Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single-channel UWB SAR ground moving targets detection method using change detection based on single-pass sub-aperture images

Ultra-wide band synthetic aperture radar (UWB SAR) operating in VHF/UHF band has the capabilities in high resolution imaging and foliage penetration. In this paper we exploit its large beamwidth and propose a new ground moving target detection method for single-channel UWB SAR using change detection based on single-pass sub-aperture images, which is called sub-aperture SAR images change detection (SASICD). When we select several sub-apertures with appropriate size to form images, the moving target can focus on different positions in accordance with the centers of the sub-apertures, while the stationary one remains the same. The SASICD attempts to distinguish this difference and estimate the target's position and velocity precisely. The effectiveness of the method is illustrated when we process the UWB SAR real raw data.
Nonpeptide factor Xa inhibitors II. Antithrombotic evaluation in a rabbit model of electrically induced carotid artery thrombosis.

SK549 (mol. wt. 546 Da) is a synthetic, selective inhibitor of human coagulation factor Xa (fXa) (K(i) = 0.52 nM). This study compared the antithrombotic effects of SK549 and a series of benzamidine isoxazoline fXa inhibitors with aspirin, DuP 714 (a direct thrombin inhibitor), recombinant tick anticoagulant peptide, or heparin in a rabbit model of electrically induced carotid arterial thrombosis. Compounds were infused i.v. continuously from 60 min before electrical stimulation to the end of the experiment. Values of ED(50) (dose that increases the carotid blood flow to 50% of the control) were 0.12 micromol/kg/h for SK549, 0.56 micromol/kg/h for aspirin, 0.14 micromol/kg/h for DuP 714, 0.06 micromol/kg/h for recombinant tick anticoagulant peptide, and >100 U/kg/h for heparin. The EC(50) (plasma concentration that increased blood flow to 50% of the control) for SK549 was 97 nM. Unlike aspirin and heparin, SK549 was efficacious and, at 1.5 micromol/kg/h i.v. (n = 9), maintained carotid blood flow at 87 +/- 6% of control level for greater than 90 min. Unlike heparin, SK549 inhibited ex vivo fXa activity but not ex vivo thrombin activity. There was a highly significant correlation between K(i) (fXa) and ED(50) of a series of fXa inhibitors (r = 0. 85, P <.001). Therefore, these results suggest that SK549 is a novel, potent, and effective antithrombotic agent in a rabbit model of arterial thrombosis. It is likely that SK549 exerts its antithrombotic effect through selective inhibition of fXa. Furthermore, SK549 may be clinically useful for the prevention of arterial thrombosis.
High-frequency ultrasonic transducer fabricated with lead-free piezoelectric single crystal

High-frequency (25 MHz) ultrasonic transducers with Na0.5Bi0. 5TiO3-BaTiO3 (NBT-BT) lead-free piezoelectric single crystal as the active elements are fabricated and characterized. The impedance measurement reveals that the poled [001]-oriented NBT-BT single crystal exhibits a high thickness electromechanical coefficient kt of 0.52 and a low clamped dielectric constant of 80. The -6-dB bandwidth of the transducer is 46.16% and the insertion loss at the center frequency is -31.89 dB. The good performance of the transducer indicates that the NBT-BT single crystal would be a promising lead-free material for ultrasonic transducer applications.
Effects of ammonia on CHO cell growth, erythropoietin production, and glycosylation.

The effect of ammonium chloride was determined on a culture of CHO cells transfected with the human erythropoietin (EPO) gene. Cell growth was inhibited above a culture concentration of 5 mM NH(4)Cl with an IC-50 determined to be 33 mM. The specific production of EPO increased with the addition of NH(4)Cl above 5 mM. At 10 mM NH(4)Cl, the final cell density after 4 days in culture was significantly lower but the final yield of EPO was significantly higher. This appeared to be due to continued protein production after cell growth had ceased. The metabolic effects of added NH(4)Cl included higher specific consumption rates of glucose and glutamine and an increased rate of production of alanine, glycine, and glutamate. The EPO analyzed from control cultures had a molecular weight range of 33-39 kDa and an isoelectric point range of 4.06-4.67. Seven distinct isoforms of the molecule were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis. This molecular heterogeneity was ascribed to variable glycosylation. Complete enzymatic de-glycosylation resulted in a single molecular form with a molecular mass of 18 kDa. Addition of NH(4)Cl to the cultures caused a significant increase in the heterogeneity of the glycoforms as shown by an increased molecular weight and pI range. Enzymatic de-sialylation of the EPO from the ammonia-treated and control cultures resulted in identical electrophoretic patterns. This indicated that the effect of ammonia was in the reduction of terminal sialylation of the glycan structures which accounted for the increased pI. Selective removal of the N-glycan structures by PNGase F resulted in two bands identified as the O-glycan linked structure (19 kDa) and the completely de-glycosylated structure (18 kDa). The proportion of the O-linked glycan structure was reduced, and its pI increased in cultures to which ammonia was added. Thus, the glycosylation pattern altered by the presence of ammonia included a reduction in terminal sialylation of all the glycans and a reduction in the content of the O-linked glycan. The addition of a sialidase inhibitor to the cultures had no effect on the ammonia-induced increase in EPO heterogeneity. Also, the effect of ammonia on glycosylation could not be mimicked using the weak base chloroquine in our system.
Oligopoly Pricing with Capacity Constraints

