Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Down-Regulation of DELLA Genes Is Not Essential for Germination of Tomato, Soybean, and Arabidopsis Seeds1

The relationship between expression of a negative regulator of GA signal transduction (RGL2) belonging to the DELLA gene family and repression of Arabidopsis seed germination has been studied (Lee S, Cheng H, King KE, Wang W, He Y, Hussain A, Lo J, Harberd NP, Peng J [2002] Genes and Development 16: 646–658). There is one DELLA gene (LeGAI) present in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), which is expressed in both vegetative and reproductive tissues. During germination of wild-type tomato seed, there was no decline in the expression of LeGAI in either the embryo or the endosperm. Rather, LeGAI transcripts increased in these tissues following imbibition and remained high during and following germination. A similar increase in LeGAI transcripts occurred in the endosperm and embryo of GA-treated gib-1 mutant seed during and following germination. Likewise in soybean (Glycine max) seed, there was no decline in the expression of two DELLA genes in the radicle before or after germination. Upon reexamination of RGL2 in Arabidopsis seeds, a decline in its expression was noted but only after radicle emergence, i.e. after germination had been completed. Taken together, these data are consistent with GA-induced down-regulation of DELLA genes not being a prerequisite for germination of tomato, soybean, and Arabidopsis seeds.
The attractiveness of emerging market MNCs as employers of European and American talent workers: A multicultural study

Purpose – Upon entering developed markets, emerging market multinational corporations (EMNCs) from China and India must compete with both host companies and other developed nation MNCs to attract and recruit necessary local talent. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent EMNC firms will be perceived as less attractive employers than their developed nation counterparts due to a perceived liability of origin bias. Major demographic and psychographic factors that may affect this bias will also be identified. Design/methodology/approach – Seven hypotheses were tested on a total of 626 German, French and American respondents. Participants were randomly presented identical job descriptions from four hypothetical MNCs (American, European, Indian and Chinese) and were asked to evaluate the perceived attractiveness of working for, as well as their intent to pursue employment with, the offering firm. Findings – Using hierarchical linear regression testing, combined with analysis of variance testing, .
Alcohol-related olfactory cues activate the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area in high-risk drinkers: preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system is implicated in motivation and reward and may be involved in the development of alcoholism. METHODS We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response to alcohol-related olfactory stimuli (AROS; odors of beer and whiskey) and non-alcohol-related olfactory stimuli (NAROS; odors of grass and leather) in 10 high-risk (HR) drinkers (average drinks per week, 19.99; SD, 6.99; all with > or = 2 first- or second-degree alcoholic relatives) and 5 low-risk (LR) social drinking controls (drinks per week, 2.82; SD, 2.87; 1 subject had 1 second-degree alcoholic relative). Data were analyzed with SPM99 and random effects analysis by using regions of interest and corrected cluster statistics (p < 0.05) to focus on the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). RESULTS In HR subjects, there was a greater BOLD signal increase in the NAc during AROS than during clean air. BOLD signal increases during AROS were also greater in the NAc than the signal increases induced by NAROS. The AROS signal was significantly greater than the NAROS signal in a small number of voxels in the VTA. Finally, the AROS/NAROS difference signal was larger in HR drinkers in both the NAc and VTA. CONCLUSIONS Alcoholic olfactory cues may invoke the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system to a greater degree than nonalcoholic odors and could be effective tools in exploring the role of the dopamine system in susceptibility to alcoholism.
An evolutionary model for the dynamics of vertical integration and network-based production

The concept of modularity has gained recently a growing attention in the management literature as a key to explain the contemporary trends of industrial dynamics. A stronger exploitation of external «networkbased» economies with respect to internal «bureaucracy-based» economies is one of the major consequences of the diffusion of flexible production systems and of modular architectures for products. To explain this connection, in this paper a model is presented which tries to explain the co-evolution of technology and organization as the outcome of a complex evolutionary process. In particular, through a set of exploratory agent-based simulations we try to show the existence of qualitatively different dynamic processes in coincidence of different phases and specific conditions of product and technology development, as well as the existence of a relationship between this dynamics and other competitive factors, determining a wide set of structurally different dynamical patterns in coincidence of different combinations of factors.
The Production of Human Capital and the Life of Earnings

