Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maximum Diversity of MIMO-OFDM Schemes with Linear Equalizers

MIMO-OFDM has been widely adopted for next generation communications because of its capability to boost the transmission rate and performance. For MIMO-OFDM systems, many designs successfully exploit the space-multipath diversity when maximum likelihood (ML) or near-ML detector, with its concomitant high complexity, is adopted at the receiver. In this paper, we quantify the performance of conventional linear equalizers for MIMO-OFDM designs. We also propose lattice-reduction (LR) aided linear equalizers to boost the performance of linear equalizers, and show that LR-aided linear equalizers achieve the same diversity order as that collected by ML detector, but with much reduced complexity. Simulation results corroborate the theoretical findings
Evaluation of the return rate of volunteer blood donors

Background To convert first-time blood donors into regular volunteer donors is a challenge to transfusion services. Objectives This study aims to estimate the return rate of first time donors of the Ribeirão Preto Blood Center and of other blood centers in its coverage region. Methods The histories of 115,553 volunteer donors between 1996 and 2005 were analyzed. Statistical analysis was based on a parametric long-term survival model that allows an estimation of the proportion of donors who never return for further donations. Results Only 40% of individuals return within one year after the first donation and 53% return within two years. It is estimated that 30% never return to donate. Higher return rates were observed among Black donors. No significant difference was found in non-return rates regarding gender, blood type, Rh blood group and blood collection unit. Conclusions The low percentage of first-time donors who return for further blood donation reinforces the need for marketing actions and strategies aimed at increasing the return rates.
Cournot Oligopoly with Information Sharing

This article examines the incentives for Cournot oligopolists to share information about a common parameter or about firm-specific parameters. We assume that the private information that firms receive has equal accuracy and obeys a linear conditional expectation property. We find that when the uncertainty is about a firm-specific parameter, perfect revelation is the unique equilibrium. When the uncertainty is about a common parameter, no information sharing is the unique equilibrium. But the nonpooling equilibrium converges to the situation where the pooling strategies are adopted as the total amount of information increases. Hence, the efficiency is achieved in the competitive equilibrium as the number of firms becomes large.
In-Between Worlds: Marleasing and the Emergence of Interlegality in Legal Reasoning

Lawmakers and scholars are so busy looking for new ways to develop a European private law that they are failing to see the virtues of an already existing private law harmonisation tool. This tool is the requirement of interpretation in conformity with directives as it has been designed by the Court of Justice in Marleasing and its progeny. In this paper, it is submitted that this case law operating at the level of rules on legal reasoning, and not at the level of substantive law, is a far more sophisticated means of private law harmonisation than all the measures discussed in the last years. Namely, the requirement of interpretation in conformity with directives is allowing the Common Market to develop coherently without neglecting the significance of national legal cultures. How this difficult equilibrium between harmonisation and legal pluralism might be maintained by the tool the Court of Justice developed in Marleasing is explained in this paper with the help of evolutionary jurisprudence.
Control - An Attempt at Forming a Theory

Control is usually seen as hierarchical, centralized inspection. Without control, chaos is thought to prevail. This tendency can be illustrated by the way the public sector seems to solve most social problems: by legislation and bureaucracy. In this article five control forms are developed: bureaucracy, market, democracy, collective, and knowledge. Their similarities and differences are outlined, and the principles behind their use and internal dynamics are analysed. Finally, the development of control forms in modern societies is discussed.
The Role of Transnational, Private, and For-Profit Provision in Meeting Global Demand for Tertiary Education: Mapping, Regulation and Impact

This is a report of a first-stage project sponsored by UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning to map the extent, range, and impact of transnational, private, and for-profit tertiary education provision in a sample of countries. The data, collected from readily available public sources and verified by in-country experts, was first used to create country case studies for Jamaica, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Bulgaria. A summary report was then produced that drew comparisons across countries in relation to five topics: overviews of each country; national education systems and policies; regulatory frameworks, accreditation, and quality assurance; transnational, private, and for-profit provision; and local perceptions of impact. The summary report also provides a comparative analysis across countries, with reference to the wider literature, and draws out a series of policy implications from the study for governments, institutions, and agencies, both national and international.
Template‐based structure prediction and classification of transcription factors in Arabidopsis thaliana

Transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plants. However, there is no systematic study of their structures and functions of most TFs in plants. Here, we performed template‐based structure prediction for all TFs in Arabidopsis thaliana, with their full‐length sequences as well as C‐terminal and N‐terminal regions. A total of 2918 model structures were obtained with a high confidence score. We find that TF families employ only a smaller number of templates for DNA‐binding domains (DBD) but a diverse number of templates for transcription regulatory domains (TRD). Although TF families are classified according to DBD, their sizes have a significant correlation with the number of unique non‐DNA‐binding templates employed in the family (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.74). That is, the size of TF family is related to its functional diversity. Network analysis reveals new connections between TF families based on shared TRD or DBD templates; 81% TF families share DBD and 67% share TRD templates. Two large fully connected family clusters in this network are observed along with 69 island families. In addition, 25 genes with unknown functions are found to be DNA‐binding and/or TF factors according to predicted structures. This work provides a global view of the classification of TFs based on their DBD or TRD templates, and hence, a deeper understanding of DNA‐binding and regulatory functions from structural perspective. All structural models of TFs are deposited in the online database for public usage at http://sysbio.unl. edu/AthTF.
Simulation of Sales Promotions towards Buying Behavior among University Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of sales promotion on buying behavior among university students. Specifically, University Putra Malaysia (UPM) was chosen as study location. A total of 150 respondents were recruited using systematic random sampling technique. The data were collected using self-administrated questionnaires. This study found that there was no significant difference between gender and buying behavior (t = 1.569, p > 0.05). On the other hand, a there is a significant differences family monthly income and buying behavior (F = 2.597, p <= 0.05). There were significant relationship between attitude towards price discounts (r = 0.351, p <= 0.01), coupons (r = 0.392, p <= 0.01), free samples (r = 0.491, p <= 0.01) and “buy-one-get-one-free” (r = 0.456, p <= 0.01) with buying behavior. Results of Hierarchical Multiple Regression found that free samples and buy-one-get-one-free explained 28.7% variance in buying behaviour of the respondents. The findings of this study would help marketers to understand the types of promotion that significantly influence buying behaviour of the respondents. Hence, this could help marketers in their marketing planning to become more competitive and gain profit.
Designing the optimal length of working time: a counterfactual policy analysis

Purpose - How many hours per week should workers in the USA and Germany spend at their paying jobs? The present paper aims to address this question by constructing policymakers' reaction functions capable of modelling the optimal length of working time as a function of the relevant labour market variables. Design/methodology/approach - The study is based on a counterfactual policy experiment. Given a policymaker's loss function and a structural model of the labour market alternative specifications of reaction functions are defined where the response coefficients indicate how policymakers should react to any news in the labour market in order to stabilise employment and wages. Findings - The results suggest that simple rules perform quite well and that the advantages obtained from adopting an optimal control-based rule are not so great. Moreover, the analysis emphasises the success of the wage-based rule and of the employment-based rule in the USA and Germany, respectively. Research limitations/implications - The study is based on a counterfactual policy experiment, which perhaps limits its operational value. Practical implications - Labour market authorities might stabilise employment and wages by implementing policy rules. Originality/value - The paper proposes a policy rule to capture the dynamics of the weekly working hours. According to the rule in the paper the length of the workweek is an inverse function of the deviation between the actual and potential employment level.
Inflow Composition, Duration Dependence and Their Impact on The Unemployment Outflow Rate

This paper presents estimates of the components of the dynamics of the unemployment outflow rate with British data. We allow both the composition of the inflow and individual duration dependence to vary over the business cycle.We find the inflow composition to be strongly countercyclical. Individual exit rates are found to be substatntially more sensitive to the business cycle than previously thought and than the average exit rate fluctuations suggest. Cyclical variations in duration dependence are not significant. With our estimates, fluctuations in the average exit rate out of the first year of unemployment are mainly accounted for by variations of individual exit rates, variation of inflow composition, and variation in the inflow level combined with the duration dependence phenomenon. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2003.
Whole exome sequencing and functional studies identify an intronic mutation in TRAPPC2 that causes SEDT

Skeletal dysplasias are challenging to diagnose because of their phenotypic variability, genetic heterogeneity, and diverse inheritance patterns. We conducted whole exome sequencing of a Turkish male with a suspected X‐linked skeletal dysplasia of unknown etiology as well as his unaffected mother and maternal uncle. Bioinformatic filtering of variants implicated in skeletal system development revealed a novel hemizygous mutation, c.341‐(11_9)delAAT, in an intron of TRAPPC2, the causative locus of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT). We show that this deletion leads to the loss of wild‐type TRAPPC2 and the generation of two functionally impaired mRNAs in patient cells. These consequences are predicted to disrupt function of SEDLIN/TRAPPC2. The clinical and research data were returned, with appropriate caveats, to the patient and informed his disease status and reproductive choices. Our findings expand the allelic repertoire of SEDT and show how prior filtering of the morbid human genome informed by inheritance pattern and phenotype, when combined with appropriate functional tests in patient‐derived cells, can expedite discovery, overcome issues of missing data and help interpret variants of unknown significance. Finally, this example shows how the return of a clinically confirmed mutational finding, supported by research allele pathogenicity data, can assist individuals with inherited disorders with life choices.
Accounting reasoning evolution: a case study of Romania