The shape of short run marginal cost (SRMC) is critical to understanding pricing behavior over the business cycle. We construct an econometric model of output and price determination for an industry with steep SRMC around capacity. In the North American aluminum industry, the capacity constraint plays an important role in pricing. When it binds, prices are high over a broad range of industry concentration. Market power raised prices at the cyclical trough much more when the industry was concentrated than it does now.
Scientific and technical information transfer for high technology: keeping the figure in its ground

The gatekeeper approach to the management of scientific and technical information (STI) is most relevant to companies engaged in product development in a dynamic technological environment (Allen, Tushman, & Lee, 1977). We will argue in this paper that these companies have a choice of how to effectively organize. The organizational structure and processes they implement will have major effects on how STI is transferred as well as the quality of the STI that is disseminated and used. Hence, changing the context within which STI is transferred may be much more effective than improving the efficiency of existing transfer procedures.
New Support for the Big Sort Hypothesis: An Assessment of Partisan Geographic Sorting in California, 1992–2010

Abstract This article empirically examines the “Big Sort hypothesis”—the notion that, in recent years, liberal and conservative Americans have become increasingly spatially isolated from one another. Using block group-, tract-, and county-level party registration data and presidential election returns, I construct two formal indices of segregation for 1992–2010 in California and evaluate those indices for evidence of growth in the segregation of Californians along ideological lines. Evidence of rising geographic segregation between Democrats and Republicans for measures generated from both party registration and presidential vote data is found. This growth is statistically significant for 10 of the 12 segregation measures analyzed. In addition, many of the increases are practically significant, with estimates of growth in segregation during the observation period ranging from 2% to 23%.
Measuring CPI's reliability: the stochastic approach to index numbers revisited

The reliability measurement of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has recently drawn much attention, as the index number has been criticized for its inaccuracy in accessing the degree of inflation. This article centers on providing a new regression specification that can help better gauge the CPI's reliability. More specifically, based on the stochastic approach to index numbers, we argue that the conventional treatment of the systematic changes in relative prices should be made time variant. We therefore propose a more comprehensive regression specification by including additional dummies that represent different general inflation rate levels and business cycle phases. Under this framework, we are more capable of avoiding possible misspecifications in the regression equation, as was experienced by Clements and Izan (1987). It also allows us to better answer the ‘Keynes’ critic’ regarding the stochastic approach to index numbers. The empirical results of Australia and the US are used to validate the merit of our specification.
Conflicts of Interest in the Stock Recommendations of Investment Banks and Their Determinants

Abstract This study explores the phenomena associated with conflicts of interest, particularly as they pertain to the brokerage and proprietary trading divisions of investment banks. This distinguishes it from past studies, which have researched conflicts of interest between underwriting and brokerage divisions. We examine whether or not an investment bank issues buy recommendations to the market and buys (sells) the same recommended stocks through its proprietary trading division before (after) recommendations, and if so, to what extent this goes on. We find that these conflicts of interest do exist and that these investment banks can profit from their recommendations in the short run.
Tobacco Control Policy Instruments in a Shrinking World: How Much Policy Learning?

Abstract Since the 1960s, a worldwide movement for tobacco control has developed, culminating in the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international public health treaty. This article analyzes tobacco control instruments, policy learning, and political processes in advanced industrial democracies. Despite scientific information, epistemic communities, and government reports, tobacco control legislation only “took off” in the 1980s and subsequently has accelerated. In addition to policy emulation across countries, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international bodies such as the European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have facilitated convergence, which continues despite the opposition of economic interests, led by the tobacco industry. Earlier versions of this article were presented at the annual meetings of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, 2003, and the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, 2003. Mark Lehman of WVU helped with the data gathering and analysis.
Detection of the A2058G and A2059G 23S rRNA Gene Point Mutations Associated with Azithromycin Resistance in Treponema pallidum by Use of a TaqMan Real-Time Multiplex PCR Assay

