Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile Initiative and Firm Equity Value

Mobile application market shows an unprecedented prospect. This research examines the impact of mobile app development on firm equity value. We hypothesize that mobile app launch is positively related to firm equity value in the short term, and mobile app performance will be priced into firm equity value in the long term. Our research provides important managerial implications for companies that plan to enter the mobile app market.
REIT Unit Investment Trusts and Fund Manager Skill

This article examines fund manager skill using a sample of real estate investment trust unit investment trusts (REIT UITs). Since REIT UITs are limited to a single industry and since the fund managers do not trade, REIT UITs present an ideal sample to study fund manager stock-selection skill. Using a hand-collected sample of REIT UITs from May 2009 to July 2015, this article finds that REIT UITs do not deliver a statistically significant positive alpha. This is the first article to investigate fund manager stock-selection skill in REIT UITs and contributes to the literature evaluating the effectiveness of active fund management.
Authentication procedure and Terminal switching scheme for PAN services

Personal area network (PAN), which is owned by an individual user and which consists of interconnected terminals, is currently attracting attention as a key component of fixed and mobile convergence (FMC), or "ubiquitous" services. In this paper, we propose an authentication procedure that guarantees the validity of the peripheral terminals in a PAN, a NAPT-based session control method that solves the problems of the conventional SIP-based method, and a session handover method between terminals under the control of several independent mobility technologies
RNA structure framework: automated transcriptome-wide reconstruction of RNA secondary structures from high-throughput structure probing data

SUMMARY The rapidly increasing number of discovered non-coding RNAs makes the understanding of their structure a key feature toward a deeper comprehension of gene expression regulation. Various enzymatic- and chemically- based approaches have been recently developed to allow whole-genome studies of RNA secondary structures. Several methods have been recently presented that allow high-throughput RNA structure probing (CIRS-seq, Structure-seq, SHAPE-seq, PARS, etc.) and unbiased structural inference of residues within RNAs in their native conformation. We here present an analysis toolkit, named RNA Structure Framework (RSF), which allows fast and fully-automated analysis of high-throughput structure probing data, from data pre-processing to whole-transcriptome RNA structure inference. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION RSF is written in Perl and is freely available under the GPLv3 license from http://rsf.hugef-research.org. CONTACT salvatore.oliviero@hugef-torino.org SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Groupy versus Non-Groupy Social Preferences : Personality , Region , and Political Party

On the sandlot and on the battlefield, people divide into groups and fight, for bragging rights and for resources. Disputes are often between groups explicitly defined as different in terms of characteristics, values, and principles. A long social psychology tradition emphasizes such group differences as the source of conflict and bias.1 Yet, new experimental research indicates that a key explanatory for group-based bias could be individual propensities, rather than the history or nature of the social division per se. In Kranton et al. (2016), participants in a university subject pool are divided into groups and allocate income to themselves and to others. The main finding is that across group treatments, some people are “groupy,” adopting different social preferences toward those who are not in their group, but many participants are “nongroupy,” showing no such bias.2 Moreover, there is a correlation with behavior outside the lab:
Genetic etiology of coronary artery disease considering NOS 3 gene variant rs1799983

Reduced production of nitric oxide due to rs1799983 single nucleotide polymorphism in nitric oxide synthase 3 gene (NOS3) may enhance the risk of coronary artery disease. The association of rs1799983 polymorphism with coronary artery disease was investigated in the local population of Pakistan. Study consisted of 376 individuals, out of which 198 were coronary artery disease patients and 178 were normal healthy individuals. Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based strategy was used for the detection of different genotypes of rs1799983 polymorphism. PCR amplification results were obtained for 354 samples. Frequency of T allele was higher as compared to G allele in our population. Strong association between rs1799983 and coronary artery disease was observed (p < 0.01). TT genotype was found to enhance 5.717 times the risk of coronary artery disease (odds ratio (OR): 5.717; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 3.586–9.115). On the basis of present results, it can be concluded that rs1799983 is strongly associated with coronary artery disease in our population and TT genotype of this polymorphism enhanced the risk of coronary artery disease in Pakistani population.
Hyperactivity of the Ero1α Oxidase Elicits Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress but No Broad Antioxidant Response

