Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are there asymmetries in UK consumption? A closer look

This letter reappraises some recently reported tests for asymmetries in UK consumers' expenditure relative to trend. In particular, we consider the disaggregation of consumers' expenditure into broad categories of durable and non-durable goods and services, and according to 13 specific consumption categories. We also consider the sensitivity of test results to alternative detrending methods; namely Hodrick-Prescott filtering and structural time series modelling. We find that previous consideration of total consumers expenditure alone masks an important difference in the properties of expenditure across the durable/non-durable distinction, durables exhibiting significant asymmetric 'steepness' which is robust to the method of detrending, while non-durables exhibit significant 'deepness' under Hodrick-Prescott detrending but not structural time series trend modelling.
Research, development and scaling-up the adoption of fodder shrub innovations in East Africa

Smallholder farmers in developing countries face numerous limitations that hinder them from embracing improved agricultural practices and innovations with great potential for meaningful transformations of livelihoods. Consequently, farmers continue living in vicious cycles of poverty despite decades of government and donor expenditures on poverty alleviation. In the last two decades, research and development organizations collaborated in testing and validating selected fodder shrub species as reliable sources of less expensive and easily available protein feeds. With minimal interventions, the research findings have great potential to improve productivity for many smallholder farmers. Tested species include Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena spp. , Chamaecytisus palmensis, Sesbania sesban, Morus alba and Gliricidia sepium. Dissemination and adoption surveys estimated that 205,000 smallholder farmers (40–50 per cent being women) had planted fodder shrubs by 2005. Currently, fodder shrubs contribute US$3.8 million annually to farmers' incomes and estimated potential annual income is US$81 million. Factors associated with success in fodder scaling-up include deliberate involvement of fodder technology champions, collective action in community mobilization and project implementation, pluralistic extension approaches, sustainable germplasm supply systems, broader partnerships and civil society campaigns. Constraints and challenges include: ineffective delivery of extension and research services, inhibitive policies, political interferences, frequent droughts and inadequate monitoring and evaluation systems.
Is fiscal policy really sustainable in Turkey? A reexamination

The primary purpose of this paper is to reexamine empirically the sustainability of fiscal policy in Turkey and to identify whether it is strong or weak for the 1975-2012 period. In the paper, we followed the model of Hakkio and Rush (1991) along with its developed version by Quintos (1995). Unlike a large number of previous studies, in this paper we attempted to examine decomposed effects of government expenditure and government revenue on fiscal sustainability by considering functional components. The empirical findings of the paper supported the findings of most previous studies on fiscal sustainability in Turkey and revealed that the sustainability of fiscal policy was quite weak in Turkey in the long-run.
Identification of the Sites of N-Linked Glycosylation on the Human Calcium Receptor and Assessment of Their Role in Cell Surface Expression and Signal Transduction*

The human calcium receptor (hCaR) is a G-protein-coupled receptor containing 11 potential N-linked glycosylation sites in the large extracellular domain. The number of potential N-linked glycosylation sites actually modified, and the effect on cell surface expression and signal transduction of blocking glycosylation at these sites, was examined by site-directed mutagenesis. Asparagine residues of the consensus sequences (Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr) for N-linked glycosylation were mutated to glutamine individually and in various combinations to disrupt the potential N-linked glycosylation sites in the context of the full-length receptor. The cDNA constructs were transiently transfected into HEK-293 cells lacking endogeneous hCaR, and expressed receptors were analyzed by mobility differences on immunoblots, glycosidase digestion, intact cell enzyme-linked immunoassay, and extracellular calcium-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis assay. Immunoblot analyses and glycosidase digestion studies of the wild typeversus mutant receptors demonstrate that, of the 11 potential sites for N-linked glycosylation, eight sites (Asn-90, -130, -261, -287, -446, -468, -488, and -541) are glycosylated; the three remaining sites (Asn-386, -400, and -594) may not be efficiently glycosylated in the native receptor. Sequential mutagenesis of multiple N-linked glycosylation sites and analyses by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, biotinylation of cell surface proteins, and intact cell enzyme-linked immunoassay indicated that disruption of as few as three glycosylation sites impairs proper processing and expression of the receptor at the cell surface. Disruption of five glycosylation sites reduced cell surface expression by 50–90% depending on which five sites were disrupted. Phosphoinositide hydrolysis assay results for various glycosylation-defective mutant receptors in general correlated well with the level of cell surface expression. Our results demonstrate that among 11 potential N-linked glycosylation sites on the hCaR, eight sites are actually utilized; glycosylation of at least three sites is critical for cell surface expression of the receptor, but glycosylation does not appear to be critical for signal transduction.
Organizational Change and Skill Accumulation

