Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutional Pressures and Relationships in the Wine Supply Chain

◦Purpose: Business has recognized the importance of effective supply chain relationship management to assuring the firm’s access to critical resources. However, prior research assumes that managers are free to choose suitable trading partners. This assumption overlooks the influence of the institutional environment, which shapes perceived legitimacy of organizations within a social context and, thereby, constrains freedom of choice. Therefore the purpose of this research is to examine the effects of the institutional environment in managing supply chain relationships. ◦Design/methodology/approach: Using institutional theory and the resource-based view, we develop a model and hypotheses of the impact of institutional pressures on supply chain relationships. The model is tested using survey responses from 309 producers in the U.S. wine industry, an industry that demonstrates regulatory as well as competitive pressures. ◦Findings: Findings show that institutional pressures do impact supply chain relationships regulatory pressure inhibits the effects of relational drivers on coordination, while competitive pressure facilitates the effectiveness of some drivers and inhibits others. ◦Practical implications: Results demonstrate that the institutional environment has significant consequences for managing supply chain relationships. Firms should recognize that the drivers which typically result in positive relationship outcomes may respond differently in the presence of institutional constraints. Hence, managers are advised to identify and evaluate the types and levels of institutional pressures that may impinge on their supply chain relationships and adjust behaviors to avoid suboptimal outcomes.
Nudeotide sequence of the gene encoding the Streptomyces albus G )9-lactamase precursor

A 1400-base DNA fragment, which contains the gene encoding the extracellular active-site serine jS-lactamase of Streptomyces albus G previously cloned into Streptomyces lividans [Dehottay et al. (1986) Gene 42, IX— 36], was sequenced. The gene codes for a 314-amino-acid precursor, the N-terminal region of which has the characteristics of a signal pieptide. The ^-lactamase as excreted by the host strain 5. lividans PD6 has a ragged N-terminus, indicating either the presence of a leader peptidase of poor specificity or the action of an aminopeptidase. The primary structure (as deduced from the nucleotide sequence) was confirmed by amino acid sequencing of a 16-residue stretch at the amino terminus of the protein, a 12-residue stretch containing the active-site serine [De Meester et al. (1987) Biochem. J. 244, 427—432] and a 23-residue stretch obtained by trypsin digestion of the protein. The /? -lactamase belongs to class A, has three half-cystine residues (one of which occurs on the amino side of the active-site serine) and is inactivated by thiol reagents. Putative ribosome binding site and terminator region were identified.
Ambiguous nature of the serial correlation in hedge fund returns : natural or intentional ?

We study two principal mechanisms suggested in the literature to correct the serial correlation in hedge fund returns and the impact of this correction on financial characteristics of their returns as well as on their risk level and on their performances. The methods of Geltner (1993), its extension by Okunev & White (2003) and that of Getmansky, Lo & Makarov (2004) are applied on a sample of 54 hedge fund indexes. The results show that the unsmoothing leaves the mean unchanged but increases significantly the risk level of hedge funds, whether the risk is measured in terms of the return standard-deviation or the modified VaR. Funds' absolute performances, measured by traditional Sharpe ratio and Omega index, decline considerably. By contrast, funds' rankings after the unsmoothing unexpectedly change slightly. However, some notable modifications in ranks of several funds are observed. The necessary transparency of the management practice requires that such a correction must be systematically done.
An Approximation Mathematical Formula of Pattern Analysis for Distorted Reflector Antennas considering Surface Normal Vector Variation

An approximation mathematical formula to compute the distorted radiation pattern for reflector antennas is presented. In this approximation formula, besides the phase error caused by the structural deformation being added in the far field integral, the surface normal vector variation is also taken into consideration. The formula is derived by expanding the surface normal vector into a first-order Taylor series and the phase error into a second-order Taylor series. By assembling the integrals including the contributions of both surface normal vector variation and phase error, the far field electrical vector expressed as a function of structural nodal displacements is further obtained in a matrix form. Simulation results of a distorted reflector show the application of this formula.
Reassessing changes in diurnal temperature range: Intercomparison and evaluation of existing global data set estimates

