Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image of Vietnam held by US tourists: Initial inquiry

Global tourism, although affected by international terrorism events and contagious disease, remains relatively robust and still performs important economic and social functions. Asian nations can and should take the potential of foreign tourists seriously. One nation of particular interest is Vietnam. However, the image of Vietnam as a tourist destination is assumed to be relatively unknown, especially among US tourists. Given the critical nature of image as it relates to marketing and development, this is a serious void. The purpose of this project was to examine the image of Vietnam among the attractive US market. Utilizing a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, an on-site questionnaire to US tourists revealed they are mature, affluent and well educated. Factor analysis of quantitative items revealed four key elements in Vietnam's image: world heritage sites; atmosphere and attractions; service value; and quality. Content analysis of open-ended questions supported and extended this image by describing Vietnam's unique attributes as the world heritage sites, an exciting experience and positive emotion. Common elements included the food, friendly people and beauty. Utilizing this approach, it is possible to conduct a competitor evaluation. Implications for marketers and developers are presented.
Sequential evaluation of a medical diagnostic test with binary outcomes

In a study evaluating a medical diagnostic test, human samples are valuable and often costly, therefore prime concerns require termination of the study if the test is evidently inefficient (or efficient) in diagnosis of diseases in order to keep the number of samples as low as possible. In this paper, we propose sequential designs to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test. One method allows early stopping if the sensitivity and specificity of a new medical test are both within the level of tolerance. Another method terminates the study if either the sensitivity or the specificity is below the minimally acceptable level. The latter method minimizes the expected sample size when the test does not meet expectations on performance, and illustrates substantial advantage of having smaller expected sample sizes in various two‐stage designs compared to the sample sizes of single‐stage designs when a diagnostic test is not promising. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure of amylase‐binding protein A of Streptococcus gordonii: A potential receptor for human salivary α‐amylase enzyme

Amylase‐binding protein A (AbpA) of a number of oral streptococci is essential for the colonization of the dental pellicle. We have determined the solution structure of residues 24–195 of AbpA of Streptococcus gordonii and show a well‐defined core of five helices in the region of 45–115 and 135–145. 13Cα/β chemical shift and heteronuclear 15N‐{1H} NOE data are consistent with this fold and that the remainder of the protein is unstructured. The structure will inform future molecular experiments in defining the mechanism of human salivary α‐amylase binding and biofilm formation by streptococci.
ATMC Team at M-WePNaD Task

This paper presents our participation in the task Multilingual Web Person Name Disambiguation (M-WePNaD) at IBEREVAL 2017 workshop. Given a ranking of search results written in different languages retrieved by a search engine when looking for a person name, the goal of the task is to group the web pages according to the individual they refer to. We have grouped the search results by means of a clustering algorithm which does not need any kind of prior information. On the other hand, we deal with multilingualism by two different ways. The first one just use a machine translation tool. The second one is a method to compare search results written in different languages which is based on giving a special role to those features written the same way in several languages. Both approaches get similar results, but the second one is more efficient because it avoids additional preprocessing caused by the translation of the search results.
An efficient machine Learning Bayes Sentiment Classification method based on review comments

A major concern while incorporating semantic knowledge bases for opinion mining is that the words selected does not solve attribute relevancy and could not ground positive and negative usage of ambiguous terms. These concerns often make it difficult to classify the opinion words from user review comments. This paper presents a novel method called Machine Learning Bayes Sentiment Classification (MLBSC) to improve the classification accuracy by forming classes (i.e., positive, neutral and negative) based on the extracted words from user review comments. Initially, related opinion words are organized for its semantic equivalence of sentiments based on prior training list (i.e. using extracted words). Then probabilistic Bayes classifiers are applied on semantic opinion words to evaluate sentiment class label. The sentiment class labels are trained for positive, neutral and negative sentiments with the user review comments. The method MLBSC is evaluated for customer review data sets from research repositories. The MLBSC method produces attribute relevancy and economically significant gains for customers and performs better out of sample based on review comments. An intensive and comparative study shows the efficiency of these enhancements and shows better performance in terms of classification accuracy, size of classes, density of class label, execution time for class generation.
The lck protein tyrosine kinase is not involved in antibody‐mediated CD4 (CDR3‐loop) signal transduction that inhibits HIV‐1 transcription

