Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Did Unconventional Interventions Unfreeze the Credit Market? Some International Evidence

When the credit market was frozen in spite of a low nominal interest rate during the 2008-2010 global financial crisis, many governments undertook a set of unconventional measures, such as debt guarantee, bank recapitalization, and purchase of bank toxic assets. Did these unconventional interventions achieve their intended policy objective of unfreezing the credit market? This paper pursues a systematic investigation of this question. We first construct a novel and comprehensive dataset of 231 interventions for 15 countries from August 2008 to July 2010 and identify a subset of those most likely containing elements of a surprise based on the media coverage during that period. We then use stock price data on 6344 listed non-financial firms in those countries and explore heterogeneous responses to the interventions across firms in different sectors. We find that the stock prices of firms increased when the interventions were implemented, particularly for firms with large intrinsic liquidity needs for working capital. This positive and differential effect was more pronounced if the banking sector experienced a higher abnormal return around an intervention date. Moreover, the results become even stronger for the subset of intervention announcements that are more likely to contain surprise components. These findings suggest that unconventional interventions have alleviated the liquidity constraint faced by non-financial firms. However, relative to the severity of the financial crisis, the quantitative effect of any given interventions was limited.
FATE OF UDMH AND MMH IN RATS.

Abstract : Many of the applications of hydrazines, especially as rocket propellants and in medicine, give them considerable toxicological importance. The respiratory and urinary excretion by rats of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and their metabolites has been studied by means of radiotracer techniques. At a very low dose, almost 30% of the C14 from i.p. administered UDMH-C14 appeared as respiratory C14O2 in 10 hours. At a convulsive dose, the conversion of UDMH-C14 to C14O2 amounted to slightly greater than 13% at the end of 20 hours. At all doses studied radioactivity appeared in the urine to the extent of at least 50% of the administered UDMH-C14, at the end of two days after administration. Rats administered MMH-C14 by i. p. injection at 20% of a median lethal dose respired approximately 45% of the administered radioactivity in 24 hours. The respired radioactivity consisted of at least two components; 20-25% was C14O2, and the remainder was a C14 labeled volatile compound tentatively identified as methane-C14. At the sub-convulsive doses, 40% of the administered radioactivity in MMH-C14 was excreted in urine. At a toxic dose the percentage of urinary excretion of C14 decreased, but net molar excretion increased slightly. The design of an animal radiorespirometric system capable of continuously monitoring C14 in respiratory gases from separate animals is described. (Author)
Older People Facing the Crisis of COVID-19: Between Fragility and Resilience

The health crisis we are facing is challenging seniors’ resources and capacities for adaptation and resilience. The PACOVID survey, set up a few days after containment, investigates their psychological and social experiences with regard to the COVID-19 crisis and to what extent these characteristics, representations and attitudes have an impact on health and mortality. A telephone survey is being carried out on 935 people already followed up in the framework of ongoing epidemiological studies. As we are writing this article, the interviews conducted during the containment have just ended. Even though we will have to wait for the analysis of the results to draw conclusions, words collected by the psychologists during the interviews already illustrate a great heterogeneity in the way older adults lived this experience: social isolation, anxiety, the importance of family and the difficulty of being deprived of it, but also remarkable coping skills and resilience capacities.
VEREINFACHTER NACHWEIS DER DAUERFESTIGKEIT VON KOPPELFUGENQUERSCHNITTEN

ES WIRD EIN KONZEPT FUER DEN NACHWEIS GEGEN ERMUEDUNGSBRUCH DES SPANN- UND BETONSTAHLS IN KOPPELFUGENQUERSCHNITTEN VORGESTELLT UND BEGRUENDET. DIE DURCHFUEHRUNG DES NACHWEISES WIRD IN EINEM BEISPIEL GEZEIGT. (A*)
Etudes électrochimiques de chaînes de transferts d'électrons photosynthétiques : ou Vers une photoproduction biomimétique d'hydrogène

