Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Consumer Price Index and the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index

N THE United States, there are two primary mea­ sures of the prices paid by consumers for goods and services. One is the Consumer Price Index for All Ur­ ban Consumers (CPI) prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the other is the Personal Con­ sumption Expenditures (PCE) chain-type price index prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). These two price indexes have different purposes and uses. Thus, they are constructed differently and tend to behave differently over time. 1 Chart 1 shows the quar­ terly growth rates for the two indexes from the first quarter of 2002 through the second quarter of 2007. Although the magnitude and direction of these differ­ 1. The CPI measures the change in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services; it is primarily used as an economic indicator and as a means of adjusting current-period data for inflation. The PCE price index measures the change in prices paid for goods and services by the personal sector in the U.S. national income and product accounts; it is primarily used for macroeconomic analysis and forecasting.
Mating Changes Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression in the Seed Beetle Callosobruchus maculatus

Sexually dimorphic phenotypes arise largely from sex-specific gene expression, which has mainly been characterized in sexually naïve adults. However, we expect sexual dimorphism in transcription to be dynamic and dependent on factors such as reproductive status. Mating induces many behavioral and physiological changes distinct to each sex and is therefore expected to activate regulatory changes in many sex-biased genes. Here, we first characterized sexual dimorphism in gene expression in Callosobruchus maculatus seed beetles. We then examined how females and males respond to mating and how it affects sex-biased expression, both in sex-limited (abdomen) and sex-shared (head and thorax) tissues. Mating responses were largely sex-specific and, as expected, females showed more genes responding compared with males (∼2,000 vs. ∼300 genes in the abdomen, ∼500 vs. ∼400 in the head and thorax, respectively). Of the sex-biased genes present in virgins, 16% (1,041 genes) in the abdomen and 17% (243 genes) in the head and thorax altered their relative expression between the sexes as a result of mating. Sex-bias status changed in 2% of the genes in the abdomen and 4% in the head and thorax following mating. Mating responses involved de-feminization of females and, to a lesser extent, de-masculinization of males relative to their virgin state: mating decreased rather than increased dimorphic expression of sex-biased genes. The fact that regulatory changes of both types of sex-biased genes occurred in both sexes suggests that male- and female-specific selection is not restricted to male- and female-biased genes, respectively, as is sometimes assumed.
QuantitativeT2: interactive quantitative T2 MRI witnessed in mouse glioblastoma

Abstract. The aim of this study was to establish an advanced analytical platform for complex in vivo pathologies. We have developed a software program, QuantitativeT2, for voxel-based real-time quantitative T2 magnetic resonance imaging. We analyzed murine brain tumors to confirm feasibility of our method for neurological conditions. Anesthetized mice (with invasive gliomas, and controls) were imaged on a 9.4 Tesla scanner using a Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill sequence. The multiecho T2 decays from axial brain slices were analyzed using QuantitativeT2. T2 distribution histograms demonstrated substantial characteristic differences between normal and pathological brain tissues. Voxel-based quantitative maps of tissue water fraction (WF) and geometric mean T2 (gmT2) revealed the heterogeneous alterations to water compartmentalization caused by pathology. The numeric distribution of WF and gmT2 indicated the extent of tumor infiltration. Relative evaluations between in vivo scans and ex vivo histology indicated that the T2s between 30 and 150 ms were related to cellular density and the integrity of the extracellular matrix. Overall, QuantitativeT2 has demonstrated significant advancements in qT2 analysis with real-time operation. It is interactive with an intuitive workflow; can analyze data from many MR manufacturers; and is released as open-source code to encourage examination, improvement, and expansion of this method.
User-centered design of mobile wellness applications

The PhD research explores the design space of mobile wellness applications by utilizing design research methods. Several case studies are included in the research, e.g. [1],[2],[3],[4]. The main focus of the research is on the aspects, considerations and solutions related to motivational and persuasive mobile wellness applications. The research draws from the multifaceted combination of theories of human behavior, motivation and knowledge of technological possibilities, especially from the user experience perspective.
Synthesis and characterization of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate-toxin A conjugate vaccine

