Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of actin‐binding proteins and requirement for actin‐depolymerizing factor in chick neural crest cells

Background: Neural crest cells are multipotent cells that migrate extensively throughout vertebrate embryos to form diverse lineages. Cell migration requires polarized, organized actin networks that provide the driving force for motility. Actin‐binding proteins that regulate neural crest cell migration are just beginning to be defined. Results: We recently identified a number of actin‐associated factors through proteomic profiling of methylated proteins in migratory neural crest cells. Here, we report the previously undocumented expression pattern of three of these proteins in chick early neural crest development: doublecortin (DCX), tropomyosin‐1 (TPM‐1), and actin depolymerizing factor (ADF). All three genes are expressed with varying degrees of specificity and intensity in premigratory and migratory neural crest cells, and their resulting proteins exhibit distinct subcellular localization in migratory neural crest cells. Morpholino knock down of ADF reveals it is required for Sox10 gene expression, but minimally important during neural crest migration. Conclusions: Neural crest cells express DCX, TPM‐1, and ADF. ADF is necessary during neural crest specification, but largely dispensable for migration. Developmental Dynamics 243:731–739, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ISO 9000 certification: The financial performance implications

ISO 9000 certification has become an increasingly popular option for US firms seeking to improve their internal operations and competitive positions. The current study explores the relationship between ISO 9000 certification and financial performance. Most research in this area has been anecdotal in nature. The empirical studies that have addressed this relationship have not only been limited, but also have been largely contradictory. In an attempt to reconcile these conflicting results, a multivariate, repeated measures research design was utilized. Our results indicate that ISO 9000 certification has a very limited impact on financial performance, as measured by return on assets, however this effect dissipates quickly over time.
Disclosure of Intended Use of Proceeds and Underpricing in Initial Public Offerings

We use the context of a company's initial public offering (IPO) of equity securities as a capital-markets setting to empirically study the economic consequences of endogenous disclosure. In particular, we examine the relation between the extent of dollar detail an IPO issuer provides regarding their intended use of proceeds and first-day underpricing. We document substantial variation in the specificity of this disclosure and find that an increase in such specificity is associated with lower IPO underpricing. Overall, our results suggest that IPOs that provide specific use-of-proceeds disclosures have less ex ante uncertainty, in the sense that these disclosures help investors estimate the dispersion of secondary market values. Our paper contributes to the empirical accounting literature by documenting an association between voluntary disclosure and what is arguably the foremost cost of raising initial equity capital (i.e., IPO underpricing).
Análisis jerárquico de la dinámica económica de las comunidades españolas en el periodo 1955-2009

El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar la dinamica economica de las regiones de Espana durante el periodo 1955-2009. Para ello, introducimos dos metricas que nos permiten comparar su desempeno economico; una basada en la nocion de correlacion y otra en la de distancia entre series temporales. Mediante la introduccion de un metodo no parametrico de agrupamiento podemos detectar la formacion y evolucion de grupos homogeneos de desempeno. La conclusion mas relevante del analisis es la existencia de dos clubs de desempeno; uno de ellos relativamente homogeneo en su dinamica de crecimiento que corresponde fundamentalmente a las regiones mas ricas de Espana y otro mas heterogeneo que engloba al resto. La dinamica de estos dos grupos ha sido completamente diferente entre si.
Pain coping in injured workers with chronic pain: what’s unique about workers?

