Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1-(2-Hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)ethan-1-one N-[(E)-1-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)ethylidene]hydrazone

In the title molecule, C18H20N2O4, which resides on a crystallographic centre of inversion (at the centre of the N—N bond), all non-H atoms apart from the methoxy substituent are approximately coplanar. The structure displays intramolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonding.
Are Americans Stuck in Uncompetitive Enclaves? An Appraisal of U.S. Electoral Competition

Most elections in the United States are not close, which has raised concerns among social scientists and reform advocates about the vibrancy of American democracy. In this paper, we demonstrate that while individual elections are often uncompetitive, hierarchical, temporal, and geographic variation in the locus of competition results in most of the country regularly experiencing close elections. In the four-cycle period between 2006 and 2012, 89% of Americans were in a highly competitive jurisdiction for at least one office. Since 1914, about half the states have never gone more than four election cycles without a close statewide contest. More Americans witness competition than citizens of Canada or the UK, other nations with SMSP-based systems. The dispersed competition we find also results in nearly all Americans being represented by both political parties for different offices.
Imaging , Diagnosis , Prognosis DNA Methylation as an Adjunct to Histopathology to Detect Prevalent , Inconspicuous Dysplasia and Early-Stage Neoplasia in Barrett ' s Esophagus

Purpose: Endoscopic surveillance of Barrett’s esophagus is problematic because dysplasia/early-stage neoplasia is frequently invisible and likely to be missed because of sampling bias. Molecular abnormalities may be more diffuse than dysplasia. The aim was therefore to test whether DNAmethylation, especially on imprinted and X-chromosome genes, is able to detect dysplasia/early-stage neoplasia. Experimental design: 27Kmethylation arrays were used to find genes best able to differentiate between 22 Barrett’s esophagus and 24 esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) samples. These were validated using pyrosequencing on a retrospective cohort (60 Barrett’s esophagus, 36 dysplastic, and 90 EAC) and then in a prospective multicenter study (98 Barrett’s esophagus patients, including 28 dysplastic and 9 early EAC) designed to utilize biomarkers to stratify patients according to their prevalent dysplasia/EAC status. Results: Genes (23%) on the array, including 7% of X-linked and 69% of imprinted genes, have shown statistically significant changes in methylation in EAC versus Barrett’s esophagus (Wilcoxon P < 0.05). 6/7 selected candidate geneswere successfully internally (Pearson’sP<0.01) and externally validated (ANOVAP < 0.001). Four genes (SLC22A18, PIGR, GJA12, and RIN2) showed the greatest area under curve (0.988) to distinguish between Barrett’s esophagus and dysplasia/EAC in the retrospective cohort. This methylation panel was able to stratify patients from the prospective cohort into three risk groups based on the number of genes methylated (low risk: <2 genes, intermediate: 2, and high: >2). Conclusion:Widespread DNAmethylation changes were observed in Barrett’s carcinogenesis including 70%of known imprinted genes. A four-genemethylation panel stratified patients with Barrett’s esophagus into three risk groups with potential clinical utility. Clin Cancer Res; 1–11. 2012 AACR.
The Dual Specificity Phosphatases M3/6 and MKP-3 Are Highly Selective for Inactivation of Distinct Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases*