Background: The oxidase activity of human Ero1α generates hydrogen peroxide in the ER. Results: Overexpression of a hyperactive Ero1α mutant induces the unfolded protein response but does not cause a broad antioxidant response. Conclusion: Ero1α hyperactivity elicits ER stress through local ER lumenal hyperoxidation. Significance: These findings show how the cell negotiates oxidative stress generated specifically in the lumen of the ER. Oxidizing equivalents for the process of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of mammalian cells are mainly provided by the Ero1α oxidase. The molecular mechanisms that regulate Ero1α activity in order to harness its oxidative power are quite well understood. However, the overall cellular response to oxidative stress generated by Ero1α in the lumen of the mammalian ER is poorly characterized. Here we investigate the effects of overexpressing a hyperactive mutant (C104A/C131A) of Ero1α. We show that Ero1α hyperactivity leads to hyperoxidation of the ER oxidoreductase ERp57 and induces expression of two established unfolded protein response (UPR) targets, BiP (immunoglobulin-binding protein) and HERP (homocysteine-induced ER protein). These effects could be reverted or aggravated by N-acetylcysteine and buthionine sulfoximine, respectively. Because both agents manipulate the cellular glutathione redox buffer, we conclude that the observed effects of Ero1α-C104A/C131A overexpression are likely caused by an oxidative perturbation of the ER glutathione redox buffer. In accordance, we show that Ero1α hyperactivity affects cell viability when cellular glutathione levels are compromised. Using microarray analysis, we demonstrate that the cell reacts to the oxidative challenge caused by Ero1α hyperactivity by turning on the UPR. Moreover, this analysis allowed the identification of two new targets of the mammalian UPR, CRELD1 and c18orf45. Interestingly, a broad antioxidant response was not induced. Our findings suggest that the hyperoxidation generated by Ero1α-C104A/C131A is addressed in the ER lumen and is unlikely to exert oxidative injury throughout the cell.
Analysis of multilevel capability of a filamentary resistive memory cell

The linear relation between the on-resistance and compliance current in all resistive filamentary memory devices is valid over more than six orders of magnitude of resistance and current values for a multitude of various devices. The multilevel memory storage capability of a resistive cell relies on this remarkable relation characterized by a single constant K. In this work we show that the constant K is related to a minimum SET voltage and is independent of the conduction mechanisms and of the materials of the cell.
Pharmaceuticals-Where's the Brand Logic?: Branding Lessons and Strategy

Pharmaceutical companies need to go beyond simply relying on strong sales forces and innovative research and development to succeed. Effective branding strategy is essential. Pharmaceuticals—Where’s the Brand Logic? : Branding Lessons and Strategy discusses in detail the application of current consumer branding theory to pharmaceutical marketing. This comprehensive book pulls information from fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) research and brand theory and applies it to the pharmaceutical world. It looks at branding on multiple levels within the pharmaceutical industry, including the industry brand, the corporate brand, the franchise brand, and the global and local product brand. Practical strategies are extensively explained and future challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry are explored, all geared to help any pharmaceutical professional to successfully market his or her brand.
Effect of ivermectin on the life cycle and larval fat body of Culex quinquefasciatus

The present work investigated the behavior, survival rate and lethal effect of 1.5 ppb ivermectin on Culex quinquefasciatus larvae, based on morphological and biological parameters, and possible alterations of their fat body. Changes in the number of eggs/egg mass and length of the larval stage were investigated. For this experiment, 600 larvae of 3rd and 4th instars of the mosquito were tested. The laid eggs were separated and the hatched larvae were counted. Some larvae submitted to 1.5 ppb ivermectin solution were used to prepare samples for histological study. Results obtained showed that ivermectin in a concentration of 1.5 ppb caused paralysis to the larvae with a mortality rate of 73.38%, mobilization of substances stored in the fat body and reduction of the number of egg laid in the adult stage.
Novel oxygen showering process (OSP) for extreme damage suppression of sub-20nm high density p-MTJ array without IBE treatment

A novel damage recovery scheme using the oxygen showering post-treatment (OSP) is proposed to recover patterning damages and to improve electric and magnetic properties of p-MTJs, and its array yield. By applying our OSP to 25nm p-MTJs cell array, the MR was increased from 99% to 116% and the Isw was decreased from 41.1uA to 28.7uA. Moreover, electric short fails of MTJs array due to metallic by-products reduced dramatically by the selective oxidation of the damaged layer and its isolation from damage-less area. The OSP process makes the switching efficiency of 25nm patterned MTJs to be improved more than 30% compared with IBE treatment process. The mechanism of this enhancement is that spin directions of damaged area is changed from perpendicular to in-plane and, by this change, the energy barrier of damaged area is reduced. By the OSP treatment, we could develop the robust patterning process for sub-20nm STT-MRAM.
An empirical comparison of Clustering using hierarchical methods and K-means

Data clustering is the process of grouping data elements based on some aspects of relationship between the elements in the group Clustering has many applications such as data firmness, data mining pattern recognition machine learning and there are many different clustering methods. This paper examines the K-means method of clustering and how the selection of primary seeding affects the result. Hierarchical algorithms are used as a base line and it is compared to a data set.
Implementation of a High-Precision and Wide-Range Time-to-Digital Converter With Three-Level Conversion Scheme

