Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Payments Remain Fundamental for Banks and Central Banks

Is commercial banking in the traditional sense obsolete? Are we in fact witnessing the emergence of a fundamentally new era of finance and payments intermediation? These questions are raised in this paper. Instead of a formal analysis, an attempt is made here to approach these questions from a historical perspective and a practitioner's standpoint. Which factors have in the course of time shaped the role of commercial banks and are present trends in the market eroding the foundation of traditional commercial bank functions to the extent that we are actually entering upon something that is new in a fundamental way. Of course, we will not get definitive answers. The conclusion arrived at in the paper is that banks will remain important intermediators of financing and payments, and that these functions will constitute the core of banking also in the foreseeable future. This however does not exclude structural changes in the banking sector as a whole and in the activities of individual banks. On the contrary, these are essential to the survival of banks. The paper analyses prospects for new media of exchange replacing deposit money. It is concluded that, as regards asset transfers in the capital market becoming a dominant medium of exchange (in the spirit of the New Monetary Economics), there are serious impediments. Payment flows have increased sharply at the same time as the whole banking sector has been making the adjustment to a more competitive situation. This has accentuated the role of the central bank as a payments service provider to the banks and particularly as an overseer of payment systems. The central bank's role as payment systems overseer is likely to receive even greater emphasis in the future. The central bank's oversight mandate requires further specification as regards the payment systems to be overseen and how oversight relates to banking supervision. Our analysis demonstrates also that current trends in the market are not weakening but rather are strengthening the traditional interrelationship between banks and the central bank in the field of payments. The roles of the banks and the central bank still need fine tuning. It is concluded that payment systems can best serve the rest of the economy if the prime responsibility to develop the systems is left to the private sector, while the central bank has a recognized position as a public policy entity that will do what is necessary to achieve a sufficient level of safety and efficiency.
Progression of white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer disease, dementia with lewy bodies, and Parkinson disease dementia: a comparison with normal aging.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal white matter hyperintensity (WMH) changes in older subjects with clinically diagnosed dementia. METHODS Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images were acquired one year apart in subjects with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), Alzheimer disease (AD), and also healthy elderly comparison subjects. WMH volume was quantified using an automated technique. RESULTS Baseline WMH (as a percent of brain volume) was significantly greater compared with healthy subjects (N=33, geometric mean WMH: 0.4%) in subjects with AD (N=23 [1.3%], analysis of variance post hoc p <0.001) but not PDD (N=13 [0.6%]) or DLB (N=14 [0.4%]). Increase in WMH volume (as a percent of brain volume) was not significantly different (Kruskal-Wallis p=0.4) between groups (AD median change: 0.08%; DLB: 0.025%; PDD: 0.07%, healthy: 0.02%). Severity of baseline WMH, rather than diagnosis or severity of dementia, was a significant predictor of lesion progression. Rate of change of WMH had no association with change in global cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS Significant WMH progression occurs in degenerative dementias with rates influenced by severity of lesions at baseline rather than dementia type or cognitive decline.
SAT-Based On-Line Fault Isolation in Serial Systems

We introduce a method to isolate faults at run-time in an embedded system whose components form a matrix structure. Our method probes a system via test paths a SAT-solver recommends, feeding the SAT-solver with the encodings for test path conditions and the current status of the system. After receiving test results, the SAT-solver recommends another test path suitable for the situation. We can detect all defects by checking the system until the SAT-solver does not make any useful suggestions. Our SAT-based fault diagnosis ensures termination and conducts only essential inspections without misses of potential flaws.
Effect of Lys656Asn Polymorphism of Leptin Receptor Gene on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Serum Adipokine Levels after a High Polyunsaturated Fat Diet in Obese Patients

Human obesity is characterized by high levels of leptin, and leptin levels may change with weight loss and dietary restriction. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of Lys656Asn polymorphism in the leptin receptor gene on cardiovascular risk factors, weight loss, and serum leptin levels to a high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) hypocaloric diet in obese patients.
Advances in malaria diagnosis

Malaria is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and accurate diagnostic testing for malaria can potentially save an estimated 100,000 lives annually. New technologies have the potential to circumvent limitations of the traditional diagnostic method, light microscopy, which is labor intensive and requires considerable technician expertise. Immunochromatographic tests, which are easy to use in field conditions and relatively inexpensive, offer a potential solution to the problem of malaria overtreatment in resource-poor endemic countries. Assays based on the PCR are highly sensitive, can be used for unambiguous species identification and, thus, may increasingly complement or even replace light microscopy in developed countries. Experimental diagnostics using flow cytometry and mass spectrometry are currently under investigation for high-throughput screening.
Improving POS Tagging of German Learner Language in a Reading Comprehension Scenario