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family includes extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) and p38/RK/CSBP (p38) as structurally and functionally distinct enzyme classes. Here we describe two new dual specificity phosphatases of the CL100/MKP-1 family that are selective for inactivating ERK or JNK/SAPK and p38 MAP kinases when expressed in COS-7 cells. M3/6 is the first phosphatase of this family to display highly specific inactivation of JNK/SAPK and p38 MAP kinases. Although stress-induced activation of p54 SAPKβ, p46 SAPKγ (JNK1) or p38 MAP kinases is abolished upon co-transfection with increasing amounts of M3/6 plasmid, epidermal growth factor-stimulated ERK1 is remarkably insensitive even to the highest levels of M3/6 expression obtained. In contrast to M3/6, the dual specificity phosphatase MKP-3 is selective for inactivation of ERK family MAP kinases. Low level expression of MKP-3 blocks totally epidermal growth factor-stimulated ERK1, whereas stress-induced activation of p54 SAPKβ and p38 MAP kinases is inhibited only partially under identical conditions. Selective regulation by M3/6 and MKP-3 was also observed upon chronic MAP kinase activation by constitutive p21ras GTPases. Hence, although M3/6 expression effectively blocked p54 SAPKβ activation by p21rac (G12V), ERK1 activated by p21ras (G12V) was insensitive to this phosphatase. ERK1 activation by oncogenic p21ras was, however, blocked totally by co-expression of MKP-3. This is the first report demonstrating reciprocally selective inhibition of different MAP kinases by two distinct dual specificity phosphatases.
Through-Silicon Stroboscopic Characterization of an Oscillating MEMS Thermal Actuator Using Supercontinuum Interferometry

We measured the surface profile of the hidden face of a thermally actuated oscillating 4-μm-thick silicon microelectromechanical system (MEMS) bridge. To do this, we employed a stroboscopically synchronized supercontinuum light source incorporated into a scanning low-coherence interferometer. The instrument exploited the near-infrared part (1.1-1.7 μm) of the emitted spectrum and a camera sensitive to near infrared. The MEMS bridge was driven with 6.8-V sinusoidal voltage at 10 Hz, which resulted in oscillation amplitudes of 1.50 ± 0.07 μm and 1.35 ± 0.07 μm for the top and bottom surfaces, respectively. We believe this technique opens up new possibilities for validating simulation effort as well as for qualifying new device designs.
Service Quality From the Customer's Perspective: An Empirical Investigation

Service organizations in India are facing tough competition in the global market because of the liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy. Hence, it is helpful for service firms to know the customer's perceptions of service quality in order to overcome their competitors and attract and retain customers. Even though many quality management studies have been conducted in manufacturing industries there is insufficient knowledge in the service sector on the issues to be addressed by the service organizations. Hence, this study examined the service quality issues in the Indian automobile service sector from the customer's perspective. The research studied the overall service quality of the automobile service stations in India with respect to the critical factors of service quality. Further, the work computes and analyzes the service quality indices with respect to the six critical factors as a whole in order to ascertain the level of service quality in the Indian automobile service sector.
An improved signal subspace decomposition method in low SNR case

The SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of the targets in HF radar is usually not high enough and the array data length is short. Therefore, the Toeplitz construction method is applied to achieve better azimuth resolution and higher azimuth estimation accuracy than the classic covariance matrix construction method of the spatial spectrum estimation technique. However, its signal subspace and noise subspace could not be separated clearly by the conventional subspace decomposition method. In this paper, an improved signal subspace decomposition method based on the cross-correlation coefficients analysis of the eigenvectors is presented. This method uses an adaptive three sigma rule to select the eigenvectors corresponding to the smaller eigenvalues as the signal subspace. Thus, the signal subspace is divided more clearly. Then, combined with the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm, the estimate performance for the coherent targets is improved.
Role of PKD 2 in rheotaxis in Dictyostelium

The sensing of mechanical forces modulates several cellular responses as adhesion, migration and differentiation. Transient elevations of calcium concentration play a key role in the activation of cells following mechanical stress, but it is still unclear how eukaryotic cells convert a mechanical signal into an ion flux. In this study, we used the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum to assess systematically the role of individual calcium channels in mechanosensing. Our results indicate that PKD2 is the major player in the cell response to rheotaxis (i.e., shear-flow induced mechanical motility), while other putative calcium channels play at most minor roles. Mutant pkd2 KO cells lose the ability to orient relative to a shear flow, whereas their ability to move towards a chemoattractant is unaffected. PKD2 is also important for calcium-induced lysosome exocytosis: WT cells show a transient, 2-fold increase in lysosome secretion upon sudden exposure to high levels of extracellular calcium, but pkd2 KO cells do not. In Dictyostelium, PKD2 is specifically localized at the plasma membrane, where it may generate calcium [. ] DE LIMA, Wanessa Cristina, et al. Role of PKD2 in rheotaxis in Dictyostelium. PLOS ONE, 2014, vol. 9, no. 2, p. e88682 DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone. 0088682
SACCOCOELIUM MEGASACCULUM N. SP., A NEW HAPLOPORID TREMATODE FROM LIZA CARINATUS IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT

