Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A High-Frequency Analysis of Trading Activity in the Corporate Bond Market: Do Macro Announcements Drive Activity?

Herein we explore whether macroeconomic announcements are a driving factor in the trading activity of US corporate bond market. Prior studies have documented a strong response of bond returns and interest rates to surprises in macroeconomic data in the US Treasury and Treasury futures markets. Likewise, studies have also documented that trading activity changes sharply, based on informational impulses provided by the release of economic data. We contribute to the existing literature by examining how both daily and intraday measures of trading activity are impacted by surprises in macro data. Our main findings are that the thinly-traded market for corporate bonds is largely unaffected by surprises in individual economic reports and that the market is dominated by day-of-week and time-of-day affects. The results stand in contrast to prior studies documenting increased financial market activity, such as Andersen, Bollerslev, Diebold and Vega (2003). The existence of intraday or “diurnal” trading patterns is consistent with earlier findings in Anderson and Bollerslev (1997,1998) studies with respect to intraday asset returns and volatility. Engle and Ng (1993) and Engle and Solkasa (2012)
Portland Region Parks: Measuring Equity in Access

Citation Details Shields, Harold; Fredsvik, Sindre; Horn, Jonah; Miller, Robert Kalei; Hill, Cameron; Petry, Anna; Mogelinski, Daniel; Kyle, Stephen P.; Knobloch, Jenna; Horn, Jonah; Biorn, Henrich; Wyatt, Andew; Bedell, James; Kent, Evan; and Young, Adrien, "Portland Region Parks: Measuring Equity in Access" (2013). Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project. 14. https://pdxscholar.library. pdx.edu/ims_assestmapping/14
Management of Islanded Operation of Microgirds

Distributed generations with continuously growing penetration levels offer potential solutions to energy security and reliability with minimum environmental impacts. Distributed Generations when connected to the area electric power systems provide numerous advantages. However, grid integration of distributed generations presents several technical challenges which has forced the systems planners and operators to account for the repercussions on the distribution feeders which are no longer passive in the presence of distributed generations. Grid integration of distributed generations requires accurate and reliable islanding detection methodology for secure system operation. Two distributed generation islanding detection methodologies are proposed in this dissertation. First, a passive islanding detection technique for grid-connected distributed generations based on parallel decision trees is proposed. The proposed approach relies on capturing the underlying signature of a wide variety of system events on a set of critical system parameters and utilizes multiple optimal decision tress in a parallel network for classification of system events. Second, a hybrid islanding detection method for gridconnected inverter based distributed generations combining decision trees and Sandia frequency shift method is also proposed. The proposed method combines passive and active islanding detection techniques to aggregate their individual advantages and reduce or eliminate their drawbacks. In smart grid paradigm, microgrids are the enabling engine for systematic integration of distributed generations with the utility grid. A systematic approach for
CFA and soft skill competencies for entry-level managers*

Post-recession employers will look for individuals possessing skills that increase their sales and clientele through friendly service and boost their productivity through problem solving and communication skills. Although studies have identified important soft skills for hospitality managers, this research has taken a different approach, focusing on creating a baseline of essential soft skills for entry-level managers. Having this initial baseline will help the researchers provide greater reliability to the scale and a future tool for hospitality companies. In prior studies, the researchers developed a list of 107 competencies. A Delphi panel was convened and consisted of six HR professionals and six HR academicians. The Delphi panel confirmed the importance of the 107 competencies and added 9 competencies. Next, a principal components analysis was conducted on the soft skill competency items. The next phase of the research revealed a five-factor structure.
The Interaction of α‐Thalassaemia and Haemoglobin G Philadelphia

An American Negro woman was found to have HbH disease in association with HbG Philadelphia (α68‐asnlys). Starch gel electrophoresis failed to reveal the presence of any HbA or HbA2 and studies of globin chain synthesis indicated absence of αA production. The αG/β synthesis ratio was 0.63. The woman's son and her two half‐sibs had α‐thalassaemia trait with no HbH and α/β synthesis ratios of 0.84, 0.84 and 0.76. The data indicate that there is no functioning αA gene linked to the αG gene. The absence of αA synthesis by the propositus also indicates that the α‐thalassaemia gene trans to the αG gene completely suppresses α chain production, the first evidence for such a gene in Negroes.
The Usefulness of Climate Change Risk Disclosure: Evidence from SEC FR-82