We present a novel method to automatically improve the accurracy of part-of-speech taggers on learner language. The key idea underlying our approach is to exploit the structure of a typical language learner task and automatically induce POS information for out-of-vocabulary (OOV) words. To evaluate the effectiveness of our approach, we add manual POS and normalization information to an existing language learner corpus. Our evaluation shows an increase in accurracy from 72.4% to 81.5% on OOV words.
The Axl receptor tyrosine kinase is an adverse prognostic factor and a therapeutic target in esophageal adenocarcinoma

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) arises in the backdrop of reflux-induced metaplastic phenomenon known as Barrett esophagus. The prognosis of advanced EAC is dismal, and there is an urgent need for identifying molecular targets for therapy. Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) was performed on metachronous mucosal biopsies from a patient who underwent progression to EAC during endoscopic surveillance. SAGE confirmed significant upregulation of Axl "tags" during the multistep progression of Barrett esophagus to EAC. In a cohort of 92 surgically resected EACs, Axl overexpression was associated with shortened median survival on both univariate (p < 0.004) and multivariate (p < 0.036) analysis. Genetic knockdown of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) function was enabled in two EAC lines (OE33 and JH-EsoAd1) using lentiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Genetic knockdown of Axl in EAC cell lines inhibited invasion, migration, and in vivo engraftment, which was accompanied by downregulation in the activity of the Ral GTPase proteins (RalA and RalB). Restoration of Ral activation rescued the transformed phenotype of EAC cell lines, suggesting a novel effector mechanism for Axl in cancer cells. Pharmacological inhibition of Axl was enabled using a small molecule antagonist, R428 (Rigel Pharmaceuticals). Pharmacological inhibition of Axl with R428 in EAC cell lines significantly reduced anchorage-independent growth, invasion and migration. Blockade of Axl function abrogated phosphorylation of ERBB2 (Her-2/neu) at the Tyr877 residue, indicative of receptor crosstalk. Axl RTK is an adverse prognostic factor in EAC. The availability of small molecule inhibitors of Axl function provides a tractable strategy for molecular therapy of established EAC.
Interaction between muscle fibres in a twitch

It is simplest to suppose that with inertialess isometric recording the mechanical twitch of a whole muscle to a single maximal shock is the sum of all the elementary twitches to be recorded if each motor nerve fibre were excited individually one by one. In this paper, however, it is shown that this expectation is not exactly obeyed; when the muscle is excited synchronously by a single shock the resultant twitch is stronger and lasts longer than the sum of its components taken separately. This augmentation of the twitch only occurs if all the motor units are excited within a millisecond or so of each other; thus it is found that even slightly asynchronous excitation gives smaller and briefer twitches. These observations are of interest because all explanations in terms of known phenomena apparently fail. A preliminary account has already appeared (Merton, 1951a).
Writing in society

Raymond Williams's work was always concerned with the relation between culture and society. This book focuses on specific texts and authors, exploring the historical and cultural sources of their particular forms of writing. In it, Williams examines dramatic form and language in Racine and Shakespeare; the politics of fiction in the English Jacobin novel; David Hume and Charles Dickens and the changing characteristics of English prose; Robert Tressell, The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists, and the role of region and class in the English novel. Also included are Williams's reflections on the rise of English studies, on their crisis as the literary traditions of Cambridge University were beset by the 'structuralist controversy', and on the wider implications of this redefinition of the critical field.
Top-Down Approaches to Joined-Up Government: Examining the Unintended Consequences of Weak Implementation

Since forming part of Blair’s modernization agenda in the UK, joined-up government has become a central ambition of governments in many industrialized countries. While there continues to be an absence of core methods and principles for achieving joined-up government, consensus has emerged around the effectiveness of top down approaches. Research has found that joining must happen at multiple levels and be supported by a range of cultural and structural interventions. This article presents findings from a study into the Australian Social Inclusion Agenda and explores the long-term and unintended consequences of joined-up initiatives that take a top-down approach.
Crowdsourcing to elicit requirements for MyERP application

Crowdsourcing is an emerging method to collect requirements for software systems. Applications seeking global acceptance need to meet the expectations of a wide range of users. Collecting requirements and arriving at consensus with a wide range of users is difficult using traditional method of requirements elicitation. This paper presents crowdsourcing based approach for German medium-size software company MyERP that might help the company to get access to requirements from non-German customers. We present the tasks involved in the proposed solution that would help the company meet the goal of eliciting requirements at a fast pace with non-German customers.
No association between polymorphisms in the prostate apoptosis factor-4 gene and cocaine dependence

