Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accessibility models and residential location

Abstract Many residential location models have been developed within the context of long-range transportation planning programs and tend to explain housing consumer behavior largely in terms of minimizing the journey to work. This article questions the preeminence of accessibility in the residential location process and offers empirical evidence that neighborhood considerations are more important to residential locators than accessibility to place of work. It concludes with some recommendations for future modeling activity.
Accounting quality of German and UK cross‐listings

Purpose - This paper aims to compare the quality of financial reporting (or accounting quality) of firms cross-listed in Germany and the United Kingdom relative to domestic firms that are not cross-listed in Germany and the United Kingdom. Design/methodology/approach - The authors assess financial reporting quality based on five measures of earnings management; two measures of timely loss recognition; and the explanatory power ( Findings - The authors find that there is no difference in financial reporting quality of firms cross-listed in Germany and the United Kingdom and domestic firms that do not cross-list in these countries. They further find that German and UK cross-listing firms have lower accounting quality than US cross-listing firms. Research limitations/implications - The study is subject to some limitations. Cross-listing firms may be different from non-cross-listing firms in characteristics other than country, size and cross-listing, the variables used to match the firms. The authors also lose quite a number of observations due to the matching process and therefore are limited by a small sample size. Originality/value - This paper contributes to a growing literature on cross-listing and quality of financial reporting. The authors extend Lang
Deep affect recognition from R-R intervals

Affect recognition is an important task in ubiquitous computing, in particular in health and human-computer interaction. In the former, it contributes to the timely detection and treatment of emotional and mental disorders, and in the latter, it enables indigenous interaction and enhanced user experience. We present an inter-domain study for affect recognition on seven different datasets, recorded with six different sensors, three different sensor placements, 211 subjects and nearly 1000 hours of labelled data. The datasets are processed and translated into a common spectro-temporal space. The data represented in the common spectro-temporal space is used to train a deep neural network (DNN) for arousal recognition that benefits from the large amounts of data even when the data are heterogeneous (i.e., different sensors and different datasets). The DNN approach outperforms the classical machine-learning approaches in six out of seven datasets.
Time-varying risk components in the single-factor market model: an exact most powerful invariant test

There is mounting evidence that stock prices have a time-varying predictable component. This paper tests for time-varying systematic risk, market compensation for systematic risk, and risk premiums in the single-factor market model to determine (1) whether the predictable stock-price component is due to time-varying risk premiums in an efficient market or an inefficient market with constant risk premiums, and (2) whether the time-varying risk premiums are due to time-varying systematic risk or time-varying market compensation for systematic risk. This paper applies an exact small-sample, pointwise most powerful invariant test to ten size and 12 industry portfolios. It finds consistent evidence of time variation in all three risk components over the full 35-year sample, but largely sporadic evidence of time variation over the five seven-year subsamples. Of the portfolios that show evidence of time-varying risk premiums, they are most likely the result of time-varying market compensation for systematic risk and not time-varying systematic risk.
MOSFET matching improvement in 65nm technology providing gain on both analog and SRAM performances

The 65 nm process has been optimized through thermal budget and implant of halo and LDD to reduce gate impact. It provides the best matching results ever reported to our knowledge, i.e. A/sub Vt/ of 2.1 and 1.9 mV. /spl mu/m for NMOS and PMOS respectively. We demonstrate that such results provide relevant circuit performance improvement. For SRAM, a gain of more than 50% has been achieved on cell read current going from 4 down to 2.1 mV. /spl mu/m. For analog applications, significant improvement is pointed out in terms of linearity and resolution.
Modeling stochastic crop yield expectations with a limiting beta distribution

The use of plausible stochastic price processes in price risk analysis has allowed advances not seen in crop yield risk analysis. This study develops a stochastic process for yield modeling and risk management. The PA³lya urn process is an internally consistent dynamic representation of yield expectations over a growing season that accommodates agronomic events such as growing degree days. The limiting distribution is the commonly used beta distribution. Binomial tree analysis of the process allows us to explore hedging decisions and crop valuation. The method is empirically flexible to accommodate alternative assumptions on the growing environment, such as intra-season input decisions.
Investigations of Salmonella enterica Serovar Newport Infections of Oysters by Using Immunohistochemistry and Knockout Mutagenesis