We model the links between skills and changes in work organization. As the proportion of skilled workers increases, the economy travels through a sequence of organizational equilibria. We show that as the relative supply of skills increases the organization of work becomes more decentralized. Both skilled and unskilled workers become more autonomous and perform a wider range of tasks: decentralization spreads across firms at the expense of the old centralized organization based on a strict division of labor. Moreover, as firms switch to decentralization, their employment structure becomes more homogeneous and wage inequality stops decreasing. These predictions are compared with empirical evidence based on French establishment-level data and we find support for both of them. This suggests that the long-term increase in the skill level of the workforce may have been one important factor driving the recent introduction of new work practices by a large number of firms.
DeconMSn: a software tool for accurate parent ion monoisotopic mass determination for tandem mass spectra

UNLABELLED DeconMSn accurately determines the monoisotopic mass and charge state of parent ions from high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry data, offering significant improvement for LTQ_FT and LTQ_Orbitrap instruments over the commercially delivered Thermo Fisher Scientific's extract_msn tool. Optimal parent ion mass tolerance values can be determined using accurate mass information, thus improving peptide identifications for high-mass measurement accuracy experiments. For low-resolution data from LCQ and LTQ instruments, DeconMSn incorporates a support-vector-machine-based charge detection algorithm that identifies the most likely charge of a parent species through peak characteristics of its fragmentation pattern. AVAILABILITY http://ncrr.pnl. gov/software/ or http://www.proteomicsresource. org/.
Crosstalk noise estimation for generic RLC trees with capacitive coupling

This paper presents an alternative estimation method of crosstalk noise for generic RLC trees. The proposed model derives an analytical waveform and crosstalk noise in the on-chip interconnect network. The closed form expression introduced here consider all damping conditions of an RLC circuit including the under damped response, which is not considered by the Elmore delay due to the non-monotone nature of the response. The continuous analytical nature of the solutions makes these expressions suitable for design methodologies and optimization techniques. Also the solutions have significantly improved accuracy as compared to the Elmore delay for an over damped response. The solutions introduced here for RLC trees can be practically used for the same purposes that the Elmore delay is used for RC trees.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder outcomes for children treated in community-based pediatric settings.

OBJECTIVE To determine if children treated by community physicians who participated in an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) quality improvement intervention demonstrate symptom and impairment improvements comparable with those achieved in university-based clinical trials. DESIGN Case series. SETTING Rural, suburban, and urban practices, with 28% of the 47 practices serving primarily (>50% of patients) Medicaid-receiving populations. PARTICIPANTS A total of 785 children aged between 7 and 11 years were treated for ADHD by community physicians participating in the study. Intervention A total of 158 community physicians from 47 separate practices participated in a quality improvement intervention, the ADHD Collaborative, designed to improve physician adherence to evidence-based ADHD treatment guidelines. The intervention included mapping and redesign of practice office flow to facilitate adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics ADHD guidelines as well as didactic sessions related to diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Medical record reviews were completed at the initial assessment and every 3 months for 1 year to evaluate treatment outcome. OUTCOME MEASURES Improvement in parent- and teacher-rated ADHD symptoms and functional impairment. RESULTS Children showed large improvements in parent- and teacher-rated ADHD symptoms, similar to some clinical trials, but made no significant improvements in functional impairment. CONCLUSIONS Large improvements in ADHD symptoms can be achieved in primary care settings when physicians provide evidence-based ADHD care using medication. Because many children with ADHD continued to have significant functional impairment despite symptom improvement, collaboration with other mental health or educational services in additional to medication appears warranted.
Procognitive Properties of Drugs with Single and Multitargeting H3 Receptor Antagonist Activities

The histamine H3 receptor (H3R) is an important modulator of numerous central control mechanisms. Novel lead optimizations for H3R antagonists/inverse agonists involved studies of structure–activity relationships, cross‐affinities, and pharmacokinetic properties of promising ligands. Blockade of inhibitory histamine H3 autoreceptors reinforces histaminergic transmission, while antagonism of H3 heteroreceptors accelerates the corticolimbic liberation of acetylcholine, norepinephrine, glutamate, dopamine, serotonin and gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA). The H3R positioned at numerous neurotransmission crossroads indicates therapeutic applications of small‐molecule H3R modulators in a number of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases with various clinical candidates available. Dual target drugs displaying H3R antagonism/inverse agonism with inhibition of acetylcholine esterase (AChE), histamine N‐methyltransferase (HMT), or serotonin transporter (SERT) are novel class of procognitive agents. Main chemical diversities, pharmacophores, and pharmacological profiles of procognitive agents acting as H3R antagonists/inverse agonists and dual H3R antagonists/inverse agonists with inhibiting activity on AChE, HMT, or SERT are highlighted here.
Activities of sparfloxacin, azithromycin, temafloxacin, and rifapentine compared with that of clarithromycin against multiplication of Mycobacterium avium complex within human macrophages