Alginate from Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3064 was depolymerized by controlled heating in dilute acid. The resulting depolymerized alginate (Mr less than 60,000) was covalently coupled to toxin A with adipic acid dihydrazide as a spacer molecule and carbodiimide as a linker. The resulting conjugate was composed of toxin A and depolymerized alginate at a ratio of 4:1 and possessed an Mr of 260,000. The conjugate was nontoxic and nonpyrogenic. While native alginate (Mr greater than 640,000) given in a range of doses was poorly immunogenic in mice and rabbits, the conjugate induced high levels of antibody which bound to native alginate. Rabbits, but not mice, also produced an antitoxin immunoglobulin antibody response. Alginate derived from three other strains of P. aeruginosa competed with the homologous 3064 alginate for binding to anticonjugate antibody. This indicates that the conjugate elicits an antibody response able to recognize heterologous alginates. The serum from rabbits immunized with the conjugate was effective at promoting the uptake and killing of mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. In contrast, immunization with native alginate did not engender an opsonic antibody response. Rabbit anticonjugate antibody also neutralized the cytotoxic potential of toxin A.
Decreased renal excretion of soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha after treatment with daclizumab.

BACKGROUND Daclizumab (+/-150 kD), a humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the alpha-chain of the membrane-bound interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor (IL-2R) also binds soluble interleukin-2R alpha (sIL-2R alpha; +/-45 kD), and thus may influence the glomerular filtration of sIL-2R alpha. METHODS We have studied the influence of daclizumab on the renal excretion of sIL-2R alpha in 38 recipients of a renal transplant (32 treated with daclizumab and six controls). sIL-2R alpha was measured every 2 weeks after transplantation in serum and urine with Immulite IL-2R, a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS In the control population, the fractional excretion of sIL-2R alpha was relatively constant with a median value of 1.7%+/- 0.5%. In daclizumab-treated patients, sIL-2R alpha was not detectable in the urine immediately after the administration of daclizumab. sIL-2R alpha became detectable in the urine at a mean of 8 +/- 3 weeks after transplantation. In additional experiments, serum compounds were separated by size-exclusion chromatography and sIL-2R alpha was measured in the collected fractions. In the control patients, sIL-2R alpha was only present in the low-molecular-weight fractions of serum. In contrast, in daclizumab-treated patients evaluated several weeks after transplantation, sIL-2R alpha was merely detected in the high-molecular-weight fractions of serum. During follow-up there was a relative shift of sIL-2R alpha from the high- to the low-molecular-weight fractions and this coincided with normalization of sIL-2R alpha excretion. CONCLUSION Daclizumab inhibits the renal excretion of sIL-2R alpha by the formation of a complex with sIL-2R alpha in serum, which is too large for glomerular filtration. Measurement of urinary sIL-2R alpha may provide information on the concentration of anti-IL-2R alpha mAb in serum.
Foreign Direct Investment and Institutional Co-Evolution in Ireland

Abstract Ireland was one of the first countries in the world to adopt an FDI-oriented development strategy. It remains to this day the most FDI-intensive economy in Europe. These factors have helped to configure the institutional structure of the economy to be able to respond rapidly to changes in the nature and requirements of the type of global FDI that an economy with Ireland's characteristics could reasonably hope to attract. This paper analyses the changing characteristics of European-bound FDI since the 1960s and the co-evolution of Irish development strategy.
A univariate analysis of EMS exchange rates using a target zone model

The models in the literature on exchange-rate target zones imply a non-linear time series model for the exchange rate. We show how the parameters of such models can be estimated and develop Maximum Likelihood and Method of Simulated Moments estimators for the target zone model of Krugman (1991). The Maximum Likelihood estimator is based on a computationally attractive approximation to the exact predictive density of the continuous time model. Monte Carlo experiments are used to assess the properties of this estimator. In the empirical part we estimate the model with data on recent EMS exchange rates. We find that the Krugman (1991) target zone model is not able to explain the full observed kurtosis and conditional heteroscedasticity of the exchange-rate returns. Copyright 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Regional non-adjustment and fiscal policy

Asymmetric shocks Regional non-adjustment and fiscal policy How will countries handle idiosyncratic macroeconomic shocks under the single currency? Since the regional adjustment patterns currently prevailing within European currency unions are likely to prevail at the national level under the single currency, looking at the ways in which European countries react to internally asymmetric shocks today provides a good preview for the answer to that question. In this paper, we compare the USA with Germany, Italy and the UK, and with Canada, which is closer to Europe than the USA in its labour market and fiscal institutions. Europe's (and to some extent Canada's) model of regional response differs from that of the USA. Changes in regional real exchange rates are small in all countries. Outside of the USA, however, there is more reliance on interregional transfer payments, less on labour migration, and the pace of regional adjustment appears to be slower. If EMU aims at the same degree of economic and social cohesion that its constituent nations enjoy today, this suggests that its members may find it hard to resist the eventual extension of existing EU mechanisms of income redistribution - a transfer union. We propose an alternative strategy based on a relaxed Stability Pact, further strictures against central EU borrowing, labour market and fiscal reform, and the issuance by individual member states of debt indexed to nominal GDP. — Maurice Obstfeld and Giovanni Peri
Trademarks and Cyberspace