Objective A number of studies have investigated the genes underlying dopamine, serotonin, and glutamine neurotransmitter systems in order to find a genetic basis for the pathology of cocaine dependence. The gene that encodes the prostate apoptosis factor-4 (Par-4) protein is located in the 12q21 region and has been shown to directly interact with the D2 dopamine receptor and through such interaction is thought to directly affect the activity of D2 receptors. The aim of this study is to investigate whether polymorphisms in the human Par-4 gene contribute to the etiology of cocaine dependence. Methods To test this hypothesis, we used a case–control design in which the genotype and allele frequencies for five single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human Par-4 gene were compared between cocaine-dependent individuals (n=172) and controls (n=92) of African descent. Results The genotype results failed to detect any associations between polymorphisms in the Par-4 gene and the cocaine-dependent phenotype. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that variations in the human Par-4 gene are unlikely to play a major role in the pathophysiology of cocaine dependence. This study, however, should be repeated in larger cocaine-dependent and control populations to determine that this is indeed the case.
TECHNICAL NOTE : THE VARIABLE FINANCIAL INDICATOR IRR AND THE CONSTANT ECONOMIC INDICATOR NPV

ABSTRACT The IRR (internal rate of return) and the NPV (net present value) are the two most common and important indicators in investment decisions. These two indicators, however, have intrinsic differences between one another. The IRR is a financial indicator and the NPV an economic indicator of a capital investment. The former gives the private investor's point of view and the latter the society's point of view. The value of ERR varies with the change of Financial arrangement of an investment. The NPV, however, does not but remains constant no matter how the financial arrangement changes. This paper uses an illustrative example to show their intrinsic differences and then describes a mathematical proof to substantiate the different natures of IRR and NPV.
The Housing Consequences of Living Arrangement Choices in Young Adulthood

This paper documents the consequences of the first living arrangements of young adults after leaving the parental home (without a partner, cohabiting, or married) for their housing situation, whether they rent independently, share accommodation, or own their own homes, both immediately after leaving home and in the first eight years after leaving. Data are analysed from two retrospective life-course surveys conducted in the Netherlands in the 1990s, using multinomial logistic regression models. The paper finds a strong influence of the timing and pathway of leaving on the housing situation immediately after leaving: those nest-leavers who make stronger commitments in their household careers (by cohabiting, or by marrying) are more likely to own a home and less likely to share. Although through the years after leaving home this influence decreases, it remains discernible and significant even eight years after leaving. This is remarkable, given the fluidity of the housing careers of nest-leavers.
The Promise of Sydney: an editorial essay

The IUCN World Parks Congress is a once in a decade event that has traditionally been a major forum for advancing global protected area policy and practice. The Congress this November in Sydney Australia will be run along eight streams; addressing biodiversity, climate change, health, ecosystem services, development, governance, indigenous peoples issues and youth; cross-cutting themes address marine issues, capacity building, World Heritage and a New Social Compact. In the following extended editorial, the organisers of the various streams lay out their aims and hopes for the 2014 Congress.
ANAMMOX-like performances for nitrogen removal from ammonium-sulfate-rich wastewater in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor

ABSTRACT Ammonium removal by the ANaerobic AMonium OXidation (ANAMMOX) process was observed through the Sulfate-Reducing Ammonium Oxidation (SRAO) process. The same concentration of ammonium (100 mg N L−1) was applied to two anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (AnSBRs) that were inoculated with the same activated sludge from the Vermicelli wastewater treatment process, while nitrite was fed in ANAMMOX and sulfate in SRAO reactors. In SRAO-AnSBR, in substrates that were fed with a ratio of NH4+/SO42− at 1:0.4 ± 0.03, a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 48 h and without sludge draining, the Ammonium Removal Rate (ARR) was 0.02 ± 0.01 kg N m−3.d−1. Adding specific ANAMMOX substrates to SRAO-AnSBR sludge in batch tests results in specific ammonium and nitrite removal rates of 0.198 and 0.139 g N g−1 VSS.d, respectively, indicating that the ANAMMOX activity contributes to the removal of ammonium in the SRAO process using the nitrite that is produced from SRAO. Nevertheless, the inability of ANAMMOX to utilize sulfate to oxidize ammonium was also investigated in batch tests by augmenting enriched ANAMMOX culture in SRAO-AnSBR sludge and without nitrite supply. The time course of sulfate in a 24-hour cycle of SRAO-AnSBR showed an increase in sulfate after 6 h. For enriched SRAO culture, the uptake molar ratio of NH4+/SO42− at 8 hours in a batch test was 1:0.82 lower than the value of 1:0.20 ± 0.09 as obtained in an SRAO-AnSBR effluent, while the stoichiometric ratio of 1:0.5 that includes the ANAMMOX reaction was in this range. After a longer operation of more than 2 years without sludge draining, the accumulation of sulfate and the reduction of ammonium removal were observed, probably due to the gradual increase in the sulfur denitrification rate and the competitive use of nitrite with ANAMMOX. The 16S rRNA gene PCR-DGGE (polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) and PCR cloning analyses resulted in the detection of the ANAMMOX bacterium (Candidatus Brocadia sinica JPN1) Desulfacinum subterraneum belonging to the genus Desulfacinum and bacteria that are involved in sulfur metabolism (Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain SBTPe-001 and Paracoccus denitrificans strain IAM12479) in SRAO-AnSBR.
Using the Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) with Adults with Executive Dysfunction following Traumatic Brain Injury