ABSTRACT The consumption of raw oysters is an important risk factor in the acquisition of food-borne disease, with Salmonella being one of a number of pathogens that have been found in market oysters. Previous work by our lab found that Salmonella was capable of surviving in oysters for over 2 months under laboratory conditions, and this study sought to further investigate Salmonella's tissue affinity and mechanism of persistence within the oysters. Immunohistochemistry was used to show that Salmonella was capable of breaching the epithelial barriers, infecting the deeper connective tissues of the oysters, and evading destruction by the oysters' phagocytic hemocytes. To further investigate the mechanism of these infections, genes vital to the function of Salmonella's two main type III secretion systems were disrupted and the survivability of these knockout mutants within oysters was assayed. When the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and 2 mutant strains were exposed to oysters, there were no detectable deficiencies in their abilities to survive, suggesting that Salmonella's long-term infection of oysters does not rely upon these two important pathogenicity islands and must be due to some other, currently unknown, mechanism.
Fusion of LVCSR and posteriorgram based keyword search

The aim of this work is to improve the performance of an existing KWS system by merging the search results produced by two additional KWS systems. The existing baseline system is based on large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) and weighted ﬁnite state transducers (WFST). The ﬁrst proposed KWS system is based on searching a symbolic WFST index which is generated by quantizing the posteriorgram representation of the audio. The second proposed KWS system is based on subsequence dynamic time warping (sDTW) algorithm which is commonly used in the query-by-example spoken term detection (QbE-STD) tasks. We also investigate using average posteriorgrams for query generation. Experimental results show that when combined with the existing KWS system, the proposed systems improve the performance of the KWS system especially for the out-of-vocabulary (OOV) queries.
ARY omatic sex determines the requirement for o proliferation of the Drosophila germline

To exa during d between control ment of of both g the pupal and adult stages, the germline stem cells divide assymmetrically to produce a cystoblast and a daughter stem cell. Each cystoblast undergoes four mitotic divisions to produce 16 cystocytes (King, 1970). One cystocyte differentiates into the oocyte while the other 15 form large, polyploid nurse cells. The 16 germ cells are surrounded by somatically derived follicle cells that migrate from the wall of the germarium to form the egg cyst. Later in oogenesis, the follicle cells migrate to surround the oocyte and take on specialized fates necessary for egg chamber maturation. The differentiation of the ovarian soma and germline is dependent on the X:A ratio (the comparison of the number of X-chromosomes to sets of autosomes) of these tissues. In the soma, the X:A ratio regulates the activity of the Sex-lethal (Sxl) gene, which in turn controls the expression of the somatic sex regulatory pathway that includes the genes transformer (tra), transformer-2 (tra-2), and doublesex (dsx) (reviewed by Baker, 1989; Parkhurst and Meneely, 1994). The tra and tra-2 genes ula . , 19 iffe sx ( dsx gen 82). n a sex determination. Recent studies have implicated the Sxl, sans fille (snf), ovarian tumor (otu), and ovo genes in the regulation of female-specific differentiation of XX germ cells (reviewed by Steinmann-Zwicky, 1992). Certain alleles of these genes produce ovarian tumors, a phenotype in which the egg cysts are filled with thousands of small germ cells (King and Riley, 1982). It has been proposed that ovarian tumors result from the disruption of sex determination such that the XX germ cells undergo abnormal male development (Oliver et al., 1988, 1990; Steinmann-Zwicky, 1988, 1992). This hypothesis is based on observations that the tumorous XX germ cells ectopically express some male-specific gene products and develop morphologies similar to early spermatocytes, including a spherical nucleus, prominent nucleolus, and the assemblage of mitochondria surrounding the nucleus (Oliver et al., 1988, 1990, 1993; Steinmann-Zwicky, 1992; Bopp et al., 1993; Pauli et al., 1993; Wei et al., 1994). However, these tumorous cells also retain some female-specific gene expression (Bae et al., Developme Printed in G
Japanese investment in United States food and agriculture: Evidence from California and Washington

This article analyzes the investments of Japanese food processing firms in the states of California and Washington. Japanese investments are oriented towards one or more of the following goals: First, to secure stable supplies of raw material and|or lowering production costs. Second, to build production facilities to facilitate the export of food products to Japan. Third, to build US production facilities to supply US demand for traditional Japanese foods such as sake and soy sauce. Fourth, to secure access to US food technology. With exception of wineries, Japanese investors generally do not purchase agricultural land, preferring instead to purchase their raw commodities through contracts with local growers. Japanese direct investment remains comparatively small, but has the potential to grow significantly. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Internationalisation strategies in business-to-business services: the case of architectural practice

The internationalisation of business-to-business service firms has received relatively little attention from researchers in international business, yet there has been a considerable expansion in the international activity of lawyers, accountants, management consultants, advertising firms, and design consultants over the last 30 years. This paper aims to help to redress that balance by exploring the experiences of British and French architectural practices as they internationalise. A case survey of 59 architectural practices working in international markets is reported, focusing on how they enter foreign markets, and then deliver on their commitments to their clients once they have entered those markets.
Systemic Irregularity and Spontaneous Property Transformation in the Chinese Financial System*

