Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dynamics of the Permanent and Transitory Components in International Business Cycles

The paper investigates the dynamics of permanent and transitory components that are common across seven developed nations of the world. The common components are modeled to exhibit different behavior in the expansion and recession phases of international business cycles. I employ a multivariate unobserved components model with Markov regime switching to measure the common components of international time series. The model is estimated in its state-space representation by applying the Kalman filter and Kim’s (1994) approximate maximum likelihood algorithm. I find that, in contrast to individual country’s business cycles, the international business cycle does not exhibit classical contraction and expansion phases. The international permanent component has two phases: a high-growth phase and a low-growth phase, and there is no evidence of an international transitory component. I find that the switch from a high-growth regime to a low-growth regime occurs in the second quarter of 1973. There are no further switches that occur from one regime to another. I also find that among the seven developed nations examined, Japan is the most sensitive and Germany is the least sensitive to international permanent shocks.
A 500-MHz and 60-dB Omega CMOS Transimpedance Amplifier Using the New Feedforward Stabilization Technique

SUMMARY This paper describes a method of extending the signal frequency bandwidth while increasing the stability of a CMOS transimpedance amplifier (TIA). The TIA consists of three inverting amplifiers in a series, and a high-pass filter plus a non-inverting amplifier that are connected to the last two inverting amplifiers stated above in parallel. The TIA is fabricated using a 0. 35µm CMOS process and realizes stable conversion of 60-dBΩ from the photodiode current to the output voltage with more than 500 MHz of signal frequency bandwidth and 60 mW of power consumption from a 3.3 V supply voltage.
Scholarly social media profiles and libraries: A review

This article aims to point out emerging roles and responsibilities for academic librarians with the potential of better integrating the library in the research process. In order to find out how to enhance the online reputation and discoverability of individual faculty members as well as their affiliated institutions, the authors worked side-by-side with researchers in the United States and Europe to explore, create, revise, and disambiguate scholarly profiles in various software applications. In an attempt to understand and organize scholarly social media, including new, alternative metrics, the authors reviewed and classified the major academic profile platforms, highlighting the overlapping elements, benefits, and drawbacks inherent in each. The consensus is that it would be time-consuming to keep one’s profile current and accurate on all of these platforms, given the plethora of underlying problems, also discussed in detail in the article. However, it came as a startling discovery that reluctance to engage with scholarly social media may cause a misrepresentation of a researcher’s academic achievements and may come with unforeseen consequences. The authors claim that current skills and competencies can secure an essential role for academic librarians in the research workflow by means of monitoring and navigating researcher profiles in scholarly social media in order to best represent the scholarship of their host institutions.
cis-acting lesions targeted to the hydrophobic domain of a poliovirus membrane protein involved in RNA replication

The structural requirements of the hydrophobic domain contained in poliovirus polypeptide 3AB were studied by using a molecular genetic approach in combination with an in vitro biochemical analysis. We report here the generation and analysis of deletion, insertion, and amino acid replacement mutations aimed at decreasing the hydrophobic character of the domain. Our results indicated that the hydrophobicity of this region of 3AB is necessary to maintain normal viral RNA synthesis. However, in vitro membrane association assays of the mutated proteins did not establish a direct correlation between 3AB membrane association and viral RNA synthesis. Some of the lethal mutations we engineered produced polyproteins with abnormal P2- and P3-processing capabilities due to an alteration in the normal cleavage order of the polyprotein. A detailed analysis of these mutants suggests that P2 is not the major precursor for polypeptides 2A and 2BC and that P2 protein products are derived from P2-P3-containing precursors (most likely P2-P3 or P2-3AB). Such precursors are likely to result from primary polyprotein cleavage events that initiate a proteolytic cascade not previously documented. Our results also indicated that the function provided by the hydrophobic domain of 3AB cannot be provided in trans. We discuss the implications of these results on the formation of limited-diffusion replication complexes as a means of sequestering P2- and P3-region polypeptides required for RNA synthesis and protein processing.
Unspoken Vowel Recognition Using Facial Electromyogram