Changes in diurnal temperature range (DTR) over global land areas are compared from a broad range of independent data sets. All data sets agree that global‐mean DTR has decreased significantly since 1950, with most of that decrease occurring over 1960–1980. The since‐1979 trends are not significant, with inter‐data set disagreement even over the sign of global changes. Inter‐data set spread becomes greater regionally and in particular at the grid box level. Despite this, there is general agreement that DTR decreased in North America, Europe, and Australia since 1951, with this decrease being partially reversed over Australia and Europe since the early 1980s. There is substantive disagreement between data sets prior to the middle of the twentieth century, particularly over Europe, which precludes making any meaningful conclusions about DTR changes prior to 1950, either globally or regionally. Several variants that undertake a broad range of approaches to postprocessing steps of gridding and interpolation were analyzed for two of the data sets. These choices have a substantial influence in data sparse regions or periods. The potential of further insights is therefore inextricably linked with the efficacy of data rescue and digitization for maximum and minimum temperature series prior to 1950 everywhere and in data sparse regions throughout the period of record. Over North America, station selection and homogeneity assessment is the primary determinant. Over Europe, where the basic station data are similar, the postprocessing choices are dominant. We assess that globally averaged DTR has decreased since the middle twentieth century but that this decrease has not been linear.
In fl uence of electrochemical cycling on the rheo-impedance of anolytes for Li-based Semi Solid Flow Batteries

The recently launched concept of Semi-Solid Flow Batteries (SSFBs) shows a strong potential for flexible energy storage, but the liquid-dispersed state of the electrode materials introduces several aspects of which a scientific understanding is lacking. We studied the effect of electrochemical cycling on the rheological and electrical properties of a SSFB anolyte containing Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) and Ketjen Black (KB) particles in EC:DMC solvent with 1 M LiPF6, using an adapted rheometer that allows in situ electrochemical cycling and electrical impedance spectroscopy. Charging (lithiation) caused a reduction in the electronic conductivity, yield stress and high shear viscosity of the fluid electrode. For mildly reducing voltages (1.4 V), these changes were partially reversed on discharging. For more reducing voltages these changes were stronger and persistent. The finding of comparable trends for a fluid electrode without the LTO, lends support to a simplistic interpretation, in which all trends are ascribed to the formation of a surface layer around the conductive KB nanoparticles. This Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) insulates particles and reduces the van der Waals attractions between them. SEI layers formed at less reducing voltages, partially dissolve during the subsequent discharge. Those formed at more reducing voltages, are thicker and permanent. As these layers increase the electronic resistance of the fluid electrode by (more than) an order of magnitude, our findings highlight significant challenges due to SEI formation that still need to be overcome to realize SSFBs. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Perceived benefits after terrorist attacks: The role of positive and negative emotions

Terrorist attacks have been related to the onset of several mental disorders. These events may also trigger positive psychological consequences in some individuals. In this research, we collected data several weeks after the 11 March 2004 Madrid terrorist attacks. We evaluated perceived benefits as well as a broad range of positive and negative emotions. All positive emotion factors (Strength, Excitement, Pride, and Joy) were positively associated with perceived benefits. Of negative emotion factors (Distress, Hate, and Shame), only Hate was related, negatively, to perceived benefits. These results highlight the important role of positive emotions in the research of perceived benefits as well as the wide array of positive and negative emotions that can be elicited after a terrorist attack.
AN EXPLICIT SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF OPTIMIZING THE ALLOCATIONS OF A BETTOR’S WEALTH WHEN WAGERING ON HORSE RACES

An explicit formula for the optimal strategy for betting allocation on horse races is given. The formula for the maximal value of the logarithm of average geometric growth rate is also given. The solution is obtained with the help of KKT theory. Application of the formulas requires the optimal set of horses to bet on to be constructed. For a horse to be included in the set, the expected revenue rate must be greater than the fraction of unallocated wealth. A simple way, without solving any equations, for determining the optimal set of horses is given.
Comparison of Methods for Estimating Stochastic Volatility

Understanding the ever changing stock market has long been of interest to both academic and financial institutions. The early attempts to model the dynamics treated the volatility or sensitivity of the price change to random effects as constant. However, in matching the model to real data it was realized that the volatility was actually a random variable, and thus began efforts to determine methods for estimating the stochastic volatility from experimental data. In this thesis, we develop and compare three different computational statistical filtering methods for estimating the volatility: The Kalman Filter, the Gibbs Sampler, and the Particle Filter. These methods are applied to a discrete time version of the log-volatility dynamic model and the results are compared based on their performance on synthetic data sets, where dynamics are nonlinear. All the methods struggled to provide accurate estimates, but in comparison, the Gibbs Sampler provided the most accurate estimates, with Particle Filtering providing the least accurate results. Therefore, further investigation on the topic should take place.
Pragmatic Analysis of Aspect Morphemes in Manual Sentences in Japanese

In this paper, we analyze the pragmatic aspects of Japanese verbal suffixes teiru, tearu, tesimau, teoku and temiru used in manual sentences in Japnanese. These suffixes mainly express temporal structure of events but also express some kinds of modality such as a writer’s attitude. By analyzing these kinds of modality used in manual, we propose the constraints as for the possible referents of an agent of action described by a verb phrase subcategorized by one of these suffixes. The proposed constraints are proven to be valid by examining a number of manual sentences.
Biogeochemical and microbial seasonal dynamics between water column and sediment processes in a productive mountain lake: Georgetown Lake, MT, USA