Although the Chinese leadership and international observers disagree on many things about China, they share at least one assessment: corruption has penetrated China's public sector, and the state financial system is among the worst examples. In Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index released annually since the early 1990s, China has been placed either into the bottom group (“the most corrupt”) or at the lower tier (“more corrupt than the majority”). During the Asian financial crisis The Economist even called the Chinese state banks “the worst banking system in Asia. ” The Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, when addressing a 1996 general meeting on Party discipline, marked several domains as the “major problem area” where big corruption and crime cases concentrated, and the financial sector topped the list. The Prosecutor General, in his 1998 work report, urged law enforcers to pay special attention to the abuses of power by financial officials.
Reproductive performance of seasonal-calving, pasture-based dairy herds in four regions of New Zealand

Abstract AIMS: The primary objective of this study was to describe the reproductive performance of a selection of New Zealand dairy herds in 2009/10 and 2010/11. A secondary objective was to explore associations between a number of biophysical and socio-demographic herd-level variables and herd-level reproductive outcomes. METHODS: Seasonal-calving, pasture-based herds from the Waikato (n=16), Taranaki (n=16), North Canterbury (n=17) and South Canterbury (n=14) regions of New Zealand were enrolled as part of a larger study. Submission, conception and pregnancy risks (“in-calf risks”) were calculated for 2009/10 and 2010/11 based on cow-level records and from the results of strategically timed pregnancy diagnoses. Additional herd-level information was collected during interviews with the herd key decision maker (KDM). Associations between independent variables and reproductive performance were examined using univariable and multivariable generalised linear models. RESULTS: Mean 6-week in-calf risk of the herds over both study years was 67 (min 46, max 86)%, mean 3-week submission risk was 81 (min 44, max 95)% and mean probability of pregnancy at first insemination was 48 (min 25, max 71)%. On univariable analyses, the herd's 6-week in-calf risk in the year before enrolment (2008/09) was the strongest identified predictor of each of submission risk, probability of pregnancy at first insemination and 6-week in-calf risk (all p<0.01), while other predictor variables considered were non-significant. From multivariable modelling, herds using extensive production systems had better reproductive performance than more intensively managed systems. Higher 3-week submission risks were achieved in herds where the KDM were farm managers rather than owner operators, and where the predominant breed was Jersey rather than Friesian. CONCLUSIONS: The New Zealand dairy industry has set a target for a mean 6-week in-calf risk of 78%, with minimal hormonal intervention, by 2016. Achieving this target appears unlikely unless there are substantial increases in both submission risks and pregnancy at first inseminations. The mean 6-week in-calf risk of New Zealand dairy herd does not appear to have changed in the last decade. However the large differences between herds indicate that better reproductive performance is currently possible in many herds. The herd's 6-week in-calf risk in the year before enrolment (2008/09) was the strongest identified predictor of current 6-week in-calf risk, suggesting that rate of improvement in reproductive performance would be slow within current management systems unless substantial changes are introduced.
Timing performance of two PET detector designs capable of time-of-flight and depth-of-interaction measurement: Phoswich and offset crystal layers

PET detectors capable of measuring 511 keV photon time-of-fight (TOF) and depth-of-interaction (DOI) can improve resulting image quality and accuracy. In this work, we studied the timing performance of two TOF-DOI PET detector designs: (1) phoswich and (2) offset crystal arrays. The phoswich detector comprises a 3 × 3 × 20 mm<sup>3</sup> element made from a 3 × 3 × 10 mm<sup>3</sup> LYSO:Ce crystal with 42 ns decay time optically epoxied to a 3 × 3 × 10 mm<sup>3</sup> calcium co-doped LSO:Ce,Ca(0.4%) crystal with 33 ns decay time. The offset crystal block comprises a 4 × 4 array of 3 × 3 × 10 mm<sup>3</sup> LYSO crystals in the bottom layer and a 4 × 3 array of LYSO crystals of the same size in the top layer. The top array is offset by half pixel pitch from the bottom array. The coincidence timing resolution for photopeak events acquired by two opposing phoswich detectors ranges from 164.6 ± 0.9 ps to 183.1 ± 4.2 ps FWHM, depending on the interaction layer combinations between two identical, dual layer elements. The coincidence timing resolution for photopeak events acquired by the offset crystal layers against a reference detector comprising a single 3 × 3 × 20 mm<sup>3</sup> LYSO crystal ranges from 177.8 ps to 272.6 ps FWHM and averaged to 219.7 ± 35.5 ps FWHM. These results show that both designs are capable of TOF and DOI measurement.
Delivery of Biologically Active Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines IL-10 and IL-1ra In Vivo by the Shigella Type III Secretion Apparatus1

