Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of hybrid artificial neural network algorithm for the prediction of standardized precipitation index

The application of wavelet transformation has become a popular area of interest in hydrological modeling as it enables the use of spectral and temporal information contained in input data. Drought modeling is one such area that is still far from complete, considering the stochastic nature of drought characteristics per every drought events. This study therefore aims to predict a drought index, i.e. the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), using artificial neural network (ANN) and a hybrid ANN with wavelet analysis (WA-ANN) using four main inputs: precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, Southern Oscillation Index, and Nino 4 index for Brisbane, Australia. For WA-ANN, the four inputs were decomposed into three detail and one approximation levels using Daubechies-4 (db4) orthogonal mother wavelet. The evaluation of prediction performance showed that WA-ANN outperformed ANN model with an increased accuracy by 49.89% based on Root Mean Squared Error values.
An evaluation of employee motivation in the extended public sector in Greece

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of the relationship between work motivation and organisational performance in the extended public sector, by testing empirically common elements of existing theoretical frameworks.Design/methodology/approach – A unique questionnaire‐based survey was carried out in three organisations/corporations where the state is the major stakeholder. Of the 1,000 questionnaires distributed, 454 were returned and included in the analysis. By using descriptive statistics the provision of extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motives in the extended public sector of Greece was identified.Findings – Findings show that the public sector in Greece is more likely to provide extrinsic than intrinsic rewards, however the latter seems to be related to better organisational outcomes. Both individuals' ability and demographic characteristics are core determinants of employees' motivational preferences.Research limitations/implications – The core of this paper tests emp.
An Estimation of the Hazard Rate of Firms under Chapter 11 Protection

The instantaneous probability (hazard rate) of a firm's exit from Chapter 11 protection is examined. Using the Weibull duration model, the effect of various regressors and the effect of the time a firm spends under Chapter 11 protection on this instantaneous probability is analyzed. I show that the hazard increases significantly under Chapter 11. Among the variables chosen, the interest burden of the firm and the capacity utilization of the firm's industry significantly increase the hazard. Other firm-specific variables like the long-term debt-to-assets ratio and the number of shares outstanding and economy wide variables, like the prime interest rate and the gross national product growth rate have no significant effect on the hazard. Copyright 1994 by MIT Press.
Dynamics of Different Bacterial Communities Are Capable of Generating Sustainable Electricity from Microbial Fuel Cells with Organic Waste

The relationship between the bacterial communities in anolyte and anode biofilms and the electrochemical properties of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated when a complex organic waste-decomposing solution was continuously supplied to MFCs as an electron donor. The current density increased gradually and was maintained at approximately 100 to 150 mA m−2. Polarization curve analyses revealed that the maximum power density was 7.4 W m−3 with an internal resistance of 110 Ω. Bacterial community structures in the organic waste-decomposing solution and MFCs differed from each other. Clonal analyses targeting 16S rRNA genes indicated that bacterial communities in the biofilms on MFCs developed to specific communities dominated by novel Geobacter. Multidimensional scaling analyses based on DGGE profiles revealed that bacterial communities in the organic waste-decomposing solution fluctuated and had no dynamic equilibrium. Bacterial communities on the anolyte in MFCs had a dynamic equilibrium with fluctuations, while those of the biofilm converged to the Geobacter-dominated structure. These bacterial community dynamics of MFCs differed from those of control-MFCs under open circuit conditions. These results suggested that bacterial communities in the anolyte and biofilm have a gentle symbiotic system through electron flow, which resulted in the advance of current density from complex organic waste.
Antihypertensive Properties of Plant Protein Derived Peptides

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major health problem in the industrialized countries, representing the main cause of death in the world. It is estimated that 17 million people globally die of CVD every year and these diseases are responsible for more than half of all deaths in Europe [1]. Therefore, primary prevention is becoming an increasing part of public health strategies aimed at reducing societal burden due to CVD-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are several behavioural factors such as tobacco use, ethanol consumption, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity that can lead to hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, overweight and obesity, and thereby contribute to CVD development. The World Health Organisation emphasises the importance of improved nutrition as means of controlling the expected rise in global CVD incidence over the next decades.
The Economic Value of Changing Mortality Probabilities: A Decision-Theoretic Approach

Properties of individual willingness to pay for changes in mortality probabilities are examined using a decision-theoretic model. There is no unique value per life saved. The willingness to pay for a mortality reduction depends not only on the amount of reduction but also on the initial probability level and on whether the valuation is ex ante (e.g., decisions regarding health insurance, preventive medicine, or environmental health) or ex post (e.g., acute medical care). Several inequalities relating the imputed willingness to pay in various paradigm decision contexts are derived from the model with the addition of few additional behavioral assumptions.
The Place of Advertising in Modern Business