Saccocoelium megasacculum n. sp. (Digenea: Haploporidae) was collected from the intestine of the mugilid fish, Liza carinatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes), in the Taiwan Strait. It is the first record of Saccocoelium in China. The parasite most closely resembles Saccocoelium obesum Looss, 1902 and Saccocoelium tensum Looss, 1902 in general morphology and body size, but it is easily distinguished from them in having a larger hermaphroditic sac in relation to body size; larger eggs; smaller pharynx, testis, ovary, and vitellaria; and a uterine seminal receptacle instead of a true seminal receptacle.
Barriers to Investment in Polarized Societies

I present a tractable dynamic model of political economy where disagreements about the composition of public spending result in implementation of short-sighted policies. Excessive taxation reduces the return to physical capital and hence investment rates, which slows down growth along the transition. In the long run, output, consumption and welfare are inefficiently low. The larger is the degree of polarization, the greater is the inefficiency. Political stability mitigates the effects of polarization by making the incumbent internalize the dynamic inefficiencies introduced by the choice of growth-retarding policies. JEL: D72, E22, E23, E62, H25, O16, O17
Low-profile single-feed highly-directive antennas based on cavity-excited metasurfaces

We propose a novel antenna design combining the simplicity of shielded Fabry-Perot leaky-wave antennas (FP-LWA) with the performance of antenna arrays. The device is based on a probe-fed shielded FP-LWA structure, with the standard partially-reflecting surface replaced by a metasurface. The cavity excitation is optimized to uniformly illuminate the aperture, forming radiating hot spots half-a-wavelength apart, while the metasurface imposes the linear phase required to promote directive radiation. This yields a probe-fed low-profile antenna with near-unity aperture illumination efficiency and no edge-taper losses. In previous work we have shown that a Huygens' metasurface can be used to that end; in this report we present an improved design featuring an omega-type bian-isotropic metasurface. The compact device structure (with respect to lens or reflector antennas) and the simple and efficient feeding scheme (with respect to antenna arrays) make these cavity-excited metasurface antennas very appealing for industrial applications, such as satellite communication or automotive radars.
The Parsec-Scale Structure of the Newer TeV Blazars

We expand our previous studies of the parsec-scale structure of TeV blazars by presenting first- epoch images from VLBA monitoring of ten newer TeV HBLs. All ten sources were successfully detected and imaged, and all showed a one-sided core-jet structure. Many display a morphology common to TeV HBLs: a short, collimated jet followed by a transition to low surface brightness extended emission with a much broader opening angle. The newly detected TeV HBLs tend to be fainter in the radio; the median core flux density was 22 mJy, and the median brightness temperature was 8 " 10 9 K. The brightness temperatures are well below the equipartition limit, and thus the VLBI cores do not require strong beaming, consistent with the modest values of Doppler and Lorentz factors found in the VLBI jets of TeV HBLs by other studies, and contrasting with the strong beaming generally required by the TeV emission. We study the full sample of TeV HBLs that have been observed with VLBI, and find a correlation between TeV flux and VLBI core brightness temperature, suggesting di! erent but correlated beaming factors for the TeV and radio emission. We present a discussion of these observations in the context of velocity structures in the jets of the TeV HBLs.
A Low-Power NB-IoT Transceiver With Digital-Polar Transmitter in 180-nm CMOS