OF DISSERTATION THE USEFULNESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE RISK DISCLOSURE: EVIDENCE FROM SEC FR-82 On February 8, 2010, the SEC issued an interpretive guidance, SEC FR-82, (guidance hereafter) and required public firms to disclose climate change risk in their 10-Ks. However, this guidance has been controversial. Using firm-year observations from the Russell 3000 Index, this paper shows the following findings regarding the usefulness of climate change risk disclosure. First, a review of the legislative process leading to the 2010 guidance suggests that institutional investors and Democratic politicians play a key role in lobbying the SEC to require the climate change disclosure. Second, firms with climate change risk disclosures have lower future return on assets, driven mainly by lower profit margin. Third, these firms also have lower earnings persistence and smaller forward earnings response coefficient (FERC). Fourth, an event study reveals that these firms experience significantly lower cumulative abnormal return during the 5-days around the 10-K filing date, indicating that investors may incorporate this information into their investment decisions. Fifth, textual analysis indicates that less readable climate change risk disclosure exacerbates the aforementioned effects. Sixth, these firms have lower future firm value, indicating that the climate change risk disclosure signals future firm value. Lastly, tests show that climate change disclosure in the 10-K is more informative than that voluntarily disclosed in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) survey, indicating that SEC-mandated disclosure provides information incremental to voluntary disclosure. Overall, this paper documents the usefulness of climate change risk disclosure required under SEC FR-82.
IGAP: an Information GAthering Protocol for mobile user in infrastructureless area

Typical wireless sensor network (WSN) constructs independent networks by scattering a large number of sensor motes in interested specific area. It delivers data occurring in the area to a user existing on conventional computer networks. In the future, however, it will appear that the user moving in infrastructureless sensing fields wants to gather information. In order to support this requirement, this paper suggests IGAP (an information gathering protocol for mobile users in infrastructureless area) that communicates with the mobile user by using only members of WSN. IGAP has a new communication paradigm that it uses a static sink for mobile users. Hence it has low control packet overhead because there is no need to trace the movement of the user continuously. Specially, the IGAP has a superior merit that it can use previously researched information gathering algorithms untouched. In a performance evaluation by using simulation, we will show that IGAP can support the mobile user with low control packet overhead.
CD4+ T Cell Responses to SSX-4 in Melanoma Patients1

Genes of the synovial sarcoma X breakpoint (SSX) family are expressed in different human tumors, including melanomas, but not in adult somatic tissues. Because of their specific expression at the tumor site, SSX-encoded Ags are potential targets for anticancer immunotherapy. In this study, we have analyzed CD4+ T cell responses directed against the Ag encoded by SSX-4. Upon in vitro stimulation of PBMC from four melanoma patients bearing Ag-expressing tumors with a pool of long peptides spanning the protein sequence, we detected and isolated SSX-4-specific CD4+ T cells recognizing several distinct antigenic sequences, mostly restricted by frequently expressed HLA class II alleles. The majority of the identified sequences were located within the Krüppel-associated box domain in the N-terminal region of the protein, indicating a high potential immunogenicity of this region. Together our data document the existence of CD4+ T cells specific for multiple SSX-4 derived sequences in circulating lymphocytes from melanoma patients and encourage further studies to assess the impact of SSX-4-specific T cell responses on disease evolution in cancer patients.
A Meta‐Synthesis of Children's Experiences of Postoperative Pain Management

BACKGROUND Ineffective management of postoperative pain in children has been reported widely. To improve the effectiveness of postoperative pain management for children, it was necessary to conduct a systematic review to better understand the current knowledge of children's experiences of their postoperative pain management. AIMS The aim of this review was to update and synthesize current qualitative research of postoperative pain management based on children's experiences. METHODS Qualitative studies published between January 1990 and July 2014 were searched from the electronic databases of CINAHL, MEDLINE, MedNar, ProQuest, PsycINFO, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science. A broad range of search keywords and a three-step search strategy were used. Meta-syntheses were used to summarize the findings from the included studies. RESULTS Nine qualitative studies were included. Three meta-syntheses from 22 categories based on 72 findings were generated: (a) Children experienced various negative emotions related to postoperative pain, and could assess and express their pain but need their parents as advocates; (b) apart from pain medication, various nonpharmacological strategies to relieve children's postoperative pain were employed by children, parents, and nurses; and (c) suggestions from children for their parents and nurses to better relieve postoperative pain. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION This review provided preliminary support for increasing the provision of information and education for children and their parents about postoperative conditions, pain, and pain relief strategies. Nurses should also be encouraged to employ more nonpharmacological pain-relieving strategies and build rapport with children and their parents. Future intervention studies are needed to improve children's postoperative experiences.
Warranty Inventory Optimization for Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc

Warranty inventory management is a challenge that many companies must confront. Customers return allegedly defective units to a company for replacement or credit. The company can then economically recover the unit through either a testing or remanufacturing process; it can use recovered units to fulfill future warranty requests. The company also has the option of purchasing a new product from the production line. In high-volume situations, warranty inventory management involves many complexities such as stochastic demand rates, probabilistic requests for credit instead of replacement, probabilistic repairs, multiple sources of supply, and tight customer-service constraints. Companies may also have to consider the complexities that a batch remanufacturing process causes. In this paper, we formulate several related models of such warranty inventory systems. In these models, we study a periodic, single-location, inventory system that is dedicated to warranty returns. We find near-optimal policies for each system using well-developed heuristics. The models include the following complexities: random warranty claims, random requests for replacement or credit, three sources of supply (testing, remanufacturing, and new product), random flows of returned products into testing and remanufacturing, random yields from testing and remanufacturing, different lead times for each resupply process, remanufacturing lead time variability, and random batching of remanufacturing. The results of the models provide near-optimal inventory-control policies in this complex environment and demonstrate the payoffs that result from reducing production lead times and batching in remanufacturing. Hitachi GST has gained a great deal from this modeling process. In addition to the direct benefit from the model's calculations, additional sensitivity analyses have shed light on the quantitative importance of various factors, including demand volatility, the percentage of credit requests, the percentage of units successfully remanufactured, and batching effects in remanufacturing.
DdPDE4, a Novel cAMP-specific Phosphodiesterase at the Surface of Dictyostelium Cells*

Dictyostelium discoideum cells possess multiple cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases that belong either to class I enzymes that are present in all eukaryotes or to the rare β-lactamase class II. We describe here the identification and characterization of DdPDE4, the third class I enzyme of Dictyostelium. The deduced amino acid sequence predicts that DdPDE4 has a leader sequence, two transmembrane segments, and an extracellular catalytic domain that exhibits a high degree of homology with human cAMP-specific PDE8. Expression of the catalytic domain of DdPDE4 shows that the enzyme is a cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase with a Km of 10 μm; cGMP is hydrolyzed at least 100-fold more slowly. The full-length protein is shown to be membrane-bound with catalytic activity exposed to the extracellular medium. Northern blots and activity measurements reveal that expression of DdPDE4 is low during single cell stages and increases at 9 h of starvation, corresponding with mound stage. A function during multicellular development is confirmed by the phenotype of ddpde4– knock-out strains, showing normal aggregation but impaired development from the mound stage on. These results demonstrate that DdPDE4 is a unique membrane-bound phosphodiesterase with an extracellular catalytic domain regulating intercellular cAMP during multicellular development.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE HANDI HAND: AN INEXPENSIVE, MULTI-ARTICULATING, SENSORIZED HAND FOR MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCH IN MYOELECTRIC CONTROL

Machine learning (ML) has been applied in both research and clinical settings to make myoelectric prostheses more functional and more intuitive to use. ML techniques for myoelectric control require information about the environment a control system occupies in order to make useful control decisions or predictions about a user’s desired control outcomes. Despite demonstrated increases in myoelectric control performance with the inclusion of additional information about users and their environments, the sensors in commercial prostheses are limited, and typically do not provide diverse channels of contextual information to their respective control systems. Additional sensor information is crucial to demonstrating and evaluating the full potential of next-generation ML control systems. With this in mind, a novel, cost-effective research prosthesis was designed to provide real-time sensory information for ML-based myoelectric control. This device is able to report fingertip forces on independently controlled fingers, angular position for individual finger joints, and visual information about the hand’s environment via a USB webcam integrated in the palm. Using 3D printing, the device was prototyped at a cost of less than $800 CAD. This work therefore contributes a new platform by which groups can conduct ML research on prostheses, and allows researchers to develop new ML approaches with ample access to contextual information about prosthesis movement, prosthesis-environment interactions, and local changes to the environment surrounding the prosthesis. By providing an inexpensive, highly sensorized prosthetic hand, this work helps mitigate the cost of purchasing and retrofitting commercial prostheses with new sensors; it is therefore also expected to support related research into methods for sensory feedback from prostheses to users.
Nucleotide sequence of the Bacillus subtilis phoR gene

The nucleotide sequence of phoR, the positive and negative regulatory gene for alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase formation in Bacillus subtilis, was determined. The sequence data predicted an open reading frame of 1,740 base pairs (579 amino acids) which overlaps the 5 base pairs of the preceding phoP coding sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence was significantly homologous with that of the Escherichia coli phoR gene product, which is the sensory element for the pho regulon.
Improving Physical Layer Security Using UAV-Enabled Mobile Relaying

