Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Global Financial Cycle, Bank Capital Flows and Monetary Policy. Evidence from Norway

We investigate the importance of a global financial cycle for gross capital inflows based on monthly balance sheet data for Norwegian banks. The VIX index has been interpreted as an “investor fear gauge” and associated with a global financial cycle. This index has also been found to impact real activity. We include both a global activity variable and the VIX index in our structural VAR model of capital inflows. We find that when global activity falls, banks’ foreign funding share falls. Our results suggest that global real activity rather than a global financial cycle is a main driver behind the volume of bank capital inflows. We also study domestic monetary policy and implications for capital flows. Domestic monetary policy helps absorb VIX shocks and there is no indication of procyclical (“carry trade”) effects on funding. Monetary policy affects activity and inflation in a standard fashion, and the exchange rate acts as a buffer when shocks hit the economy.
Accounting conservatism in complex companies

ABSTRACT This study seeks to investigate the influence of the complexity of companies on levels of accounting conservatism. The subject of analysis, accounting conservatism in complex companies, can be considered relevant because it analyzes conservative practices taking into account the organizational context of companies; something that is ignored in other studies that investigate the incentives or determinants of accounting conservatism, at least as far as firm complexity is concerned. The research presents statistical evidence that accounting conservatism varies positively with the information asymmetry caused by specific characteristics of complex environments. On the other hand, when companies present several complex characteristics together, then the trend is one of little adoption of conservatism. In addition, this research brings together evidence that aims to contribute to accounting science by analyzing complex companies and conservatism and not the opportunistic practices observed in previous studies. The sample refers to 110 publicly traded companies from 2010 to 2016. The data collection was carried out using company reports, such as reference forms, registration data, and explanatory notes, as well as the Economatica® database. The data analysis was performed using multiple linear regression and quantile regression. The evidence obtained in the research indicates that accounting conservatism varies according to the information asymmetry caused by complex environments, in which it can present a positive relationship in companies with few characteristics of complexity, or a negative relationship if the company has complexity in several characteristics at the same time. It throws light on the different levels of conservatism observed in companies, which can often be attributed to mechanisms of governance, organizational culture, and accounting standards, among other factors, which are results that may be biased if the company complexity factor is not considered.
ACE and ACE2 Activity in Diabetic Mice

ACE-related carboxypeptidase (ACE2) may counterbalance the angiotensin (ANG) II–promoting effects of ACE in tissues where both enzymes are found. Alterations in renal ACE and ACE2 expression have been described in experimental models of diabetes, but ACE2 activity was not assessed in previous studies. We developed a microplate-based fluorometric method for the concurrent determination of ACE and ACE2 activity in tissue samples. Enzymatic activity (relative fluorescence unit [RFU] · μg protein−1 · h−1) was examined in ACE and ACE2 knockout mice and in two rodent models of diabetes, the db/db and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. In kidney cortex, preparations consisting mainly of proximal tubules and cortical collecting tubules, ACE2 activity had a strong positive correlation with ACE2 protein expression (90-kDa band) in both knockout models and their respective wild-type littermates (r = 0.94, P < 0.01). ACE activity, likewise, had a strong positive correlation with renal cortex ACE protein expression (170-kDa band) (r = 0.838, P < 0.005). In renal cortex, ACE2 activity was increased in both models of diabetes (46.7 ± 4.4 vs. 22.0 ± 4.7 in db/db and db/m, respectively, P < 0.01, and 22.1 ± 2.8 vs. 13.1 ± 1.5 in STZ-induced diabetic versus untreated mice, respectively, P < 0.05). ACE2 mRNA levels in renal cortex from db/db and STZ-induced diabetic mice, by contrast, were not significantly different from their respective controls. In cardiac tissue, ACE2 activity was lower than in renal cortex, and there were no significant differences between diabetic and control mice (db/db 2.03 ± 0.23 vs. db/m 1.85 ± 0.10; STZ-induced diabetic 0.42 ± 0.04 vs. untreated 0.52 ± 0.07 mice). ACE2 activity in renal cortex correlated positively with ACE2 protein in db/db and db/m mice (r = 0.666, P < 0.005) as well as in STZ-induced diabetic and control mice (r = 0.621, P < 0.05) but not with ACE2 mRNA (r = −0.468 and r = −0.522, respectively). We conclude that in renal cortex from diabetic mice, ACE2 expression is increased at the posttranscriptional level. The availability of an assay for concurrent measurement of ACE and ACE2 activity should be helpful in the evaluation of kidney-specific alterations in the balance of these two carboxypeptidases, which are involved in the control of local ANG II formation and degradation.
Efficient Eigenspace Training and Precoding for FDD Massive MIMO Systems