Purpose: Pain caused by a work injury is a complex phenomenon comprising multiple factors, e.g. age, gender, prior health status, occupation, job demands, and severity of injury. Little research has focused on injured workers with chronic pain. This study investigates injured workers’ pain coping. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to measure coping strategies of injured workers in a work rehabilitation program. Differences in coping strategies by demographics, injury-related variables, pain, disability, and depression were measured. Results: n = 479. The coping strategy with the highest mean score was “coping self statements” (Mean = 19.4, SD = 7.6), followed by “praying/hoping” (Mean = 18.2, SD = 9.7), and “catastrophizing” (Mean = 17.5, SD = 8.0). Statistical differences for coping strategies were noted between gender, marital status, depression levels, self-perceived disability levels, and pain (p < 0.01 for all). Conclusions: This study provided relevant information about how injured workers cope with pain. In conditions in which there may be a perceived lack of control (high pain intensity, high self-perceived disability, and high self rated depression), there were significantly higher amounts of both “catastrophizing” and “praying and hoping”. Therefore, workers with high pain and high self-perceived disability are more likely catastrophize their pain, leading to poor recovery outcomes. Implications for Rehabilitation Depression is common in injured workers with chronic pain. Depressed injured workers use more catastrophizing to cope with pain and this may lead to poor recovery. Perceived control over pain could be a mitigating factor in recovery from an occupational injury. Workers with high ratings of pain and high perceived disability often catastrophize their pain and this could lead to poor recovery outcomes.
Liquidity and Information Asymmetry in the Real Estate Market

George Akerlof’s asymmetric information theory explains why lemons are rarely, if at all, transacted. We extend his theory to explain liquidity in the second-hand real estate market. The idea is to decompose real estate into two components: land and the building structure. While sellers may know more about the quality of their structures than buyers, information on land, predominantly its locational attributes, is much more transparent. Without assuming any credit constraints or loss aversion behaviour, our information asymmetry model shows that: 1) the liquidity of real estate increases with the share of its land value; 2) there is a positive relationship between real estate prices and turnover rates when land supply is more inelastic than the supply of structures; 3) the positive relationship is stronger when the land value component gets smaller; and 4) while the availability of first-hand real estate may divert demand away from the second-hand market, such a substitution effect is weaker when the land value component is large. These four implications were confirmed with panel data analysis using Hong Kong’s housing transactions from 1992 to 2008 across 50 districts.
The U.S. South’s timber sector in 2005: a prospective analysis of recent change

Forest product markets are an important part of rural economies of the U.S. South, but recent changes in timber markets have raised questions about the future. Several factors have altered forest products markets since the late 1990s, including industry consolidations and associated changes in land ownership, changes in domestic consumption patterns and international trade patterns, and depreciation and closure of older processing facilities. The focus of this assessment of timber markets is on understanding how these and other demand and supply factors have affected the markets for various timber products. Our findings suggest that the demand for domestically produced timber products has declined somewhat in the United States, as domestic demands as well as exports have fallen. At the same time, the supply of domestically produced timber products has continued to expand since the late 1990s. The net result of these demand and supply changes may be (a) a decline in timber product output and (b) a disproportionately strong decline in associated prices. An evaluation of investment of wood products firms in manufacturing capacity within the region provides insights into future production potential. Paper production capacity has declined since the late 1990s, while lumber production capacity has remained near 1990s levels. Indications are, therefore, that demand for pulpwood to produce paper may not rebound to late 1990s levels in the foreseeable future. However, persistent low prices for softwood pulpwood could indicate long-term opportunities for the manufacture of other products from this product class. Long-term demand for solid wood products appears strong, signaling that a relatively favorable investment climate should exist in this part of the forest sector.
Computerized marketing databases: their role now and in the future

The application of IT to the marketing function for strategic purposes has been the subject of much debate. At the same time the use of computerized marketing databsses has experienced rapid growth which is likely to continue. This paper reports a research survey to find out about the use of CMDs and, specifically, whether they are being used strategically.
The best fit process model for the utilization of the physical resources in hospitals by applying inductive visual miner