After a brief summary of Ben Porath's 1967 model approach, I enquire into the empirical validity and some implications of his insights. Section 2 is an attempt to answer the question: Are the shapes and magnitudes of growth in wage profiles largely attributable to human capital investments? Section 3 tests the proposition that over the working age capacity wages (i.e. wages before netting out investment) decline before observed wages do. Implied timing of labor supply provides the test. The findings shed light on developments in the U.S. labor market in the past several decades. In section 4 some implications are drawn from Ben-Porath's model for interpersonal differences and historical changes in life-cycle human capital investments. The positive correlation between schooling and training, predicted by the model is found in cross-sections. It also shows up in parallel movements in schooling and training in the 1980's as the demand for human capital increased. Once again, observed U.S. patterns are highlighted.
Toward a quantitative description of large-scale neocortical dynamic function and EEG

A general conceptual framework for large-scale neocortical dynamics based on data from many laboratories is applied to a variety of experimental designs, spatial scales, and brain states. Partly distinct, but interacting local processes (e.g., neural networks) arise from functional segregation. Global processes arise from functional integration and can facilitate (top down) synchronous activity in remote cell groups that function simultaneously at several different spatial scales. Simultaneous local processes may help drive (bottom up) macroscopic global dynamics observed with electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG). A local/global dynamic theory that is consistent with EEG data and the proposed conceptual framework is outlined. This theory is neutral about properties of neural networks embedded in macroscopic fields, but its global component makes several qualitative and semiquantitative predictions about EEG measures of traveling and standing wave phenomena. A more general “metatheory” suggests what large-scale quantitative theories of neocortical dynamics may be like when more accurate treatment of local and nonlinear effects is achieved. The theory describes the dynamics of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic action fields. EEG and MEG provide large-scale estimates of modulation of these synaptic fields around background levels. Brain states are determined by neuromodulatory control parameters. Purely local states are dominated by local feedback gains and rise and decay times of postsynaptic potentials. Dominant local frequencies vary with brain region. Other states are purely global, with moderate to high coherence over large distances. Multiple global mode frequencies arise from a combination of delays in corticocortical axons and neocortical boundary conditions. Global frequencies are identical in all cortical regions, but most states involve dynamic interactions between local networks and the global system. EEG frequencies may involve a “matching” of local resonant frequencies with one or more of the many, closely spaced global frequencies.
The Effect of Lower Hours of Work on Wages and Employment

This paper examines the likely effects of a reduction in hours of work employment and wages. We firstly assume that the wage is fixed and present evidence on the direct employment effect of a fall in hours of work. We then analyze the indirect effect on employment from a change in the hourly wage when this is determined endogenously. Our results suggest that reductions in hours of work are not likely to lead to an increase in the hourly wage and will therefore reduce unemployment by sharing any given volume of work among more people. These findings are robust to a number of alternative assumptions about wage and hours determination.
Inflation forecasts: how good are they?

Forecasts of inflation affect decision-making in many segments of the economy. But in the early 1980s, economists found that forecasts in surveys taken over the past 20 years systematically underpredicted inflation. As a result, many economists stopped paying attention to forecasts. However, they may have abandoned them too quickly. In this article, Dean Croushore takes a closer look at survey forecasts and, after considering some relevant factors, concludes that inflation forecasts may not be as bad as you think
Who pays for banking supervision? Principles and trends

Purpose - This paper aims to analyse the economics of financing banking supervision and attempts to respond to two questions: What are the most common financing practices? Can the differences in current financing practices be explained by country-specific factors, using a path-dependence approach? Design/methodology/approach - The paper performs an empirical analysis that identifies the determinants of the financing structure of banks' prudential supervision using a sample of 90 banking supervisors (central banks and financial authorities). Findings - The paper concludes that supervisors in central banks are more likely to be publicly funded, while financial authorities are more likely to be funded via a levy on the regulated banks. The financing rule is also explained by the structure of the financial systems. Public funding is more likely in bank-oriented structures. Finally, the geographical factor is also significant: European bank supervisors are more oriented towards the private funding regime. Practical implications - In general, the paper does not find evidence of the role of the political factor, the size of the economy, the level of development and the legal tradition. Originality/value - The paper analyses the financial governance of banking supervision in a sample of 90 countries world-wide. The empirical analysis focuses on the financing rules and identifies factors that explain the differences between supervisory authorities.
Wavelets Based on Lifting Scheme and Its Application on Image Processing

The lifting scheme is a fast and efficient method to realize wavelet transform. This paper aims at analysis the second generation wavelets based on the lifting scheme. It can fully control over these degrees of freedom to custom design the wavelet for a particular application. It increases the number of the vanishing moments to increase the compress result. The application on image processing is given at the end of this paper.
The relationship between product and international diversification: the effects of short‐run constraints and endogeneity