Background. Meta-cognitive strategies have a positive effect on the rehabilitation of executive dysfunction. However, achieving generalization to daily life remains a challenge. We believe that providing rehabilitation in the person's own physical environment and using self-identified tasks will enhance the benefits of meta-cognitive training and promote generalization. Purpose. This pilot study tested the applicability of the Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach for use with adults with executive dysfunction arising from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods. A single-case design was used with 3 adults, 5 to 20 years post-TBI and their self-identified significant others. Assessments included neuropsychological tests and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. The intervention entailed guiding participants to use a meta-cognitive problem-solving strategy to perform self-identified daily tasks that they needed and wanted to do and with which they were having difficulties. The intervention occurred over 20 one-hour sessions in participants' environments. Findings. Performance improved to criterion (2-point positive change) on 7 of 9 trained goals and on 4 of 7 untrained goals (self-report). Improvement was maintained at a 3-month follow-up assessment. Implications. The CO-OP approach has the potential to improve performance in daily functioning for adults with executive dysfunction following TBI.
Sources of learning paths and technological capabilities: an introductory roadmap of development processes

This paper aims at building bridges between evolutionary microeconomics and the structuralist theory of economic development, trying to combine both approaches in a systematic way. It is suggested that reducing the technology gap requires persistent supply side efforts for adapting and improving the use of capital equipment and the sequential development of various forms of tacit and incremental learning, associated with the transfer and acquisition of foreign technology. In addition, the expansion of employment along with labour productivity is related to the diversification of the economy, the expansion of high-tech activities and exports and the consequent dynamism of domestic and international demand. The paper argues that technological and industrial policies should take into consideration both dimensions of the development process.
Education in Nonmarket Production

Since an investment in human capital yields a return through time spent in the labor market, it may also yield a return through time spent in productive activities outside the labor market. This paper explores a framework in which these "nonmarket" returns may be analyzed. The model is implemented empirically to test implications pertaining to the partial effect of formal schooling on expenditure patterns and to estimate the magnitude of the nonmarket return to an investment in education.
Cash Lotteries as Incentives in Online Panels

Six incentive experiments were conducted in a nonprofit online panel. In each experiment, the incentive offered for participation was a cash lottery. The control group was not offered any incentive. The cash lottery was offered in two versions: Either the total payout of the lottery was mentioned, or the lottery was split into multiple prizes. Dependent measures included response and retention rates. The results of the six individual experiments were meta-analytically summarized. Cash lotteries relative to no incentives did not reliably increase response or retention; neither did it make a significant difference if one large prize or multiple smaller prizes were raffled.
Evaluation of generation efficiency and voltage deviation in residentail clustered PV voltage control

Installation zero-emission power sources, including photovoltaic power systems (PV), is necessary to cut greenhouse gasses to reduce global warming. In Japan, the target capacity for installed PV in 2020 has been set at 28 GW, which is 20 times the 2005 capacity. PV should be installed in 70 percent of new houses to reach this target. The PV output (active power) must be suppressed to sustain adequate voltage (within 101±6 V), due to voltage increases by inverse power from PV when clustered residential PV systems are grid-interconnected on a distribution line, even if there is sufficient irradiance. Simulation software was developed to analyze voltage increases when clustered PV were grid-interconnected on a large-scale demonstration research in Ota City in Japan. From the previous fiscal year, the authors started to research how to improve whole generation efficiency at a site and balance it among all the residences through voltage control including power conditioning systems of a clustered residential grid-interconnected PV with the developed simulation software. For the subject, we have already demonstrated that 25 percent of the output suppression loss was eliminated with reactive power control when 225 residential PV are grid-interconnected to a single distribution line. In this research, we have evaluated the influence of increasing and decreasing active and reactive power rate in residential PV voltage control on voltage deviation.