In cellular systems, deploying a large number of antennas at the base station (BS), also called massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), can offer a huge improvement in system throughput. This performance gain achieved through coherent beamforming highly depends on having accurate channel state information (CSI) at the BS. Initially, massive MIMO was considered promising only for time division duplexing (TDD) systems because the downlink training overhead in frequency division duplexing (FDD) systems could be large. To reduce the overhead in FDD systems, we propose efficient eigenspace training and precoding. In the downlink training, the prebeamforming matrix is designed based on the spatial fading correlation to probe the channel and minimize the mean squared error (MSE) in channel estimation. In data transmission, the precoding matrix is designed based on instantaneous CSI to manage the inter-user interference. Our algorithms achieve significant savings in the downlink training because the overhead is associated with the dimension of prebeamforming matrix and no longer limited by the number of BS antennas. Compared with joint spatial division and multiplexing, our algorithms offer much lower MSE and, under some conditions, higher sum rates.
Enhancement Mode (E-Mode) AlGaN/GaN MOSFET With  $10^{-13}$  A/mm Leakage Current and  $10^{12}$  ON/OFF Current Ratio

Postgate annealing (PGA) in N2/O2 atmosphere at 300°C for various annealing time is performed on enhancement mode AlGaN/GaN MOSFET fabricated using a self-terminating gate recess etching technique. After 45-min annealing, the device OFF-state leakage current decreases by more than two orders of magnitude and thus a low OFF-state leakage current of '10-13 A/mm is obtained at room temperature, resulting in an excellent ON/OFF current ratio of ~1012. At 250°C, the device still exhibits a low OFF-state leakage current of ~10-9 A/mm and high ON/OFF current ratio of ~108. Meanwhile, a strong correlation between the OFF-state leakage current and mesa isolation current is observed as we change the annealing time: 1) the lower the mesa isolation current and 2) the lower the OFFstate leakage current and thus the higher the ON/OFF current ratio. It is the suppression of the mesa isolation current owing to the passivation of atomic layer deposition Al2O3 that leads to the improvement of the OFF-state leakage current and ON/OFF current ratio after PGA. Besides, the device shows no obvious change in terms of its threshold voltage and maximum drain current after PGA.
Stochastic energy balancing of renewable sources in a smart grid

In the current research, a smart grid is considered as a network of distributed interacting nodes represented by renewable energy sources, storage and loads. The source nodes connect or disconnect in a stochastic manner due to the intermittent nature of natural resources such as wind and solar irradiance. Prediction and stochastic modelling of electrical energy flow is a critical task in such a network to achieve load levelling and/or peak shaving in order to minimise the fluctuation between off peak and peak energy demand. The behaviour of source nodes in this grid is modelled and administered through a scheduling strategy control algorithm using the historical data collected from the system. The stochastic model predicts future power consumption/injection to determine the power required for storage components. The proposed stochastic model based on Box-Jenkins method satisfies two major objectives. It predicts the most efficient state of electrical energy flow between a distribution network and nodes as well as minimising the peak demand and off peak consumption of deriving electrical energy from the main grid. MATLAB/Simulink is deployed to simulate the platform. The performance of the models is validated against autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) and Markov Chain models. The results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms both ARIMA and Markov Chain model. Results are presented, the strengths and limitations of the approach are discussed, and possible future work is described.
Economic and Social Make-Over in Turkey: By Erdogan

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, a new Turkey was born in 1923. Since then till 2001, the nation was governed by either military rule or democratically elected entity which, for political reasons, could not continue their term of reign. Post-birth of an independent Turkey, it has been going through a lot of ups and downs economically; before the arrival of Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi-AKP (Justice and Development Party) in power, the country was in massive debt. The administrative strategy of Erdogan brought about a drastic geopolitical change in Turkey, not only that also, in the economic field. Today, Turkey is said to be the most influential country among the developing fellow nations who were in debt to IMF and World Bank. Now, the question comes to mind that in what sense of the country did he take initiatives to bring about such results? Some political groups blame him for the eradication of democracy whereas others rejoice him for handling the nation democratically. Recently, three events took place in Turkey respectively that marked history; firstly, the coup of July 15th 2016, in order to de-throne president Erdogan; secondly, the referendum in 2017 where he slightly won by 51%; and thirdly, with a new presidential system Erdogan once again won by 52.5% in 2018. To what extent do these circumstances provide for further economic and social development in Turkey? This paper evaluates the steps taken by Erdogan to bring about such an outcome, giving argumentative and empirical statements.
Developing the framework of sustainable service supply chain balanced scorecard (SSSC BSC)

