Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reverse chemical ecology: Olfactory proteins from the giant panda and their interactions with putative pheromones and bamboo volatiles

Significance The giant panda, an endangered species and a popular emblem, still conceals puzzling unexplored aspects. It shares with bears, to which it is evolutionary related, a carnivorous digestive system but follows a strictly herbivorous diet. The low energy obtained from such poor food accounts for its slow movements and probably, a reduced reproductive activity. Feeding and mating are regulated by olfaction, still poorly investigated in this species at the molecular level. Here, we describe two odorant-binding proteins with complementary affinities to different chemical classes and present the 3D structure of one of them. In a reverse chemical ecology approach, which could be adopted for other vertebrates, we use ligand-binding data to suggest putative structures of still unknown sex pheromones. The giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca belongs to the family of Ursidae; however, it is not carnivorous, feeding almost exclusively on bamboo. Being equipped with a typical carnivorous digestive apparatus, the giant panda cannot get enough energy for an active life and spends most of its time digesting food or sleeping. Feeding and mating are both regulated by odors and pheromones; therefore, a better knowledge of olfaction at the molecular level can help in designing strategies for the conservation of this species. In this context, we have identified the odorant-binding protein (OBP) repertoire of the giant panda and mapped the protein expression in nasal mucus and saliva through proteomics. Four OBPs have been identified in nasal mucus, while the other two were not detected in the samples examined. In particular, AimelOBP3 is similar to a subset of OBPs reported as pheromone carriers in the urine of rodents, saliva of the boar, and seminal fluid of the rabbit. We expressed this protein, mapped its binding specificity, and determined its crystal structure. Structural data guided the design and preparation of three protein mutants bearing single-amino acid replacements in the ligand-binding pocket, for which the corresponding binding affinity spectra were measured. We also expressed AimelOBP5, which is markedly different from AimelOBP3 and complementary in its binding spectrum. By comparing our binding data with the structures of bamboo volatiles and those of typical mammalian pheromones, we formulate hypotheses on which may be the most relevant semiochemicals for the giant panda.
Regulatory Incentives for Earnings Management through Asset Impairment Reversals in China

While asset impairment reversals are practiced in many jurisdictions, empirical evidence is rare. China provides us with a unique opportunity to examine both the determinants and consequences of impairment reversals resulting from recent developments in standard-setting and its specific performance-based listing requirements. Based on a sample of reversal firms in China, we report the following findings: First, Chinese-listed companies are motivated by regulatory incentives to reverse asset impairments to reduce or avoid the possibility of trading suspension or de-listing. Second, we provide some evidence that the value-relevance of reversal information appears to be negatively affected by the regulatory-motivated earnings management. Third, favorable internal and external monitoring mechanisms play a role in constraining this type of earnings management. Taken together, we conclude that while the intention of granting reversal discretion is for managers to reveal private value recovery information, our findings suggest that a seemingly improved accounting standard does not necessarily lead to its intended consequence in financial reporting.
An FMRI-Compatible Symbol Search Task

Abstract Our objective was to determine whether a Symbol Search paradigm developed for functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) is a reliable and valid measure of cognitive processing speed (CPS) in healthy older adults. As all older adults are expected to experience cognitive declines due to aging, and CPS is one of the domains most affected by age, establishing a reliable and valid measure of CPS that can be administered inside an MR scanner may prove invaluable in future clinical and research settings. We evaluated the reliability and construct validity of a newly developed FMRI Symbol Search task by comparing participants’ performance in and outside of the scanner and to the widely used and standardized Symbol Search subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). A brief battery of neuropsychological measures was also administered to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the FMRI Symbol Search task. The FMRI Symbol Search task demonstrated high test–retest reliability when compared to performance on the same task administered out of the scanner (r=.791; p<.001). The criterion validity of the new task was supported, as it exhibited a strong positive correlation with the WAIS Symbol Search (r=.717; p<.001). Predicted convergent and discriminant validity patterns of the FMRI Symbol Search task were also observed. The FMRI Symbol Search task is a reliable and valid measure of CPS in healthy older adults and exhibits expected sensitivity to the effects of age on CPS performance. (JINS, 2015, 22, 1–8)
Differential inhibition of signaling pathways by dominant-negative SH2/SH3 adapter proteins