Trademark law aids consumers who use trademarks in the marketplace to identify swiftly and without problems a product they liked or disliked in the past, distinguishing among the different competing manufacturers of a product. No one is entitled to sell or deliver commodities under the appearance that the commodities derive from someone else. The importance of consumer protection cannot be over-emphasized and the average consumer standard should remain the central point of the inquiry, even under domain name litigation. Replacing the initial interest confusion doctrine is one decisive step, along with the introduction of a doctrine representing the fact that there should be no confusion at the point the sale, and this doctrine would intervene to allow for the capacity of the consumer to choose freely the products they want.
Improved Design of Low Sidelobe Substrate Integrated Waveguide Longitudinal Slot Array

A single-layer substrate integrated waveguide slot array is presented for use in low sidelobe applications. A compact three-level power divider is developed to provide the required phase distribution and enhanced co-phase bandwidth. Then, the Elliott's design procedure is employed taking accurately into account both the external coupling and the high-order mode internal coupling. The measured radiation pattern and the frequency response are in very good agreement with design specifications and with simulated results provided by CST Microwave Studio. The measured sidelobe level at the center frequency is below -32.3 dB in the E-plane and below -33.8 dB in the H-plane for a design goal of -35 dB.
The influence of the surface stress on the local buckling of a plate with a circular nanohole

The influence of the surface stress on the local buckling of an infinite plate with a circular nanohole under the uniaxial remote tension is investigated. The critical (Euler) load corresponding to the buckling is found with the Ritz method in the framework of the linearized von Kármán set of equations. Numerical computations are performed with the Ritz method for various elastic properties of the surface. It is shown that one doesn't get a significant correction of the local buckling (i.e of the critical load), if residual surface stress is included into the mathematically exact theory of surface elasticity.
Expatriate motivation in religious and humanitarian non-profit-organizations

Purpose - The purpose of this exploratory, empirical study is to identify motivations for expatriation among religious and humanitarian (RH economics; international experience; escapism; altruism; outsider support; family life; and location. Workers in the not-for-profit sector are primarily motivated by altruism, and thus integrate organizational mission with personal purpose in their decision to work abroad. Using cluster analysis, four groups of humanitarian and religious workers in the Christian sub-sector were identified: Caring Missionary; Focused Worker; Self-Directed Careerist; and International Family Custodian. Workers from developed versus developing countries exhibit different motivators. Practical implications - The findings provide insight into differences between developed versus developing country workers and between R&H workers. Recognizing the differences in motivation can assist international human resource managers in the effective recruitment, selection, training and development, career management, and support and encouragement of non-profit organizations (NPO) expatriates. The authors provide propositions to be tested based on the application of self-determination theory to expatriate motivation. Originality/value - This exploratory, empirical study of Christian R&H workers extends the organizational and country context and builds on motivation for expatriation research to include this sub-sector of workers from both developed and developing countries operating in global organizations. The findings provide new insights into motivation for expatriation and lead to propositions for future research.
Flexible Work and Turnover: An Empirical Investigation Across Cultures

We explored the relationship between three bundles of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and turnover for two of GLOBE's societal clusters, namely Anglo and Nordic. We collected data through a large-scale international survey and found significant differences in the FWA–turnover relationship between the two clusters. Specifically, as unsocial hours (overtime, shift work, weekend work) and part-time arrangements (part-time and job-sharing) increase in the Anglo cluster, so does turnover. Further, as schedule flexibility (telework, work from home and flexi-time) increases in the Nordic cluster, turnover decreases. The results raise issues about the universal applicability of FWA policies and practices among nationally and internationally operating organizations.
Farmers’ Satisfaction with Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Spanish Cooperatives: An Explanation from Agency Theory

Agricultural cooperatives have specific characteristics. Coop members may have different roles (owners, buyers, sellers and controllers) and, consequently, these players may have different objectives. The various stakeholders may also have different objectives from the management of the cooperative. This makes agency theory a good framework for the analysis of farmers’ satisfaction with their cooperative. Based on a sample of 277 members of fruit and vegetable marketing cooperatives in Spain, the results show that members’ satisfaction with the cooperative exerts a positive influence on members’ desire to continue as members of that cooperative. The results also confirm the positive influence of trust, information and control on satisfaction.
Bridgeless Power Factor Correction Converter Working at High Load Variations