We examine the relationship between growth along the product and international dimension in the short run. We argue that while the presence of fungible intangible resources and economies of scope may create opportunities for a firm to expand along both dimensions, the effect of short- run constraints may lead to a trade-off and a negative association between the two dimensions. In addition, we suggest that rather than being independent, decisions concerning the extent of growth along the two dimensions are likely to be made simultaneously and endogenously by firms after taking into consideration the availability of various resources. We test these propositions by observing a sample of 1,299 firms over the period of 1993–1997. Our results show strong evidence of endogeneity and a negative association between growth along the two dimensions. These findings provide important support for theories of firm growth that have long held that firms are limited in the number of opportunities they can exploit in the short run by various constraints. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Global Political Economy of Care

Care is an important analytical concept in social policy because of what its social organisation reveals about social formations and the nature of welfare states. To date, social policy analyses of care have focused on the social (re)organisation of care within nation states, which are largely treated as ‘sealed’ entities. Consequently these analyses neglect to examine the impact of transnational processes on the socio-organisational shifts observed. This article outlines the contours of a global political economy (GPE) of care with a view to elucidating the transnational dimensions to care restructuring. It focuses in particular on domestic care labour because of the extensive internationalisation of domestic services and its significance for the social relations of production and the division of labour. The discussion reflects on analytical issues for the academic study of social policy and care raised by a GPE approach.
Euro Area Money Demand Measuring the Opportunity Costs Appropriately

The existence of a well-specified and stable relationship between money and prices has long been perceived as a prerequisite for the use of monetary aggregates in the conduct of monetary policy. This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about the stability of euro area money demand by constructing an own rate of return on euro area M3 and by analyzing its implications in a standard money demand system. Over the sample period, one cointegrating vector relating real M3, real GDP and the spread between the short-term interest rate and the own rate of M3 can be identified and interpreted as a long-run euro area money demand equation. A dynamic money demand system is subsequently estimated. Standard diagnostics stability tests and out-of-sample forecasts confirm the good statistical performance of the model.
Comparison of Three Estimation Methods for RSSI-Based Localization with Multiple Transmit Antennas

In localization with wireless sensor network [1], received signal strength indicator (RSSI)-based method uses a prerequisite statistical relationship on the RSSI and the distance between a target node and an anchor node in a location estimation area [2]. It is true that RSSI-based method performs poor even with a sophisticated estimation method such as maximum likelihood (ML) method, because in indoor environments, in addition to near/far effect, multipath fading as well as shadowing gives large variations to measured RSSIs.
EVOLUTION TOWARD A NEW ADAPTIVE OPTIMUM: PHENOTYPIC EVOLUTION IN A FOSSIL STICKLEBACK LINEAGE

Abstract Natural selection has almost certainly shaped many evolutionary trajectories documented in fossil lineages, but it has proven difficult to demonstrate this claim by analyzing sequences of evolutionary changes. In a recently published and particularly promising test case, an evolutionary time series of populations displaying armor reduction in a fossil stickleback lineage could not be consistently distinguished from a null model of neutral drift, despite excellent temporal resolution and an abundance of indirect evidence implicating natural selection. Here, we revisit this case study, applying analyses that differ from standard approaches in that: (1) we do not treat genetic drift as a null model, and instead assess neutral and adaptive explanations on equal footing using the Akaike Information Criterion; and (2) rather than constant directional selection, the adaptive scenario we consider is that of a population ascending a peak on the adaptive landscape, modeled as an Orstein–Uhlenbeck process. For all three skeletal features measured in the stickleback lineage, the adaptive model decisively outperforms neutral evolution, supporting a role for natural selection in the evolution of these traits. These results demonstrate that, at least under favorable circumstances, it is possible to infer in fossil lineages the relationship between evolutionary change and features of the adaptive landscape.
Nonlinearities in international macroeconomics : an empirical analysis of advanced economies and emerging markets

