Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causality Analysis between Electricity Consumption, Real Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Direct Investment, Human Development and Remittances in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico

This paper examines the relationship between electricity consumption (EC), gross domestic product (GDP), foreign direct investment (FDI), human development index (HDI) and remittances (RMT) for Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico using annual data from 1980 to 2012. Previous literature oversees the relevance of RMT in Latin America and the urgent need to improve HDI levels when analyzing EC and GDP linkages. Time series techniques test the causal relationships direction and its interaction sign. In Colombia there are two unidirectional causalities running from HDI to EC and GDP to FDI generating a positive effect, and bidirectional causality between HDI and RMT refl ecting an enhancing feedback in the long-run. In Ecuador, a unidirectional direct causality from EC to GDP and a negative impact from RMT to GDP characterize for the long-run interaction. In Mexico, EC causes FDI in the short-run within a positive interaction, and FDI and HDI sustain short-run unidirectional causalities affecting RMT negatively exerted from FDI and positively from HDI. After reviewing the results, the author suggests policies to each country.
Additional Evidence on Audit Report Lag

The process for providing accounting information to the public has not changed much in the last century even though the extent of disclosure has increased signifi‐cantly. Sundem et al. (1996) suggest that the primary benefit of audited financial statements may not be decision usefulness but the discipline imposed by timely confirmation of previously available information. In general, the value of information from the audited financial statement will decline as the audit report lag (the time period between a company's fiscal year end and the date of the audit report) increases since competitively oriented users may obtain substitute sources of information. Furthermore, the literature on earnings quality and earnings management suggests that unexpected reporting delays may be associated with lower quality information. The purpose of this paper is to extend our understanding about the determinants of audit report lag using a proprietary database containing 226 audit engagements from an international public a.
LEVEL-OF-EFFORT PARADATA AND NONRESPONSE ADJUSTMENT MODELS FOR A NATIONAL FACE-TO-FACE SURVEY

Level-of-effort paradata include information such as the number and timing of attempts and whether there was ever resistance on a sampled case. These types of data are very useful for predicting the probability of response. However, in order to be useful for nonresponse adjustment purposes, data from the sampling frame and paradata need to predict response and the survey variables of interest. Whether level-of-effort paradata will predict survey variables is an empirical question for any specifi cs urvey. We examine the utility of these data for nonresponse adjustment purposes in a large, national survey of health and financial measures. Through a series of models and comparisons of alternative weights, we conclude that although the level-of-effort paradata are very useful for predicting the probability of response, for this survey they are not predictive of key survey outcomes and are, therefore, excluded from the adjustment models.
Drivers of Customer–Brand Relationship Quality: A Case of Mainland Chinese Hotel Loyalty Program Members

ABSTRACT Hotel chains should understand the effectiveness of the benefits offered by their programs and the influence of customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives of individual hotels because of the high operating costs of loyalty programs and the risk of creating an affinity to the rewards they offer rather than to the brand itself. This study determines the effect of the satisfaction of hotel loyalty program members on the benefits they receive, and the CRM efforts of individual hotels on the quality of their relationship with the brand. The sample was drawn from mainland Chinese customers because of the growing importance of the Chinese tourism market. Results reveal that program benefits have no significant effect on the quality of the relationship of the member with the hotel brand. The communication of the program to its members and the customer orientation of individual hotels are the key determinants of relationship quality.
Human plasma fibronectin structure probed by steady-state fluorescence polarization: evidence for a rigid oblate structure.

In order to more clearly define the structure of human plasma fibronectin (PFn) under physiologic buffer conditions, we determined the mean harmonic rotational relaxation times (rho H) of PFn and the thrombin-derived 190/170-kDa PFn fragment using steady-state fluorescence polarization. These measurements utilized the long lifetime emission (tau = 1.2 X 10(-7) S) exhibited by 1-pyrenebutyrate, which had been covalently attached to amino groups at random sites on the PFn subunit. Our data analysis assumed that two independent processes depolarize the fluorescence exhibited by the dansylcadaverine and 1-pyrenebutyrate conjugates of PFn: (A) rapid (rho H less than 10(-9) S) "thermally-activated" localized rotational motion of the protein side chains bearing the fluorescent probe [Weber, G. (1952) Biochem. J. 51, 145-154] and (B) slow (rho H approximately 10(-6) S) temperature-independent global rotational motion of the whole PFn molecule. Since only the rho H associated with the latter process is a true hydrodynamic parameter (i.e., sensitive to size and/or shape of the PFn molecule), we utilized isothermal polarization measurements to discriminate against the interfering signal arising from "thermally activated" probe rotation. The rho H (4.4 +/- 0.9 microseconds) derived from an experiment in which pyrene-PFn fluorescence polarization was monitored as a function of sucrose concentration at constant temperature is 7 (+/- 1.4) times longer than that predicted for an equivalent hydrated sphere. We propose that "thermally activated" probe rotation gives rise to the nearly 100-fold shorter PFn rho H values previously reported in the literature. Consequently, our data exclude all previous models which invoke segmental flexibility of the PFn peptide backbone. The simplest hydrodynamic model supported by our fluorescence data is an oblate ellipsoid with an axial ratio of 15:1. All prolate models can be unambiguously excluded by this result. We estimate that the disk-shaped PFn molecule has a diameter and thickness of 30 and 2 nm, respectively. Electron microscopy of negatively stained PFn specimens on carbon also showed PFn to have a compact rounded structure. The much faster rotational relaxation rate of the pyrene-190/170-kDa PFn fragment (rho H = 0.92 +/- 0.11 microseconds) compared to pyrene-PFn indicated that this monomeric PFn fragment, like native PFn, had an oblate shape under physiologic buffer conditions.
Lab-on-Chip-Based Platform for Fast Molecular Diagnosis of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

