Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compared to What? A Debate on Picking Benchmarks

To evaluate the success or failure of active funds, we need to select benchmarks. Susan Belden of Skidmore College and M. Barton Waring of BGI hold a debate in writing over whether a benchmark should be based on a broadly accepted market benchmark, such as the S&P 500, or a narrowly defined benchmark, based on the investing style of the fund. He finds that the analyst is able to explain over 90% of price movements not traceable to publicly available information, which is consistent with a high degree of market knowledge. A significant proportion of these price changes are attributable to factors unrelated to information per se, providing support for the hypothesis that a significant proportion of company price changes are triggered by events relating to fads, fashion, or sentiment.
Amino-terminal Myristoylation Induces Cooperative Calcium Binding to Recoverin (*)

Recoverin, a new member of the EF-hand protein superfamily, serves as a Ca2+ sensor in vision. A myristoyl or related N-acyl group covalently attached to the amino terminus of recoverin enables it to bind to disc membranes when the Ca2+ level is elevated. Ca2+-bound recoverin prolongs the lifetime of photoexcited rhodopsin, most likely by blocking its phosphorylation. We report here Ca2+ binding studies of myristoylated and unmyristoylated recombinant recoverin using flow dialysis, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy. Unmyristoylated recoverin exhibits heterogeneous and uncooperative binding of two Ca2+ with dissociation constants of 0.11 and 6.9 μM. In contrast, two Ca2+ bind cooperatively to myristoylated recoverin with a Hill coefficient of 1.75 and an apparent dissociation constant of 17 μM. Thus, the attached myristoyl group lowers the calcium affinity of the protein and induces cooperativity in Ca2+ binding. One-dimensional 1H and two-dimensional 15N-1H shift correlation NMR spectra of myristoylated recoverin measured as a function of Ca2+ concentration show that a concerted conformational change occurs when two Ca2+ are bound. The Ca2+ binding and NMR data can be fit to a concerted allosteric model in which the two Ca2+ binding sites have different affinities in both the T and R states. The T and R conformational states are defined in terms of the Ca2+-myristoyl switch; in the T state, the myristoyl group is sequestered inside the protein, whereas in the R state, the myristoyl group is extruded. Ca2+ binds to the R state at least 10,000-fold more tightly than to T. In this model, the dissociation constants of the two sites in the R state of the myristoylated protein are 0.11 and 6.9 μM, as in unmyristoylated recoverin. The ratio of the unliganded form of T to that of R is estimated to be 400 for myristoylated and <0.05 for unmyristoylated recoverin. Thus, the attached myristoyl group has two related roles: it shifts the T/R ratio of the unliganded protein more than 8000-fold, and serves as a membrane anchor for the fully liganded protein.
LC-MS/MS multi-analyte method for mycotoxin determination in food supplements

A multi-analyte method for the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric determination of mycotoxins in food supplements is presented. The analytes included A and B trichothecenes (nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, neosolaniol, fusarenon-X, diacetoxyscirpenol, HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin), aflatoxins (aflatoxin-B1, aflatoxin-B2, aflatoxin-G1 and aflatoxin-G2), Alternaria toxins (alternariol, alternariol methyl ether and altenuene), fumonisins (fumonisin-B1, fumonisin-B2 and fumonisin-B3), ochratoxin A, zearalenone, beauvericin and sterigmatocystin. Optimization of the simultaneous extraction of these toxins and the sample pretreatment procedure, as well as method validation were performed on maca (Lepidium meyenii) food supplements. The results indicated that the solvent mixture ethyl acetate/formic acid (95:5, v/v) was the best compromise for the extraction of the analytes from food supplements. Liquid–liquid partition with n-hexane was applied as partial clean-up step to remove excess of co-extracted non-polar components. Further clean-up was performed on Oasis HLB™ cartridges. Samples were analysed using an Acquity UPLC system coupled to a Micromass Quattro Micro triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray interface operated in the positive-ion mode. Limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.3–30 ng g−1 and 1–100 ng g−1, respectively. Recovery yields were above 60% for most of the analytes, except for nivalenol, sterigmatocystine and the fumonisins. The method showed good precision and trueness. Analysis of different food supplements such as soy (Glycine max) isoflavones, St John's wort ( Hypericum perforatum), garlic (Allium sativum), Ginkgo biloba, and black radish (Raphanus niger) demonstrated the general applicability of the method. Due to different matrix effects observed in different food supplement samples, the standard addition approach was applied to perform correct quantitative analysis. In 56 out of 62 samples analysed, none of the 23 mycotoxins investigated was detected. Positive samples contained at least one of the toxins fumonisin-B1, fumonisin-B2, fumonisin-B3 and ochratoxin A.
Possible interaction between B1 retrotransposon‐containing sequences and βmajor globin gene transcriptional activation during MEL cell erythroid differentiation