The paper aims to identify speech using the facial muscle activity without the audio signals. The paper presents an effective technique that measures the relative muscle activity of the articulatory muscles. Five English vowels were used as recognition variables. This paper reports using moving root mean square (RMS) of surface electromyogram (SEMG) of four facial muscles to segment the signal and identify the start and end of the utterance. The RMS of the signal between the start and end markers was integrated and normalised. This represented the relative muscle activity of the four muscles. These were classified using back propagation neural network to identify the speech. The technique was successfully used to classify 5 vowels into three classes and was not sensitive to the variation in speed and the style of speaking of the different subjects. The results also show that this technique was suitable for classifying the 5 vowels into 5 classes when trained for each of the subjects. It is suggested that such a technology may be used for the user to give simple unvoiced commands when trained for the specific user
US cost burden of ischemic stroke: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND Stroke is an expensive disease from a patient, caregiver, and societal perspective. In spite of the high cost burden, only limited numbers of recent studies have focused on stroke-related costs in the United States. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic literature review to determine current US costs of stroke and to assess if a gap in available information exists. METHODS A literature search was conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE and Ovid/EMBASE databases, within the date range of January 1995 to July 2008. The search, screening, application of eligibility criteria, appraisal, data extraction, and synthesis were completed by one investigator and then independently confirmed by a second. RESULTS The literature review revealed that the majority of cost-related analyses focused on short-term in-hospital care and early critical care as the key drivers of acute ischemic stroke hospitalization costs. Moreover, long-term medical expenses resulting from nursing home and ambulatory care as well as indirect expenditure from lost earnings and informal care represent the most significant burden on lifetime costs of stroke. CONCLUSIONS Further studies that focus on these long-term and indirect expenditures are essential to assess the impact of new treatments on total stroke costs. Overall, the high costs associated with stroke clearly indicate there is an imperative need for effective preventive therapy, early critical care, and rehabilitation, which in turn will reduce the national expenditure for stroke-related healthcare services and improve productivity.
Can Nuclear Energy Stimulates Economic Growth? Evidence from Highly Industrialised Countries

This paper attempts to examine the causal relationship between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth for four industrialised countries; the US, Canada, Japan, and France, between 1965 to 2010. In a multivariate framework that accounts for other key determinants such that of oil demand and price, a modified version of the Granger causality test developed by Toda and Yamamoto (1995 ) is applied. Results show that there is one-way causality from nuclear energy consumption to economic growth in Japan denoting that an energy conservation policy that aims to minimise nuclear energy consumption may adversely affect economic growth. Oppositely, increasing real GDP causes additional nuclear energy consumption in France. In the US and Canada, there is evidence that support the neutrality hypothesis. Looking at the other investigated channels, the level of real oil prices seems to have a vital role in deriving the demand for nuclear power in three out of four countries. There is also a causal linkage between oil and nuclear energy consumption in the US, Japan, and France, suggesting that the uncertainty surrounding the global oil market plays a key role in determining the demand for nuclear energy. This means that the policies in these countries should endeavor to overcome the constrains on nuclear energy consumption to face any un-expected hikes in oil prices, which may adversely affect economic growth in such oil importing countries. Keywords: Nuclear Energy consumption; Oil consumption; Economic growth; Oil prices; Granger causality test; Industrialised countries JEL Classifications: Q40; Q43; Q48
New Insights on Saccus vasculosus Evolution: A Developmental and Immunohistochemical Study in Elasmobranchs