SH2/SH3 adapters are thought to function in signal transduction pathways by coupling inputs from tyrosine kinases to downstream effectors such as Ras. Members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family are known to be activated by a variety of mitogenic stimuli, including tyrosine kinases such as Abl and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. We have used activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase Erk-1 as a model system with which to examine whether various dominant-negative SH2/SH3 adapters (Grb2, Crk, and Nck) could block signaling pathways leading to Erk activation. Activation of Erk-1 by oncogenic Abl was effectively inhibited by Grb2 with mutations in either its SH2 or SH3 domain or by Crk-1 with an SH3 domain mutation. The Crk-1 SH2 mutant was less effective, while Nck SH2 and SH3 mutants had little or no effect on Erk activation. These results suggest that both Crk and Grb2 may contribute to the activation of Erk by oncogenic Abl, whereas Nck is unlikely to participate in this pathway. Next we examined whether combinations of these dominant-negative adapters could inhibit Erk activation more effectively than each mutant alone. When combinations of Crk-1 and Grb2 mutants were analyzed, the combination of the Crk-1 SH3 mutant plus the Grb2 SH3 mutant gave a striking synergistic effect. This finding suggests that in Abl-transformed cells, more than one class of tyrosine-phosphorylated sites (those that bind the Grb2 SH2 domain and those that bind the Crk SH2 domain) can lead to Ras activation. In contrast to results with Abl, Erk activation by EGF was strongly inhibited only by Grb2 mutants; Crk and Nck mutants had little or no effect. This finding suggests that Grb2 is the only adapter involved in the activation of Erk by EGF. Dominant-negative adaptors provide a novel means to identify binding interactions important in vivo for signaling in response to a variety of stimuli.
The Evaluation of Hotel Website Functionality by Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

ABSTRACT Although previous studies have identified different factors on hotel website functionality evaluation, the evaluation of the relative importance of these factors has not been empirically determined. This study adopted a sophisticated approach that analyzes the weights of hotel website functionality. This approach involved triangular fuzzy numbers and an analytic hierarchy process to develop a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model which prioritizes the relative importance of hotel website functionality criteria. First, 20 criteria for hotel website functionality evaluation were developed from a literature review and three focus group interviews. After that, a fuzzy AHP approach was used to examine the relative importance of the criteria and sub-criteria of hotel website functionality evaluation. As human judgments are often uncertain and vague, the use of fuzzy set theory, rather than exact numbers, enables us to capture decision-makers' uncertainty. Finally, the results indicated that “Reservation Information” is the most important criterion to hotel website functionality.
THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HUMAN CAPITAL ON WAGES

Historically, economists have taken the position that psychological capital is either unobservable or unmeasurable; thus, heretofore, little evidence has been available on the contribution of psychological capital to wages. Using data drawn from two different waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the authors offer evidence that psychological capital has both a direct effect--via self-esteem--and an indirect effect--through locus of control--on an individual's real wage. They find a person's wage is more sensitive to changes in self-esteem than to comparable alterations in human capital. Both relative wages and human capital contribute to self-esteem. Copyright 1997 by Oxford University Press.
Activation of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase is necessary for actin rearrangements in human neutrophils during phagocytosis

We have investigated the role of cAMP and cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (cAPK) in neutrophil phagocytosis. Inhibition of cAPK with H‐89 reduced complement‐ and IgG‐dependent phagocytosis to 83 and 46%, respectively. Fluorescence intensity measurements of phalloidin‐stained actin in neutrophils showed a reduced amount of filamentous actin (F‐actin) in pseudopods and around the phagosome in cells treated with H‐89 or cAMP‐elevating agents (forskolin and rolipram). The amount of phosphotyrosine‐containing proteins was also reduced in pseudopods and around the phagosome. Taken together, the data show that cAMP/cAPK regulates F‐actin reorganization during receptor‐mediated phagocytosis, particularly triggered by IgG‐FcR interaction. Our results support the hypothesis that active subcortical reorganization of F‐actin is a prerequisite for FcR‐mediated phagocytosis, but is less important during CR3‐mediated ingestion. J. Leukoc. Biol. 67: 520–528; 2000.
THE LONG RUN BEHAVIOR OF THE INCOME VELOCITY OF MONEY IN FIVE ADVANCED COUNTRIES, 1870–1975: AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH

The income velocity of money in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden displays a U-shaped pattern over the last one hundred years. This paper presents and tests empirically an explanation for this secular pattern emphasizing the influence on velocity of institutional changes. The inclusion into a simple velocity function of institutional developments such as the process of monetization, the spread of commercial banking, financial development and the growth of economic stability improves the explanation of long-run movements in velocity provided by a regression of velocity on real permanent income per head and the interest rate.
Promoting corporate diversity in the financial services sector

