Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Territorial Dynamic, Innovative Milieus and Regional Policy

The change in the hierarchy of regions, observed during the past 20 years, is mainly due to development phenomena, which originated within these regions themselves. The concept of innovative milieu enables us to understand better these phenomena, because it is based on the assumption that there are specific territorial dynamics capable of setting up territorial development of innovation. This paper recalls the origin of the concept of innovative milieu, which is relatively new in the field of regional science, and it aims to give an accurate definition of this concept. Furthermore, the paper shows that the concept of innovative milieu allows regional policy to be considered from a new perspective. In fact, if the territory is not given a priori, but built thanks to the dynamics of the milieus, one can consider that regional collectives have the possibility of promoting and initiating real territorial development.
A TIN2 dyskeratosis congenita mutation causes telomerase-independent telomere shortening in mice

The progressive bone marrow failure syndrome dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is often caused by mutations in telomerase or factors involved in telomerase biogenesis and trafficking. However, a subset of DC patients is heterozygous for mutations in the shelterin component TIN2. Here, heterozygous TIN2-DC mice showed a telomere-shortening phenotype in both telomerase-proficient and telomerase-deficient backgrounds. This study raises the possibility that some of the TIN2-DC mutations may affect telomere function in a telomerase-independent manner.
Design and Development of the Bayesian Network Platform Based on B/S Structure

This paper studied on the design and development of Bayesian network platform under the B/S mode. We described the function design, development framework, network visualization, construction of the digital information and the inference algorithms of Bayesian network in detail. Based on the B/S model, this platform has obvious advantages at the aspects of convenience and cost. Finally, the simulation study of the Asia case confirmed the effectiveness of the platform modeling and inference. The results show that this platform completely satisfies the requests of Bayesian network applications and provides strong support for online modeling and inference.
Double Mechanism for Apical Tryptophan Depletion in Polarized Human Bronchial Epithelium1

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase is an enzyme that catabolizes tryptophan to kynurenine. We investigated the consequences of IDO induction by IFN-γ in polarized human bronchial epithelium. IDO mRNA expression was undetectable in resting conditions, but strongly induced by IFN-γ. We determined the concentration of tryptophan and kynurenine in the extracellular medium, and we found that apical tryptophan concentration was lower than the basolateral in resting cells. IFN-γ caused a decrease in tryptophan concentration on both sides of the epithelium. Kynurenine was absent in control conditions, but increased in the basolateral medium after IFN-γ treatment. The asymmetric distribution of tryptophan and kynurenine suggested the presence of a transepithelial amino acid transport. Uptake experiments with radiolabeled amino acids demonstrated the presence of a Na+-dependent amino acid transporter with broad specificity that was responsible for the tryptophan/kynurenine transport. We confirmed these data by measuring the short-circuit currents elicited by direct application of tryptophan or kynurenine to the apical surface. The rate of amino acid transport was dependent on the transepithelial potential, and we established that in cystic fibrosis epithelia, in which the transepithelial potential is significantly more negative than in noncystic fibrosis epithelia, amino acid uptake was reduced. This work suggests that human airway epithelial cells maintain low apical tryptophan concentrations by two mechanisms, a removal through a Na+-dependent amino acid transporter and an IFN-γ-inducible degradation by IDO.
Multiple Kernel Learning Using Regularized Ho-Kashyap Classifier in Empirical Kernel Mapping Space

In this paper, we have done research on Multiple Kernel Learning in Empirical Kernel Mapping Space. We find the combination of kernels in empirical kernel mapping space means weighted fusion of empirical kernel mapping samples. And then, we develop a kind of multiple kernel regularized Ho- Kashyap classifier to realize multiple kernel classification in empirical kernel mapping space. The experimental results on benchmark datasets demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method in empirical kernel mapping space.
Exploring optimum cut-off scores to screen for probable posttraumatic stress disorder within a sample of UK treatment-seeking veterans

ABSTRACT Background: Previous research exploring the psychometric properties of the scores of measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggests there is variation in their functioning depending on the target population. To date, there has been little study of these properties within UK veteran populations. Objective: This study aimed to determine optimally efficient cut-off values for the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) that can be used to assess for differential diagnosis of presumptive PTSD. Methods: Data from a sample of 242 UK veterans assessed for mental health difficulties were analysed. The criterion-related validity of the PCL-5 and IES-R were evaluated against the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). Kappa statistics were used to assess the level of agreement between the DSM-IV and DSM-5 classification systems. Results: The optimal cut-off scores observed within this sample were 34 or above on the PCL-5 and 46 or above on the IES-R. The PCL-5 cut-off is similar to the previously reported values, but the IES-R cut-off identified in this study is higher than has previously been recommended. Overall, a moderate level of agreement was found between participants screened positive using the DSM-IV and DSM-5 classification systems of PTSD. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the PCL-5 and IES-R can be used as brief measures within veteran populations presenting at secondary care to assess for PTSD. The use of a higher cut-off for the IES-R may be helpful for differentiating between veterans who present with PTSD and those who may have some sy`mptoms of PTSD but are sub-threshold for meeting a diagnosis. Further, the use of more accurate optimal cut-offs may aid clinicians to better monitor changes in PTSD symptoms during and after treatment.
Complex contributions of Ets2 to craniofacial and thymus phenotypes of trisomic “Down syndrome” mice