This brief presents a time-to-digital converter (TDC) with a three-level conversion scheme based on a dual delay-locked loop (DLL) structure. The linear-feedback-shift-register counter is implemented for measurement range extension, and a differential delay cell is adopted for time resolution improvement. Furthermore, the DLL is applied to improve the stability of the multiphase clock frequency. The test chip is designed and fabricated in a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company 0.35-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu\text{m}$</tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS process. With an input reference clock of 40 MHz, the total 15-bit three-level TDC can realize a 3-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu\text{s}$</tex-math></inline-formula> maximum range and a 476-ps resolution. The differential nonlinearity is less than ±0.65 LSB, and the integral nonlinearity is within −1.35 LSB to +1.4 LSB.
The Impact of Mobility on OFDMA-Based Cellular Systems with Reuse Partitioning

Reuse Partitioning has been recently proposed as an effective inter-cell interference mitigation strategy for OFDMA cellular networks. However, mobility of users has been largely ignored in the system level analysis of these systems. To fill this void, in this paper, a teletraffic analysis of a Reuse Partitioning (RP) system is conducted in order to evaluate the impact of mobility on the performance of this kind of systems. Contrary to the previous related published works, in the present paper the analysis considers realistic users' mobility conditions by means of a smooth random mobility model. Also, intra-cell handoff attempts from outside region to inside region are considered. Novel mathematical expressions for the new call blocking, handoff failure, and call forced termination probabilities are then derived. In addition, Multiple Fractional Channel Reservation is used as a prioritization scheme in order to maximize system capacity. Moreover, the best distribution of resources for each region within a cell is also found for different Radio Resource Management (RRM) strategies and mobility scenarios.
Tunable Capacitive Coupling for Cavity Resonator Filters

In this paper two different bandpass filters are discussed, which consists of 4 and 5 stepped coaxial resonators, respectively. The resonators have different size. Therefore, different temperature compensation arrangements need to be applied to guarantee stable performance in the temperature range from -40°C to 85°C. Both filters have a center-frequency of 2.0175 GHz, a bandwidth of 15 MHz and cross-coupling by a cascaded quadruplet for improved blocking performance. The cross-coupling is realized by a tunable capacitive coupling. The tuning capability is validated by measurements and simulations. As a result, the coupling strength is tunable by factor 5.
Letter to the editor. Group A streptococcal infections during the seasonal influenza outbreak 2010/11 in South East England.

P Parola1, P Colson2, G Dubourg2, M Million1, R Charrel2, P Minodier3, D Raoult (didier.raoult@gmail.com)1 1. Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Unit, University Hospitals of Marseille, Marseille, France 2. Federation de Bacteriologie-Hygiene-Virologie, Pole des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Clinique et Biologique, University Hospitals of Marseille, Timone Hospital, Marseille France 3. Urgences Pediatriques, North University Hospital, Marseille, France
The broadcast narrow band speech corpus: a new resource type for large scale language recognition

This paper describes a new resource type, broadcast narrow band speech for use in large scale language recognition research and technology development. After providing the rational for this new resource type, the paper describes the collection, segmentation, auditing procedures and data formats used. Along the way, it addresses issues of defining language and dialect in found data and how ground truth is established for this corpus. Index Terms : multilingual speech corpora,
Impact of social media on consumers and firms

Today, many firms use social media to not only reach out to consumers, but also to create engagement and strengthen the bond between themselves and their customers. Social media changed the way companies do business, and as such it can threaten existing business models; however, it can also create new opportunities. This dissertation examines the impact of social media on consumers and firms from different perspectives: When considering the consumer perspective, I derive insights into psychological processes. When analyzing social media from the firm perspective, I aim to uncover strategic implications. By combining different data sources and research methods, this dissertation describes the path from consumer motivations for using social media, to activities on social media, and finally to the impact of social media on consumers’ minds and firm outcomes. I first investigate consumer motivations to engage in brand-related activities on social media with varying levels of engagement (such as becoming brand fans). Next, I study how firms can increase consumer interactions on their fan page. Finally, firms invest more and more in social media and are interested in the outcomes of their investments. I show that social media marketing, i.e., interactions with firm content on the firm’s fan page, leads to higher awareness and consideration. Furthermore, firms can spur and reduce online conversations and interactions with firm content on the firm’s fan page by its traditional advertising. Firms may use the findings of this dissertation to evaluate their social media campaigns and determine their effectiveness, thereby increasing marketing accountability.
Cancer Stem-like Properties in Colorectal Cancer Cells with Low Proteasome Activity