Pathogenicity of many Gram-negative bacteria relies on a type III secretion (T3S) apparatus, which is used for delivery of bacterial effectors into the host cell cytoplasm allowing the bacteria to manipulate host cell cytoskeleton network as well as to interfere with intracellular signaling pathways. In this study, we investigated the potential of the Shigella flexneri T3SA as an in vivo delivery system for biologically active molecules such as cytokines. The anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) were genetically fused to the first 30 or 60 residues of the Shigella T3S effector IpaH9.8 or to the first 50 residues of the Yersinia enterocolitica effector YopE and the recombinant fusion proteins were expressed in S. flexneri. YopE50-IL-10, IpaH60-IL-10, and IpaH60-IL-1ra were efficiently secreted via the T3S apparatus of Shigella. Moreover, these recombinant proteins did not impair the invasive ability of the bacteria in vitro. In a murine model, Shigella strains expressing YopE50-IL-10, IpaH60-IL-10, and IpaH60-IL-1ra induced a lower mortality in mice that was associated with reduced inflammation and a restricted localization of bacteria within the lung tissues as compared with wild-type Shigella. Moreover, the level of TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA were reduced in the lungs following infection by IL-10- and IL-1ra-secreting Shigella, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the Shigella T3S apparatus can deliver biologically active cytokines in vivo, thus opening new avenues for the use of attenuated bacteria to deliver proteins for immunomodulation or gene therapy purposes.
NMR characterization of structure, backbone dynamics, and glutathione binding of the human macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)

Human macrophage migration inhibitory factor is a 114 amino acid protein that belongs to the family of immunologic cytokines. Assignments of 1H, l5N, and 13C resonances have enabled the determination of the secondary structure of the protein, which consists of two α‐helices (residues 18–31 and 89–72) and a central four‐stranded β‐sheet. In the β ‐sheet, two parallel β ‐sheets are connected in an antiparallel sense. From the total of three cysteines present in the primary structure of MIF, none was found to form disulfide bridges. 1H‐15N heteronuclear T1, T2, and steady‐state NOE measurements indicate that the backbone of MIF exists in a rigid structure of limited conformational flexibility (on the nanosecond to picosecond time scale). Several residues located in the loop regions and at the N termini of two helices exhibit internal motions on the 1–3 ns time scale. The capacity to bind glutathione was investigated by titration of a uniform l5N‐labeled sample and led us to conclude that MIF has, at best, very low affinity for glutathione.
Arabization

For centuries Islam in Asia was renowned for its adaptability to local practices and tolerance of other religions. Over the past three decades, however, fundamentalists have tried to homogenize Islam, introducing new tensions. More than any other factor, what has fuelled conflicts and divided Muslims and others in otherwise tolerant and harmonious plural societies of Asia, is the slow but steady process of the transformation of Islam in the region, from a syncretic and inclusive Islam to a puritanical and exclusivist one under the influence of ideas, norms, practices, and finances flowing from the Arab world. The ‘Islam of the desert’ has made inroads across the Indian Ocean. This process of homogenization and regimentation—a process I would like to call the ‘Arabization’ of Islam—puts greater emphasis on rituals and codes of conduct than on substance, through the Wahhabi and Salafi creeds, a rigidly puritanical branch of Islam exported from, and subsidized by, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The internationalization of Islam drew Asian Muslims to the desert and brought the desert to them. Such ‘globalization of political Islam’ could threaten stability throughout Asia and the world. Unfortunately, too many proponents of any form of fundamentalism rely on it as a tool, not for inspiring spirituality, but for acquiring economic or political power.
Government Size versus Government Efficiency in a Model of Economic Growth

We develop a Solow type growth model where firms produce a single homogenous good using labor, private capital and a public good. The "amount" of public good depends on current government spending and government quality. Quality is the result of the accumulation of public capital. Governments charge distortionary taxes and provide the public good, investing also in "quality" by accumulating public capital. We analyze how the composition of government spending between current expenditures and quality affects the equilibrium levels. We aim to understand the difference in terms of steady state levels between leviathan, quality driven and benevolent governments.
Country-wide human capital: the case of Ukraine

The study of human capital on a national level as well as cross-country human capital comparisons are becoming important issues to consider because the correct utilization of national human capital has a potential to significantly enhance profitability of multinational and local companies and the wealth of entire countries. This article argues that national human capital (NHC) as well as national HRD is different in different countries, and that NHC of a country possesses unique features, which has significant implications for its practical utilization and development. It also argues that NHC is measurable and that international open access data are valid for assessing NHC, which is especially helpful from cost-benefit perspective. As a case-study to support this theory, the article evaluates the human resources' property, human capital, of one particular country – Ukraine.