Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of hotel information technology applications

Purpose – Information technology (IT) applications in the hotel industry have largely been devoted to the handling of the routine operational problems that crop up while running a hotel. Previously, the hotel industry has been criticised as reluctant to make full use of IT. This paper reports and analyses the findings of a recent survey on IT applications in Hong Kong hotels.Design/methodology/approach – Through personal interviews with 21 managers of hotel electronic data processing/management information systems (EDP/MIS) in 2003, different technical and behavioural aspects of IT were examined.Findings – Compared with a similar study performed in 1997, the empirical findings in 2003 showed that IT was used not merely to replace the existing paper system but also to improve customer services and to enhance operational effectiveness. Unfortunately, the empirical findings also indicated that hotel decision makers did not seem to realise the importance of IT for the purpose of developing business strategies.
A 1 V Input, 3 V-to-6 V Output, 58%-Efficient Integrated Charge Pump With a Hybrid Topology for Area Reduction and an Improved Efficiency by Using Parasitics

This paper presents an integrated hybrid 6-stage voltage multiplier without using high-voltage-tolerant devices. The proposed architecture obtains a good area and efficiency performance by cascading the Dickson charge pumps and the symmetrical Cockcroft-Walton charge pumps, and paralleling them with the proposed auxiliary charge pumps formed by parasitics. Implemented in a standard 0.18 μm CMOS process, the prototype provides a wide output range of 3-6 V and 30-240 μA load from a 1 V supply with an efficiency of 48-58% (52% at the 6 V output when the gain is six). By using on-chip MOS capacitors as the flying capacitors, an area reduction of 66% as compared to the Dickson charge-pump of similar performance is achieved. The area shrinks to 0.05 mm 2 per 9× interleaved cell. The entailed efficiency loss due to parasitics is compensated by the proposed auxiliary parasitic pumping paths feeding forward to redirect the parasitic charge flow. With this technique, the efficiency enhances extra 11%. The technique is applicable to other on-chip charge-pumps.
An Analysis of Stress Testing for Asian Stock Portfolios

While extreme asset price movements are a common feature of the global financial system, recent financial crises have witnessed an increase in the use of serious stress testing in risk management. This paper examines the performance of a bivariate normal distribution model and a bivariate mixture of two normal distributions model in the institutional context of five Asian stock markets, namely Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo. To assess the performance of the two models, the data from the five stock markets for the period 4 January 1990 to 28 February 1998 are employed. The results show that the bivariate normal distribution model outperforms the bivariate mixture of two normal distributions model. This seems to suggest that the latter model can more precisely capture the fat-tailed property of left and right tails in return distributions.
Method for quantitative mapping of dynamic MRI contrast agent uptake in human tumors

A method is presented for the acquisition and analysis of dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) MRI data, focused on the characterization of tumors in humans. Gadolinium (Gd) contrast was administered by bolus injection, and its effect was monitored in time by fast T1‐weighted MRI. A simple algorithm was developed for automatic extraction of the arterial input function (AIF) from the DCE‐MRI data. This AIF was used in the pixelwise pharmacokinetic determination of physiological vascular parameters in normal and tumor tissue. Maps were reconstructed to show the spatial distribution of parameter values. To test the reproducibility of the method 11 patients with different types of tumors were measured twice, and the rate of contrast agent uptake in the tumor was calculated. The results show that normalizing the DCE‐MRI data using individual coregistered AIFs, instead of one common AIF for all patients, substantially reduces the variation between successive measurements. It is concluded that the proposed method enables the reproducible assessment of contrast agent uptake rates. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;14:457–463. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Wine business practices: A new versus old wine world perspective