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that bind to the immunoglobulin CDR3‐like region in the D1 domain of the CD4 molecule can inhibit the HIV‐1 life cycle in CD4‐positive T cells and lymphoblastoid cell lines at the stage of transcription. This antiviral effect requires the integrity of the cytoplasmic tail of CD4 which is known to act as a signal transduction region through its association with the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) p56lck. In this study, we investigated the putative role of this PTK in transducing inhibitory signals that act on HIV‐1 replication after triggering by anti‐CDR3‐like region antibody treatment of infected T cell lines. CEM (CD4+/p56lck + inducible), MT2 (CD4+/p56lck – repressed), HSB‐2 (CD4–/p56lck + constitutively), HSB‐2 WTCD4 (CD4+/p56lck + constitutively), HSB‐2 CD4.402 (CD4+ truncated form which lacks the cytoplasmic domain/p56lck + constitut ively), and HSB‐2 CD4mut (CD4+ unable to bind lck/p56lck + constitutively) were exposed to HIV‐1 and cultured in medium supplemented with an anti‐CDR3‐like region‐specific antibody or a control anti‐CD4 mAb which does not inhibit HIV‐1 transcription. We found that CDR3‐loop‐mediated inhibitory signals are efficiently transduced in CD4‐positive cells which demonstrate a constitutive activation of p56lck or in CD4‐positive cells lacking p56lck expression. Moreover, inhibitory signals were transduced in HSB‐2 CD4mut cells expressing a cell surface CD4 with a double cysteine mutation in its cytoplasmic tail that renders the molecule unable to bind p56lck, but not HSB‐2 CD4.402 cells expressing a truncated form of CD4 which lacks the cytoplasmic domain. These results indicate that the p56lck plays no direct role in this process and suggests the existence of another signaling partner for CD4.
Molecular Mechanisms by Which Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Integrase Stimulates the Early Steps of Reverse Transcription

ABSTRACT Reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN) are two essential enzymes that play a critical role in synthesis and integration of the retroviral cDNA, respectively. For human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), RT and IN physically interact and certain mutations and deletions of IN result in viruses defective in early steps of reverse transcription. However, the mechanism by which IN affects reverse transcription is not understood. We used a cell-free reverse transcription assay with different primers and compositions of deoxynucleoside triphosphates to differentially monitor the effect of IN on the initiation and elongation modes of reverse transcription. During the initiation mode, addition of IN stimulated RT-catalyzed reverse transcription by fourfold. The stimulation was specific to IN and could not be detected when the full-length IN was replaced with truncated IN derivatives. The IN-stimulated initiation was also restricted to the template-primer complex formed using tRNA3Lys or short RNA oligonucleotides as the primer and not those formed using DNA oligonucleotides as the primer. Addition of IN also produced a threefold stimulation during the elongation mode, which was not primer dependent. The stimulation of both initiation and elongation by IN was retained in the presence of an RT trap. Furthermore, IN had no effect on steps at or before template-primer annealing, including packaging of viral genomic RNA and tRNA3Lys. Taken together, our results showed that IN acts at early steps of reverse transcription by increasing the processivity of RT and suppressing the formation of the pause products.
Who Believes Propaganda? Media Effects during the Anti-Japanese Protests in Beijing*

Abstract The Chinese media have undergone commercial liberalization during the reform era. Interviews with media practitioners reveal that media reform has brought about three different types of newspapers that differ with respect to their degree of commercial liberalization. Based on a natural experiment during the anti-Japanese protests in Beijing in 2005, this article shows that urban residents found more strongly commercialized newspapers more persuasive than less commercialized newspapers. Provided that the state can enforce press restrictions when needed, commercial liberalization promotes the ability of the state to influence public opinion through the means of the news media.
A “family of cycles” – major and auxiliary business cycles

Purpose - – The paper aims to discuss the major and auxiliary types of cycles found in the literature. Design/methodology/approach - – The existence of cycles within economy and its sub-sectors has been studied for a number of years. In the wake of the recent cyclical downturn, interest in cycles has increased. To mitigate future risks, scholars and investors seek new insights for a better understanding of the cyclical phenomenon. The paper presents systematic review of the existing copious cyclical literature. It then discusses general characteristics and the key forces that produce these cycles. Findings - – The study finds four major and eight auxiliary cycles. It suggests that each cycle has its own distinct empirical periodicity and theoretical underpinnings. The longer the cycles are the greater controversy which surrounds them. Practical implications - – Cycles are monumental to a proper understanding of complex property market dynamics. Their existence implies that economies, whilst not deterministic, have a rhythm. Cyclical awareness can therefore advance property market participants. Originality/value - – The paper uncovers four major and eight auxiliary types of cycles and argues their importance.
The Role of the Natural Rate of Interest in Monetary Policy

This paper examines the role of the natural rate of interest in the conduct of monetary policy. The natural rate figures prominently in many theories of the business cycle and of inflation fluctuations, and therefore has the potential to play a key role in monetary policy given the current mandates of many central banks. However, the presence of financial imperfections and measurement uncertainty draw into question whether estimates of the natural rate can be reliable indicators of excess demand pressures. Natural rate-based theories may, nonetheless, provide useful guidance in the formulation of desirable monetary policies.
TENASCIN EXPRESSION DURING WOUND HEALING IN HUMAN SKIN