Pour assurer l'avenir energetique de l'humanite, il est vital de se tourner vers d'autres ressources que les combustibles fossiles. La photosynthese est un systeme efficace elabore sur des centaines de millions d'annees pour convertir l'energie lumineuse en energie chimique. Certaines algues sont capables de produire de l'hydrogene a partir d'eau en utilisant des chaines photosynthetiques pour alimenter des enzymes, les hydrogenases, qui catalysent la formation d'hydrogene gazeux. Cette these s'inscrit dans un projet d'etudier et de comprendre ces systemes pour etre en mesure d'imiter leurs fonctions avec des systemes artificiels. Au cours de cette these, des chaines de transferts d'electrons impliquant des proteines photosynthetiques (photosysteme I) et leurs partenaires ont ete etudiees ex-vivo dans des cellules electrochimiques par voltametrie cyclique. L'activite catalytique des photosystemes sous eclairement permet d'obtenir un transfert lineaire d'electrons depuis l'electrode jusqu'a un accepteur final. Une methode fondee sur les mesures de courants photocatalytiques a ete mise au point et utilisee pour explorer les interactions de differents partenaires de la chaine photosynthetique. Il a ete montre qu'il est possible de choisir la reaction de la chaine a etudier par cette methode en adaptant les concentrations des differents partenaires. Cette methode a ete appliquee avec succes a l'etude des partenaires directs du photosysteme I et a l'elucidation de certains aspects du fonctionnement de la ferredoxine:NADPH oxydoreductase. Ces resultats s'annoncent prometteurs pour l'etude des hydrogenases par la meme technique.
Protein interactions : biophysical approaches for the study of complex reversible systems

The Characterization of Biomolecular Interactions Using Fluorescence Fluctuation Techniques. - Characterization of Protein-Protein Interactions Using Atomic Force Microscopy. - Combined Solid-Phase Detection Techniques for Dissecting Multiprotein Interactions on Membranes. - Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensing in the Study of Ternary Systems of Interacting Proteins. - Mass Spectrometry for Studying Protein Modifications and for Discovery of Protein Interactions. - H/2H Exchange Mass Spectrometry of Protein Complexes. - Elucidation of Protein-Protein and Protein-Ligand Interactions by NMR Spectroscopy. - Application of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry in Exploring the Extended Interface. - Solvent Mediated Protein-Protein Interactions. - Sedimentation Equilibrium Analytical Ultracentrifugation for Multicomponent Protein Interactions. - Structure Analysis of Macromolecular Complexes by Solution Small-Angle Scattering. - Fluorescence Detection of Proximity. - Steady-State and Time-Resolved Emission Anisotropy. - Analysis of Protein-DNA Equilibria by Native Gel Electrophoresis. - Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and the Study of Protein Complexes. - Sedimentation Velocity in the Study of Reversible Multiprotein Complexes.
Migrants' Remittances in Romania and Balkan Countries: A Macro-Economic Perspective

The remittances of international migrants contribute to the well-being of their households of origin and also have an impact at macro-economic level. Out-migration is an effective means for low-income households to quickly overcome shortages of income. The sustenance of poor households might have been more difficult without such remittances. From a macro-perspective, remittances contribute to the equalization of the income distribution among households having out-migrants. This study examines the significance of selected macroeconomic and demographic factors associated with remittance behaviour in Romania and several Balkan countries (Bulgaria, Turkey and Albania) as characterized by the propensity to remit and the amount remitted. The extent to which remittances affect the living standard of house-holds left behind is also appraised. In this respect we used macroeconomic datasets provided by World Bank and national statistical institutes. We develop a model to study the effects of migration and remittances on inequality in the origin communities, by employing regression analysis. Among the main findings is that the evolution of the regional Gross Domestic Product is positively related to the growth of the amount of remittances conveyed through the official network as part of the total amount of remittances.
Optimization of DNA extraction to detect Bacillus cereus from food using a PCR technique - short communication.

Bacillus species are extremely widespread in nature and may be isolated from soil, water, dust, air and many foods. The genus Bacillus is characterized by the formation of heat resistant endospores. B. cereus has been recently considered as an 'emerging' food-borne pathogen. A couple of new primers (BCFW1 and Bcrevnew) directed to identify B. cereus is described as well as protocols for optimization of DNA extraction for basic groups of food products which are particularly prone to contain this microorganism. To avoid inhibitory effects exerted by particular food matrices, specific pre-extraction steps are recommended in this work: a treatment with α-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae E.C. 3.2. 1.1. (Sigma, Germany) for boiled rice or washing the pellet with EDTA solution for minced meat, pasteurized milk and salads. The lowest possible level of detection was obtained for pasteurized milk (20 cells/g) and salad (30 cells/g) and it was comparable with the results of classical microbiological analyses. Generally, for milk, salad and rice samples the limit of detection was close to 50 cells/g, whereas for minced meat it was definitively higher (about 500 cells/g) and did not reflect results of performed standard plate counts. As the result of the studies, promising, handy protocols for (i) an efficient DNA extraction from food matrices and (ii) fast, species-specific PCR identification were prepared and presented.
Many Labs 5: Registered Multisite Replication of the Tempting-Fate Effects in Risen and Gilovich (2008)