The empirical literature in international macroeconomics and finance reveals a growing interest in the use of nonlinear models. Their attractiveness is clear, as these models allow capturing discontinuity in the data-generating process and, by estimating endogenously transition probabilities and variables, avoid the a priori identification of regimes and their timing, thereby enhancing the extent of flexibility in the analysis. This thesis makes use of nonlinear techniques in order to model two different economic issues, which have been at the centre of the economic debate in the last years. The first analysis refers to the issue of debt sustainability and, in particular, tries to test empirically some of the leading interpretations that have been advanced to account for the financial turmoil that characterised the run-up to the Brazilian presidential elections in 2002. We test for financial contagion from the Argentine crisis and the impact of factors including IMF intervention and political uncertainty in raising the probability of crisis. The empirical investigation employs a Markovswitching model with endogenous transition probabilities. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the analysis of current account imbalances in G7 countries. We find evidence of threshold behaviour in current account adjustment, such that the dynamics of adjustment towards equilibrium depend upon whether the current-account/ net-output ratio breaches estimated country specific current account surplus or deficit thresholds. Both the speeds of adjustment and the size of the thresholds are found to differ significantly across countries. We complement the univariate analysis by disentangling the domestic components of the current account according to the national income identity with a view to shed light on the role of savings (both public and private) and investment. Evidence of shifts in means and variances of exchange rate changes - that coincide with the current account adjustment regimes identified by the model - suggest scope for further research on the role of the real exchange rate in determining the nonlinear behaviour of the current account. We extend the threshold methodology to a bivariate context and find evidence of a strict link between current account adjustments and deviations of a country real exchange rate from its long run equilibrium, such that beyond a certain appreciation/depreciation of the real exchange rate, a country CA imbalance would start reverting towards its mean value. Finally, we run a nonlinear test of the present value model of the current account, encouraged by the evidence of nonlinear adjustment in the current account. However, in line with the literature, we reject the test for all countries also in this new nonlinear framework.
How to Determine the Number of Relations Among Deterministic Trends

Hatanaka (1998a) showedthat the number of relations between deterministic trends of different variables played an important role in empirical studies of macroeconomic theories. In the present paper two methods are presented to determine the number from the time-series data. The one investigates eigenvalues of the data covariance matrix on a parametric model of trends accommodating interrelationships. The other analyses OLS residuals on the basis of a looser concept of interrelated trends.
A study of contingency relationships between supplier involvement, absorptive capacity and agile product innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to employ agility concept to develop a contingency perspective of relationship between suppliers' involvement, absorptive capacity (AC) and product innovation ( PI ). While the moderating effect of AC on the relationship between supplier involvement and PI performance is investigated, a firm's agility in PI is entered as one dimension of the firm's performance to accommodate a multidimensional perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The paper formulates six hypotheses extracted from the relevant literature. The survey was conducted over the internet by using web-based questionnaire. A sampling frame of 1,200 manufacturing UK-based companies provided 233 usable responses. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to test a validity and reliability of constructs and further the paper employed hierarchical multiple regression to test the research hypotheses. Findings – The results while reaffirm some of the existing theories of the subject provide some differing view o.
A decision-directed receiver for CDMA MIMO systems over multipath fading channel

In this paper, a decision-directed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver is proposed for a code-division multiple access (CDMA) system using space-time block coding (STBC) over a multipath fading channel. In contract to the conventional MMSE receiver, the proposed blind receiver can provide a reliable performance without requirement of the pilot symbols.
Conservation and topology of protein interaction networks under duplication-divergence evolution

Genomic duplication-divergence processes are the primary source of new protein functions and thereby contribute to the evolutionary expansion of functional molecular networks. Yet, it is still unclear to what extent such duplication-divergence processes also restrict by construction the emerging properties of molecular networks, regardless of any specific cellular functions. We address this question, here, focusing on the evolution of protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks. We solve a general duplication-divergence model, based on the statistically necessary deletions of protein–protein interactions arising from stochastic duplications at various genomic scales, from single-gene to whole-genome duplications. Major evolutionary scenarios are shown to depend on two global parameters only: (i) a protein conservation index (M), which controls the evolutionary history of PPI networks, and (ii) a distinct topology index (M′) controlling their resulting structure. We then demonstrate that conserved, nondense networks, which are of prime biological relevance, are also necessarily scale-free by construction, irrespective of any evolutionary variations or fluctuations of the model parameters. It is shown to result from a fundamental linkage between individual protein conservation and network topology under general duplication-divergence evolution. By contrast, we find that conservation of network motifs with two or more proteins cannot be indefinitely preserved under general duplication-divergence evolution (independently from any network rewiring dynamics), in broad agreement with empirical evidence between phylogenetically distant species. All in all, these evolutionary constraints, inherent to duplication-divergence processes, appear to have largely controlled the overall topology and scale-dependent conservation of PPI networks, regardless of any specific biological function.