The saccus vasculosus (SV) is a circumventricular organ of the hypothalamus of many jawed fishes whose functions have not yet been clarified. It is a vascularized neuroepithelium that consists of coronet cells, cerebrospinal fluid-contacting (CSF-c) neurons and supporting cells. To assess the organization, development and evolution of the SV, the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and the neuronal markers γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD; the GABA synthesizing enzyme), neuropeptide Y (NPY), neurophysin II (NPH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; the rate-limiting catecholamine-synthesizing enzyme) and serotonin (5-HT), were investigated by immunohistochemistry in developing and adult sharks. Coronet cells showed GFAP immunoreactivity from embryos at stage 31 to adults, indicating a glial nature. GABAergic CSF-c neurons were evidenced just when the primordium of the SV becomes detectable (at stage 29). Double immunolabeling revealed colocalization of NPY and GAD in these cells. Some CSF-c cells showed TH immunoreactivity in postembryonic stages. Saccofugal GABAergic fibers formed a defined SV tract from the stage 30 and scattered neurosecretory (NPH-immunoreactive) and monoaminergic (5-HT- and TH-immunoreactive) saccopetal fibers were first detected at stages 31 and 32, respectively. The early differentiation of GABAergic neurons and the presence of a conspicuous GABAergic saccofugal system are shared by elasmobranch and teleosts (trout), suggesting that GABA plays a key function in the SV circuitry. Monoaminergic structures have not been reported in the SV of bony fishes, and were probably acquired secondarily in sharks. The existence of saccopetal monoaminergic and neurosecretory fibers reveals reciprocal connections between the SV and hypothalamic structures which have not been previously detected in teleosts.
The core planar cell polarity gene, Vangl2, directs adult corneal epithelial cell alignment and migration

This study shows that the core planar cell polarity (PCP) genes direct the aligned cell migration in the adult corneal epithelium, a stratified squamous epithelium on the outer surface of the vertebrate eye. Expression of multiple core PCP genes was demonstrated in the adult corneal epithelium. PCP components were manipulated genetically and pharmacologically in human and mouse corneal epithelial cells in vivo and in vitro. Knockdown of VANGL2 reduced the directional component of migration of human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells without affecting speed. It was shown that signalling through PCP mediators, dishevelled, dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis and Rho-associated protein kinase directs the alignment of HCE cells by affecting cytoskeletal reorganization. Cells in which VANGL2 was disrupted tended to misalign on grooved surfaces and migrate across, rather than parallel to the grooves. Adult corneal epithelial cells in which Vangl2 had been conditionally deleted showed a reduced rate of wound-healing migration. Conditional deletion of Vangl2 in the mouse corneal epithelium ablated the normal highly stereotyped patterns of centripetal cell migration in vivo from the periphery (limbus) to the centre of the cornea. Corneal opacity owing to chronic wounding is a major cause of degenerative blindness across the world, and this study shows that Vangl2 activity is required for directional corneal epithelial migration.
Noninvasive photoacoustic imaging of the developing vasculature during early tumor growth

In this study, we monitor the progress of vasculature in early tumor growth using photoacoustic imaging over a 20 day period after subcutaneous inoculation of breast cancer tumor cells in a mouse. With 532 nm laser pulses employed as an irradiation source, the photoacoustic images were obtained through the photoacoustic signals received by a hydrophone in orthogonal mode. The morphological characteristics of vasculature in tumor region are clearly resolved in the photoacoustic images, and the change in structure as well as the increase in density can be identified. Moreover, the average photoacoustic signal strength of vasculature in tumor region, which is highly correlated with the total hemoglobin concentration of blood, is enhanced during early tumor growth. These results indicate the feasibility of detecting early stage tumor and monitoring the progress of anti-angiogenic therapy by photoacoustic imaging.
Role of Adenylate and Guanylate Cyclases in β1-, β2-, and β3-Adrenoceptor-Mediated Relaxation of Internal Anal Sphincter Smooth Muscle