This article sets out a detailed and realistic strategy for achieving the diversity in financial services to which the UK Government's Coalition Agreement is committed. Diversity of ownership types and business models creates a corresponding diversity in forms of corporate governance; risk appetite and management; incentive structures; policies and practices; and behaviours and outcomes. It also offers wider choice for consumers through enhanced competition that derives in part from the juxtaposition of different business models. However, the UK financial services sector is dominated disproportionately by a single business model, namely the large, shareholder-owned plc. This domination of the shareholder ownership model – whose purpose is to maximise financial returns to the shareholders – proved a lethal combination with the financial deregulation, the creation of new financial instruments and the concomitant rising levels of debt over the past 20 years. In a situation of uncertainty and unpredictability, we cannot know which model will prove to be superior in all possible future circumstances, so we ought to be rather cautious before destroying any successful model. The global economy is a complex system, and an important point about complexity is that many complex systems are intrinsically unpredictable, even if we know everything else about them. Thus, the problem is not just that the economic future is uncertain, but that it is fundamentally unpredictable.
ASSESSMENT OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE DUE TO THE BATTERY CURRENT OF DIGITAL MOBILE PHONES

Abstract— Hand-held digital mobile phones generate pulsed magnetic fields associated with the battery current. The peak value and the waveform of the battery current were measured for seven different models of digital mobile phones, and the results were applied to compute approximately the magnetic flux density and induced currents in the phone-user’s head. A simple circular loop model was used for the magnetic field source and a homogeneous sphere consisting of average brain tissue equivalent material simulated the head. The broadband magnetic flux density and the maximal induced current density were compared with the guidelines of ICNIRP using two various approaches. In the first approach the relative exposure was determined separately at each frequency and the exposure ratios were summed to obtain the total exposure (multiple-frequency rule). In the second approach the waveform was weighted in the time domain with a simple low-pass RC filter and the peak value was divided by a peak limit, both derived from the guidelines (weighted peak approach). With the maximum transmitting power (2 W) the measured peak current varied from 1 to 2.7 A. The ICNIRP exposure ratio based on the current density varied from 0.04 to 0.14 for the weighted peak approach and from 0.08 to 0.27 for the multiple-frequency rule. The latter values are considerably greater than the corresponding exposure ratios 0.005 (min) to 0.013 (max) obtained by applying the evaluation based on frequency components presented by the new IEEE standard. Hence, the exposure does not seem to exceed the guidelines. The computed peak magnetic flux density exceeded substantially the derived peak reference level of ICNIRP, but it should be noted that in a near-field exposure the external field strengths are not valid indicators of exposure. Currently, no biological data exist to give a reason for concern about the health effects of magnetic field pulses from mobile phones.
How Companies are Implementing Social Customer Relationship Management: Insights From Two Case Studies

The Social Web offers a realm of opportunities for the interaction with customers. For the first time many companies have the opportunity to directly and immediately contact consumers or other stakeholders regardless of their position in the value chain. Among the opportunities are: to obtain more comprehensive market insights, to interact in real-time or to incorporate consumers into the service provisioning. Despite these potentials a great uncertainty remains about the existing options to use Social Media for customer relationship management (CRM) purposes and, especially, the required IT systems and the value of such investments. Based on a comprehensive architecture for an integrated Social CRM (SCRM), this research investigates how companies have actually implemented SCRM. Two case studies are examined regarding the contribution of SCRM activities to CRM and the established SCRM infrastructure. The paper concludes with a discussion about observed patterns in SCRM implementations and functional requirements on integrated SCRM systems. Keywor ds: Social Media, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Social Customer Relationship Management (SCRM), case studies
Bringing WDM Into Optical Static RAM Architectures

Optical RAM appears to be the alternative approach towards overcoming the “Memory Wall” of electronics, suggesting use of light in RAM architectures to enable ps-regime memory access times. In this communication we take advantage of the wavelength properties of optical signals to present new architectural perspectives in optical RAM structures by introducing the WDM principles in the storage area. To this end, we report on a 4 × 4 WDM optical RAM bank architecture that exploits a novel SOA-based multi-wavelength Access Gate (WDM-AG) and a dual wavelength SOA-based SET-RESET All-Optical Flip Flop (AOFF) as fundamental building blocks. The WDM-AG enables simultaneous random access to a 4-bit optical word encoded in 8 different wavelengths, allowing for the four AOFFs of each RAM row to effectively share the same Access Gate. The scheme is shown to support a 10 Gbit/s operation for the incoming 4-bit data streams, with a power consumption of 15 mW/Gbit/s for the WDM-AG and 120 mW/Gbit/s for the AOFFs. The proposed optical RAM architecture reveals that exploiting the WDM capabilities of optical components can lead to RAM bank implementations with smarter column/row encoders/decoders, increased circuit simplicity, reduced number of active elements and associated power consumption, while enabling for re-configurability in optical cache mapping.
Effect of age and sex on left atrial morphology and function.