ABSTRACT We evaluated the performance of the molecular lab-on-chip-based VerePLEX Biosystem for detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), obtaining a diagnostic accuracy of more than 97.8% compared to sequencing and MTBDRplus assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and rifampin and isoniazid resistance detection on clinical isolates and smear-positive specimens. The speed, user-friendly interface, and versatility make it suitable for routine laboratory use.
Testosterone in advance age: a New Zealand longitudinal cohort study: Life and Living in Advanced Age (Te Puāwaitanga o Ngā Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu)

Objectives Serum testosterone (T) levels in men decline with age. Low T levels are associated with sarcopenia and frailty in men aged >80 years. T levels have not previously been directly associated with disability in older men. We explored associations between T levels, frailty and disability in a cohort of octogenarian men. Setting Data from all men from Life and Living in Advanced Age Cohort Study in New Zealand, a longitudinal cohort study in community-dwelling older adults. Participants Community-dwelling (>80 years) adult men excluding those receiving T treatment or with prostatic carcinoma. Outcomes measures Associations between baseline total testosterone (TT) and calculated free testosterone (fT), frailty (Fried scale) and disability (Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living scale (NEADL)) (baseline and 24 months) were examined using multivariate regression and Wald’s χ2 techniques. Subjects with the lowest quartile of baseline TT and fT values were compared with those in the upper three quartiles. Results Participants: 243 men, mean (SD) age 83.7 (2.0) years. Mean (SD) TT=17.6 (6.8) nmol/L and fT=225.3 (85.4) pmol/L. On multivariate analyses, lower TT levels were associated with frailty: β=0.41, p=0.017, coefficient of determination (R2)=0.10 and disability (NEADL) (β=−1.27, p=0.017, R2=0.11), low haemoglobin (β=−7.38, p=0.0016, R2=0.05), high fasting glucose (β=0.38, p=0.038, R2=0.04) and high C reactive protein (CRP) (β=3.57, p=0.01, R2=0.06). Low fT levels were associated with frailty (β=0.39, p=0.024, R2=0.09) but not baseline NEADL (β=−1.29, p=0.09, R2=0.09). Low fT was associated with low haemoglobin (β=−7.83, p=0.0008, R2=0.05) and high CRP (β=2.86, p=0.04, R2=0.05). Relationships between baseline TT and fT, and 24-month outcomes of disability and frailty were not significant. Conclusions In men over 80 years, we confirm an association between T levels and baseline frailty scores. The new finding of association between T levels and disability is potentially relevant to debates on T supplementation in older men, though, as associations were not present at 24 months, further work is needed.
Integrated performance measurement systems: an audit and development guide

The performance management process is seen as a closed loop control system which deploys policy and strategy, and obtains feedback from various levels in order to manage the performance of the business. The performance measurement system is the information system which is at the heart of the performance management process and it is of critical importance to the effective and efficient functioning of the performance management system. Research identifies two critical elements with respect to the content and structure of the performance measurement system: integrity and deployment. The viable systems model (VSM) provides a framework for assessing the integrity of the performance measurement system, while the reference model developed for integrated performance measurement systems provides a framework against which performance measurement systems can be designed and audited.
Monolithic Integration of Pressure Plus Acceleration Composite TPMS Sensors With a Single-Sided Micromachining Technology