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to assess the sustainability of service supply chains (SC) based on the concept of the balanced scorecard and three dimensions of sustainability, namely economic, social, and environmental performance.Design/methodology/approachAfter reviewing the literature and interviewing the experts, the preliminary list of identified general criteria is categorized in the four perspectives. Then, to select the most important factors in hospital SC, 15 experts evaluated the identified criteria by questionnaires of Fuzzy Delphi Method. Then, interpretative structural modeling was applied to identify the interrelations between the perspectives and between the criteria.FindingsThe framework includes four perspectives, financial; service SC operations; stakeholders’ satisfaction in the direction of sustainability; and learning, growth, and innovation, to improve the SC for sustainability in the service industry. According to the results, the identified criteria are interrelated.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an important reference to assess the sustainability of service SCs. It will be beneficial in strategic and operational decision-making in service industries.Originality/valueReviewing the literature shows that the concept of sustainability of service SCs is still immature. The paper is a preliminary effort to identify the general criteria of sustainability and their interrelations in the service sector. The presented general framework links the financial measures with the environmental and social measures. It helps to maintain the balance between the sustainability goals for the service SC managers. It can be modified and applied in different service sectors.
Making Large-Scale Networks from fMRI Data

Pairwise correlations are currently a popular way to estimate a large-scale network (> 1000 nodes) from functional magnetic resonance imaging data. However, this approach generally results in a poor representation of the true underlying network. The reason is that pairwise correlations cannot distinguish between direct and indirect connectivity. As a result, pairwise correlation networks can lead to fallacious conclusions; for example, one may conclude that a network is a small-world when it is not. In a simulation study and an application to resting-state fMRI data, we compare the performance of pairwise correlations in large-scale networks (2000 nodes) against three other methods that are designed to filter out indirect connections. Recovery methods are evaluated in four simulated network topologies (small world or not, scale-free or not) in scenarios where the number of observations is very small compared to the number of nodes. Simulations clearly show that pairwise correlation networks are fragmented into separate unconnected components with excessive connectedness within components. This often leads to erroneous estimates of network metrics, like small-world structures or low betweenness centrality, and produces too many low-degree nodes. We conclude that using partial correlations, informed by a sparseness penalty, results in more accurate networks and corresponding metrics than pairwise correlation networks. However, even with these methods, the presence of hubs in the generating network can be problematic if the number of observations is too small. Additionally, we show for resting-state fMRI that partial correlations are more robust than correlations to different parcellation sets and to different lengths of time-series.
A fast current-based MPPT technique based on sliding mode control

This paper introduces a novel maximum power point tracking technique aimed at maximizing the power produced by photovoltaic systems. The largest part of the approaches presented in literature are based on the sensing of the photovoltaic generator voltage. On the contrary, in this paper a current-based technique is proposed: the sensing of the current in the capacitor placed in parallel with the photovoltaic source is one of the innovative aspects of the proposal. A dual control loop based on the sliding mode control ensures a very fast tracking of irradiation variations. Features of the proposed algorithm are supported by a theoretical analysis and simulations. The technique described in this paper is patent pending.
Backup pathways of NHEJ are suppressed by DNA‐PK

In cells of higher eukaryotes double strand breaks (DSBs) induced in the DNA after exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) are rapidly rejoined by a pathway of non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ) that requires DNA dependent protein kinase (DNA‐PK) and is therefore termed here D‐NHEJ. When this pathway is chemically or genetically inactivated, cells still remove the majority of DSBs using an alternative, backup pathway operating independently of the RAD52 epistasis group of genes and with an order of magnitude slower kinetics (B‐NHEJ). Here, we investigate the role of DNA‐PK in the functional coordination of D‐NHEJ and B‐NHEJ using as a model end joining by cell extracts of restriction endonuclease linearized plasmid DNA. Although DNA end joining is inhibited by wortmannin, an inhibitor of DNA‐PK, the degree of inhibition depends on the ratio between DNA ends and DNA‐PK, suggesting that binding of inactive DNA‐PK to DNA ends not only blocks processing by D‐NHEJ, but also prevents the function of B‐NHEJ. Residual end joining under conditions of incomplete inhibition, or in cells lacking DNA‐PK, is attributed to the function of B‐NHEJ operating on DNA ends free of DNA‐PK. Thus, DNA‐PK suppresses alternative pathways of end joining by efficiently binding DNA ends and shunting them to D‐NHEJ. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Leptin in depressed women: cross-sectional and longitudinal data from an epidemiologic study.

