Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Signs activate their written word translation in deaf adults: An ERP study on cross-modal co-activation in German Sign Language

Since signs and words are perceived and produced in distinct sensory-motor systems, they do not share a phonological basis. Nevertheless, many deaf bilinguals master a spoken language with input merely based on visual cues like mouth representations of spoken words and orthographic representations of written words. Recent findings further suggest that processing of words involves cross-language cross-modal co-activation of signs in deaf and hearing bilinguals. Extending these findings in the present ERP-study, we recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) of fifteen congenitally deaf bilinguals of German Sign Language (DGS) (native L1) and German (early L2) as they saw videos of semantically and grammatically acceptable sentences in DGS. Within these DGS-sentences, two signs functioned as prime and target. Prime and target signs either had an overt phonological overlap as signs (phonological priming in DGS), or were phonologically unrelated as signs but had a covert orthographic overlap in their written German translation (orthographic priming in German). Results showed a significant priming effect for both conditions. Target signs that were either phonologically related as signs or had an underlying orthographic overlap in their written German translation engendered a less negative going polarity in the electrophysiological signal compared to overall unrelated control targets. We thus provide first evidence that deaf bilinguals co-activate their secondly acquired ‘spoken/written’ language German during whole sentence processing of their native sign language DGS.
Funds Transfer Pricing, Liquidity Premium and Market Structure

Funds transfer pricing (FTP) is widely acknowledged as an important part of banks’ asset and liability management (ALM). This paper makes two contributions to the existing FTP-theory. First, we analyze the implications of adding a liquidity premium to the FTP. Second, since a majority of the existing banking markets are dominated by a limited number of large banks we also cover the case of kinked demand and supply curves on oligopolistic and oligopsonistic competition, respectively.
Effect of the rs1051730-rs16969968 variant and smoking cessation treatment: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To assess if the allelic variations of rs16969968/rs1051730 in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster are associated with smoking cessation after nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). METHODS We searched for NRT studies published from 2000-2013 that reported counts for allelic variation of rs16969968/rs1051730 and measured abstinence rates at the end of NRT treatment. We identified four studies which met the criteria, giving us a test sample of 2036 participants. RESULTS There was no effect of rs16969968/rs1051730 in influencing the success rate at the end of NRT (n = 6, effect size [ES]: 0.969, 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.23, z = 0.27, p = 0.791). CONCLUSION There is no robust evidence that allelic variations of rs16969968 or rs1051730 are associated with smoking cessation after NRT. Original submitted 26 November 2014; Revision submitted 9 March 2015.
A switched-capacitor controlled digital-current modulated class-E EER transmitter

An envelope elimination and restoration (EER) transmitter that comprises a class-E power amplifier and a digitally controlled current DAC modulator is presented. A switched capacitor DAC is designed to control an open-loop transconductor that operates as a current modulator, modulating the amplitude of the current supplied to a class-E PA. Such a topology allows for increased filtering of the quantization noise that is problematic in most digital PAs (DPA). The system measurements yield a peak output power and power added efficiency (PAE) of 22.5 dBm and 23.6%, respectively. When applying a WCDMA signal, the measured EVM is 1.32% and the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) is -37.9 dBc, while outputting 19.9 dBm at 14.3% PAE. For an LTE signal, the measured EVM is 3.72% and the ACLR is -30.2 dBc, while outputting 18.1 dBm at 10.6% PAE.
The impact of capital structure on firm performance : an investigation of Dutch unlisted SMEs