AMONG the economies enumerated in the testimony before the Industrial Commission as resulting from the interstate combination of manufacturing plants, one of the most important is the saving in advertising. This waste of competition, it is claimed is largely eliminated by consolidation and a social saving thus accomplished. ' The implication is that advertising is an institution peculiar to the competitive system, which will pass away with the growth of combination. It is proposed to examine the claim and the implication. Is advertising an outgrowth of the competitive system ? Will the formation of combinations tend to its elimination ? Advertising is a mode of education by which the knowledge of consumable goods is increased. It sets forth the peculiar excellence of novelties, keeps in mind the merits of staple articles, and thus increases the general demand for commodities. Its media are newspapers and magazines, catalogues, circulars, exhibits, samples, placards, and sign boards. It success is measured by the amount of buying which it stimulates.
Dielectrophoretically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes to Control Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Hydrogels to Fabricate Contractile Muscle Myofibers

Dielectrophoresis is used to align carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels in a facile and rapid manner. Aligned GelMA-CNT hydrogels show higher electrical properties compared with pristine and randomly distributed CNTs in GelMA hydrogels. The muscle cells cultured on these materials demonstrate higher maturation compared with cells cultured on pristine and randomly distributed CNTs in GelMA hydrogels.
An Efficient Multiobjective Optimizer Based on Genetic Algorithm and Approximation Techniques for Electromagnetic Design

To provide an efficient multiobjective optimizer, an approximation technique based on the moving least squares approximation is integrated into an improved genetic algorithm. In order to use fully, both the a posteriori information gathered from the latest searched nondominated solutions and the a priori knowledge about the search space and individuals, in guiding the search towards more and better Pareto solutions, a gradient direction based perturbation search strategy and a preference function based fitness penalization scheme are proposed. Numerical results are reported to validate the proposed work
Detection of Bovine Herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) DNA in the Cell Fraction of Milk of Dairy Cattle with History of BoHV-4 Infection

ABSTRACT We have demonstrated, by PCR and restriction enzyme analysis of the PCR product, the presence of bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) DNA in the cell fraction of milk from dairy cattle with a history of BoHV-4 infection. We next evaluated the infectious nature of BoHV-4 DNA in those cells. Cocultivation of a BoHV-4-sensitive cell line with BoHV-4 DNA-positive milk cell samples produced cytopathic effects. The same result was obtained from frozen and thawed milk cell fraction coming from the cell milk fraction PCR-positive cows, ensuring that cells were killed and only infectious virus could be recovered after cocultivation with sensitive cells. This report shows that infectious BoHV-4 can be present in milk cells and that therefore nursing may be one of the transmission routes of BoHV-4.
Cohesins coordinate gene transcriptions of related function within Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cohesion factors pair together sister chromatids from early S-phase until anaphase onset. Numerous findings also establish an additional role in transcription. In humans, mutations in cohesion factors result in developmental abnormalities such as Cornelia de Lange, Roberts Syndrome/SC-Phocomelia, Rothman-Thompson Syndrome and others. While clinically relevant, a detailed study that links experimentally-defined cohesin defects to transcriptional changes remains lacking. Here, we report on the effects of cohesin inactivation during an early and discrete portion of the cell cycle. Even transient cohesin inactivation during the G1 portion of the cell cycle results in significant and reproducible changes in transcription. Surprisingly, over a third of the affected genes exhibit inter-related functions, suggesting that cohesin positioning along chromosomes evolved to coordinate gene expression. Prior studies indicate that defects in rRNA maturation/ribosome biogenesis produce developmental maladies in humans. Thus, the identification of genes critical for rRNA maturation in this study is of particular interest.
Plasticity of the Endocranial Base in Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis

Limited in vivo data exist on the dysmorphology of the cranial base in nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. Few studies have documented the effect of calvarial surgery for synostosis on endocranial morphology. Previous work has suggested that the dysmorphology of the endocranial base is diagnostically specific for metopic, sagittal, and unicoronal sutures. The purpose of this study was to further evaluate the endocranial base in infants with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis by testing the hypothesis that the dysmorphology is, to some degree, a secondary deformation rather than a primary malformation. Three questions were addressed: (1) Can individuals reliably identify affected suture‐specific endocranial‐base morphology using standard templates? (2) Does calvarial surgery in infancy for craniosynostosis affect the perception of endocranial‐base morphology? and (3) Does calvarial surgery in infancy for nonsyndromic craniosynostosis normalize the endocranial base? In this study, three‐dimensional volumetric reconstructions from archived computed tomography digital data were processed using the ANALYZE imaging software. Dysmorphology was assessed by nine independent, blinded skilled observers who reviewed two separate sets of images of endocranial bases. Both sets contained images from the same patients: one set contained preoperative images, and the other contained images of the endocranial base 1 year after calvarial surgery. Observers were asked to sort each set into four suture‐specific diagnostic groups: normal, unicoronal, metopic, and sagittal. Each set contained 10 patients with unicoronal synostosis, 10 with metopic synostosis, 10 with sagittal synostosis, and four normal patients. Seventy‐eight percent of the total number of preoperative images were correctly sorted into the suture‐specific diagnostic group, whereas only 55 percent of the total number of postoperative images were correctly matched. With regard to the individual sutures, the results were as follows (data are presented as preoperative accuracy versus postoperative accuracy): metopic, 76 percent versus 44 percent; sagittal, 58 percent versus 34 percent; unicoronal, 100 percent versus 79 percent; and normal, 83 percent versus 72 percent. Although 36 of 306 total images per group (12 percent) actually represented normal patients, the observers called 72 of 306 normal (24 percent) in the preoperative set versus 110 of 306 normal (36 percent) in the postoperative set. In conclusion, (1) the endocranial dysmorphology of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is recognizably specific to the affected suture; (2) calvarial surgery for nonsyndromic craniosynostosis normalizes the endocranial base qualitatively with regard to the diminished ability of raters to identify the primary pathology; and (3) the documented postoperative changes in endocranial base morphology after calvarial surgery for nonsyndromic craniosynostosis in infancy indicates that a major component of that dysmorphology is a secondary deformity rather than a primary malformation. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 108: 294, 2001.)
Competition, Adverse Selection, and Information Dispersion in the Banking Industry

Proprietary information generated through the process of lending can impact the structure of the banking industry. With more competing banks, borrower-specific information becomes more disperse, as each bank becomes informed about a smaller pool of borrowers. This reduces banks' screening ability, creating an inefficiency as more low-quality borrowers obtain financing. Incumbent banks' information advantage may also create difficulties for potential entrants, so that entry should be easier in markets with high borrower turnover or where entrants have specific expertise in evaluating credit risks. We draw implications for whether financial deregulation is likely to increase borrowers' surplus, and what patterns of entry might be observed. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Chordin is underexpressed in ovarian tumors and reduces tumor cell motility

Ovarian cancers mostly derive from the monolayer epithelium that covers the ovary. There are currently very few molecular clues to the etiology of this cancer. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are required for follicular development and female fertility and are expressed in the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE). We previously reported the expression of human chordin (CHRD), a BMP extracellular regulator, in the ovary. Here we show that CHRD is underexpressed in epithelium ovary cancer and epithelial cancer cell lines as compared with normal tissues and OSE, respectively. Besides, we detected BMP expression in all ovarian cell lines analyzed. To determine the functional relevance of the absence of CHRD mRNA in tumors and cancer cell lines, we studied the effects of CHRD on two cancer cell lines, BG1 and PEO14. Migratory and invasive properties were greatly reduced, whereas cell adhesion to the support was enhanced. In addition, we detected chordin (Chrd) expression in OSE of rat ovaries in a pattern similar to that of BMP4. Altogether, these results suggest that CHRD could participate in regulating BMP activity in normal OSE physiology, and that its mis‐expression in OSE may facilitate cancer incidence and/or progression. —Moll, F. , Millet, C. , Noël, D. , Orsetti, B. , Bardin, A. , Katsaros, D. , Jorgensen, C. , Garcia, M. , Theillet, C. , Pujol, P., and François V. FASEB J. 20, 240–250 (2006)
The Credit-Anstalt crisis of 1931

Austria played a prominent role in the worldwide events of 1931 as the largest bank in Central and Eastern Europe, the Viennese Credit-Anstalt, collapsed and led Europe into a financial panic that spread to other parts of the world. The events in Austria were pivotal to the economic developments of the 1930s, yet the literature about them has been sparse. In this book, Schubert analyses the crisis using theories of financial crises, identifies the causes of the crisis, examines the market's efficiency in predicting events, analyses how the crisis was transmitted to the real sector, and studies the behaviour of the Austrian as well as international authorities as lenders of last resort. His main conclusion is that even decades after the crisis, many of its lessons are still valid. Managerial and regulatory deficiencies led to the collapse of the bank; the subsequent currency crisis was not an irrational and unexplainable panic by a confused public, but rather a rational response to inconsistencies in policy; and the reactions of the largely unprepared authorities - in Austria as well as abroad - did not help to resolve the crisis quickly.
Receptor-like function of heparin in the binding and uptake of neutral lipids.