This research investigates and compares some of the strategic choices made by small wine firms from two different New World wine producing countries, Australia and New Zealand, and one traditional wine producing region of France. This research was first conducted in 2003 in France with 98 wine firms being interviewed and then in Australia and New Zealand, with a total of 68 wine firms interviewed in 2004. In order to explain the differences in business practices, an effort to match wine sector perspectives and strategic management profiles is presented through a hierarchical cluster analysis. Some complementary explanations for the clusters found can be suggested: business practices are clearly dependent upon the business activity (bottled wine versus bulk wine), and the main goal of the owner-manager (improving business economic performance versus increasing market share). lEconLit classification: L190, L210r. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 22: 405-416, 2006.
Policy or institution? The political choice of retrenchment strategy

The present study breaks new ground in the study of welfare reform by developing the theoretical argument that governments can choose between transparent policy retrenchment and less-transparent institutional retrenchment when pursuing welfare state contraction. Policy retrenchment is transparent because it reallocates substantial benefits and has direct and immediate consequences for welfare recipients. Institutional retrenchment is less transparent as it reallocates institutional authority and primarily has indirect long-term consequences. Owing to the difference in transparency and direct effects on the voter population, we theoretically propose that elected officials may choose strategically between policy and institutional retrenchment. Consistent with the theoretical argument, we demonstrate that policy retrenchment is more frequently used in times of economic hardship and on welfare issues protecting against risks that are imposed disproportionately on the lower social strata. Contrary to our expectation, however, left-leaning governments do not apply strategies of policy retrenchment more often than right-wing governments.
Least costly energy management for Electric Vehicles with plug-in Range Extenders

Electric Vehicles (EVs), though appealing for an increasing number of users, suffer from known limitations of battery energy storage. We analyze a rentable plug-in Range Extender (RE) concept as a viable way to increase the EV range only when really needed, avoiding its encumbrance in normal urban usage. This concept leads to the formulation of an original energy management problem: in addition to usual operating constraints, the rental decision must be taken in the least costly way from the user's perspective. The original problem is solved offline by Dynamic Programming to provide the best achievable performance; a mixed integer convex reformulation is shown to yield the same results in much less time. The performance is compared by means of a thorough simulation study.
Altered splicing leads to reduced activation of CPEB3 in high-grade gliomas

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins (CPEBs) are auxiliary translational factors that associate with consensus sequences present in 3′UTRs of mRNAs, thereby activating or repressing their translation. Knowing that CPEBs are players in cell cycle regulation and cellular senescence prompted us to investigate their contribution to the molecular pathology of gliomas–most frequent of intracranial tumors found in humans. To this end, we performed methylation analyses in the promoter regions of CPEB1-4 and identified the CPEB1 gene to be hypermethylated in tumor samples. Decreased expression of CPEB1 protein in gliomas correlated with the rising grade of tumor malignancy. Abundant expression of CPEBs2-4 was observed in several glioma specimens. Interestingly, expression of CPEB3 positively correlated with tumor progression and malignancy but negatively correlated with protein phosphorylation in the alternatively spliced region. Our data suggest that loss of CPEB3 activity in high-grade gliomas is caused by expression of alternatively spliced variants lacking the B-region that overlaps with the kinase recognition site. We conclude that deregulation of CPEB proteins may be a frequent phenomenon in gliomas and occurs on the level of transcription involving epigenetic mechanism as well as on the level of mRNA splicing, which generates isoforms with compromised biological properties.
Half-Metallicity in CuCr2S4 Film: A Density Functional Study

Copper chromium chalcospinel (CuCr2S4) is a metallic ferromagnet with high Curie temperature and large magnetization. Due to these characteristics and highly spin-polarized electronic structure near the Fermi level, it has been considered as an attractive candidate for spintronic application. By using the first-principle calculations based on density functional theory, we discovered that a complete spin polarization, or the so-called half-metallicity, can be realized in (100) CuCr2S4 film. The results of electronic structure show that by decreasing the film thickness, the delocalized hybridization between Cu-d and S-p states is weakened, which shifts the valence band maximum of the minority spin to lower energy, and thus leads to the half-metallicity. Furthermore, the half-metallicity of the CuCr2S4 film is found to be robust with respect to different terminations and surface vacancies.
Interpreting lipid levels in the context of high-grade inflammatory states with a focus on rheumatoid arthritis: a challenge to conventional cardiovascular risk actions