The aim of this study is to research the effect of capital structure on firm performance based on panel data of Dutch small and medium-sized enterprises between 2008 and 2015. Moreover, two sub-panels have been created to investigate potential changes in the effect for the period of the financial crisis and for the post-crisis period. The effect was studied in the perspectives of two prominent capital structure theories, the trade-off and pecking order theory, which assume opposing signs for the relationship. Two different empirical models have been created that used return on assets (ROA) and return on capital employed (RCOE) as proxies for performance. Capital structure was measured by the total leverage and the combination of long-term and short-term obligations in proportion to total assets. The empirical results show a negative and highly statistically significant relationship between all proxies of capital structure and the ROA as a performance proxy, which is in line with the pecking order theory. The results for ROCE as a proxy for performance are mixed but statistically significant, which can be explained by the fact that ROCE is using earning before interest and tax (EBIT) as a performance indicator.
Convertible bonds financing : Shareholder wealth effects, Sequential Investments and Call Policies

This thesis focuses on three aspects of convertible bonds financing using a Western European sample between 1994 and 2016. The first study of this thesis is related to the shareholder wealth effects at the announcement of the convertible bonds issuance during financial crises. We find that the market reaction is more negative during crises’ periods compared to that in normal periods. Analysis of the determinant of this reaction indicates that the market recognizes the potential of convertible bonds to reduce agency and adverse selection costs. However, we also find that the signal of overvaluation sent by the issuance mitigates the investors’ optimism about the ability of the convertible bonds to alleviate external financing costs and this bad signal is exacerbated during the financial crises. Furthermore, we find that firms that are short-sale constrained incur less negative market reaction. The second study tests the sequential financing theory of Mayers (1998) which supports that firms issue callable convertible bonds in order to implement optimal sequential financing strategy. We point out in this study the importance of the call provision by comparing the investment and financing activities of Western European firms that early called their convertible bonds to those in the same industry that redeemed their bonds at maturity. We find that the inclusion of such provision allows firms (callable convertible bonds issuers) to better control issuance costs and signals a “strong” sequential financing strategy. We also find that the calling firms invest more than the non-calling firms at the call date and the difference-in-differences model shows that this difference is due to the call decision, after controlling for time fixed effects and other control variables. The last chapter of this thesis addresses the issue of convertible bonds call delay. As previous studies, we find that the companies do not call their bond at the optimum point identified by Ingersoll (1977). Unlike previous researches in the same area, our study considers the main theoretical rationales for convertible bonds call delay. We find strong evidence for the financial distress hypothesis, little evidence for cash flow advantage and signaling theories but no evidence for the notice period justification.
Variations of construction cost associated to leaf area renewal in saplings of two co-occurring temperate tree species (Acer platanoides L. and Fraxinus excelsior L.) along a light gradient

Le renouvellement des feuilles et des structures necessaires a leur maintien (l'ensemble correspondant a la tige feuillee) represente chaque annee un cout pour les plants. La contribution de la composition biochimique (cout de construction des tissus, CC) et des caracteristiques morphologiques (repartition de la biomasse, masse des feuilles par unite de surface, LMA) aux changements du cout associe a l'etalement des feuilles (cout de construction de la tige feuillee, par unite de surface foliaire, CC A ) a ete etudiee chez de jeunes plants de Acer platanoides L. et Fraxinus excelsior L. croissant dans un gradient naturel de lumiere sous un couvert forestier. Une diminution de LMA avec l'ombrage et des modifications de repartition de biomasse au profit des feuilles et des petioles et au detriment de la tige expliquent la forte diminution de la masse de la tige feuillee de l'annee par unite de surface foliaire (SMA), et l'essentiel de la plasticite observee pour CC A de la tige feuillee chez les deux especes. En plus, une diminution du cout de construction des feuilles chez A. platanoides contribue egalement a la diminution de CC A de la tige feuillee avec l'ombrage chez cette espece. Le cout de construction des feuilles est positivement correle a LMA chez F. excelsior, positivement correle a LMA et a l'absorbance de l'epiderme dans l'UV (A UV ) chez A. platanoides. CC des feuilles est negativement correle au contenu en cendre chez les deux especes. La forte correlation negative entre A UV et le contenu en azote pourrait tamponner les variations de CC des feuilles chez F. excelsior.
Organizational structure and knowledge-practice diffusion in the MNC