Ts65Dn mice have segmental trisomy for orthologs of about half of the genes on human chromosome 21, including Ets2. These mice develop anomalies of the cranial skeleton and thymus that parallel those in Down syndrome. Overexpression of the Ets2 transcription factor gene was posited to be sufficient to produce these craniofacial and thymus deficits in transgenic mice that constitutively overexpress a processed Ets2 transcript under a promiscuous promoter [Sumarsono et al. (1996); Nature 379:534–537; Wolvetang et al. (2003); Hum Mol Genet 12:247–255]. Evaluation of trisomic mice with varying copy numbers of a properly regulated Ets2 gene indicated increased dosage of Ets2 was not sufficient to produce effects on thymus and most of the cranial anomalies seen in Ts65Dn mice. However, mesoderm‐derived cranial skeletal elements are significantly more affected in Ts65Dn, Ets2+/− mice compared to Ts65Dn littermates suggesting a differential interaction of Ets2‐related processes with mesoderm‐derived and neural crest‐derived formative tissues. Our results support the growing evidence for interactions among multiple genes contributing to developmental perturbations resulting in variation in complex Down syndrome phenotypes. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bargaining Theory with Applications

The first unified and systematic treatment of the modern theory of bargaining, presented together with many examples of how that theory is applied in a variety of bargaining situations. Abhinay Muthoo provides a masterful synthesis of the fundamental results and insights obtained from the wide-ranging and diverse (game-theoretic) bargaining theory literature. Furthermore, he develops new analyses and results, especially on the relative impacts of two or more forces on the bargaining outcome. Many topics - such as inside options, commitment tactics and repeated bargaining situations - receive their most extensive treatment to date. In the concluding chapter, he offers pointers towards future research. Bargaining Theory with Applications is a textbook for graduate students in economic theory and other social sciences and a research resource for scholars interested in bargaining situations.
Hooliganism and Demand for Football in Italy: Attendance and Counterviolence Policy Evaluation

Abstract This paper empirically investigates the relationship between stadium attendance, hooliganism and counter-violence policy measures in Italian Serie A. In particular, this paper analyses the impact of counter-hooliganism policies adopted in 2007 on the quantity of game tickets sold. The counter-hooliganism measures, grounded on an entry card, namely a ‘fidelity card’, were designed to keep out hooligans from stadiums so favouring the attendance of either occasional spectators or uncommitted fans. According to our econometric investigation the expected substitution between committed fans and uncommitted fans did not take shape. In sum, the ‘fidelity card’ did not turn to be successful if evaluated on the average attendance perspective.
Historical analysis of institutions and organizations: the case of the Brazilian electricity sector

Abstract Scholars argue that the New Institutional Economics (NIE) has not yet provided causal explanations on how long institutions persist or why and how they suffer dramatic changes. Others state that evidence is still inconclusive to define a theoretical justification on how changes and development occur. This article focuses on the institutions of the electricity sector in Brazil, aiming to heighten the body of empirical research in NIE and produce satisfactory explanations that motivate theory refinement. Based on a qualitative approach, we find that the drivers of the first institutional change in Brazil's electricity sector were related to market protection and domestic industrial support. For the second institutional change, economic recession (country at state of bankruptcy, debt crisis, and high inflation rates) and reliability of utility services were the driving factors. We hope this study systematizes historical facts and helps create grounds for our understanding of institutional evolution and economic growth.
Efficiency and productivity impacts of restructuring the Korean electricity generation

This paper investigates the performance of various generation plants in the Korean electricity market. The objective is to compare performance before and after the 2001 separation by using data from 1995 to 2006. The efficiency and productivity of the generation units is estimated by using a stochastic frontier model as well as data envelopment analysis and Malmquist productivity index. The result suggests that generation is mainly affected by facility type, maintenance cost, real fuel cost, and other costs. The national generation plan is characterized by high efficiency of nuclear plants, base type facilities, and large size facilities. It is also found that efficiency enhancement from the separation effect is not clearly discernible when comparing periods before and after the separation. Suggestions are made for the better utilization of economies of scale to further raise the efficiency of generation companies and the electricity industry through enhancement of fuel purchasing power and reallocation of labour.
PRICING AND HEDGING EUROPEAN OPTIONS ON FUTURES SPREADS USING THE BACHELIER SPREAD OPTION MODEL