BACKGROUND There is conflicting evidence regarding levels of leptin in depression. In this study we aimed to investigate the relationship between serum leptin level and depression in a community sample of women using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. METHODS From among 510 women aged 20-78 yr, 83 were identified with a lifetime history of major depressive disorder or dysthymia, ascertained using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Research Version, Non-patient edition (SCID-I/NP). Serum leptin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Medication use and lifestyle were self-reported and body mass index (BMI) determined from measures of height and weight. RESULTS Using multiple linear regression, serum leptin levels were greater among women with a lifetime history of depression compared to women without any history of depression, independent of BMI. Adjusted geometric mean values of serum leptin were 16.37 (95%CI 14.70-18.23) ng/mL for depressed and 14.46 (95%CI 13.79-15.16) ng/mL for non-depressed women (P=0.039). The hazard ratio (HR) for a de novo depressive disorder over five years increased 2.56-fold for each standard deviation increase in log-transformed serum leptin among non-smokers and this was not explained by differences in BMI, medications or other lifestyle factors (HR=2.56, 95%CI 1.52-4.30). No association was observed for smokers. LIMITATIONS There is potential for unrecognised confounding, recall bias and transient changes in body composition. CONCLUSION Women with a lifetime history of depression have elevated levels of serum leptin, and elevated serum leptin predicts subsequent development of a depressive disorder.
Germline mutations and polymorphic variants in MMR, E‐cadherin and MYH genes associated with familial gastric cancer in Jiangsu of China

Germline mutations in MSH2, MLH1, E‐cadherin and MutY (MYH) genes have been implicated in the occurrence of gastric cancer (GC). Epidemiological investigation was performed by recruiting patients with GC onset during 2002 in Jiangsu province, China. We identified suspected hereditary GC patients based on either the GC family history or GC onset at early ages. We have screened germline variations in 101 suspected hereditary GC patients at the coding sequences of MSH2, MLH1, E‐cadherin and MYH genes with polymerase chain reaction‐denaturing high‐performance liquid chromatography (PCR‐DHPLC) analysis and DNA sequencing. The result showed that about 40% of patients carried germline variations, predominantly with missense mutations. Of the variations detected are 2 base pair substitutions, c.53C > T and c.74G > A, which is predicted to generate missense mutations of p.Pro18Leu and p.Gly25Asp, respectively, and occurred at the same allele of MYH gene. The frequency of variant haplotype T/A in patients was higher than that in the control group (p = 0.021, odds ratio [OR] = 4.43, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.33–14.72). Difference in the frequency of the silent mutation p.Asn751Asn in E‐cadherin gene was also found between patients and controls (p = 0.009, OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.30–4.95). Moreover, 6 types of variations were detected in MSH2 and MLH1 genes in 14 of 101 patients. Most of them occurred at exon7 of MSH2, frequently c.1168C > T, resulting in mutation of p.Leu390Phe. In summary, germline mutation at MSH2, MLH1, E‐cadherin and MYH genes is a frequent event in the familial GC. They may form a genetic basis for the familial GC susceptibility in Chinese population. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A statistically derived index for classifying East Coast fever reactions in cattle challenged with Theileria parva under experimental conditions

A statistically derived disease reaction index based on parasitological, clinical and haematological measurements observed in 309 5 to 8-month-old Boran cattle following laboratory challenge with Theileria parva is described. Principal component analysis was applied to 13 measures including first appearance of schizonts, first appearance of piroplasms and first occurrence of pyrexia, together with the duration and severity of these symptoms, and white blood cell count. The first principal component, which was based on approximately equal contributions of the 13 variables, provided the definition for the disease reaction index, defined on a scale of 0–10. As well as providing a more objective measure of the severity of the reaction, the continuous nature of the index score enables more powerful statistical analysis of the data compared with that which has been previously possible through clinically derived categories of non-, mild, moderate and severe reactions.
Manufacturer’s Quality Disclosure Strategy in a Dual-channel Supply Chain Considering the Impact of Information Acquisition

This study investigated how information acquisition may influence original brand manufacturer’s pricing and quality disclosure decision in a dual-channel supply chain, which includes an external non-brand manufacturer. In this paper we assumed only the brand manufacturer has the ability to disclose quality information and can choose to predict consumers’ quality preference through information acquisition. We described the demand of brand and non-brand products and obtained the terminal pricing, and the wholesale price pricing strategy of the brand manufacturer. We also investigated how brand manufacturer’s pricing and information disclosure decision are affected by information acquisition. Our results suggest that: brand manufacturer is more willing to disclose information to high type consumers than low type consumers; the willingness of brand manufacturer to disclose information decreases with the increase of the cost of non-brand products; retailer can’t get benefit from information acquisition, and the impact of information acquisition on brand manufacturer is related to market capacity; compared with non-acquisition, brand manufacturer will be more willing to disclose to high type consumers under information acquisition, while the willingness to disclose to the low type consumers is related to the market capacity.