Repetitive sequences consist of >50% of mammalian genomic DNAs and among these SINEs (short interspersed nuclear elements), e.g. B1 elements, account for 8% of the mouse genome. In an effort to delineate the molecular mechanism(s) involved in the blockade of the in vitro differentiation program of MEL (murine erythroleukaemia) cells by treatment with methylation inhibitors, we detected a DNA region of 559 bp in chromosome 7 located downstream of the 3′‐end of the βmajor globin gene (designated B1‐559) with unique characteristics. We have fully characterized this B1‐559 region that includes a B1 element, several repeats of ATG initiation codons and consensus DNA‐binding sites for erythroid‐specific transcription factors NF‐E2 (nuclear factor‐erythroid‐derived 2), GATA‐1 and EKLF (erythroid Krüppel‐like factor). Fragments derived from B1‐559 incubated with nuclear extracts form protein complexes in both undifferentiated and differentiated MEL cells. Transient reporter‐gene experiments in MEL and human erythroleukaemia K‐562 cells with recombinant constructs containing B1‐559 fragments linked to HS‐2 (hypersensitive site‐2) sequences of human β‐globin gene LCR (locus control region) indicated potential cooperation upon erythropoiesis and globin gene expression. The possible interaction between the B1‐559 region and βmajor globin gene transcriptional activation upon execution of erythroid MEL cell differentiation programme is discussed.
Outsourcing decisions: the effect of scale economies and market structure

Outsourcing decisions are typically based on the potential to realize cost savings through economies of scale and specialization by the outsourcing provider. However, markets with significant scale economies frequently generate concentrated market structures, which may render them less attractive for the outsourcing client due to the loss of bargaining power when dealing with a dominant outsourcing supplier. This article shows that this (negative) effect always dominates unless scale effects increase at an increasing rate, which the authors call progressive scale economies. Using a simple analytical model, the article derives implications for empirical work and formalizes some of the practitioner literature on outsourcing.
A New Function for Adducin

Adducin is a membrane skeleton protein originally described in human erythrocytes that promotes the binding of spectrin to actin and also binds directly to actin and bundles actin filaments. Adducin is associated with regions of cell-cell contact in nonerythroid cells, where it is believed to play a role in regulating the assembly of the spectrin-actin membrane skeleton. In this study we demonstrate a novel function for adducin; it completely blocks elongation and depolymerization at the barbed (fast growing) ends of actin filaments, thus functioning as a barbed end capping protein (K 100 nM). This barbed end capping activity requires the intact adducin molecule and is not provided by the NH-terminal globular head domains alone nor by the COOH-terminal extended tail domains, which were previously shown to contain the spectrin-actin binding, calmodulin binding, and phosphorylation sites. A novel difference between adducin and other previously described capping proteins is that it is down-regulated by calmodulin in the presence of calcium. The association of stoichiometric amounts of adducin with the short erythrocyte actin filaments in the membrane skeleton indicates that adducin could be the functional barbed end capper in erythrocytes and play a role in restricting actin filament length. Our experiments also suggest novel possibilities for calcium regulation of actin filament assembly by adducin in erythrocytes and at cell-cell contact sites in nonerythroid cells.
DOES INFLATION AFFECT ECONOMIC GROWTH? The relevance of the debate for Indonesia