The purpose of the present study was to ascertain the role of adenylate (AC) versus guanylate cyclase (GC) signaling pathways in the internal anal sphincter (IAS) smooth muscle relaxation by β1-, β2-, and β3-adrenoceptor (AR) activation by xamoterol, procaterol, and disodium 5-[(2R)-2-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-hydroxy-ethyl]amino)propyl]-1,3-benzodioxole-2,2-dicarboxylate (CL 316243), respectively. The above-mentioned agonists produced concentration-dependent relaxation of the smooth muscle strips. Both the selective Gi/oα and Gsα antagonists 8,8′-(carbonylbis(imino-3,1-phenylene))bis-(1,3,5-naphthalene trisulfonic acid) (NF 023) and 4,4′,4″,4‴-(carbonylbis(imino-5,1,3-benzenetriylbis(carbonylimino)))tetrakis-benzene-1,3-disulfonic acid (NF 449), respectively, inhibited the relaxation induced by procaterol. However, only NF 023 inhibited the relaxation induced by xamoterol and CL 316243. 1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, a soluble GC inhibitor, significantly inhibited the relaxation induced by different agonists. In contrast, the selective AC inhibitor [9-(tetrahydro-2′-furyl)adenine] (SQ 22536) inhibited only the relaxation induced by procaterol. (9R,10S,12S)-2,3,9,10,11,12-Hexahydro-10-hydroxy-9-methyl-1-oxo-9,12-epoxy-1H-diindolo[1,2,3-fg: 3′,2′,1′-kl]pyrrolo[3,4-l][1,6]benzodiazocine-10-carboxylic acid, hexyl ester (KT 5720), a cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor, attenuated the relaxation by procaterol, whereas (9S,10R,12R)-2,3,9,10,11,12, hexahydro-10-methoxy-2,9-dimethyl-1-oxo-9.12-epoxy-1H-diindolo[1,2,3-fg:3′,2′,1′-kl]pyrrolo[3,4-I][1,6]benzodiazocine-10-carboxylic acid methyl ester (KT 5823), a selective cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitor, attenuated the relaxation induced by xamoterol and CL 316243. Xamoterol produced significant increase in cGMP levels, whereas only procaterol enhanced the cAMP levels. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of β1, β2, and β3-AR subtypes in the IAS. In summary, β2-AR activates both Gsα and Gi/oα-protein subunits and induces relaxation in the rat IAS via both cAMP/cGMP pathways. In contrast, the β1/β3-ARs activation causes the smooth muscle relaxation via Gi/oα-protein subunit/GC/GMP/PKG pathway. These studies are important for the understanding of intracellular mechanisms underlying IAS smooth muscle relaxation and in turn the pathophysiology of certain anorectal motility disorders.
Aberrant recombination and the origin of Klinefelter syndrome.

Trisomy is the most commonly identified chromosome abnormality in humans, occurring in at least 4% of all clinically recognized pregnancies; it is the leading known cause of pregnancy loss and of mental retardation. Over the past decade, molecular studies have demonstrated that most human trisomies originate from errors at maternal meiosis I. However, Klinefelter syndrome is a notable exception, as nearly one-half of all cases derive from paternal non-disjunction. In this review, the data on the origin of sex chromosome trisomies are summarized, focusing on the 47,XXY condition. Additionally, the results of recent genetic mapping studies are reviewed that have led to the identification of the first molecular correlate of autosomal and sex chromosome non-disjunction; i.e. altered levels and positioning of meiotic recombinational events.
Robust finite-duration transient response of micro-electromechanical system

A time-domain robust control design approach for minimizing error in transient responses of parametric uncertain systems is considered, as motivated by design and control of micro-electromechanical actuators. A quadratic cost function is formulated as the sum of error components over a finite time span, with the optimization problem of minimizing the least upper bound of the quadratic function represented in terms of the eigenvalue of a certain matrix. This further allows for a linear fractional transformation form by which the nominal and uncertain parameters are separated into P and Δ matrices, analagous to standard LFT representations for robust controller design. The structured singular value, μΔ, is replaced with the spectral radius of the LFT-expressed matrix in the P-Δ configuration. A bulk piezoelectrical actuator-driven micro-robotic flexure joint is considered as a test case, where the stacking process of placing a PZT ceramic actuator on top of a micro-machined silicon flexure is subject to substantial processing error.
Competitive Firm and the Theory of Input Demand under Price Uncertainty

In this paper, we examine the behavior of the competitive firm faced with making input-hiring decisions under conditions of price uncertainty. Unlike Sandmo and Baron, among others, we show categorically that a marginal increase in uncertainty stimulates a decline in the firm's output, provided the absolute risk aversion is decreasing. Furthermore, the implications of a change in expected price remain unchanged, but those of a change in input price need not be the same as in the certainty case. Specifically, the input demand function is downward sloping only if the production function is well behaved.
High-Level Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli Overproduce Multidrug Efflux Protein AcrA