The conventional boost power factor correction converter has high conduction losses because of the input rectifier. The use of a bridgeless PFC circuit offers high efficiency. For high powers, the bridgeless circuit will be designed to work in continuous conduction mode (CCM), using an average current mode control. The switches have parasitic capacitances that in CCM lead to switch losses, without influencing the waveform of the converters. For low loads, the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) appears, but the parasitic capacitances lead to the input current distorsion. This paper focuses on the simulation and analysis of bridgeless PFC converter working at high load and low load and possible solutions to eliminate the distortion of the current working at low power.
Autoantibodies against inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase 2--characteristics and prevalence in patients with HCV-infection.

BACKGROUND Indirect immunofluorescence (IIFT) on in house HEp-2 cell preparations revealed a novel antibody giving a granular cytoplasmic pattern not described before, which on two commercial cell preparations revealed a "rings and rods" pattern. This pattern was also observed in four HCV-RNA carriers and prompted the identification of the reactive antigen and the evaluation of the antibody prevalence in HCV-RNA carriers and control groups. METHODS The antigen's molecular weight was determined by radioimmunoprecipitation of 35S-methionine labeled cell proteins. Expression library screening and sequencing was performed by standard techniques using an oligo(dT)-primed human HeLa cell cDNA expression library. Antibodies against the novel antigen Inositol-5'-monophosphatdehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2) were analyzed by IIFT, western blot, line blot, and radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA). IIFT was performed on commercial HEp-2 cells and cells cultivated in house for 24 - 60 hours, with or without the IMPDH2 inhibitors mycophenolic acid (MPA) or ribavirin, and subjected to various fixation conditions. Western and line blots were performed with IMPDH2 synthesized in E. coli, RIPA with 35S-methionine-IMPDH2 from in vitro transcription/translation products. Sera screened were positive for HCV-RNA (108), HBV-DNA (100), anti-mitochondrial (31), anti-actin (42), and anti-nuclear antibodies (51) and negative for HCV-RNA (100) and blood donors (100). RESULTS IMPDH2 is capable of considerable intracellular rearrangements (upon action of inhibitors like MPA and ribavirin), which explains the contrasting immunofluorescence patterns in cells from different sources. By RIPA, proven to be the sole assay suitable for screening of anti-IMPDH2 in human sera, autoantibodies were found in 35.2% of HCV-RNA carriers and in low concentrations in 31% of anti-actin positive patients suspicious of autoimmune hepatitis. Antibodies reacted preferentially with conformational epitopes. Compared to the low concentration of anti-IMPDH2 found in other disease groups, high antibody concentrations were observed in HCV-RNA carriers. CONCLUSIONS The common occurrence of anti-IMPDH2 in HCV-RNA carriers may be related to ribavirin therapy, causing intracellular aggregation of IMPDH2 thereby altering its immunogenicity. In this study the "rods and rings" immunofluorescence pattern observed could be ascribed to anti-IMPDH2. Anti-IMPDH2 may cause difficulties in interpretation of immunofluorescence patterns in routine autoantibody testing.
Poniendo a la pobreza de ingresos y a la desigualdad en el mapa de México

AThis paper presents income poverty and inequality estimates at the State and Municipal levels for Mexico. Our estimates allow for the mapping of poverty and inequality in the country, as well as for determining the specific contribution of each geographic unit to overall poverty. Additionally, it allows to measure inequality in disaggregated geographic spaces, and to decompose inequality in terms of the proportion due to within and between States and Municipalities. Our estimates are based on robust household income measures, generated with methodologies that allow for solving the common dilemma in welfare measurement, namely that there is either information with low quality measurement but high possibilities of disaggregation, or information with high quality measurement but representative only at aggregated levels.
Analysing critical success factors in small and medium enterprises banking

A few years ago, Indian banks have avoided serving small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a deliberate strategy due to the risk associated with it. Eventually, despite the several challenges posed by the SME segment, Indian banks have discovered appetite for such high risk-high return arena. This research aims to contribute the critical factors for profitable SME banking in India. This was achieved by means of confirmatory factor analysis. Data was obtained by a questionnaire survey of 234 bank employees of public and private sector banks in Uttar Pradesh state. A total of 22 individual critical factors were examined in this study. Fast and responsive services are considered as the most critical success factor. The research suggests to bank managers that it is crucial to take a holistic view of these factors when developing appropriate strategies for SME banking and channelling resources towards more critical aspects of SME business management.