Risen and Gilovich (2008) found that subjects believed that “tempting fate” would be punished with ironic bad outcomes (a main effect), and that this effect was magnified when subjects were under cognitive load (an interaction). A previous replication study (Frank & Mathur, 2016) that used an online implementation of the protocol on Amazon Mechanical Turk failed to replicate both the main effect and the interaction. Before this replication was run, the authors of the original study expressed concern that the cognitive-load manipulation may be less effective when implemented online than when implemented in the lab and that subjects recruited online may also respond differently to the specific experimental scenario chosen for the replication. A later, large replication project, Many Labs 2 (Klein et al. 2018), replicated the main effect (though the effect size was smaller than in the original study), but the interaction was not assessed. Attempting to replicate the interaction while addressing the original authors’ concerns regarding the protocol for the first replication study, we developed a new protocol in collaboration with the original authors. We used four university sites (N = 754) chosen for similarity to the site of the original study to conduct a high-powered, preregistered replication focused primarily on the interaction effect. Results from these sites did not support the interaction or the main effect and were comparable to results obtained at six additional universities that were less similar to the original site. Post hoc analyses did not provide strong evidence for statistical inconsistency between the original study’s estimates and our estimates; that is, the original study’s results would not have been extremely unlikely in the estimated distribution of population effects in our sites. We also collected data from a new Mechanical Turk sample under the first replication study’s protocol, and results were not meaningfully different from those obtained with the new protocol at universities similar to the original site. Secondary analyses failed to support proposed substantive mechanisms for the failure to replicate.
Many Labs 5: Replication of van Dijk, van Kleef, Steinel, and van Beest (2008)

As part of the Many Labs 5 project, we ran a replication of van Dijk, van Kleef, Steinel, and van Beest’s (2008) study examining the effect of emotions in negotiations. They reported that when the consequences of rejection were low, subjects offered fewer chips to angry bargaining partners than to happy partners. We ran this replication under three protocols: the protocol used in the Reproducibility Project: Psychology, a revised protocol, and an online protocol. The effect averaged one ninth the size of the originally reported effect and was significant only for the revised protocol. However, the difference between the original and revised protocols was not significant.
Single-molecule techniques : a laboratory manual