In severe untreated rheumatoid arthritis (RA), reductions in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and total cholesterol have been noted; this is in line with findings in other pathologies/conditions associated with inflammation or infection, such as sepsis, cancer, trauma or the postoperative period. Although the precise mechanisms remain to be established, cytokine-induced activation of the reticuloendothelial system is potentially critical to such changes. Consequently, dampening of inflammation in severe RA—as occurs with several biologics—may lead to increases, not only in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, but also with other lipid moieties, including total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and, perhaps, triglycerides. This concept is consistent with findings following antitumour necrosis factor treatment and interleukin-6 receptor inhibition in patients with RA. At the same time, it is increasingly apparent that potent dampening of inflammation, however achieved, broadly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in RA. Therefore, changes in lipid profiles, particularly increases in cholesterol and triglycerides that occur with treatments for severe inflammation, may not represent increased cardiovascular risk as in the usual understanding of lipid-level elevations in individuals without significant inflammation. Rather, changes in lipid levels, in part or largely, may represent a predictable response to attenuation of inflammation. These observations are increasingly important clinically and should aid in the understanding and interpretation of lipid changes under inflammatory conditions, as well as in the context of potent anti-inflammatory interventions.
A method of improving credit evaluation with support vector machines

With the growth of credit business scale, credit evaluation models are becoming more and more popular for credit admission decision with minimum risk. Among many of these models, the support vector machine (SVM) draws more attention for its effectiveness. In this work, we presented a new skill to further improve the effect of SVM for credit scoring. In the learning process of SVM, we utilized the whitening transformation, which is usually adopted in signal processing. We applied our method on two real credit data sets, and found that not only the credit scoring accuracy can be enormously improved, but the learning time of SVM models can also be obviously reduced.
Lentivirus mediated shRNA interference targeting MAT2B induces growth-inhibition and apoptosis in hepatocelluar carcinoma.

AIM To investigate the effects of lentivirus vector mediated short hairpin RNA interference targeting methionine adenosyltransferase 2beta gene (LV-shMAT2B) on hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) cells. METHODS We constructed four plasmids of RNA interference targeting the MAT2B gene. After LV-shMAT2B was transfected with L-02 cells and two kinds of HCC cells, cell viability and proliferation were measured with MTT and [3H]thymidine assays respectively. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell apoptosis. The level of S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) in HepG2 cells was evaluated. The expressions of cyclin D1, cyclin D2, bcl-x(L) and bcl-x(S) were detected with western blot. RESULTS We constructed LV-shMAT2B successfully. LV-shMAT2B was safe for human normal liver cells. LV-shMAT2B caused dramatic reduction in proliferation compared with controls in HCC cells Bel-7402 (P = 0.054) and HepG2 (P = 0.031). Flow cytometry analysis showed that cell apoptosis caused by LV-shMAT2B was greater in HCC cells Bel-7402 and HepG2 than in control induced by scrambled siRNA (P = 0.047), but apoptosis rates in L-02 induced by LV-shMAT2B and scrambled siRNA respectively had no significant difference. Moreover, LV-shMAT2B significantly suppressed expression of MAT2B leading to growth-inhibition effect on HCC cells by down-regulating cyclin D1. Apoptosis induced by LV-shMAT2B was involved in down-regulating bcl-x(L) and up- regulating bcl-x(S). CONCLUSION LV-shMAT2B can induce cell apoptosis and growth-inhibition in HCC cells. MAT2B may be a therapy target in HCC in the future.
Is a 20% change in MSFC components clinically meaningful?