ABSTRACT Macrolide treatment failure in syphilis patients is associated with a single point mutation (either A2058G or A2059G) in both copies of the 23S rRNA gene in Treponema pallidum strains. The conventional method for the detection of both point mutations uses nested PCR combined with restriction enzyme digestions, which is laborious and time-consuming. We initially developed a TaqMan-based real-time duplex PCR assay for detection of the A2058G mutation, and upon discovery of the A2059G mutation, we modified the assay into a triplex format to simultaneously detect both mutations. The point mutations detected by the real-time triplex PCR were confirmed by pyrosequencing. A total of 129 specimens PCR positive for T. pallidum that were obtained from an azithromycin resistance surveillance study conducted in the United States were analyzed. Sixty-six (51.2%) of the 129 samples with the A2058G mutation were identified by both real-time PCR assays. Of the remaining 63 samples that were identified as having a macrolide-susceptible genotype by the duplex PCR assay, 17 (27%) were found to contain the A2059G mutation by the triplex PCR. The proportions of macrolide-susceptible versus -resistant genotypes harboring either the A2058G or the A2059G mutation among the T. pallidum strains were 35.6, 51.2, and 13.2%, respectively. None of the T. pallidum strains examined had both point mutations. The TaqMan-based real-time triplex PCR assay offers an alternative to conventional nested PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses for the rapid detection of both point mutations associated with macrolide resistance in T. pallidum.
Infant-mother attachment and the growth of externalizing problems across the primary-school years.

BACKGROUND Some contend that attachment insecurity increases risk for the development of externalizing behavior problems in children. METHOD Latent-growth curve analyses were applied to data on 1,364 children from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care to evaluate the association between early attachment and teacher-rated externalizing problems across the primary-school years. RESULTS Findings indicate that (a) both avoidant and disorganized attachment predict higher levels of externalizing problems but (b) that effects of disorganized attachment are moderated by family cumulative contextual risk, child gender and child age, with disorganized boys from risky social contexts manifesting increases in behavior problems over time. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the potentially conditional role of early attachment in children's externalizing behavior problems and the need for further research evaluating causation and mediating mechanisms.
Antagonistic effect of EGF on FAK phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in a cell

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a key role in the crosstalk of growth factor‐ and cell adhesion‐mediated signaling pathway. In this study, we found that the quantitative change of phosphorylated FAK was bell‐shaped time‐dependently by EGF stimulation in immortalized human keratinocyte (HaCaT). EGF enhanced FAK phosphorylation and cell spreading in adhering HaCaT cells with low‐phosphorylated FAK. On the other hand, spread HaCaT cells having high‐phosphorylated FAK changed to round shapes with FAK dephosphorylation 15 min after EGF stimulation. Pharmacological agents, U0126 and PD98059 (mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPK) kinases (MEK) inhibitors), and AG1478 (an EGF receptor kinase inhibitor) blocked the cell rounding and FAK dephosphorylation. In addition, the EGFR‐MAPK signaling pathway had an influence on cell migration by regulating FAK dephosphorylation of keratinocytes in response of EGF, since the MEK inhibitors and AG1478 suppressed EGF‐induced cell migration. However, FAK phosphorylation and HaCaT cell spreading were inhibited only by the antagonist of EGF–EGFR binding but not by the MEK inhibitors and AG1478. Taken together, we suggest that EGF is antagonistically involved in both FAK phosphorylation and dephosphorylation with different mechanisms in a cell. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maximum Entropy in Option Pricing: A Convex‐Spline Smoothing Method

Applying the principle of maximum entropy (PME) to infer an implied probability density from option prices is appealing from a theoretical standpoint because the resulting density will be the least prejudiced estimate, as “it will be maximally noncommittal with respect to missing or unknown information. ”1 Buchen and Kelly (1996) showed that, with a set of well‐spread simulated exact‐option prices, the maximum‐entropy distribution (MED) approximates a risk‐neutral distribution to a high degree of accuracy. However, when random noise is added to the simulated option prices, the MED poorly fits the exact distribution. Motivated by the characteristic that a call price is a convex function of the option's strike price, this study suggests a simple convex‐spline procedure to reduce the impact of noise on observed option prices before inferring the MED. Numerical examples show that the convex‐spline smoothing method yields satisfactory empirical results that are consistent with prior studies. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 21:819–832, 2001
Exploring the direct and indirect effects of urban form on travel choices. The case of Athens, Greece

The article deals with the influence of land use on transportation. In studies up to the present, the relationship between the two has been regarded as an 'autonomous' system, an approach that has resulted in simplistic conclusions. The present study introduces non-urban form parameters, in pursuit of a two-fold goal: a) to compare the degree of influence of urban form and non-urban form parameters on travel behaviour; b) to identify the urban form parameters that directly influence transport choices. Data from the Metro Development Study has been employed for the area of Athens. The results indicate that urban form parameters influence public transport use and walking, the mean journey length and energy consumption by car, more than do non-urban form parameters. Non-urban form parameters influence mostly car use. The urban form parameters that turn out to influence transport choices directly are residential density and distance from city centre. Finally, conclusions about the strategic planning priorities that Athens could adopt in order for more sustainable travel patterns to appear are presented.
Interest Rate Digital Options and Range Notes