Purpose – This study aims to examine the interaction of formal and informal cross-border knowledge-sharing practices of four large multinational corporations (MNCs) in aerospace, software, IT services and telecommunications industries. The goal was to determine the manner in which coordination and control mechanisms facilitated knowledge transfer. Design/methodology/approach – Case studies comprised secondary data and semi-structured interviews with corporate headquarters and subsidiary managers in large MNCs conducted in the USA, Canada, Mexico, China, India and Eastern Europe. Findings – The primary finding of this study is that knowledge transfer mechanisms arise as a result of both formal and informal structures of the MNC. Formal structures which create either mutual dependencies or occasions for knowledge exchange facilitate transfer. Formal structure which inhibits knowledge transfer can be overcome by knowledge brokers and evaluation metrics. Research limitations/implications – These findings sugg.
Low‐pressure phase equilibria of anhydrous anorthite‐bearing mafic magmas

One of the most persistent questions regarding the phase equilibria of mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB) pertains to the petrogenesis of the anorthitic plagioclase phenocrysts (>An90) that are characteristic of the more primitive members of such suites. Anorthitic phenocrysts are present in many if not most MORB suites in spite of the fact that no naturally occurring MORB glasses have ever been discovered to be in equilibrium with plagioclase more calcic than An85. We have addressed this paradox by attempting to saturate natural basalts with anorthite in a series of 1 atm experiments using three different natural basaltic starting compositions: an N‐MORB, an E‐MORB, and a continental high‐alumina basalt. To ensure duplication of the olivine and anorthite saturation observed in natural anorthite‐bearing basalt, the experiments were run in An93‐6 capsules with Fo92 olivine added to the starting glass. The compositions of experimental liquids are generally colinear with the trends observed in the lava suites used as the source material for the starting glasses. Significantly, aluminous spinel (Al2O3 contents of 61–68 wt%) was produced at 1290°C in all compositions and chromites (Al2O3 contents of 33–42 wt%) at lower temperatures in N‐MORB‐derived liquids despite no spinel having been added to the starting mixture. In addition, the experiments produced basaltic liquid in equilibrium with both >Fo89 olivine and >An85 feldspar at temperatures of 1230° and 1210°. These liquids have compositions with Mg# (at% Mg/Mg + FeT*100) that range from 63 to >85. The TiO2‐MgO correlation indicates large (∼16–23%) amounts of crystallization for each percent decrease in MgO. These results suggest the possibility that dry, anorthite‐bearing basaltic magmas are the product of the interaction between primary melt and Al‐spinel‐bearing upper mantle. In addition, the results indicate that MORB magmas can undergo a large amount (>50%) of crystallization prior to reaching 8% MgO. Further, although anorthite‐bearing magmas have characteristics consistent with their being a significant volumetric component of MORB “parent” magmas, the reaction mechanism suggested for their petrogenesis indicates that they are not necessarily primary magmas.
Soft fault identification in electrical network using time domaine reflectometry and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systeme

The main purpose of this work is to implement a new and accurate approach based on Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) combined with Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) to solve the problem of soft faults detection and localization on complex wiring electric network. Firstly, the response of the transmission line is given by applying the Finite Difference Time Domain method (FDTD) on the transmission line equations. Then, the ANFIS method is used to solve the inverse problem which permits to detect and localize the soft fault. Finally, very acceptable results are obtained and many problems are solved at the same time as: defining the exact position and exact resistance values of the fault, defining the state of electrical network in the real time.
Radio-quiet quasars in the VIDEO survey: evidence for AGN-powered radio emission at S1.4 GHz < 1 mJy