1. The New Era of Biology In Singulo T. Ha and P.R. Selvin IN VITRO FLUORESCENCE 2. Single-Molecule FRET with Total Internal Reflection Microscopy C. Joo and T. Ha 3. In Vitro and In Vivo FIONA and Other Acronyms for Watching Molecular Motors Walk P.R. Selvin, T. Lougheed, M.T. Hoffman, H. Park, H. Balci, B.H. Blehm, and E. Toprak 4. Colocalization of Fluorescent Probes: Accurate and Precise Registration with Nanometer Resolution L.S. Churchman and J.A. Spudich 5. Alternating-Laser Excitation of Single Molecules A.N. Kapanidis, M. Heilemann, E. Margeat, X. Kong, E. Nir, and S. Weiss 6. Orientation and Rotational Motions of Single Molecules by Polarized Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy J.F. Beausang, Y. Sun, M.E. Quinlan, J.N. Forkey, and Y.E. Goldman FLUORESCENCE IN LIVING CELLS 7. Imaging Gene Expression in Living Cells at the Single-Molecule Level J. Xiao, J. Elf, G. -W. Li, J. Yu, and X.S. Xie 8. Single-Virus Tracking in Live Cells M.J. Rust, M. Lakadamyali, B. Brandenburg, and X. Zhuang 9. Ultrasensitive Imaging in Live Cells Using Fluorescent Quantum Dots S. Courty and M. Dahan 10. Imaging Real-Time Gene Expression in Living Systems A.L. Wells, J.S. Condeelis, R.H. Singer, and D. Zenklusen 11. Single-Molecule Imaging of Stochastic Signaling Events in Living Cells S. Matsuoka, Y. Miyanaga, T. Yanagida, and M. Ueda 12. Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy In Vitro and In Vivo E. Haustein and P. Schwille OPTICAL TRAPS 13. Optical Traps to Study Properties of Molecular Motors J.A. Spudich, S.E. Rice, R.S. Rock, T.J. Purcell, and H.M. Warrick 14. High-Resolution Dual-Trap Optical Tweezers with Differential Detection C. Bustamante, Y.R. Chemla, and J.R. Moffitt 15. Imaging and Nanomanipulation of an Actomyosin Motor S. Nishikawa, T. Komori, T. Ariga, T. Okada, M. Morimatsu, Y. Ishii, and T. Yanagida MAGNETIC TRAPS 16. Single-Molecule Studies Using Magnetic Traps T. Lionnet, J.-F. Allemand, A. Revyakin, T.R. Strick, O.A. Saleh, D. Bensimon, and V. Croquette FORCE PROBES/ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY 17. Probing Polysaccharide and Protein Mechanics by Atomic Force Microscopy M. Rabbi and P.E. Marszalek CHANNELS 18. Single-Molecule Analysis of Nucleic Acids and DNA-Protein Interactions Using Nanopores M. Wanunu and A. Meller OTHER TECHNIQUES 19. Single-Molecule Gold-Nanoparticle Tracking with High Temporal and Spatial Resolution and without an Applied Load A.R. Dunn and J. A. Spudich 20. Advances in Surface-based Assays for Single Molecules P.M. Fordyce, M.T. Valentine, and S.M. Block 21. Hydrodynamic Flow-stretching Assay for Single-Molecule Studies of Nucleic Acid-Protein Interactions C.M. Schroeder, P.C. Blainey, S. Kim, and X.S. Xie APPENDIX: Cautions INDEX
Pfs230 yields higher malaria transmission-blocking vaccine activity than Pfs25 in humans but not mice

Background. Vaccines that block human-to-mosquito Plasmodium transmission are needed for malaria eradication and clinical trials have targeted zygote antigen Pfs25 for decades. We reported that a Pfs25 protein-protein conjugate vaccine formulated in alum adjuvant induced significant serum functional activity in both US and Malian adults. However, antibody titers declined rapidly, and transmission-reducing activity required four vaccine doses. Functional immunogenicity and durability must be improved before advancing TBV further in clinical development. We hypothesized that the pre-fertilization protein Pfs230 alone or in combination with Pfs25 would improve functional activity. Methods. Transmission-blocking vaccine candidates based on gamete antigen Pfs230 or Pfs25 were conjugated with Exoprotein A, formulated in Alhydrogel(R), and administered to mice, rhesus macaques, and humans. Antibody titers were measured by ELISA and transmission-reducing activity was assess by the Standard Membrane Feeding Assay. Results. Pfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel(R) and Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel(R) induced similar serum functional activity in mice, but Pfs230D1-EPA induced significantly greater activity in rhesus monkeys that was enhanced by complement. In U.S. adults, two vaccine doses induced complement-dependent activity in 4 of 5 Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel(R) recipients but no significant activity in five Pfs25-EPA recipients, and combination with Pfs25-EPA did not increase activity over Pfs230D1-EPA alone. Conclusion. The complement-dependent functional immunogenicity of Pfs230D1-EPA represents a significant improvement over Pfs25-EPA. The rhesus model is more predictive of the functional human immune response to Pfs230D1 than is the mouse model. Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02334462 Funding. This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis

Series Preface.Preface. Acronyms, Abbreviations and Symbols.About the Author.Basic Laboratory Skills.Investigative Approach for Sample Preparation.Sampling. Storage of Samples.SAMPLE PREPARATION OF INORGANIC ANALYSIS.Solids. Liquids - Natural and Waste Waters.SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR ORGANIC ANALYSIS.Solids. Liquids.Volatile Compounds.Pre-Concentration Using Solvent Evaporation.Instrumental Techniques for Trace Analysis.Recording of Information in the Laboratory and Selected Resources.Responses to Self-Assessment Questions.Glossary of Terms.SI Units and Physical Constants.Periodic Table.Index.
Mikrostrukturierungstechniken zur Herstellung von MEMS aus Halbleitern großer Bandlücke