This paper concerns the development of a single-side micromachined tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor for automobiles, which is with a piezoresistive pressure sensor and a cantilever-mass piezoresistive accelerometer monolithically integrated in a 1.6 mm × 1.5 mm sized (111)-silicon chip. Single-wafer-based front-side silicon micromachining and metal electroplating technologies are employed to fabricate the device. Specially designed releasing trenches along (111) orientation are constructed to form the hexagonal pressure-sensitive diaphragm and the postsealed vacuum reference cavity. The fabrication of the accelerometer is also based on a hexagonal diaphragm that is latterly cut into suspended cantilevers and seismic mass. To achieve a high sensitivity, a high-density copper thick film is selectively electroplated to significantly increase the mass. The performance of the 115-g-ranged accelerometer is measured, exhibiting a sensitivity of 99.9 μV/g (under 3.3-V supply), nonlinearity of ±0.45% FS, and the noise floor of better than 0.2 g. The 750-kPa-ranged pressure-sensor sensitivity is measured as 0.108 mV/kPa (under 3.3-V supply), with the nonlinearity error smaller than ±0.1% FS and the temperature coefficient of sensitivity as -0.19%/°C FS before compensation. The noise floor of the pressure-sensor out- put signal is 0.15 kPa. The zero-point temperature coefficient is tested as -0.11%/°C FS and -0.024%/°C FS for the accelerometer and the pressure sensor, respectively. Fabricated with the low-cost front-side micromachining technique, the small-sized TPMS sensors are promising in practical applications and volume production.
Breaking out – Barriers against Effort, Biographical Work against Opportunity Structures

This paper presents the life story of a single small-business owner of immigrant background who wants his company to grow. His business strategies are analysed both as a part of his own biographical work, and as they were influenced and framed by broader political, economic and social processes. It is shown how his own personal qualities in combination with opportunity structures in the local market provided favourable conditions for his break-in. Breaking out, however, seems to be presented with different types of barriers, such as lack of access to capital, discrimination, and the fact that new markets may consist of different sorts of network that are in its turn more difficult for new actors to enter. But even if newcomers often find these barriers difficult for to overcome, individuals are not just passive objects but also have the opportunity to realize their lives according to their own life plans.
Mechanisms of constitutive activation of Janus kinase 2‐V617F revealed at the atomic level through molecular dynamics simulations

The tyrosine kinase Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is important in triggering nuclear translocation and regulation of target genes expression through signal transducer and activator of transcription pathways. The valine‐to‐phenylalanine mutation at amino acid 617 (V617F), which results in the deregulation of JAK2, has been implicated in the oncogenesis of chronic myeloproliferative disease. However, both the mechanism of JAK2 autoinhibition and the mechanism of V617F constitutive activation remain unclear.
The carboxyl terminus of myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C, C-protein) specifies incorporation into the A-band of striated muscle.

Myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C), also known as C-protein, is a major constituent of the thick filaments of vertebrate striated muscles. The protein, approximately 130 kDa, consists of a series of 10 globular motifs (numbered I to X) each of approximately 90-100 amino acids, bearing resemblance to the C2-set of immunoglobins (Ig C2) and to the fibronectin type III (FnIII) motifs. Using pure preparations of myosin and MyBP-C, it has been demonstrated that the major myosin binding domain of MyBP-C resides within the C-terminal Ig C2 motif (motif X). However, in the context of the in vivo thick filament, it is uncertain if the latter domain is sufficient to target MyBP-C correctly to the A-band or if other regions of the molecule are required for this process. To answer this question, cultures of skeletal muscle myoblasts were transfected with expression plasmids encoding seven truncation mutants of MyBP-C, and their targeting to the A-band investigated by immunofluorescence microscopy. To distinguish the recombinant proteins from endogenous MyBP-C, a myc epitope was inserted at each amino terminus. Recombinant MyBP-C exhibited an identical distribution in the sarcomere to that of native MyBP-C; i.e. it was found exclusively in the C-zone of the A-band. A mutant encoding the C-terminal 372 amino acids, but lacking motifs I-VI (termed delta 1-6), also targeted correctly to the A-band. This fragment, which is composed of two Ig C2 and two FnIII motifs, was the minimal protein fragment required for correct A-band incorporation. Larger amino-terminal deletions or deletion of motif X, the myosin binding domain, abolished all localization to the A-band. One construct (delta 10) lacking only motif X strongly inhibited myofibril assembly. We conclude that the myosin binding domain of MyBP-C, although essential, is not sufficient for correct incorporation into the A-band and that motifs VII to IX are required for this process. The data suggest a topological model in which MyBP-C is associated with the thick filament through its C terminus.
Letter to the Editor: ‘Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome after treatments given in the PACE trial’: an appropriate threshold for a recovery?