Understanding the interplay between black-hole accretion and star formation, and how to disentangle the two, is crucial to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. To investigate, we use a combination of optical and near-infrared photometry to select a sample of 74 quasars from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations (VIDEO) Survey, over 1 deg$^2$. The depth of VIDEO allows us to study very low accretion rates and/or lower-mass black holes, and 26 per cent of the candidate quasar sample has been spectroscopically confirmed. We use a radio-stacking technique to sample below the nominal flux-density threshold using data from the Very Large Array at 1.4 GHz and find, in agreement with other work, that a power-law fit to the quasar-related radio source counts is inadequate at low flux density. By comparing with a control sample of galaxies (where we match in terms of stellar mass), and by estimating the star formation rate, we suggest that this radio emission is predominantly caused by accretion activity rather than star-formation activity.
Characteristic Features of Indigenous Poultry Breeds of India: A Review

Indigenous/native breeds of chickens are playing an important role in rural economies in most of the developing and underdeveloped countries. They are part of balanced farming system that have vital roles in the rural households as a source of high quality animal protein and emergency cash income and play a significant role in the socio cultural life of the rural community and woman empowerment. Performance of native fowl can be improved by change in husbandry, feeding, and better health cover. However, genetic improvement may be made either through selection and crossbreeding or by utilization of both selection and crossbreeding. Improvement through selection may be time consuming but the improvement will be permanent. Through crossbreeding improvement may be faster but research has to aim for the production of nativetype birds with higher production potential. In the present review efforts have been made to present the importance of native fowl to rural economy and their improvement for higher production performance.
Comparing two mechanisms for green consumption: cognitive-affect behavior vs theory of reasoned action

The purpose of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of the cognitive-affect behavior (CAB) model and the theory of reasoned action (TRA) model as well as their extended forms (with product knowledge) in predicting everyday green consumption among non-Hispanic White and Hispanic consumers. ,Survey data from a convenience sample of 249 non-Hispanic Whites and 425 Hispanic adults were used to test the two models through structural equation modeling analyses. ,While all tested models explained green consumption in both samples adequately, the basic TRA and the TPB (extended TRA) models were superior to the basic and extended CAB models. Including product knowledge further enhanced the predictive power of the two basic models. ,Self-reported surveys are subject to social desirability bias in the reporting of intentions and actual purchases of green products. Future research may attempt to collect data on actual green purchases. The selection of a general consumption context is limited in distinguishing between high- and low-involvement products. Future research should test the relative effectiveness of these models among specific green products with different levels of involvement. ,Marketing and strategic communication programs should focus on increasing consumers’ positive attitudes about purchasing green products and promote green purchase intentions using intention-generating promotional tactics. This paper also stresses the need to increase consumers’ concrete knowledge about green products to drive actual purchase behavior. ,This paper can help communicators to further promote green consumption for routinely purchased consumer goods, which will ultimately enhance a healthier and more sustainable environment. ,This paper extends the literature about green consumption, providing insights about the relative effectiveness of two widely accepted consumer behavior models. It implies that some models excel over others in terms of their explanatory power across consumer populations regardless of socio-demographic differences. It also stresses the importance of specifying explicitly behavioral control variables in green consumption research and provides a viable basis for the development of strategic marketing.
Saddle Angle and Maxillary Prognathism: A Radiological Analysis of the Association between the NSAr and SNA Angles

In cephalometric radiography, two angles have been commonly used, the saddle angle (NSAr) and the SNA angle. The former has been regarded as the cranial base angle, the latter as an indicator of the antero-posterior relation of the maxilla to the cranial base. In this study, a sample of 138 lateral skull radiographs of untreated orthodontic patients aged 7–15 years was analysed. The sample consisted of Angle's Class I, Class II, and Class III malocclusion cases. Means and standard deviations of the NSAr and SNA angles and the S—N and S—Ar lines for different malocclusion groups were estimated, and for each malocclusion group, the model of linear regression (y=bx+a) between the SNA and NSAr angles was computed. The mean of the NSAr angle was significantly larger in the Class II malocclusion group than in the Class III malocclusion group (p<0·05). The computed regressions indicated that about 14–40 per cent of the variation of the SNA angle in different malocclusion groups and about 24 per cent in the whole sample could be explained by the variation of the NSAr angle. Because at least a part of the correlation between the NSAr and SNA angles had a topographical causation, the main cause of this topographical correlation probably being the rotation of the S-N plane, the SNA angle was regarded as an unreliable indicator, the use of which can lead to considerable errors.
Regulation of cyclic GMP elevation in the developing antennal lobe of the Sphinx moth, Manduca sexta.