AIMS Left atrial function is abnormal in a wide range of cardiac diseases. This study was designed to assess the effects of normal ageing and sex on left atrial morphology and function. METHODS AND RESULTS Echocardiography was performed in 123 subjects (age 57 +/- 19 years, range 22 to 89 years, 59 women) with no evidence of cardiovascular disease. M-mode derived left atrial size, B-mode derived left atrial maximal and minimal volumes, and the volume at onset of atrial systole (P-volume) were measured. Left atrial filling, active and passive emptying volumes and ejections fractions, and expansion index were calculated. Subjects were divided into four groups according to age. Left atrial diameter increased with age, with significantly smaller left atrial size in younger subjects. The oldest subjects had significantly higher (P<0.05) left atrial minimal, maximal and P-volume indices. Filling volume index was highest in the oldest subjects (21.9 +/- 5.6 ml/m(2)). Passive emptying volume index was the lowest in those of middle age (10.5 +/- 2.8 ml/m(2)). Active emptying volume index progressively increased with age (P<0.001). Left atrial expansion index and active emptying fraction were not different between the age groups. There was significant difference in passive emptying fraction (P<0.001) with highest values in the youngest (44.7 +/- 7.3%) and lowest values in the oldest subjects (33.6+/-5.4%). CONCLUSIONS Age- and sex-related reference values of echocardiographic indices of left atrial morphology and function are reported. Ageing is associated with left atrial dilatation. Left atrial conduit function deteriorates with age while reservoir and pump function are maintained. Left atrial anteroposterior diameter is smaller in women than in men, but overall left atrial function is not influenced by sex.
Are Government Bonds Net Wealth?

The assumption that government bonds are perceived as net wealth by the private sector is crucial in demonstrating real effects of shifts in the stock of public debt. In particular, the standard effects of "expansionary" fiscal policy on aggregate demand hinge on this assumption. Government bonds will be perceived as net wealth only if their value exceeds the capitalized value of the implied stream of future tax liabilities. This paper considers the effects on bond values and tax capitalization of finite lives, imperfect private capital markets, a government monopoly in the production of bond "liquidity services," and uncertainty about future tax obligations. It is shown within the context of an overlapping-generations model that finite lives will not be relevant to the capitalization of future tax liabilities so long as current generations are connected to future generations by a chain of operative intergenerational transfers (either in the direction from old to young or in the direction from young to old). Applications of this result to social security and to other types of imposed intergenerational transfer schemes are also noted. In the presence of imperfect private capital markets, government debt issue will increase net wealth if the government is more efficient, at the margin, than the private market in carrying out the loan process. Similarly, if the government has monopoly power in the production of bond "liquidity services," then public debt issue will raise net wealth. Finally, the existence of uncertainty with respect to individual future tax liabilities implies that public debt issue may increase the overall risk contained in household balance sheets and thereby effectively reduce household wealth.
Party Voting in the United States Congress

By the standard of most European parliaments, levels of party voting in the United States Congress are relatively low. Nevertheless, party voting does occur in the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the American context, a party vote occurs when majorities of the two congressional parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, oppose one another. The authors construct measurements of levels of party voting in Congress in the years after the Second World War. They then develop a model to test the effects of a number of independent variables that influence fluctuations in party voting levels over time. The study models the time series for party voting and demonstrates striking differences between the House and Senate in the correlates of partisan cleavage.
Warpage measurement of various substrates based on white light shadow moiré technology

In this paper, warpage of various substrates are measured with a noncontact shadow moiré technology. Meanwhile, phase-shifting technology is applied to the analysis of fringe pattern images of substrates obtained by shadow moiré. Sensitivity of the fringe pattern analysis is demonstrated to be significantly increased. Two types of samples, QFN (Quad Flat No-lead Package) metal substrates, BGA (Ball Grid Array) substrates are measured by the system. This paper will show that the presented system is a powerful tool for measuring the warpage of various substrates.
Discretionary Fiscal Policies over the Cycle: New Evidence Based on the ESCB Disaggregated Approach

This paper explores how discretionary fiscal policies on the revenue side of the government budget have reacted to economic fluctuations in European Union countries. For this purpose, it uses data on legislated revenue changes and structural indicators provided twice per year by National Central Banks of European Union countries in the ESCB framework for analysing fiscal policy. The analysis is based on the estimation of fiscal policy rules linking these measures of legislated fiscal policy changes to the output gap and other control variables. Then, baseline results are compared with regression estimates where variations of cyclically-adjusted indicators are used as proxy for discretionary fiscal policies, as conventionally proposed in the empirical literature on fiscal policy. Results suggest that, overall, legislated changes in taxes and social security contributions have responded in a strongly pro-cyclical way to the business cycle, while commonly-used cyclical-adjustment methods point to a-cyclicality. JEL Classification: E62, E65, H20