Purpose: One of the main reasons for cancer treatment resistance is the existence of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). Here, we elucidated the relationship between low proteasome activity cells (LPACs) and CSCs. Experimental Design: The human colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116, SW480, DLD1, and KM12SM were engineered to stably express a green fluorescent molecule fused to the degron of ornithine decarboxylase, resulting in an accumulation of the fluorescence in LPACs. LPACs were isolated by flow cytometry. Treatment resistance (radio- and chemotherapy) and the capacity of LPACs to act as CSCs were analyzed. Microarray analysis was performed to reveal genes related to treatment resistance. The prognostic impact of potent genes was examined in 190 patients with colorectal cancer. Results: LPACs had a significantly increased capacity for radioresistance and chemoresistance (5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin), significantly lower reactive oxygen species activity, and significantly increased sphere formation capacity compared with non-LPACs. The number of cells in the G0–G1 phase was significantly higher among LPACs. Subcutaneous injection of as few as 20 LPACs led to tumor formation in immunologically incompetent mice. Microarray analysis revealed that the expression of EP300-interacting inhibitor of differentiation 3 (EID3) was significantly increased in LPACs. In vitro assay revealed that EID3 positively controlled cell proliferation and treatment resistance. The high expression of EID3 was an adverse prognostic indicator in patients with colorectal cancer (P = 0.0400). Conclusions: LPACs have characteristic treatment resistance and act as CSCs in colorectal cancer. In addition, EID3 is one of the potential regulators of treatment resistance in colorectal cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target. Clin Cancer Res; 22(21); 5277–86. ©2016 AACR.
Cyber-physical system integration for industry 4.0: Modelling and simulation of an induction heating process for aluminium-steel molds in footwear soles manufacturing

In recent years, the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), have become a new trend to increase and to enrich the interactions between physical and virtual systems with the goal to create a truly connected world in which smart objects interact and exchange data with each other. The CPS is the core of the new industrial revolution called “Industry 4.0”, which promotes the computerization of manufacturing to make decentralized decisions. Within the modular structured smart factories, Cyber-Physical Systems monitor physical processes, create a virtual copy of the physical world, simulate parts of process and implement sophisticated control policies in order to take optimized decisions. This research proposes the modelling and simulation of an induction heating process for aluminium-steel mold, which is used in the production of footwear soles. The modelling supports the simulation of a CPS model related to the use of a multi-use LGV (Laser Guided Vehicle) which transports aluminum-steel molds from a mechanized warehouse to the final rotary production line, used for the soles foaming. In detail, a thermal model and an induction heating electronic circuit model have been studied to describe the whole mold heating system and they have been simulated using Simulink/MATLAB. In addition, two types of controllers, an induction preheating control technique based on a Model Predictive Controller (MPC), and another one based on PID, have been developed in order to analyse the different behaviour of the system.
The Deterrence Effect of the Environmental Regulation: The Influence of the Penalized Firms on Peer Firms’ Environmental Investment Decision

This paper studies the deterrence of governmental environmental regulation from the perspective of peer effect. With the financial data of listed companies and firm-level penalties manually collected in the period between 2007 and 2015, the Heckman model is adopted to test the deterrence from the target firms to peer firms, the empirical results show that government environmental regulation has deterrent effect, increasing the environmental protection investment of penalized firms and the peer firms. Considering the characteristics of target penalized firms and the penalty, when the target penalized firm is of big size, severely punished or reported, the deterrence effect to peer firms is much stronger. Specially, the industry competition can strengthen the deterrence effect. Therefore, the government should improve the certainty, typicality and severity of punishments, strengthen the informal supervision institution, such as public opinion, in the implementation of environmental regulation, and market-oriented reforms in China can strengthen the effectiveness of environmental regulation via competition.
Gain enhancement for microstrip antenna with zero-index metamaterial

A wideband microstrip antenna fed by a modified T-shaped probe is presented for 60-GHz applications. In order to improve the gain performance, a novel Zero-Index Metamaterial (ZIM) is loaded at the top of the proposed antenna. The zero permittivity point of the proposed ZIM structure is acquired at the frequency around 60-GHz. Two antennas are simulated for a comparison, the antenna loaded with ZIM cells and the one without ZIM cells. The antenna loaded with ZIM cells exhibits a gain enhancement of up to 3.1dB in the frequency band of 55-70 GHz. The impedance bandwidth for SWR≤2 is about 30% from the frequency band of 55-70 GHz.
An Overview of the Top Ten Detergents Used for Membrane Protein Crystallization

To study integral membrane proteins, one has to extract them from the membrane—the step that is typically achieved by the application of detergents. In this mini-review, we summarize the top 10 detergents used for the structural analysis of membrane proteins based on the published results. The aim of this study is to provide the reader with an overview of the main properties of available detergents (critical micelle concentration (CMC) value, micelle size, etc.) and provide an idea of what detergents to may merit further study. Furthermore, we briefly discuss alternative solubilization and stabilization agents, such as polymers.