This research was motivated by the current constraints on macroeconomic policy-making in Indonesia. On the fiscal side, the government is burdened with debt and the pressure to maintain social expenditure. On the monetary side, there is a preoccupation with a lower inflation rate and the need to maintain liquidity in a depressed economy. By examining the inflation-growth relationship, this study examines whether there is any room for inflating the economy. This would ease the pressure on government debt repayment while maintaining social expenditure, and the economic recovery would not be stalled by prematurely tightening monetary policy. The study finds that there is no statistically significant relationship between inflation and growth, and argues for a more expansionary macroeconomic policy mix. It also argues that the conditions for an independent central bank do not exist in Indonesia, and such an institutional arrangement is premature when mechanisms for democratic oversight are not yet in place.
A New Method for Solving Non-Linear Complementarity Problems

The non-linear complementarity problem NLCP is to find a vector z in IR satisfying 0 6 z ⊥ f(z) > 0, where f is a given function. This problem can be solved by several methods but the most of these methods require a lot of arithmetic operations, and therefore, it is too difficult, time consuming, or expensive to find an approximate solution of the exact solution. In this paper we give a new method for solving this problem which converges very rapidly relative to most of the existing methods and does not require a lot of arithmetic operations to converge. For this we show that solving the NLCP is equivalent to finding zero of the function F . After we build a sequence of smooth functions F (k) ∈ C∞ which is uniformly convergent to the function F and we show that, an approximation of the solution of the NLCP is obtained by solving F (x) = 0 for a parameter k large enough. We close our paper with some numerical examples to demonstrate the efficiency of our method. The numerical results obtained in this paper are very favorable and showed that our method works well for the problems tested.
Statistics of Racial Segregation: Measures, Evidence and Policy

Subsequent to riots in UK northern cities, claims of self-segregation and polarised communities are examined with data unique to the city of Bradford and first results from the UK population census. Statistics relating to race often reinforce misleading stereotypes that are unhelpful to the development of appropriate social policy. Previous studies of indices of segregation are shown to be inadequate through lack of consideration of change over time and the confounding of population change with migration. The separation of natural change and migration supports survey evidence that dispersal of South Asian populations has taken place at the same time as absolute and relative growth. Social policy will do well to take on board these demographic facts in a positive inclusive approach to all residents in all areas.
Revisiting the Impact of Social Performance on Financial Performance from a Global Perspective

There is a continuing debate in the Corporate Social Responsibility literature as to whether and how firms’ social performance (SP) affects their financial performance (FP). Theoretical arguments as well as empirical measurements point to somewhat contradictory results. Most of the empirical work is predicated on rigid conventional models, expressing constant or strictly monotonic marginal returns in the assumed SP-FP relationship. This paper revisits this relationship from a global perspective, relaxing the range of admissible models. A non-monotonic framework incorporating contextual factors is proposed. Five models are tested over a common 17 years horizon. They yield consistent significant estimates and concur on the existence of such a relationship although the latter has evolved over time. They support the notion of a complex SP-FP impact.
Protease-Activated Receptor-1 Antagonist F 16618 Reduces Arterial Restenosis by Down-Regulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor α and Matrix Metalloproteinase 7 Expression, Migration, and Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Wound healing after angioplasty or stenting is associated with increased production of thrombin and the activation of protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1). The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a new selective PAR1 antagonist, 2-[5-oxo-5-(4-pyridin-2-ylpiperazin-1-yl)-penta-1,3-dienyl]-benzonitrile (F 16618), in restenosis and vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Daily oral administration of F 16618 inhibited the restenosis induced by balloon angioplasty on rat carotid artery in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, single intravenous administration of F 16618 during the angioplasty procedure was sufficient to protect the carotid artery against restenosis. In vitro, F 16618 inhibited the growth of human aortic SMCs in a concentration-dependent manner with maximal effects at 10 μM. At that concentration, F 16618 also prevented thrombin-mediated SMC migration. In vivo, oral and intravenous F 16618 treatments reduced by 30 and 50% the expression of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) 24 h after angioplasty. However, only acute intravenous administration prevented the induction of matrix metalloproteinase 7 expression. In contrast, F 16618 treatments had no effect on early SMC de-differentiation and transcription of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-6 and late re-endothelialization of injured arteries. Furthermore, F 16618 compensated for the carotid endothelium loss by inhibiting PAR1-mediated contraction. Altogether, these data demonstrate that PAR1 antagonists such as F 16618 are a highly effective treatment of restenosis after vascular injury, by inhibition of TNFα, matrix metalloproteinase 7, and SMC migration and proliferation in addition to an antithrombotic effect.
Stress Tolerance-Related Genetic Traits of Fish Pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum in a Mature Biofilm

Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the causative agent of bacterial cold-water disease and rainbow trout fry syndrome, and hence this bacterium is placed among the most important salmonid pathogens in the freshwater aquaculture industry. Since bacteria in biofilms differ substantially from free-living counterparts, this study sought to find the main differences in gene expression between sessile and planktonic states of F. psychrophilum LM-02-Fp and NCMB1947T, with focus on stress-related changes in gene expression occurring during biofilm formation. To this end, biofilm and planktonic samples were analyzed by RNA sequencing to detect differentially expressed candidate genes (DECGs) between the two growth states, and decreasing the effects of interstrain variation by considering only genes with log2-fold changes ≤ −2 and ≥ 2 at Padj-values ≤ 0.001 as DECGs. Overall, 349 genes accounting for ~15% of total number of genes expressed in transcriptomes of F. psychrophilum LM-02-Fp and NCMB1947T (n = 2327) were DECGs between biofilm and planktonic states. Approximately 83 and 81% of all up- and down-regulated candidate genes in mature biofilms, respectively, were assigned to at least one gene ontology term; these were primarily associated with the molecular function term “catalytic activity. ” We detected a potential stress response in mature biofilms, characterized by a generalized down-regulation of DECGs with roles in the protein synthesis machinery (n = 63, primarily ribosomal proteins) and energy conservation (seven ATP synthase subunit genes), as well as an up-regulation of DECGs involved in DNA repair (ruvC, recO, phrB1, smf, and dnaQ) and oxidative stress response (cytochrome C peroxidase, probable peroxiredoxin, and a probable thioredoxin). These results support the idea of a strategic trade-off between growth-related processes and cell homeostasis to preserve biofilm structure and metabolic functioning. In addition, LDH-based cytotoxicity assays and an intraperitoneal challenge model for rainbow trout fry agreed with the transcriptomic evidence that the ability of F. psychrophilum to form biofilms could contribute to the virulence. Finally, the reported changes in gene expression, as induced by the plankton-to-biofilm transition, represent the first transcriptomic guideline to obtain insights into the F. psychrophilum biofilm lifestyle that could help understand the prevalence of this bacterium in aquaculture settings.
Serum thyroid autoantibodies as a risk factor for development of hypothyroidism after radioactive iodine therapy for single thyroid 'hot' nodule.