This manuscript details investigations of a productive, mountain freshwater lake and examines the dynamic relationship between the chemical and stable isotopes and microbial composition of lake bed sediments with the geochemistry of the lake water column. A multidisciplinary approach was used in order to better understand the lake water‐sediment interactions including quantification and sequencing of microbial 16S rRNA genes in a sediment core as well as stable isotope analysis of C, S, and N. One visit included the use of a pore water sampler to gain insight into the composition of dissolved solutes within the sediment matrix. Sediment cores showed a general decrease in total C with depth which included a decrease in the fraction of organic C combined with an increase in the fraction of inorganic C. One sediment core showed a maximum concentration of dissolved organic C, dissolved inorganic C, and dissolved methane in pore water at 4 cm depth which corresponded with a sharp increase in the abundance of 16S rRNA templates as a proxy for the microbial population size as well as the peak abundance of a sequence affiliated with a putative methanotroph. The isotopic separation between dissolved inorganic and dissolved organic carbon is consistent with largely aerobic microbial processes dominating the upper water column, while anaerobic microbial activity dominates the sediment bed. Using sediment core carbon concentrations, predictions were made regarding the breakdown and return of stored carbon per year from this temperate climate lake with as much as 1.3 Gg C yr−1 being released in the form of CO2 and CH4.
Open Archive Toulouse Archive Ouverte (OATAO)

Thewearbehaviorofconventionalandgradedpolycrystallinediamondcompactcutterswasstudiedusingaver- ticallathewith mortarcounterfaces.Different cutterswereconsideredregarding totheir diamondgrain sizeand the high pressure and the high temperature conditions of the manufacturing process (HPHT). On the base of these cutters, a cobalt graduation process was performed on the WC – Co substrates by reactive imbibition. A quality factor developed in previous studies was calculated to evaluate cutters wear performances. The results showed that a controlled HPHT process can act on the wear resistance certainly by improving the diamond grain boundary cohesion. Unexpectedly, the diamond granulometry appeared to be a secondary factor in ﬂ uenc- ingthewearresistance.Thereactiveimbibitionclearlyincreasedthewearresistance,evenforcutterswithcoarse diamond grains (i.e. potentially impact resistant). Finally, a third body approach describes that the quartz parti- cles detached from the mortar rock realizes abrasive scratches on the cutters wear ﬂ at. When the wear ﬂ at reaches the substrate, the formation of voids in the contact, associated with the trapping of abrasive particles, rises the wear kinetic. As a secondary mechanism, Raman spectroscopy measurements highlighted tribological transformed structures by the formation of graphite and amorphous carbon on the diamond worn surfaces.
Title Comparison of Internal Ribosome Entry Site ( IRES ) and Furin-2 A ( F 2 A ) for monoclonal antibody expression level and quality in CHO cells

Four versions of tricistronic vectors expressing IgG1 light chain (LC), IgG1 heavy chain (HC), and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) in one transcript were designed to compare internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and furin-2A (F2A) for their influence on monoclonal antibody (mAb) expression level and quality in CHO DG44 cells. LC and HC genes are arranged as either the first or the second cistron. When using mAb quantification methods based on the detection antibodies against HC Fc region, F2A-mediated tricistronic vectors appeared to express mAb at higher levels than the IRES-mediated tricistronic vectors in both transient and stable transfections. Further analysis revealed that more than 40% of products detected in stably transfected pools generated using the two F2A-mediated tricistronic vectors were aggregates. LC and HC from the F2A stably transfected pools were not properly processed, giving rise to LC+F2A+HC or HC+F2A+LC fusion proteins, LC and HC polypeptides with F2A remnants, and incorrectly cleaved signal peptides. Both IRES-mediated tricistronic vectors express mAb with correct sizes and signal peptide cleavage. Arrangement of LC as the first cistron in the IRES-mediated tricistronic vectors exhibits increased mAb expression level, better growth, and minimized product aggregation, while arrangement of HC as first cistron results in low expression, slower growth, and high aggregation. The results obtained will be beneficial for designing vectors that enhance mAb expression level and quality in mammalian cells. Citation: Ho SCL, Bardor M, Li B, Lee JJ, Song Z, et al. (2013) Comparison of Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) and Furin-2A (F2A) for Monoclonal Antibody Expression Level and Quality in CHO Cells. PLoS ONE 8(5): e63247. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0063247 Editor: Linda M. Hendershot, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, United States of America Received November 27, 2012; Accepted April 1, 2013; Published May 21, 2013 Copyright: 2013 Ho et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by the Biomedical Research Council/Science and Engineering Research Council of A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: yang_yuansheng@bti.a-star.edu. sg
Effect of the nutritional environment and reproductive investment on herbivore--parasite interactions in grazing environments