In adult human skin, the expression of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin is limited. Under hyperproliferative conditions such as psoriasis and epidermal tumours, dermal tenascin expression is strongly upregulated. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern and kinetics of tenascin expression in human skin during wound healing and to address the question of whether keratinocytes can directly interact with tenascin during re‐epithelialization. Tenascin expression was investigated in excisional wounds in normal human skin, in explants of normal human skin, and in chronic venous ulcers, using immunohistochemistry. No tenascin staining was found directly underneath the leading edge of the sheet of migrating keratinocytes in the excisional wounds and explants. In the excisional wounds and the ulcers, dermal tenascin was strongly upregulated in areas adjacent to hyperproliferative epidermis. These hyperproliferative areas are located approximately 10–50 cells behind the leading edge, as assessed by staining for the Ki‐67 antigen and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). At the later stages of normal wound healing and in the chronic ulcers, tenascin was also detected in the wound bed. In these areas, the dermal–epidermal junction stained positive for laminin but was negative for heparan sulphate. The absence of the latter basement membrane component suggests that the formation of a new basement membrane is not completed in these wounds. These findings suggest that tenascin is not a substrate for migrating keratinocytes; that the rapid induction of tenascin expression in the papillary dermis during wound healing results from interaction with the hyperproliferative epidermis; and that in the later stages of wound healing, keratinocytes can potentially interact with tenascin in the wound bed, because the basement membrane of the neo‐epidermis is incomplete.
Detection of West Nile and Japanese Encephalitis Viral Genome Sequences in Cerebrospinal Fluid from Acute Encephalitis Cases in Karachi, Pakistan

Reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) on 24 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens collected between February and August 1992 detected genome sequence of West Nile (WN) virus in 8 specimens and Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus in a single specimen. The results, combined with the data by IgM‐ELISA on CSF indicated that a significant proportion of acute encephalitis cases in Karachi, Pakistan, were caused by WN virus infection, while JE virus caused a small fraction.
How News Affect the Trading Behavior of Different Categories of Investors in a Financial Market

We investigate the trading behavior of a large set of single investors trading the highly liquid Nokia stock over the period 2003-2008 with the aim of determining the relative role of endogenous and exogenous factors that may affect their behavior. As endogenous factors we consider returns and volatility, whereas the exogenous factors we use are the total daily number of news and a semantic variable based on a sentiment analysis of news. Linear regression and partial correlation analysis of data show that different categories of investors are differently correlated to these factors. Governmental and non profit organizations are weakly sensitive to news and returns or volatility, and, typically, they are more correlated with the former than with the latter. Households and companies, on the contrary, are very sensitive to both endogenous and exogenous factors, and volatility and returns are, on average, much more relevant than the number of news and sentiment, respectively. Finally, financial institutions and foreign organizations are intermediate between these two cases, in terms of both the total explanatory power of these factors and their relative importance.
Queer Young Adults, Informal Learning, and the Possibilities for an Inclusive Positional Pedagogy

In this essay I examine the formal and non-formal educational experiences of Queer young adults in Alberta schools, families, and communities. I discuss how I use found poetry as a pedagogical device to assist adult educators in constructing emancipatory learning communities, educational practices, and research methods that empower students to think and act within transformative possibilities for social change.
High throughput production of mouse monoclonal antibodies using antigen microarrays

Recent advances in proteomics research underscore the increasing need for high‐affinity monoclonal antibodies, which are still generated with lengthy, low‐throughput antibody production techniques. Here we present a semi‐automated, high‐throughput method of hybridoma generation and identification. Monoclonal antibodies were raised to different targets in single batch runs of 6–10 wk using multiplexed immunisations, automated fusion and cell‐culture, and a novel antigen‐coated microarray‐screening assay. In a large‐scale experiment, where eight mice were immunized with ten antigens each, we generated monoclonal antibodies against 68 of the targets (85%), within 6 wk of the primary immunization.
Pulmonary vascular resistance and compliance stay inversely related during treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

AIMS Pulmonary arterial compliance (C) is increasingly being recognized as an important contributor to right ventricular afterload, but for monitoring of treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH) most often still only pulmonary vascular resistance (R) is used. We aimed at testing the hypothesis that R and C are coupled during treatment of PH and that substantial changes in both R and C would result in more haemodynamic improvement than changes in R alone. METHODS AND RESULTS Data were analysed of two right-heart catheterizations of 52 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and 10 with chronic-thromboembolic PH. The product of R and C (= stroke volume over pulse pressure) did not change during therapy (P = 0.320), implying an inverse relationship. Changes in cardiac index correlated significantly (P < 0.001) with changes in R (R(2) = 0.37), better with changes in C (R(2) = 0.66), and best with changes in both (R(2) = 0.74). CONCLUSION During therapy for PH, R and C remain inversely related. Therefore, changes in both R and C better explain changes in cardiac index than either of them alone. Not only resistance but also compliance plays a prominent role in PH especially in an early stage of the disease.
Hours, Layoffs and Unemployment Insurance Funding: Theory and Practice in an International Perspective