Mobile relaying has aroused great interest in wireless communications recently, thanks to the rapid development and evolvement of unmanned aerial vehicles. This letter establishes the utility of mobile relaying in facilitating secure wireless communications. In particular, we consider transmit optimization in a four-node (source, destination, buffer-aided mobile relay, and eavesdropper) channel setup, wherein we aim at maximizing the secrecy rate of this system. However, the secrecy rate maximization problem is nonconvex and intractable to solve. To circumvent the nonconvexity, we exploit the difference-of-concave (DC) program to develop an iterative algorithm, which is proven to have Karush–Kuhn–Tucker point convergence guarantee. The algorithm conducts a water-filling-based solution in each DC iteration, and thus is computationally efficient to implement. In addition, for a given special case, we show that each DC iteration could yield a closed-form solution, which further reduces the computational complexity. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed mobile relaying scheme could significantly outperform the static relaying scheme in terms of secrecy enhancement.
The interferon‐inducible nucleolar p204 protein binds the ribosomal RNA‐specific UBF1 transcription factor and inhibits ribosomal RNA transcription

p204, a member of the interferon‐inducible p200 family of murine proteins, is primarily nucleolar. We generated cell lines in which p204 was inducible by muristerone. This induction resulted in retardation of cell proliferation and inhibition of rRNA transcription in vivo. Interferon treatment, resulting in p204 induction and retardation of proliferation, also caused inhibition of rRNA transcription in vivo. p204 also inhibited rRNA transcription in vitro. This inhibition was overcome by addition of UBF1, the rRNA‐specific transcription factor. A direct interaction between p204 and UBF1 was revealed in vitro in pull‐down assays, and in vivo by co‐immunoprecipitation from cell extracts. UBF1 bound strongly to at least two regions of p204: the N‐terminal segment linked to the conserved 200 amino acid a segment, and the conserved 200 amino acid b segment. Cleavage of the a or b segments into two segments (encoded by single exons) resulted in a strong decrease or loss of binding. The inhibition of rRNA transcription by p204 may be due to the inhibition by p204 of the specific DNA binding of UBF1. This was revealed in electrophoretic mobility shift, magnetic bead and footprinting assays. Thus, p204 serves as a mediator of the inhibition of rRNA transcription by interferon.
Drosophila cancer models

Cancer is driven by complex genetic and cellular mechanisms. Recently, the Drosophila community has become increasingly interested in exploring cancer issues. The Drosophila field has made seminal contributions to many of the mechanisms that are fundamental to the cancer process; several of these mechanisms have already been validated in vertebrates. Less well known are the Drosophila field's early direct contributions to the cancer field: some of the earliest tumor suppressors were identified in flies. In this review, we identify major contributions that Drosophila studies have made toward dissecting the pathways and mechanisms underlying tumor progression. We also highlight areas, such as drug discovery, where we expect Drosophila studies to make a major scientific impact in the future. Developmental Dynamics 241:107–118, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Enumeration of Phytoplankton, Bacteria, and Viruses in Marine Samples

For many years, a small but dedicated group of scientists have been using flow cytometry for the evaluation of marine microorganisms. One of these scientists now provides us with a detailed series of protocols in this area, spelling out the variations in method and instrument operation that are crucial to the successful extraction of quality flow data from marine organisms. In addition, the use of a number of less frequently employed fluorescent probes gives some insight into alternative staining procedures. As our collection of microbiologically oriented techniques increases, this knowledge database becomes invaluable.
The Effect of Therapeutic Back Massage in Hypertensive Persons: A Preliminary Study

Hypertension, one of the most pervasive disease processes in the United States, can lead to target organ damage. Although there is no one cause of primary hypertension, the theory of an unchecked long-term stress response continues to be a valid argument. Conversely, eliciting the relaxation response may alter the course of the unchecked stress response. Massage therapists have suggested that their therapy elicits the relaxation response and therefore can decrease blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. This preliminary study tested the effects of a regularly applied back massage on the BP of patients with clinically diagnosed hypertension. In this experimental, pretest-posttest study, a 10-min back massage was given to the experimental group (n = 8), three times a week for 10 sessions. The control group (n = 6) relaxed in the same environment for 10 min, three times a week for 10 sessions. Analysis of variance determined systolic BP changed significantly, F(1, 12) = 17.90, p = . 001, between groups over time as did the diastolic BP, F(1, 12) = 8.34, p = . 014. Effect size was 2.25 for systolic pressure and 1.56 for diastolic pressure (alpha of .05 and power at .80). This preliminary study suggests that regular massage may lower BP in hypertensive persons.