Molecular mechanisms regulating the binding, amphipathic stabilization, and metabolism of the major neutral lipids (e.g., cholesteryl esters, triglycerides, and fatty acids) are well studied, but the details of their movement from a binding compartment to a metabolic compartment deserve further attention. Since all neutral lipids must cross hydrophilic segments of plasma membranes during such movement, we postulate that a critical receptor-like site exists on the plasma membrane to mediate a step between binding and metabolism and that membrane-associated heparin is a key part of this mediator. For example, intestinal brush border membranes containing heparin bind homogeneous human pancreatic 125I-labeled cholesterol esterase (100 kDa) and 125I-labeled triglyceride lipase (52 kDa). This interaction is enzyme concentration-dependent, specific, and saturable and is reversed upon addition of soluble heparin. Scatchard analysis demonstrates a single class of receptors with a Kd of 100 nM and a Bmax of approximately 50-60 pmol per mg of vesicle protein. In contrast, enzymes associated with the hydrolysis of hydrophilic compounds such as amylase, phospholipase A2, and deoxyribonuclease do not bind to intestinal membranes in this manner. Human pancreatic cholesterol esterase also binds specifically and saturably to cultured intestinal epithelial cells (CaCo-2), and soluble heparin significantly diminishes the cellular uptake of the resultant hydrophobic reaction products (cholesterol and free fatty acids). We conclude that a physiological role for intestinal heparin is that of a mediator to bind neutral lipolytic enzymes at the brush border and thus promote absorption of the subsequent hydrolyzed nutrients in the intestine. This mechanism may be a generalizable pathway for transport of neutral lipids into endothelial and other cells.
When Small Firms Fight Back Against Large Firms in R&D Activities

Abstract This paper investigates an asymmetric duopoly model with R&D competition and product positioning. We find that an inefficient (small) firm may engage in R&D more intensively than an efficient (large) firm in spite of economies of scale in R&D activities. Contrary to the findings of previous studies, competition is more likely to have a positive effect on the investments of the small firm than on those of the large firm. We also find that improving the efficiency of the inefficient firm can reduce both social and consumer surplus.
Throughput improvement by network coding and spatial reuse in wireless mesh networks

It is understood that the performance of network coding (NC) is largely dependent on link scheduling schemes, and greedy NC may in fact reduce network throughput due to the reduction of spectrum spatial reuse. In this paper, we study the interplay between NC and spatial reuse, and present a NC-aware link scheduling scheme to increase network throughput. Then, we propose an adaptive power control scheme to decrease interference so that NC and spatial reuse can be complementary in throughput improvement. Simulation results demonstrate that NC and spatial reuse are suitable for different network environments, and our proposed schemes can optimize network throughput by taking full advantage of the superiorities of both NC and spatial reuse in different network topologies.
Ternary complex formation over the c‐fos serum response element: p62TCF exhibits dual component specificity with contacts to DNA and an extended structure in the DNA‐binding domain of p67SRF.

The serum response element (SRE) plays an essential role in the transcriptional regulation of proto‐oncogene c‐fos. A ternary complex, consisting of transcription factors p67SRF and p62TCF bound to the SRE is present in several cell types and its formation has been correlated with inducibility of the gene in different cells by serum, epidermal growth factor and phorbol esters. Interaction of p62TCF with the SRE in vitro exhibits both a degree of sequence specificity and a strict dependence on the presence of bound p67SRF. A 90 amino acid DNA‐binding domain of p67SRF (coreSRF) suffices for ternary complex formation. DNase I footprinting and UV‐mediated DNA‐protein crosslinking experiments presented here show that direct DNA contacts are made by p62TCF with the 5′ sequence of the SRE and thus explain the sequence dependence of ternary complex formation. Additionally, analysis of ternary complex formation by chimaeras of coreSRF and the related yeast protein ArgRI as well as comprehensive mutagenesis of non‐conserved residues between the two proteins has yielded a coreSRF mutant specifically unable to interact with p62TCF and demonstrates that an extended structure in coreSRF is required for this interaction. Thus p62TCF exhibits dual component specificity in ternary complex formation over the c‐fos SRE.
Measurement and FEM/BEM simulation of transverse effects in SAW resonators on lithium tantalate

It is well known that transverse effects contribute significantly to the loss of SAW resonators on lithium tantalate. In particular, for frequencies above resonance, the surface wave is not guided inside the transducer and radiates into the busbars. In addition, because bulk modes can also be excited, scalar models are not sufficient to accurately predict transverse effects. It is also known that the layout of a SAW resonator (electrode gaps and dummy electrodes) has a strong impact on the transverse effects. In this paper, a periodic FEM/BEM model is presented and is used to simulate the transverse effects for various SAW resonator layouts. Test devices matching those simulated are fabricated and measured; the measured results are compared with the simulated results and show good agreement. By analyzing the dispersion curves produced from the FEM/BEM model in the different regions of the device, several frequency bands corresponding to different transverse behaviors are identified. These results are consistent with the elastic displacements, also computed by the FEM/BEM model. It is further shown that guided conditions in the gap between the transducer and the busbar occur for a frequency range above resonance. This result is in agreement with measurements showing that resonators with smaller gaps exhibit smaller spurious responses in their admittance.