Sir – Kragt et al. have recently reported in this journal [1] that a 20% worsening on either the 25foot timed walk (25FTW) or the nine-hole peg test (9HPT) components of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) is associated with patient-perceived worsening as measured by the Guy’s Neurological Disability Scale (GNDS). Correlations of change in the 25FTW and 9HPT, and change in the GDNS scores over time were weak. However, in 143 patients with 20% worsening on the 25FTW, and in 71 patients with 20% worsening on the 9HPT, a significant worsening of GDNS subscore was detected when these patients were compared to those who had remained stable or had improved over time in relation to the MSFC components. The authors therefore conclude that a 20% change on these components indicates a true change in function and is also clinically meaningful. In a cohort of 150 MS patients, we examined the effect of a 20% change in the 25FTW and the 9HPT in relation to change in the physical domain of another patient reported instrument, the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29 physical). The MSIS-29 [2] is used as an outcome measure in clinical trials and was the first such instrument to be developed with psychometric properties in mind. For 25 FTW analyses, 15 patients who were unable to perform the 25FTW at baseline and follow-up were excluded. No ceiling effect was observed for the 9HPT but four patients were excluded because of missing data. Correlations of change in both the 25FTW and 9HPT, and change in the MSIS-29 physical over three years were weak and non-significant (r 0.15 and r 0.16, respectively). Sixty-four patients experienced 20% worsening on the 25FTW and 31 patients worsened by 20% on the 9HPT over three years. The mean MSIS-29 physical score worsened by 1.2 points in patients who had worsened by 20% on the 25FTW and worsened by 2.6 points in the group who experienced 20% worsening on the 9HPT. However, we found no significant difference in the mean change in MSIS-29 physical scores between patients who worsened and those who remained stable or improved in relation to either MSFC component. We have previously demonstrated that the MSIS-29 physical is responsive to change, and that a change of eight points is clinically meaningful using the EDSS as an anchor measure [3]. Patients who worsened by at least eight points on the MSIS-29 physical in our cohort worsened by a mean of 0.36 on the MSFC Z-score, by a mean of 0.45 on the 25FTW Z-score, and by a mean of 0.34 on the 9HPT Z-score. Our current findings fail to support the proposition that a 20% change on the 25FTW and 9HPT is clinically meaningful by patient report.
Guarantee of the accused person's right to defense counsel. A comparative study of Vietnamese, German and American criminal procedure law

In Vietnam, practical settlement of criminal cases tends to indicate that incorrect judgments still exist that naturally prejudices the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, including the right to have defense counsel. This results from various causes, of which the overlapping and contradictory nature of the laws is one. This dissertation focuses on examining the contents of the applicable provisions of international law and the laws of Vietnam, Germany and the United States on guaranteeing the right to defense counsel. This has been done by the comparative method with a view to find out similarities and differences, and pointing out the advantages and limitations of the applicable criminal procedure laws on guaranteeing the right to defense counsel. This dissertation has also proposed a number of recommendations for improving the applicable laws of Vietnam for the purpose of improving the effectiveness of the guarantee of this right in criminal procedure. (Less)
Forecasting Nonlinear Crude Oil Futures Prices

The movements in oil prices are very complex and, therefore, seem to be unpredictable. However, one of the main challenges facing econometric models is to forecast such seemingly unpredictable economic series. Traditional linear structural models have not been promising when used for oil price forecasting. Although linear and nonlinear time series models have performed much better in forecasting oil prices, there is still room for improvement. If the data generating process is nonlinear, applying linear models could result in large forecast errors. Model specification in nonlinear modeling, however, can be very case dependent and time-consuming. In this paper, we model and forecast daily crude oil futures prices from 1983 to 2003, listed in NYMEX, applying ARIMA and GARCH models. We then test for chaos using embedding dimension, BDS(L), Lyapunov exponent, and neural networks tests. Finally, we set up a nonlinear and flexible ANN model to forecast the series. Since the test results indicate that crude oil futures prices follow a complex nonlinear dynamic process, we expect that the ANN model will improve forecasting accuracy. A comparison of the results of the forecasts among different models confirms that this is indeed the case.
Smuggling via e‐commerce: effect on tax revenue