Hypothyroidism is often observed after radioiodine treatment in Graves' disease, but it is considered a rare complication in single hyperfunctioning thyroid nodule ('hot' nodule). This concept has been recently challenged, but the available data are conflicting. In the present study we therefore assessed the development of permanent hypothyroidism in 126 patients with thyroid hot nodule treated with 131I (180 muCi/g of estimated nodule weight, total dose 5.5-28.9 mCi). Follow-up ranged between 1 to 11 years. Hypothyroidism was observed in 5 (4%) patients, corresponding to a cumulative incidence by life-table analysis of 4.8% ten years after treatment. No relationship was found between the development of hypothyroidism and the size of the nodule or the total amount of administered dose. Fifty-six patients with euthyroid hot nodule at the time of treatment had higher cumulative incidence of hypothyroidism after 10 years (9.7%) than those with toxic adenoma (1.5%) (0.1 greater than P greater than 0.05 by logrank test). When the patients were analyzed according to the presence or absence of serum antithyroglobulin and/or antithyroid microsomal autoantibodies, the prevalence of hypothyroidism after 131I treatment was higher (4/25 = 16%) in patients with significant serum antibody titres (greater than or equal to 1/400 by passive haemagglutination), when compared to that observed in subjects with negative antibody tests (1/101 = 1.0%). Life-table analysis showed in antibody positive patients a cumulative incidence of hypothyroidism after 10 years of 18.0% vs 1.4% in antibody negative patients (P less than 0.001 by logrank test). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Disclosure and the Cost of Capital: A Survey of the Theoretical Literature

type="main"> This article offers a survey of theoretical research on disclosure and the cost of capital. We summarize the current state of the literature and discuss the channels through which information affects the cost of capital. After giving an overview of asset pricing theory, we examine the rationale for an accounting risk factor or an ex-ante effect of information on the cost of capital. Then, we discuss the role of voluntary disclosure, heterogenous beliefs, investor base, liquidity shocks, earnings management, and agency problems as determinants of the cost of capital. Linkages between productive decisions and the cost of capital, and their implication for investor welfare, are also examined.
A comparative analysis of two deceptive messages in Tshivenḓa

This article explores two deceptive messages in Tshivenḓa, one of 11 official languages spoken in South Africa. By looking at the data collected through role playing and natural observations, the authors examine a range of formulas used in conveying deceptive messages as well as the responses to the messages. It is found that a deceptive message once detected in Tshivenḓa, just like in any other language, has a potential of threatening a relationship among the interlocutors. In the two deceptive messages analysed for this article, speakers changed their messages once they sensed that they had been found to be lying. The main findings of this analysis are briefly discussed and illustrated by examples.
Exploring social media adoption in small to medium-sized enterprises in Ireland

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the current deficit in the literature on social media adoption within a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) context. The authors adopt an action research methodology and through in-depth case analysis of eight SME cases aim to develop a theoretical model through which more effective social media adoption by SMEs can be better understood. Design/methodology/approach – In this study a deep and enduring engagement between the research team and eight small to medium-sized firms over a period of two years, from 2009-2011, informed the emergence and development of a theoretical model. In this research, using an action research methodology, the authors examine the nature and character of the challenges being faced by SME owner/managers as they consider adopting and utilising social media for commercial advantage and the evolution of the model through this engagement. Findings – The insights gained from the case companies indicated a variety of different approa.
Long-Term Sales Forecasting Using Lee-Carter And Holt-Winters Methods

This study developed a statistical model for long-term forecasting sparkling beverage sales in the 14 provinces of Southern Thailand. Data comprised the series of monthly sales from January 2000 to December 2004 obtained from the company. We applied a classical Lee-Carter mortality forecasting approach as well as exponential smoothing Holt-Winters with additive seasonality method to log-transformed monthly sales containing season of month and branch location as factors. The model produced excellent estimates in sales predicting for up to 24 future months of 20 branches compared with actual data in each branch during the years 2005-2006. The model also gave more accurate results than using separate forecasting method whereas it was parsimonious in the number of parameters used.
A Revised Test of the Law of One Price Using Rational Price Expectations

The law of one price (LOP) is an important ingredient in theories of international trade. Typical analyses of the LOP assume that parity should hold contemporaneously. This assumption overlooks temporal elements of trade. Recognizing this fact, we expect parity to hold for expected prices. Two empirical procedures are utilized to consider the LOP in international markets for U.S. agricultural commodities. The first utilizes econometric procedures to test an expectations augmented version of the LOP. A second approach uses nonparametric procedures to provide an alternative consideration of expectations. In each case, results provide support for a rational expectations view of the LOP.