Parasitism is a serious challenge to herbivore health and fitness. To avoid parasites, herbivores avoid grazing near feces, creating a mosaic of contaminated tall avoided areas (tussocks) and noncontaminated short grazed areas (gaps). The mosaic represents a nutrition versus parasitism trade-off in that feces-contaminated tussocks are localized concentrations of both forage resources and parasites. Here, we use a grazing experiment with a natural tussock--gap mosaic to determine how the nutritional environment and reproductive effort affect sheep grazing decisions when faced with this trade-off. There were 3 animal treatments (Barren ewes, ewes suckling a single lamb, and ewes suckling twin lambs) and 2 environment treatments (low and high nitrogen). Sward selection and grazing behavior were measured using focal observations on grazing ewes. Sheep showed an overall strong and significant avoidance of tussocks across all treatments. However, there was a reduction in the avoidance of tussocks by ewes on the low-nitrogen (low-N) plots. Ewes suckling twins showed a reduced avoidance of tussocks compared with barren ewes. Lactating ewes in low-N environments further reduced their avoidance of tussocks. Ewes with twins, which are at greatest risk from parasites, had the greatest contact with feces and thus parasites, especially in low-N environments. We conclude that twin-bearing ewes accept the increased risk of parasitism in order to gain the nutrients required to support increased reproductive effort, thus increasing their investment in current offspring at the cost of increased risk of parasitism and thus future potential reproductive attempts. Copyright 2006.
New Zealand Society of Animal Production online archive

Ingestive behaviour of New Zealand (NZ) and overseas (OS) Holstein-Friesian (HF) dairy cows grazing pasture only or fed a total mixed ration (TMR) was observed in late lactation. Data from visual observations every 10 minutes over a 48-h period were used to evaluate differences in time spent feeding, ruminating, standing and lying. OS HF and cows fed TMR had greater dry matter intakes (DMI) than their respective comparisons. Cows grazing pasture spent more time feeding, less time ruminating, less time standing and the same time lying, compared to cows fed TMR. OS HF spent less time feeding, the same time ruminating, the same time standing, and more time lying compared to NZ HF. When expressed in terms of DMI, OS HF took less time to consume a kg of DM, and spent less time ruminating each kg of DM compared to NZ HF, irrespective of diet. A genotype x diet interaction was observed for time spent standing, with NZ HF spending more time standing when fed TMR, but standing for a similar time as OS HF when grazing. These results suggest feeding and grazing behaviour differences between HF cows of differing genotype, but similar breeding worth.
Conditional Convergence in East Asian Countries: The Role of Exports in Economic Growth

The Conditional Convergence in East Asian Countries : The Role of Exports for Economic Growth One of the main implications of neoclassical growth models is a notion of convergence that developing countries grow faster than developed countries. However, except for the evidence in OECD economies, this convergence hypothesis in neoclassical growth models seems to be inconsistent with various cross-country studies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is a tendency of convergence in East Asian countries. The paper first presents the cross-country evidence that per capita growth rates in East Asian countries have little correlation with the starting level of per capita product even if we allow the difference in the level of human capital. The paper then stresses the role of exports for economic growth and shows that growth rates in East Asian countries have a strong tendency of convergence given the export-GDP ratios. The Conditional Convergence in East Asian Countries : The Role of Exports for Economic Growth Page
Fiscal Decentralization and Nigerian Macroeconomic Performance and Economic Stability

This study seeks to investigate the impact of fiscal decentralization on macroeconomic performance and stability in Nigeria. It analyzes the effects of the core fiscal decentralization variables of revenue and expenditure decentralization, fiscal dependence and other controlled variables (as suggested by theory) on macroeconomic performance and stability of the Nigerian economy, where macroeconomic performance is proxied by the misery index (which is the combination of inflation and unemployment rates). The error correction mechanism was employed in estimating the model of this study. Findings of the study provided strong evidence that fiscal decentralization, fiscal dependence, investment and interest rate have significant impact on macroeconomic stability in Nigeria with the expected signs of magnitude. The stability test revealed that estimated parameters of the study are stable and useful for policy decision.
Limit Elements in the Conﬁguration Algebra for a Cancellative Monoid

Associated with the Cayley graph ( ;G) of a cancellative monoid with a nite generating system G, we introduce two compact spaces: ( ;G) consisting of pre-partition functions and ( P ;G) consisting of series opposite to the growth function P ;G(t) := P 1 n=0 ] n t n (where