The activities of sparfloxacin, azithromycin, temafloxacin, and rifapentine against two virulent strains of the Mycobacterium avium complex isolated from patients with AIDS were evaluated in a model of intracellular infection and were compared with that of clarithromycin. Human monocyte-derived macrophages were infected with the M. avium complex at day 6 of culture. The intracellular CFU was counted 60 min after inoculation. The intracellular and supernatant CFU was counted on days 4 and 7 after inoculation. The concentrations used, which were equal to peak levels in serum, were 10 micrograms of rifapentine per ml (MICs for the two strains, 4 and 16 micrograms/ml), 4 micrograms of clarithromycin per ml (MICs, 8 and 4 micrograms/ml), 1 microgram of azithromycin per ml (MICs, 32 and 16 micrograms/ml), 4 micrograms of temafloxacin per ml (MICs, 2 and 16 micrograms/ml), and 1 microgram of sparfloxacin per ml (MICs, 0.5 and 2 micrograms/ml). Compared with controls on day 7 after inoculation, clarithromycin (P less than 0.001), sparfloxacin (P less than 0.001), and azithromycin (P less than 0.001 for the first strain, P less than 0.02 for the second) slowed intracellular replication. Rifapentine (P less than 0.001) and temafloxacin (P less than 0.001) slowed intracellular replication of the first strain but not of the second strain. Azithromycin plus sparfloxacin was as effective as sparfloxacin alone. In this macrophage model, sparfloxacin or clarithromycin (difference not significant) exhibited a better efficacy than rifapentine, azithromycin, or temafloxacin against intracellular M. avium complex infection.
Participatory Action Research for Environmental Health: Encountering Freire in the Urban Barrio

ABSTRACT: The community-based approach to health research and intervention is a model of inquiry rooted in Freire’s participatory action research (PAR). We need to show, in concept and practice, what it is about PAR that may be well suited for the types of health issues we encounter in inner-city environments. What type of learning results, how does this respond to particular health issues in the urban context, and what are the particular challenges faced in translating Freire’s model into today’s urban setting? To investigate these questions, we describe a recent PAR project in Southeast Los Angeles, California—an area known to some as “Asthmatown. ” One salient finding of the research is that PAR allows the integration of complex and multiple forms of knowledge, and this is a necessary response to the complex and multiplex nature of cumulative impacts. There are challenges to translating the model to the urban setting, however, such as the difficulties of participation in today’s urban milieu. The research leads to some lessons for practitioners, such as the need to build “constant” elements into PAR projects. Lastly, we reflect on implications of this model for institutional reform.
Appliance operation scheduling for electricity consumption optimization

This paper concerns the problem of optimally scheduling a set of appliances at the end-user premises. The user's energy fee varies over time, and moreover, in the context of smart grids, the user may receive a reward from an energy aggregator if he/she reduces consumption during certain time intervals. In a household, the problem is to decide when to schedule the operation of the appliances, in order to meet a number of goals, namely overall costs, climatic comfort level and timeliness. We devise a model accounting for a typical household user, and present computational results showing that it can be efficiently solved in real-life instances.
When a Loss is More Than Just a Loss: The Market Pricing of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments

____________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: When the fair value of an investment security falls below amortized cost and there is significant doubt that the firm can hold the security until the fair value recovers, managers must recognize an other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) in net income. Thus, OTTIs represent managers’ attempts to distinguish more certain from less certain losses. We find that the distinctions between more and less certain losses made by commercial bank managers during the financial crisis were informative to investors. Investors were unable to fully anticipate quarterly OTTI charges, and priced OTTIs incrementally to reported fair value gains/losses. We also find that the recent OTTI bifurcation rule isolated a useful component of OTTIs for investors. Our results suggest that investors do not assign the same valuation multiple to all types of unrealized security losses, even though unrealized losses are commonly thought of as transitory items. The results inform recent standard-setting initiatives to expand disclosure about the reasons for changes in fair value.
First record of the North American cryptic invader Ferrissia fragilis (Tryon, 1863) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in the Middle East