A European interest rate digital call (put) option pays one dollar at maturity if the prespecified reference interest rate is above (below) the strike level, and zero otherwise. A European range digital option pays one dollar if the prespecified reference interest rate lies within a specified range at maturity, and zero otherwise. A range note is a form of floating-rate note. The payment at the end of each period is defined to equal the number of days the reference interest rate lies within a specified range times an interest rate specified at the start of each period. Taking the initial term structure to be exogenous, closed-form solutions are derived for European interest rate digital options, digital range options, and range notes.
Stimulation of the Human Lumbar Spinal Cord With Implanted and Surface Electrodes: A Computer Simulation Study

Human lumbar spinal cord networks controlling stepping and standing can be activated through posterior root stimulation using implanted electrodes. A new stimulation method utilizing surface electrodes has been shown to excite lumbar posterior root fibers similarly as with implants, an unexpected finding considering the distance to these target neurons. In the present study we apply computer modeling to compare the depolarization of posterior root fibers by both stimulation techniques. We further examine the potential for additional direct activation of motoneurons within the anterior roots. Using an implant, action potentials are initiated in the posterior root fibers at their entry into the spinal cord or along the longitudinal portions of the fiber trajectories, depending on the cathode position. For transcutaneous stimulation low threshold sites of the same fibers are identified at their exits from the spinal canal in addition to their spinal cord entries. In these exit regions anterior root fibers can also be activated. The simulation results provide a biophysical explanation for the electrophysiological findings of lower limb muscle responses induced by posterior root stimulation. Efficient excitation of afferent spinal cord structures with a simple noninvasive method can become a promising modality in the rehabilitation of people with motor disorders.
Women and Social Capital: A Comment on Hall's ‘Social Capital in Britain’

Hall's interesting article contains the bold, but undeveloped, argument that â€˜social capital has been sustained in Britain largely by virtue of the increasing participation of women in the communityâ€™. Hall's statement draws attention to the curious silence within the social capital debate about gender dynamics. Hall modestly notes that his analysis of social capital in Britain raises more questions than it resolves. The purpose of this Comment is to clarify these questions as they relate to women and social capital. The objective is not simply to â€˜add women and stirâ€™. Rather, a consideration of gender dynamics illuminates key controversies within the wider social capital debate. Peter Hall, â€˜Social Capital in Britain', British Journal of Political Science, 29 (1999), 417â€“61 Virginia Sapiro, â€˜Feminist Studies and Political Science â€“ and Vice Versaâ€™, in Anne Phillips, ed., Feminism and Politics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 67â€“89, at p. 67.
HEMATOPORPHYRIN‐SENSITIZED PHOTOINACTIVATION OF Streptococcus faecalis

Abstract— The photosensitizing action of hematoporphyrin (HP) on the cells of some bacterial strains belonging to the species Streptococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as of strains of yeast Candida albicans, was studied in air‐equilibrated aqueous media at pH 7.2. All Gram‐negative strains appeared to be resistant even to prolonged irradiation both in the presence and in the absence of EDTA. On the other hand. Gram‐positive and yeast strains were photosensitive. In the case of Str. faecalis, whose strains displayed a particularly high photosensitivity, the efficiency of the photoprocess was mainly controlled by the HP concentration in the incubation medium (0.1‐1 μg/ml) and by the irradiation time (0–10 min); temperature (18–37oC) exerted a minor effect, whereas the incubation time (6–30 min) had no detectable influence. The photolability of Str. faecalis cells was only slightly different in the logarithmic and stationary phase of growth. The type of photoinduced ultrastructural modifications and the largely preferential binding of HP to the cytoplasmic membrane, as observed by cell fractionation studies, suggest that one important target of the HP‐photosensitized process is represented by membrane components.
The valuation effects of equity carve-outs

In an examination of 136 equity carve-outs in Taiwan in 1994–2007 we first find significantly positive stock price reactions associated with the announcements, consistent with the global findings. We further examine the sources of wealth gains on the basis of the asymmetric information hypothesis (Nanda, 1991) and the divestiture gains hypothesis (Schipper and Smith, 1986) and find that the results lend more support to the latter than the former. Specifically, two ramifications of the divestiture gains hypothesis are supported: firms that divest unrelated business (refocusing strategy hypothesis) and use the proceeds to undertake new investments (the investment strategy hypothesis) draw favourable market appraisals.