In the moth, Manduca sexta, 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is transiently elevated during adult development in about 100 neurons of the antennal lobe. We demonstrate that nearly all of these neurons are local interneurons of the lateral cluster I, that their capacity to show a strong cGMP response during development is regulated by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone, and that in a subpopulation of these neurons cGMP elevation seems to be controlled directly by the gaseous messenger molecule nitric oxide (NO). Treatment with the acetylcholine esterase inhibitor eserine, antennal nerve transection, and electrical stimulation of the antennae suggest that NO/cGMP signaling during development is an activity-dependent process. Besides input from the antennae, input from the central brain and the ventral ganglia is involved in upregulating cGMP in the antennal-lobe neurons. Possible sources are centrifugal aminergic neurons, since application of serotonin and histamine enhances the GMP signal in local interneurons. Comparing the time course of cGMP elevation with events occurring during development leads us to the hypothesis that the NO/cGMP signaling pathway might be involved in synapse formation of a subset of antennal-lobe neurons.
Retinal Ganglion Cell Axon Guidance in the Mouse Optic Chiasm: Expression and Function of Robos and Slits

The ventral midline of the nervous system is an important choice point at which growing axons decide whether to cross and project contralaterally or remain on the same side of the brain. InDrosophila, the decision to cross or avoid the CNS midline is controlled, at least in part, by the Roundabout (Robo) receptor on the axons and its ligand, Slit, an inhibitory extracellular matrix molecule secreted by the midline glia. Vertebrate homologs of these molecules have been cloned and have also been implicated in regulating axon guidance. Using in situ hybridization, we have determined the expression patterns of robo1,2and slit1,2,3 in the mouse retina and in the region of the developing optic chiasm, a ventral midline structure in which retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons diverge to either side of the brain. The receptors and ligands are expressed at the appropriate time and place, in both the retina and the ventral diencephalon, to be able to influence RGC axon guidance. In vitro,slit2 is inhibitory to RGC axons, with outgrowth of both ipsilaterally and contralaterally projecting axons being strongly affected. Overall, these results indicate that Robos and Slits alone do not directly control RGC axon divergence at the optic chiasm and may additionally function as a general inhibitory guidance system involved in determining the relative position of the optic chiasm at the ventral midline of the developing hypothalamus.
Long-time coherent integration for radar target detection base on Radon-Fourier transform

Based on the internal coupling relationship among radial velocity, range-walk and Doppler frequency of moving target's echoes, this paper proposes a novel method, i.e., Radon-Fourier transform (RFT), to realize the long-time coherent integration for radar target detection. The RFT realizes the echoes spatial-temporal decoupling via joint searching along range and velocity directions, as well as the successive coherent integration via the Doppler filter bank. Besides, it is shown that RFT is a kind of generalized Doppler filter bank processing for targets with across range unit (ARU) range walk. Finally, numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Reprogramming of prostate cancer‐associated stromal cells to embryonic stem‐like

CD90+ prostate cancer‐associated (CP) stromal cells represent a diseased cell type found only in tumor tissue. They differ from their normal counterpart in gene expression and inductive signaling. Genetic reprogramming by induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology can effectively change adult cells into stem‐like cells through wholesale alteration of the gene expression program. This technology might be used to ‘erase’ the abnormal gene expression of diseased cells. The resultant iPS cells would no longer express the disease phenotype, and behave like stem cells.