The strikingly different behaviour of important economic aggregates in the United States and other industrial countries has received surprisingly little attention from economists. Among recent exceptions, however, Gordon (I 982) has shown that wages and hours of work are much more flexible in the United Kingdom and Japan than in the United States. Such relative hours variability is confirmed in a macro analysis by Capdevielle and Alvarez (i98I) and, at micro level, by Sengenberger and Kohler (I982). The latter authors are concerned with labour market adjustment within the U.S. and West German automobile industries. Between I 97 I and i 980 estimates of the German workeroutput elasticity are found to be less than half that of the United States, while the German hours elasticity is twice the United States figure. At the national aggregate level, Capdevielle and Alvarez also reveal much greater employment variability in the United States than in most other OECD countries in the years following the I973/74 OPEC supply shock. Much in line with these employment hours observations, Moy and Sorrentino (i98I) argue that, after
Cholecystokinin responsiveness varies across the population dependent on metabolic phenotype.

Background: Cholecystokinin (CCK) is an important satiety factor, acting at type 1 receptors (CCK1Rs) on vagal afferent neurons; however, CCK agonists have failed clinical trials for obesity. We postulated that CCK1R function might be defective in such patients due to abnormal membrane composition, such as that observed in cholesterol gallstone disease.Objective: Due to the challenges in directly studying CCK1Rs relevant to appetite control, our goal was to develop and apply a method to determine the impact of a patient's own cellular environment on CCK stimulus-activity coupling and to determine whether CCK sensitivity correlated with the metabolic phenotype of a high-risk population.Design: Wild-type CCK1Rs were expressed on leukocytes from 112 Hispanic patients by using adenoviral transduction and 24-h culture, with quantitation of cholesterol composition and intracellular calcium responses to CCK. Results were correlated with clinical, biochemical, and morphometric characteristics.Results: Broad ranges of cellular cholesterol and CCK responsiveness were observed, with elevated cholesterol correlated with reduced CCK sensitivity. This was prominent with increasing degrees of obesity and the presence of diabetes, particularly when poorly controlled. No single standard clinical metric correlated directly with CCK responsiveness. Reduced CCK sensitivity best correlated with elevated serum triglycerides in normal-weight participants and with low HDL concentrations and elevated glycated hemoglobin in obese and diabetic patients.Conclusions: CCK responsiveness varies widely across the population, with reduced signaling in patients with obesity and diabetes. This could explain the failure of CCK agonists in previous clinical trials and supports the rationale to develop corrective modulators to reverse this defective servomechanism for appetite control. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT03121755.
Trading Turkey's External and Internal Risks: A Value at Risk Analysis

In earlier work we showed we could not reject the hypothesis that returns to investments in Turkey's stock market were positive functions of risk generated by the World outside Turkey and by risks unique to Turkey. We found statistical evidence of Turkey's internal risks producing substantial returns and changes in returns over time. This article carries the analysis further by bringing our earlier results into a more concrete environment, asking whether these risks can be profitably managed as a practical matter. In particular we consider results of two strategies in trading cross-market portfolios. We examine a long position in the ISE Dollar Return Index, offset by a short position in the S&P 500 Composite Total Returns Index. In this analysis we verify profitability directly by computing actual profit produced by an implementable trading strategy. We identify our two portfolio management strategies using Value-at-Risk-inspired measures of risk and return. We also examine the importance of secondary issues in portfolio management, such as identification of buy and sell signals and selection of a trading position. We examine two issues determining the performance of a trading position in this cross-market portfolio. First, are there predictable and substantial periods of time when it is good to be long Turkey and short the Rest of the World and the reverse? Second, how important is it to monitor the time path of the risks unique to Turkey's Financial Markets in comparing returns in Turkish and World Markets? Our answers are first, Yes and second, Very.
Scale-up methodology for pharmaceutical spray drying

The use of spray drying in the pharmaceutical industry is growing at a fast pace. The need for robust scale-up methods is essential in order to control critical quality attributes and improve powder properties during drug development. Moreover, poor scale-up is likely to lead to considerable losses of expensive materials. Process understanding and simulation is a very powerful tool to support the scale-up of spray drying processes. A scale-up methodology based on scientifc principles is proposed in this study. The method is divided in two steps: thermodynamic and atomization & particle formaton. The method is relatively straightforward to apply and has been tested in numerous spray-dried formulations across all production scales. An illustrative example is also shown covering the main steps of the proposed methodology.