The Bachelier model for pricing options on futures spreads (OFS) assumes changes in the underlying . futures prices and spread follow unrestricted arithmetic Brownian motion (UABM). The assumption of UABM allows for a convenient analytic solution for the price of an OFS. The same is not possible under the more traditional assumption of geometric Brownian motion (GBM). Given the additional complexity of methods for pricing and hedging OFS using GBM such as Monte Carlo simulation and binomial trees, it is worth investigating how results from the Bachelier model compare to these other methods. The Bachelier model is presented and then extended to price an OFS with three underlying commodities. Hedge parameters for both models are provided. Results indicate that for OFS with sufficiently low volatility, differences between the Bachelier model and methods assuming GBM are quite small.
An overview of preparation and evaluation sustained-release injectable microspheres

Recently, sustained-release injectable microspheres as a novel parenteral administration system have been interested on for many years, due to the excellent advantages when compared to traditional dosage forms: less administration frequency, lower adverse side effects and no need for a surgical procedure. Therefore, major progresses in the development of another successful marketed sustained-release injectable formation have been made, but most investigations are merely limited in laboratory levels; in addition, few reports focus on giving some positive guidance to launch these novel microspheres into market. This review addressed some commonly used polymers, preparation methods and sterilization processes relating to biodegradable microspheres. Moreover, the processes for measuring the sustained-release behaviour of this novel system are summarized in this report, including the methods to determine the in vitro and in vivo release behaviours and the strategies to analyse the in vitro and in vivo correlations.
Chromatin Isolation by RNA Purification (ChIRP)

Long noncoding RNAs are key regulators of chromatin states for important biological processes such as dosage compensation, imprinting, and developmental gene expression 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. The recent discovery of thousands of lncRNAs in association with specific chromatin modification complexes, such as Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) that mediates histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), suggests broad roles for numerous lncRNAs in managing chromatin states in a gene-specific fashion 8,9. While some lncRNAs are thought to work in cis on neighboring genes, other lncRNAs work in trans to regulate distantly located genes. For instance, Drosophila lncRNAs roX1 and roX2 bind numerous regions on the X chromosome of male cells, and are critical for dosage compensation 10,11. However, the exact locations of their binding sites are not known at high resolution. Similarly, human lncRNA HOTAIR can affect PRC2 occupancy on hundreds of genes genome-wide 3,12,13, but how specificity is achieved is unclear. LncRNAs can also serve as modular scaffolds to recruit the assembly of multiple protein complexes. The classic trans-acting RNA scaffold is the TERC RNA that serves as the template and scaffold for the telomerase complex 14; HOTAIR can also serve as a scaffold for PRC2 and a H3K4 demethylase complex 13. Prior studies mapping RNA occupancy at chromatin have revealed substantial insights 15,16, but only at a single gene locus at a time. The occupancy sites of most lncRNAs are not known, and the roles of lncRNAs in chromatin regulation have been mostly inferred from the indirect effects of lncRNA perturbation. Just as chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by microarray or deep sequencing (ChIP-chip or ChIP-seq, respectively) has greatly improved our understanding of protein-DNA interactions on a genomic scale, here we illustrate a recently published strategy to map long RNA occupancy genome-wide at high resolution 17. This method, Chromatin Isolation by RNA Purification (ChIRP) (Figure 1), is based on affinity capture of target lncRNA:chromatin complex by tiling antisense-oligos, which then generates a map of genomic binding sites at a resolution of several hundred bases with high sensitivity and low background. ChIRP is applicable to many lncRNAs because the design of affinity-probes is straightforward given the RNA sequence and requires no knowledge of the RNA's structure or functional domains.
Comments by the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on PCAOB Release No. 2013-002: Proposed Framework for Reorganization of PCAOB Auditing Standards and Related Amendments to PCAOB Auditing Standards and Rules

SUMMARY: On March 26, 2013, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) solicited public comments on its exposure draft of the Proposed Framework for Reorganization of PCAOB Auditing Standards and Related Amendments to PCAOB Auditing Standards and Rules. The comment period ended on May 28, 2013. This commentary summarizes the contributors' views on this exposure draft (the exposure draft and other related information are available at: http://pcaobus.org/Rules/Rulemaking/Pages/Docket040.aspx).
Transcriptional Factor Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (Ahr) Controls Cardiovascular and Respiratory Functions by Regulating the Expression of the Vav3 Proto-oncogene*