use of the term ‘recovery’. Citing Nisenbaum et al. (2003) they write, ‘recovery may be taken to imply that the patient has made a transition from ill health to remission and also is at little risk of recurrence’ but then acknowledge that, in the absence of longitudinal data, it is not possible to discriminate between remission and recovery in CFS. Thus, in the current paper, ‘recovery’ does not mean recovery as understood by Nisenbaum but ‘recovery from the current episode of the illness’, a state described by Nisenbaum as ‘remission’. This difference is important because CFS is known to pursue ‘a fluctuating course with periods of relative remission and relapse’ (CFS/ME Working Group, 2002) and Cochrane reviews of CBT (Price et al. 2008) and GET (Edmonds et al. 2004) have reported inconsistent findings at long-term follow-up, with some studies showing that initial gains can diminish with time. Writing about the PACE trial, Edmonds et al. concluded ‘Even when the results of that study are available, it is possible that uncertainty will remain. Further randomized studies are needed, with longer follow-up, to determine whether patients who respond to exercise stay well or relapse. ’
Conceptualizing the Tools of Government in Urban Network Governance

The alleged increase in new governance arrangements is often understood as a challenge, since public leaders are considered to be less able to influence and govern when government is only one out of several stakeholders. Some scholars argue that steering in such settings is fundamentally different from steering in a hierarchical context. This article aims to assess how a classic and generic analytical framework to tools of government, the NATO-scheme developed by Christopher Hood, fits in a setting where local governments attempt to influence networks. Based on in-depth studies of nine urban networks in Norway, we have assessed the toolbox and the use of different tools. The article demonstrates that the suggested generic framework makes sense in a network context. Thus, to bridge the classic literature on policy instruments and the growing discourse on meta-governance would probably be beneficial.
University of Groningen Reasons of general practitioners for not prescribing lipid-lowering medication to patients with diabetes

Background: Lipid-lowering medication remains underused, even in high-risk populations. The objective of this study was to determine factors underlying general practitioners' decisions not to prescribe such drugs to patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews using real cases was conducted to explore reasons for not prescribing lipid-lowering medication after a guideline was distributed that recommended the use of statins in most patients with type 2 diabetes. Seven interviews were conducted with general practitioners (GPs) in The Netherlands, and analysed using an analytic inductive approach. Results: Reasons for not-prescribing could be divided into patient and physician-attributed factors. According to the GPs, some patients do not follow-up on agreed medication and others object to taking lipid-lowering medication, partly for legitimate reasons such as expected or perceived side effects. Furthermore, the GPs themselves perceived reservations for prescribing lipid-lowering medication in patients with short life expectancy, expected compliance problems or near goal lipid levels. GPs sometimes postponed the start of treatment because of other priorities. Finally, barriers were seen in the GPs' practice organisation, and at the primary-secondary care interface. Conclusion: Some of the barriers mentioned by GPs seem to be valid reasons, showing that guideline non-adherence can be quite rational. On the other hand, treatment quality could improve by addressing issues, such as lack of knowledge or motivation of both the patient and the GP. More structured management in general practice may also lead to better treatment. Background Statins can lower cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes mellitus by around 25%. [1] Treatment guidelines for general practitioners in The Netherlands have recommended prescribing lipid-lowering drugs to almost all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Despite these recommendations, the number of patients being treated has remained rather low. Studies in Dutch general practice Published: 21 April 2009 BMC Family Practice 2009, 10:24 doi:10.1186/1471-2296-10-24 Received: 18 December 2008 Accepted: 21 April 2009 This article is available from: http://www.biomedcentral. com/1471-2296/10/24 © 2009 AB et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. BMC Family Practice 2009, 10:24 http://www.biomedcentral. com/1471-2296/10/24
Dynamic linkages among cross-currency swap markets under stress

This article examines the impacts of the European sovereign debt crisis on the Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) between three European currencies (EUR, CHF and GBP) and the US dollar for 1-year maturities. We found that the correlation between each pair of the swap prices significantly fluctuated over time and exhibited a higher co-movement during the crisis period, suggesting a higher degree of market integration. Importantly, applying a linear regression framework with a crisis dummy variable to the derived DCC, we find evidence of spillover effects of the sovereign debt turbulence to the cross-currency swap markets, as reflected in the increased co-movement between the EUR/USD and CHF/USD swap prices.
Textual Document Clustering Using Topic Models

Document clustering is to group documents according to a certain semantic features defined on the document set for measuring the similarities between two documents. The keyword models such as the TFIDF model of document have been widely used as features for document clustering. But it lacks of semantic structure, which limit its further usage in document analysis. Topic model has been developed to discover multiple probabilistic distributions over the vocabulary, which can be seen as different topic dimensions of the document set. It has a richer semantic structure than the TFIDF models. Using topic model to cluster documents, one can obtain the not only the document ids of clusters but also the topic of the clusters and the global document set. There are two major ways to use the topic models in document clustering: one is based on the basic topic model and the other is based on new cluster-oriented topic models. In this paper, we evaluate the basic clustering performance of these two types of methods. We proposed several simple clustering methods based on the basic topic model and compare them with the cluster-oriented topic model and other major clustering methods. The experimental results show that the simple method can achieve the comparable clustering accuracy and recall rate to those latest models and algorithms.