Some gastropod specimens belonging to the planorbid genus Ferrissia were recently collected in Lebanon and in Iraq, where the autochthonous species Ferrissia clessiniana (Jickeli, 1882) is supposed to occur. The molecular identification of collected specimens proved that they belong to the allochthonous species Ferrissia fragilis (Tryon, 1863), the protagonist of a dramatic cryptic invasion which is of interest to the whole of Eurasia. These findings cast further doubts on the actual existence of autochthonous Ferrissia species in the Palaearctic. The need for a molecular characterisation of the topotypical population of F. clessiniana, and for a revision of the Palaearctic Ferrissia species, is stressed.
The tourism led growth hypothesis: the Lebanese case

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the direction of the causality between tourism development and economic growth in Lebanon between 1995 and 2013, after taking into consideration terrorist incidents and their intensities. These are considered as exogenous shocks that affect tourism development and economic growth instantaneously and with a lag. Design/methodology/approach – To reach the objectives, the authors estimate a vector auto regressive model with exogenous variables, applying a series of unit root tests with and without structural breaks and the Granger causality test. Findings – The findings suggest a positive unidirectional causality running from tourism development to economic growth in the short run. Thus, the authors find evidence for the tourism-led growth hypothesis (TLGH) in Lebanon despite the exposure of the country to frequent terrorist incidents. The impulse response functions reveal that tourism development (economic growth) responds positively to a positive shock to eco.
Foreign direct investment and host country conditions: Looking from the other side now

In contrast to the customary focus on the consequences of foreign direct investment for host countries in the developing world, this analysis examines how host country conditions may influence the allocation of FDI. We found that foreign investors tend to be attracted to the larger and more industrialized developing countries. They also tend to favor countries that feature close political and military ties with the United States, and dynamic export of manufactures. Additionally, host countries with stronger central governments have “pulled” in more FDI than those without this characteristic. Conversely, the smaller, less industrialized, and nonaligned African, Asian, and Latin American countries have been largely ignored by Western investors. These investors have been increasingly attracted to the manufacturing sector in developing countries, as opposed to their traditional interest in extractive and agricultural enterprises. The validity of these generalizations based on a cross‐sectional analysis of the.
CREDIT EXPANSION AND ECOLOGY A study on the impact of increased money supply on the utilization of renewable natural resources

During the recent decades there has been a growing awareness of that the natural resources we have previously thought abundant can not be taken for granted. Different economic schools of thought have di↵erent approaches of analyzing how this may a↵ect our economy, and how we can organize our societies in a more sustainable fashion. This study uses a broad perspective of previous research to investigate the impact of credit expansion on the relative prices of renewable natural resources, and what this implies for ecological sustainability. This is done through the construction of a circular flow model where the interaction between the economical and ecological systems is studied through simulations. Our results support the notion that credit expansion does have an impact on the pricing of natural resources. The implications of this are overexploitation of renewable natural resources and an unsustainable ecological development.
Current concepts in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly recognized cause of chronic liver disease, representing the leading cause of hepatology referral in some centres. However, its pathophysiology is not completely understood. Insulin resistance is one of the major mechanisms involved in disease prevalence and progression. Owing to the lack of an effective pharmacological therapy, recommendations on treatment are scarce and are based mainly on lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. A review of the current literature on pathogenesis of NAFLD is presented in this article.
Modelling and simulation of islanding detection in microgrid

The inefficiency of the existing electricity transmission system has led to supply interruption to the grid system. The unscheduled supply interruption is triggered by several reasons which draw attention to the connection of micro generation especially to Low Voltage (LV) network. Malaysia requires an extensive research in order to implement a new and feasible grid named MG. According to the IEEE 1547.4, the vital issue in the MG is active power. To investigate the MG operation, the MG modelling was established to cope with this problem. These model tested five cases of transition modes between grid and MG based on IEEE Standard 1547.4 and TNB Guidelines were simulated using Matlab/Simulink. Each case was analysed based on the switching time on power systems and fault insertion to show the transition in terms of active power between both power systems and operation modes.
Alarmist Decisions with Divergent Risk Information

Receipt of multiple sources of risk information ideally should foster sounder decisions under uncertainty. This paper's original survey results for environmental risks suggest that the learning process is reasonable in many respects, but it does not accord with a rational Bayesian learning model. Divergent risk assessments from different sources produce extreme violations of rationality, as there is inordinate weight on the high risk assessment. This alarmist reaction holds for both government and industry information sources. This phenomenon may account for the commonly observed phenomenon of public overreaction to highly publicised risks.