Die Erweiterung des Anwendungsspektrums Mikroelektromechanischer Systeme (MEMS) um das Einsatzgebiet der chemischen, biologischen, gasartspezifischen und mikrofluidischen Sensoren stellt hohe Anforderungen an Stabilitat (chemisch und mechanisch), Biokompatibilitat, Miniaturisier- und Integrierbarkeit der verwendeten Materialien. Trotz der fur diese Sensoren vorteilhaften Materialeigenschaften von Gruppe III-Nitriden gibt es bis heute nur eine beschrankte Anzahl von Forschergruppen, die sich mit der Prozessierung von MEMS auf Basis von GaN bzw. AlGaN/GaN-Heterostrukturen beschaftigen. Eine Hauptursache besteht vor allem in der aufwendigen Strukturierung dieser chemisch hoch stabilen Materialien. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich daher der Entwicklung von Strukturierungstechniken zur Herstellung von MEMS aus Halbleitern groser Bandlucke mit einem besonderen Fokus auf nass- und trockenchemische Atzverfahren. Diese sollen dazu verwendet werden, AlGaN/GaN-Resonatoren auf Si- und 4H-SiC-Substraten, sowie 3C-SiC/Si- und AlN/Saphir-Pseudosubstraten zu realisieren. Dabei wird das zweidimensionale Elektronengas (2DEG), welches sich an der Grenzflache der AlGaN/GaN-Heterostruktur ausbildet, als Ruckelektrode zur piezoelektrischen Anregung genutzt. Das entwickelte Technologiepaket vermeidet daher eine negative Beeinflussung der 2DEG-Ruckelektrode und somit gleichzeitig der Funktionalitat der MEMS. Zuletzt konnte die Funktionalitat der so gefertigten piezoelektrisch angeregten AlGaN/GaN-Resonatoren nachgewiesen und zusatzlich die uniaxiale Verspannung der freigelegten AlGaN/GaN-Schichten auf den unterschiedlichen Substraten unter Anwendung einer Resonanzfrequenzanalyse ermittelt werden.
Many Labs 5: Registered Replication of Förster, Liberman, and Kuschel’s (2008) Study 1

In a test of their global-/local-processing-style model, Förster, Liberman, and Kuschel (2008) found that people assimilate a primed concept (e.g., “aggressive”) into their social judgments after a global prime (e.g., they rate a person as being more aggressive than do people in a no-prime condition) but contrast their judgment away from the primed concept after a local prime (e.g., they rate the person as being less aggressive than do people in a no prime-condition). This effect was not replicated by Reinhard (2015) in the Reproducibility Project: Psychology. However, the authors of the original study noted that the replication could not provide a test of the moderation effect because priming did not occur. They suggested that the primes might have been insufficiently applicable and the scenarios insufficiently ambiguous to produce priming. In the current replication project, we used both Reinhard’s protocol and a revised protocol that was designed to increase the likelihood of priming, to test the original authors’ suggested explanation for why Reinhard did not observe the moderation effect. Teams from nine universities contributed to this project. We first conducted a pilot study (N = 530) and successfully selected ambiguous scenarios for each site. We then pilot-tested the aggression prime at five different sites (N = 363) and found that it did not successfully produce priming. In agreement with the first author of the original report, we replaced the prime with a task that successfully primed aggression (hostility) in a pilot study by McCarthy et al. (2018). In the final replication study (N = 1,460), we did not find moderation by protocol type, and judgment patterns in both protocols were inconsistent with the effects observed in the original study. We discuss these findings and possible explanations.
Official and standardized methods of analysis

Animal Feedingstuffs Additives in Animal Feedingstuffs The Analysis of Cosmetic Products Essential Oils Fertilisers Trace Elements in Fertilisers and Feedingstuffs Statutory Methods of Analysis for Foodstuffs Methods of Analysis for Foodstuffs Verified by Collaborative Trial under the Auspices of MAFF Meat Products and Meat Extracts The Analysis of Milk and Milk Products Vitamins Methods for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues Methods for the Determination of Occupationally Hazardous Substances Oils and Fats Soaps Treatment of Data and the Application of Statistics to Analytical Chemistry Analytical Methods for the Determination of (Trace) Metals and Other Elements Water Analysis The Analysis of Various Materials Brewing and Brewing Materials EEC Food Methods British Standards Index.