This research empirically investigates the extent to which accounting principles and judgments were applied by accounting professionals in Romania, while identifying the current practice. The findings show that accounting professional reasoning is positively associated with the development degree of the economy, having in mind the case of an emergent country with a history characterised by centralisation and inhibition of professional reasoning. Compared to accounting regulations - which in Romania are a mix of rules and principles complying with the International Financial Reporting Standards - the research reveals a lower level of accounting judgments applied in practice. One conclusion is that in Romania, and maybe at the European scale, institutional changes that affect the professional expertise are required. The selection of accounting regulations should be made with caution as they should correspond and/or be adapted to national values, companies' behaviour and individual expertise and beliefs, even if the process would be delayed in time.
Immunodepression Induced by Trypanosoma cruzi and Mouse Hepatitis Virus Type 3 Is Associated with Thymus Apoptosis

ABSTRACT Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice show disturbance in the peripheral immune system such as polyclonal lymphocyte activation, autoantibody production, and immunosuppression of T lymphocytes. Previous observations in our laboratory showed that some stocks ofT. cruzi can be contaminated with mouse hepatitis virus type 3 (MHV-3). Literature has shown that MHV-3 infection induces immunologic disorders characterized by thymic involution with marked cell depletion. However, the effects of interactions between MHV-3 and the parasite on the immune system are not well understood. In the present study specific-pathogen-free CBA mice were inoculated with MHV-3, alone or associated with different stocks of T. cruzi. Concurrent murine virus infection resulted in increased pathogenicity of T. cruzi infection shown by profound thymic atrophy; loss of cortical thymocytes; depletion of Thy1.2+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells; enhancement of in situ labeling of nuclear DNA fragmentation; and eventually, death of the animals. Such lines of evidence show that the mechanism underlying this thymic atrophy is associated with apoptosis. These results also suggest that MHV-3 can account for the increased immunosuppression observed during experimental infection with the parasite.
Reducing Inflation: The Chilean Experience

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the process by which Chile was able to reduce inflation during the 1990s. In this period inflation was gradually reduced from close to 30% per annum in 1990 to only 6% in 1997. The paper concludes that three factors were important in helping to accomplish this performance. First, the independent Central Bank and its tough actions early on -to convey the message that it was ready to stand behind its mandate (to reduce inflation)helped to shape inflationary expectations and in the process it led to lower wage inflation and ultimately a lower path for core inflation. Second, a restrictive monetary policy, and the foreign exchange intervention policies associated with it, resulted in a trajectory of the nominal exchange rate much below what would have been observed under a PPP rule adjusted for differences in productivity. This result was reinforced by the low credibility of the band reflected in the effect of the location of the exchange rate within the band on the observed rate. Third, the higher rate of growth of labor productivity, given the wage equation, resulted in a lower rate of growth of unit labor cost than otherwise. From these three effects the first effect, the enhanced credibility of the new policy operating through the formation of inflation expectations, was found to be the most important factor behind the success in reducing inflation rate.
Multicomponent and Multimodal Lipsmacking in Crested Macaques (Macaca nigra)

Primates’ communicative signals are often dynamic and composed of multiple components, sometimes belonging to different sensory modalities. Such multicomponent signals are of crucial importance in the study of communication: the addition of extra features to a signal has the potential to modulate or change the meaning and message of the specific signal. Traditionally, however, components of compound signals are studied in isolation from each other, or communicative displays are studied as static and invariant wholes. Both approaches may not allow us to assess the full function of the signals. In crested macaques (Macaca nigra), the lipsmack (a display mainly used in affiliative interactions) can be produced alone or combined with other visual and acoustic communicative features. We investigated whether the composition of the lipsmack influenced the outcome of social interaction while controlling for relationship quality. Our results show that lipsmacks composed of both visual and vocal components (i.e. multimodal signals) increased the probability of affiliative contact, and therefore have enhanced signal value. The total number of visual components involved in the display had no effect but some visual components seemed more influential than others. By analyzing lipsmacking behavior as a composite, dynamic display, we were able to reveal a level of complexity that is not apparent when looking at each component separately. The results highlight the importance of a more integrative, multimodal approach to the study of primate communication. Am. J. Primatol. 75:763–773, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bed and breakfast industry adopting e-commerce strategies in e-service