A fully integrated 750~960 MHz wireless transceiver (TRX) is presented for single-tone NB-IoT applications. Effective design methodologies and techniques, from the system level to circuit level, are proposed to address various design challenges while achieving low-power consumption. The TRX consists of a low-IF receiver with 180-kHz signal bandwidth, a digital polar transmitter with 3.75-kHz signal bandwidth, and a fractional-N frequency synthesizer. Passive current mixer is employed in the receiver to improve the linearity and avoid the sensitivity degradation due to 1/ ${f}$ noise. Automatic I/Q imbalance calibration is integrated to improve image rejection ratio (IRR) with the aid of external FPGA. The transmitter is implemented in the digital polar architecture to improve the narrow-band spectrum purity, integrated with an inverse Class-D digital power amplifier (DPA) to achieve high output power and efficiency. A Class-C voltage-controlled oscillator with automatic frequency control assisted the dynamic gate biasing technique is used in the fractional-N PLL frequency synthesizer. Two prototypes are implemented in 180-nm CMOS. By optimizing analog baseband configuration in the receiver and utilizing the revised thermometer-coding and binary-coding-based array placement in the DPA, the receiver achieves 4.0-dB noise figure, 48-dB IRR, and 60-dB PGA dynamic range, and the DPA outputs 23.2dBm maximum saturation power with 44.5% PAE. Furthermore, the transmitter system verifications demonstrate 3.87% error-vector magnitude (EVM) for 891 MHz $\pi $ /4-DQPSK signals at 18.87-dBm output power with −40-dBc out-of-band rejection. The transmitter achieves a dynamic range from −35 to 20 dBm when the demodulation EVM threshold of the system is set to 10%.
What Causes the Underpricing of IPOs and the Long-Run Performance of Stocks?

The underpricing of initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Chinese market is higher than in other markets. This paper analyses both initial underpricing and long-run performance for Chinese IPOs in order to resolve arguments in previous Chinese IPOs literature studies. Using a sample of 275 Chinese IPOs from 2005 to 2008, the results support Rock’s (1986) winners’ curse and Welch’s (1992) cascades theory. The results of long-run performance report that Chinese IPOs underperform the market in two years time. More importantly, this paper finds that the underpricing of Chinese IPOs is mainly caused by the activities of investors in the secondary market.
The Payment Form Threshold in Mergers and Acquisitions - A Real Options Approach

In recent years, practitioners and academics have become increasingly concerned that traditional discounted cash flow valuation models, such as the net present value model, are not capable of adequately capturing the value of managerial flexibilities to delay, grow, scale down, or abandon projects. The effect of ignorance of such managerial flexibilities can be potentially substantial, with the possibility of producing biased decisions. Real options analysis provides the insights that business investment projects can be conceptually compared to financial options and is therefore able to seize the value of managerial flexibilities. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a theoretical model based on option pricing theory to evaluate the managerial flexibilities arising in a variety of mergers and acquisitions, which vary in payment forms. The thesis shows how transactions can be structured as a real exchange options, given the share price of each participating firm is subject to a specified degree of uncertainty. The takeover decisions of bidder or target, i.e., the takeover threshold to bid or to accept the bid, is obtained through the analysis. In addition, the thesis provides valuable theoretical insights into the following aspects: The impact of the form of payment on the decision making process for each participant and corresponding merger terms The payment form that minimizes the threshold to trigger a transaction The allocating rule of mergers and acquisitions synergy when payment form threshold is employed In the latter part of thesis, an empirical study is conducted on mergers and acquisitions completed by US public bidders between January 1985 and April 2004 excluding all financial institutions deals. Strong support is found from the data that some of the target firm characteristics such as expected growth rate and volatility are significant in explaining the payment form choices.
Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Marine Actinobacterium Nocardiopsis dassonvillei and Exploring Their Therapeutic Potentials

