risk diversification concerns.
Customized Asthma Control Test with Reflection on Sociocultural Differences

We evaluated the utility and feasibility of customizing Asthma Control Test (ACT) items to generate a Korean Asthma Control Test (KACT) specific for Korean patients. We surveyed 392 asthma patients with 19 items, selected to reflect the Korean sociocultural context. Guideline ratings were integrated with the evaluations of specialists (i.e., using both guide base rating together with specialist's rating), and items with the greatest discriminating validity were identified. Stepwise regression methods were used to select items. KACT scale scores showed significant differences between the asthma control ratings generated by integrating ratings (r=0.77, P<0.001), by specialist's evaluations (r=0.54, P<0.001), or by FEV1 percent predicted (r=0.39, P<0.001). Specialist's and guideline ratings detected 56% and 48.6% of patients with well-controlled asthma, respectively. However, the integrated ratings indicated that only 34.3% of the patients in the test sample were well controlled. The overall agreement between KACT and the integrated rating ranged from 45% to 78%, depending on the cut-off points used. It is possible to formulate a valid, useful country-specific diagnostic tool for the assessment of asthma patients based on the original ACT that reflect differences in sociocultural context.