This study aims to explore and empirically build a model for the burgeoning bed and breakfast (B&B) industry adopting e-commerce strategies in e-service. According to this research, Taiwanese B&B operators consider two resource advantages, four competitive advantages, and two performance advantages of e-commerce strategies. Resource advantage also has positive effects on competitive advantage. Both have positive effects on performance advantage. The paper proposes an optimal e-commerce strategic model and uses a longitudinal analysis method and three-stage design to survey data, which are analyzed by descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and linear structural relations so as to investigate the structural equation model in fitting B&Bs' adoption of an e-commerce strategy model. These new methods and contributions provide an in-depth understanding of the B&B industry adopting e-commerce strategies in e-service, and can advise and help B&B operators to survive through e-commerce strategies. Finally, this research proposes an optimal e-commerce strategic model for the B&B industry and presents the management implications of this study.
Sequence Context Effects on Oligo(dT) Termination Signal Recognition by Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA Polymerase III*

Eukaryotic RNA polymerase (Pol) III terminates transcription at short runs of T residues in the coding DNA strand. By genomic analysis, we found that T5 and T4 are the shortest Pol III termination signals in yeasts and mammals, respectively, and that, at variance with yeast, oligo(dT) terminators longer than T5 are very rare in mammals. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the strength of T5 as a terminator was found to be largely influenced by both the upstream and the downstream sequence context. In particular, the CT sequence, which is naturally present downstream of T5 in the 3′-flank of some tDNAs, was found to act as a terminator-weakening element that facilitates translocation by reducing Pol III pausing at T5. In contrast, tDNA transcription termination was highly efficient when T5 was followed by an A or G residue. Surprisingly, however, when a termination-proficient T5 signal was taken out from the tDNA context and placed downstream of a fragment of the SCR1 gene, its termination activity was compromised, both in vitro and in vivo. Even the T6 sequence, acting as a strong terminator in tRNA gene contexts, was unexpectedly weak within the SNR52 transcription unit, where it naturally occurs. The observed sequence context effects reflect intrinsic recognition properties of Pol III, because they were still observed in a simplified in vitro transcription system only consisting of purified RNA polymerase and template DNA. Our findings strengthen the notion that termination signal recognition by Pol III is influenced in a complex way by the region surrounding the T cluster and suggest that read-through transcription beyond T clusters might play a significant role in the biogenesis of class III gene products.
Transmission clustering drives the onward spread of the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men in Quebec.

Phylodynamic analysis and epidemiologic data identified 3 patterns of spread of primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection (PHI) among men who have sex with men (2001-2009): 420 unique PHIs, 102 small clusters (2-4 PHIs per cluster, n = 280), and 46 large clusters (5-31 PHIs per cluster, n = 450). Large clusters disproportionately increased from 25.2% of PHIs in 2005 to 39.1% in 2009 (χ(2) = 33.9, P < . 001). Scalar expansion of large clusters over 11 months (interquartile range, 3.5-25.5 months) correlated with cluster membership size (r(2) = 0.174, F = 4.424, P = . 047). PHI cohort data revealed variations in social networks and risk behaviors among the 3 groups, suggesting the need for tailored prevention measures.
Normal CNS Myelination in Transgenic Mice Overexpressing MHC Class I H-2Ld in Oligodendrocytes

In demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, an upregulation of MHC class I expression is thought to contribute to oligodendrocyte/myelin damage. In order to investigate potential physiological consequences of upregulated MHC class I expression in oligodendrocytes, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress H-2L(d) under the control of the proteolipid protein (PLP) promoter (PLP-L(d) mice). We focused our studies on the MHC class I molecule H-2L(d), because of its unique intracellular transport characteristics. In the CNS of PLP-L(d) mice, H-2L(d) was expressed by oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, H-2L(d) protein was transported to and expressed on the surface of oligodendrocytes. Most importantly, this upregulation of MHC class I expression in the CNS of PLP-L(d) mice did not by itself result in a de- or dysmyelinating phenotype. These transgenic mice are likely to provide a unique and novel tool for the analysis of potential roles of MHC class I-mediated mechanisms in demyelinating pathologies.