Nanoparticles have recently emerged as a popular research topic. Because of their potential applications in therapeutic applications, biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (Bio-AgNPs) have gained much attention in recent years. Cell-free extracts (CFE) from a marine culture of actinobacteria and silver nitrate were used to reduce Ag+ ions and create Bio-AgNPs. Nocardiopsis dasonvillei KY772427, a new silver-tolerant actinomycete strain, was isolated from marine water and used to synthesize AgNPs. In order to characterize Bio-AgNPs, UV-Vis spectral analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering spectroscopy (DLS) were all utilized. Using UV–Vis spectroscopy, a peak in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectrum at 430 nm revealed the presence of Bio-AgNPs. The TEM revealed spherical AgNPs with a diameter of 29.28 nm. DLS determined that Bio-AgNPs have a diameter of 56.1 nm and a negative surface charge (−1.46 mV). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Bio-AgNPs was determined against microbial strains. Using resazurin-based microtiter dilution, the synergistic effect of Bio-AgNPs with antimicrobials was investigated. Pseudomonas aeruginosa had the lowest MIC of Bio-AgNPs (4 μg/ml). Surprisingly, the combination of antimicrobials and Bio-AgNPs had a significant synergistic effect on the tested strains. The insecticidal activity of Bio-AgNPs (200 μg/ml) against Macrosiphum rosae was found to be maximal after 36 h. Additionally, Bio-AgNPs demonstrated significant scavenging activity against 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl (OH–) radicals, with IC50 values of 4.08 and 8.9 g/ml, respectively. In vitro studies using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay revealed a concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability when CaCo2 cells were exposed to Bio-AgNPs. With the decrease in cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase leakage (LDH) increased. The findings of this study open up a new avenue for the use of marine Nocardiopsis dasonvillei to produce Bio-AgNPs, which have significant antimicrobial, antioxidant, insecticidal, and anticancer potential.
A sensorless PMSM drive using test signals generated by a multilevel converter

In sensorless drives, the reliability of the drive is increased by estimating the rotor position instead of measuring it. At low speed operation and standstill, most sensorless algorithms estimate the rotor position by measuring the response on test signals. This paper discusses a low-speed sensorless algorithm for a permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) that is supplied by a multilevel converter. Such a converter can be of interest in cases where the machine is supplied with a high dc voltage. Furthermore, by using a multilevel converter, noise can be reduced as smoother current waveforms are obtained and the common-mode stator voltage can be strongly reduced which will reduce the current flowing through the bearings. The aim of this paper is to discuss the generation of test signals by using a multilevel converter.
Assessing Alternative Global Equity Investment Frameworks

In establishing the foundation of their investment process, global equity investors typically adopt a framework along geographic and/or industry dimensions. The chosen framework is then applied to the whole investment process including alpha generation, portfolio construction, and risk management, thus having fundamental implications for investment results. Our paper provides the first comprehensive study of the feasibility and optimality of alternative frameworks. We draw on the intuitions and methodology from the prior debate on whether country-specific or industry-specific sources of return variations dominate in the diversification benefits of global equity investing. We find that region-sector and region-industry frameworks are the optimal frameworks among the feasible ones. Our results are of importance to both stock selection and asset allocation investors in global equities.
Effects of Body Mass, Meal Size, Fast Length, and Temperature on Specific Dynamic Action in the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

Detailed analysis of animal energy budgets requires information on the cost of digestion (specific dynamic action [SDA]), which can represent a significant proportion of ingested energy (up to 30% in infrequent feeders). We studied the effects of snake mass, temperature (25° and 30°C), fasting time (1 and 5 mo), and prey size (10%–50% of snake mass) on SDA in 26 timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). We used flow‐through respirometry to measure hourly CO2 production rates (V̇co2) for 1 d before and up to 17 d after feeding. Crotalus horridus, like previously studied viperids and boids, show large and ecologically relevant increases in metabolism due to feeding. Depending on treatment and individual, V̇co2 increased to 2.8–11.8 times the resting metabolic rate within 12–45 h postfeeding and decreased to baseline within 4.3–15.4 d. Significant effects of snake mass, meal mass, and fast length were detected. Increased temperature decreased the time required to complete the process but had little effect on total energy expended on SDA. Energy expended on SDA increased with increasing fast length, snake mass, and prey mass. Considering all of our data, we found that a simple allometric relationship explained 96.7% of the variation in total CO2 production during SDA. Calculations suggest that energy devoted to SDA may approach 20% of the total annual energy budget of snakes in nature. Discrepancies between our data and some previous studies draw attention to the fact that the measurement, expression, and analysis of SDA may be sensitive to several methodological and statistical assumptions.