ABSTRACT Immunoblotting with antibody against AcrA, an obligatory component of the AcrAB multidrug efflux system, showed that this protein was overexpressed by ≥170% in 9 of 10 clinical isolates ofEsherichia coli with high-level ciprofloxacin resistance (MICs, ≥32 μg/ml) but not in any of the 15 isolates for which the MIC was ≤1 μg/ml.
Do Taxes Lower Employment in the Third World? Evidence from Personal Service Firms in Pre-Debt-Crisis Brazil

In most nations, developed and undeveloped alike, employers' associations advocate tax cuts as a strategy for increasing employment. The literature on public finance and Third World taxation has been sceptical of these claims, although a small literature within economics favouring tax cuts does exist. Neither side provides compelling empirical evidence for or against tax relief as a tool to generate employment. The present paper provides such evidence for Brazilian restaurants, hotels and barber/beauty shops in the period 1940–1980. After controls are introduced for the size of potential markets and the impact of other non-tax costs, tax rates have virtually no effect on employment. This is because many Third World firms are characterized by a constellation of forces that theoretically minimize the link between taxation and employment. Third World governments that seek to increase employment in strategic industries would be better off using their funds to create programmes designed to stimulate employment proactively.
An Effective Technique of Image Degradation using DWT based Padding Kernel Detection

Image Filtering is a technique of removing unwanted Noise from image so that the image can be improved in terms of brightness and noise and contrast. Although there are various technique implemented for the Image Degradation and removing Noise level from image such as using Gaussian Blur. The Existing Gaussian Blur technique is an efficient technique which provides more Peak Signal to Noise Ratio and Less Error rate as compare to Zhang Distance and Local Phase Quantization Algorithms. But the technique implemented is not feasible in terms of all images and PSNR and Error Rate, Hence a new and efficient technique is proposed in the paper which is based on the concept of kernel and padding. This work also applies the Haar wavelet Transform for filtering the image in order to reconstruct image which have the noise and blur. The results of this paper show that the proposed method gives the better result from the previous methods. It seems to be that the PSNR, Mean Square Rate and execution time is better in the proposed scheme.
Modulation of O-LinkedN-Acetylglucosamine Levels on Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Proteins in Vivo Using the PeptideO-GlcNAc-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase InhibitorO-(2-Acetamido-2-deoxy-dglucopyranosylidene)amino-N-phenylcarbamate*

O-LinkedN-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a ubiquitous and abundant post-translational modification found on nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins and is thought to be a dynamically regulated modification much like phosphorylation. In this study we have demonstrated thatO-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosylidene)amino-N-phenylcarbamate (PUGNAc), a potent in vitro inhibitor of the enzyme responsible for the removal of O-GlcNAc from proteins (peptide O-GlcNAc-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase), can be used to increase O-GlcNAc levels on nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins in vivo. Overall, PUGNAc caused approximately a 2-fold increase in O-GlcNAc levels in the human colon cancer cells, HT29, although the effects on individual proteins varied. The increase appeared to be the result of the direct inhibition of the peptideO-GlcNAc-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase since neither the O-GlcNAc transferase nor UDP-GlcNAc levels were affected by the treatment. O-GlcNAc levels in other cell lines tested (NIH 3T3, CV-1, and HeLa) were also affected by PUGNAc, although the effects on HeLa cells were minimal. At the concentrations tested, PUGNAc was non-toxic and had no affect on the growth rate of any of the cell lines examined. Interestingly, we demonstrated that an increase in O-GlcNAc levels on the transcription factor Sp1 resulted in a reciprocal decrease in its level of phosphorylation, supporting the hypothesis that O-GlcNAc competes with phosphate on some proteins. These studies demonstrate that PUGNAc is an effective inhibitor of O-GlcNAc turnover within cells and can be used to selectively alter the extent of O-GlcNAc on cellular proteins.