Purpose – In recent years, economists have begun to investigate the impact of internet shopping (e‐commerce) on smuggling and the associated loss in tax revenues. The evidence thus far has been mixed, with some studies concluding that the tax loss is substantial, while others find little impact on tax revenues. The purpose of this paper is to take a new approach to analyzing the impact of internet shopping on smuggling and the associated loss in tax revenues.Design/methodology/approach – Unlike previous studies, the paper uses disaggregated panel data and econometric methods to estimate the effect of e‐commerce on the smuggling of various types of commodities.Findings – The paper finds that e‐commerce has led to the increased smuggling of some commodities, but not others, which may help explain the mixed tax‐loss results that have been obtained in previous studies (which use aggregate data). Practical implications – The paper identifies those commodities that are more susceptible to smuggling via e‐commerc.
Impact of fusion to Gαi2 and co‐expression with RGS proteins on pharmacological properties of human cannabinoid receptors CB1R and CB2R

Objectives G protein coupled receptor (GPCR)‐Gα fusion proteins are often employed to investigate receptor/G protein interaction. In this study, the impact of Gα fusion proteins on pharmacology of CBRs, both mediating signals through Gαi proteins, were investigated. Gαi2 was fused to the C‐terminus of the CBRs or co‐expressed with non‐fused Gαi2 in Sf9 cells, always together with Gβ1γ2. Furthermore, the impact of RGS proteins on CBR signaling in combination with the CBR fusion approach was examined, using RGS4 and RGS19 as paradigms.
Functional and molecular mapping of uncoupling between vascular permeability and loss of vascular maturation in ovarian carcinoma xenografts: The role of stroma cells in tumor angiogenesis

Maintaining homogeneous perfusion in tissues undergoing remodeling and vascular expansion requires tight orchestration of the signals leading to endothelial sprouting and subsequent recruitment of perivascular contractile cells and vascular maturation. This regulation, however, is frequently disrupted in tumors. We previously demonstrated the role of tumor‐associated myofibroblasts in vascularization and exit from dormancy of human ovarian carcinoma xenografts in nude mice. The aim of this work was to determine the contribution of stroma‐ and tumor cell‐derived angiogenic growth factors to the heterogeneity of vascular permeability and maturation in MLS human ovarian carcinoma tumors. We show by RT‐PCR and by in situ hybridization that VEGF was expressed by the tumor cells, while angiopoietin‐1 and ‐2 were expressed only by the infiltrating host stroma cells. Vascular maturation was detected in vivo by vasoreactivity to hypercapnia, measured by BOLD contrast MRI and validated by immunostaining of histologic sections to α‐smooth muscle actin. Vascular permeability was measured in vivo by dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI using albumin‐based contrast material and validated in histologic sections by fluorescent staining of the biotinylated contrast material. MRI as well as histologic correlation maps between vascular maturation and vascular permeability revealed a wide range of vascular phenotypes, in which the distribution of vascular maturation and vasoreactivity did not overlap spatially with reduced permeability. The large heterogeneity in the degree of vascular maturation and permeability is consistent with the differential expression pattern of VEGF and angiopoietins during tumor angiogenesis. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Replication and Recombination of Herpes Simplex Virus DNA*

Replication of herpes simplex virus takes place in the cell nucleus and is carried out by a replisome composed of six viral proteins: the UL30-UL42 DNA polymerase, the UL5-UL8-UL52 helicase-primase, and the UL29 single-stranded DNA-binding protein ICP8. The replisome is loaded on origins of replication by the UL9 initiator origin-binding protein. Virus replication is intimately coupled to recombination and repair, often performed by cellular proteins. Here, we review new significant developments: the three-dimensional structures for the DNA polymerase, the polymerase accessory factor, and the single-stranded DNA-binding protein; the reconstitution of a functional replisome in vitro; the elucidation of the mechanism for activation of origins of DNA replication; the identification of cellular proteins actively involved in or responding to viral DNA replication; and the elucidation of requirements for formation of replication foci in the nucleus and effects on protein localization.