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) is a transcriptional factor involved in detoxification responses to pollutants and in intrinsic biological processes of multicellular organisms. We recently described that Vav3, an activator of Rho/Rac GTPases, is an Ahr transcriptional target in embryonic fibroblasts. These results prompted us to compare the Ahr−/− and Vav3−/− mouse phenotypes to investigate the implications of this functional interaction in vivo. Here, we show that Ahr is important for Vav3 expression in kidney, lung, heart, liver, and brainstem regions. This process is not affected by the administration of potent Ahr ligands such as benzo[a]pyrene. We also report that Ahr- and Vav3-deficient mice display hypertension, tachypnea, and sympathoexcitation. The Ahr gene deficiency also induces the GABAergic transmission defects present in the Vav3−/− ventrolateral medulla, a main cardiorespiratory brainstem center. However, Ahr−/− mice, unlike Vav3-deficient animals, display additional defects in fertility, perinatal growth, liver size and function, closure, spleen size, and peripheral lymphocytes. These results demonstrate that Vav3 is a bona fide Ahr target that is in charge of a limited subset of the developmental and physiological functions controlled by this transcriptional factor. Our data also reveal the presence of sympathoexcitation and new cardiorespiratory defects in Ahr−/− mice.
How the P* Model Rationalizes Monetary Targeting: A Comment on Svensson

Abstract In this comment, we answer the question posed in Svensson's (2000) paper `Does the P* Model Provide any Rationale for Monetary Targeting? ' - in contrast to him - in the affirmative. We argue that a strategy of monetary targeting can be rationalized within the P* framework. Furthermore, we demonstrate that money growth targeting is a special form of inflation forecast targeting based on a `limited' information set. In contrast to `full information' inflation forecast targeting, monetary growth targeting is likely to be more robust under changing conditions of the real world.
Influence of Bitter Taste on Affective Facial Processing: An ERP Study

Previous research showed that a bitter taste in the mouth is able to enhance hostile response tendencies to social rejection. The present event-related potential (ERP) study sought to investigate neuronal components of this effect. We presented 52 participants (39 women and 13 men; mean age = 23.3 years) with images of facial expressions signaling social rejection (angry, disgusted) or no rejection (happy, neural), whereas they either experienced a bitter aftertaste (bitter group [BG]: n = 26) or rinsed their mouth with water (control group [CG]: n = 26). The BG rated the aftertaste as extremely intense and disgusting and showed a decreased parietal P200 to all facial expressions, as well as a lowered parietal P300 to cues of nonrejection. The bitter intervention neither influenced the affective ratings for the images nor self-reported hostility. In conclusion, the ERP findings indicated that bitterness first reduced visual attention to social cues in general (P200) and then specifically to cues of nonrejection (P300). Bitterness was not associated with increased sensitivity to disgust/anger signaled by others neither on a neuronal nor self-report level.
Clamping Force Control for an Electric Parking Brake System: Switched System Approach

This paper addresses the modeling, controller design, and stability analysis of an electric parking brake system in which a screw-nut self-locking mechanism is used. The system is modeled as a state-dependent switched system according to the operating mode. A nonlinear proportional (P) clamping force controller using the measured force is proposed to enhance the performance specifications. We show the uniform stability of the state-dependent switched system with the nonlinear P controller using a common Lyapunov theorem and LaSalle's invariance principle. We derive the conditions to assure stable self-locking operation of the system. We also show the existence of the largest invariant set depending on the target braking force. This analysis offers a guideline as to how a nonlinear controller can be designed in view of the self-locking stability and control performance. Through simulation and experimental results, we confirm that the solution is locally uniformly ultimately bounded. Through the experimental results, we show that the nonlinear P controller outperforms a simple on/off controller in terms of the average and deviation of the braking force error. Furthermore, it is experimentally verified that the system is also able to function as a pseudo-antilock braking system.
Do Firms Proactively Take Measures to Prevent Corruption in Their International Operations?

In recent years, the fight against foreign bribery has become a critical concern for many European governments. However, empirical research on the way that internationally active firms respond to the increased requirements of their organizational environment regarding corruption prevention is quite rare. Based on the neo-institutional theory, this paper addresses this issue using a sample of 510 internationally active Swiss firms. The findings indicate that firms do not anticipate the risk of potentially being confronted with corruption when operating in foreign countries where the level of corruption is perceived to be high. On the contrary, it seems that firms tend to follow a reactive approach toward the management of corruption risks in foreign countries and only implement measures against corruption if they have actually been confronted with the issue.
Value at risk estimation by threshold stochastic volatility model

This article proposes a threshold stochastic volatility model that generates volatility forecasts specifically designed for value at risk (VaR) estimation. The method incorporates extreme downside shocks by modelling left-tail returns separately from other returns. Left-tail returns are generated with a t-distributional process based on the historically observed conditional excess kurtosis. This specification allows VaR estimates to be generated with extreme downside impacts, yet remains empirically widely applicable. This article applies the model to daily returns of seven major stock indices over a 22-year period and compares its forecasts to those of several other forecasting methods. Based on back-testing outcomes and likelihood ratio tests, the new model provides reliable estimates and outperforms others.