The main aim of a hospital is to provide an effective and efficient environment for the patient which supports effective utilization of resources for the diagnostic center which reduces the complexity of diagnosis process. In order to do so it is necessary to have an accurate view of care flows under consideration. In this paper we apply process mining techniques to obtain meaningful knowledge about this flows, e.g., to discover typical paths proceeded by particular group of symptoms that create a disease of a patient. In this paper lab test dataset is considered as a baseline scenario where in productive process models are created and checked for the efficiency using inductive visual miner algorithm. In order to do so we extracted relevant event logs from hospital information system in that we have taken diagnosis of lab test logs using ProM framework. Using inductive visual miner we are able to generate a soundness model for a health sector. The result shows how the process mining can be used to provide new insight that simplifies upgrading of existing health care flows and give insight about how it can be improved.
A meta-analysis of sexual dysfunction in psychiatric patients taking antipsychotics

The aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify sexual dysfunction (SD) in patients treated with antipsychotics on the basis of selected papers that specifically investigated this type of adverse events by means of adequate instruments. A literature research was conducted using three electronic databases. Studies providing measures of SD in patients taking antipsychotics and providing separate data on single drugs were considered for inclusion. Our primary outcome measure was the rate of total SD, and our secondary outcome measures were the rates of desire, arousal, and orgasm dysfunction. We found that significant differences exist across different antipsychotics in terms of total SD, such that, partially consistent with the traditional dichotomy between prolactin-raising and prolactin-sparing antipsychotics, quetiapine, ziprasidone, perphenazine, and aripiprazole were associated with relatively low SD rates (16–27%), whereas olanzapine, risperidone, haloperidol, clozapine, and thioridazine were associated with higher SD rates (40–60%). Apart from a few exceptions, secondary analyses substantially confirmed the primary outcome measure. However, sensitivity analyses showed a significant impact of several variables on SD rates. In addition, taking into account several limitations, including the difficulty to disentangle SD related to drugs from SD related to illness itself, further studies are needed to determine more thorough evidence concerning antipsychotic-induced SD.
Alternative Fiscal Rules for the New EU Member States

The fiscal regime of new EU member states is dictated by the Stability and Growth Pact by virtue of EU membership and, for EMU candidates such as all new EU members are supposed to become soon, by the Maastricht Treaty. Such dual fiscal regime is somewhat perverse: Maastricht conditions in the year before EMU entry is assessed are significantly harder than SGP conditions before and after - a pointless hurdle. Most new members have fiscal difficulties: structural deficits, relatively low and mostly indirect taxation, widespread flat tax; failure to coordinate monetary and fiscal policy, and the fiscal shock of EU entry. The paper then discusses SGP criticisms and their relevance to CEE economies: neglect of the size of public debt, and of the share of public investment; failure to co-ordinate, within the Euro-area, both the fiscal policy of member countries, and the overall fiscal stance of the euro-area with ECB monetary policy; the inappropriateness of SGP rules to the principle of subsidiarity that shapes EU policy. The March 2005 reform has softened the SGP and considered some of these factors, but there is still considerable uncertainty in the EU authorities' discretionary powers, and Maastricht conditions remain rigid. The implications are likely delays in both fiscal consolidation and the introduction of the euro in many of the new eastern member states - unless they can get away with either cosmetic measures such as those pioneered by Italy and other member states, or unilateral euroisation - two options which are neither likely nor desirable. Recommendations include: 1) unification of fiscal deficit requirements of EU membership and EMU entry 2) formal non-discretionary modification of the fiscal deficit rules applicable to both EU and EMU in the directions of the March 2005 reform of SGP; 3) the relaxation of fiscal constraints for individual countries as long as the overall fiscal stance of the entire euroarea meets the criteria set for each country.
Practical applications of CASE tools on DoD projects

The use of software in the defense--related systems has increased substantially in the last decade. The Department of Defense has developed a comprehensive standard for software development. Known as DoD-STD-2167 A, its use is now mandated for all DoD projects. CASE tools are uniquely positioned to help DoD contractors in fulfilling the requirements of the standard. This article discusses some of the practical aspects of CASE technology applications in the DoD contracting environment. An example, using Software Requirements Analysis activity, is given.
Multiple Missions of Community Colleges: Conflicting or Complementary?.

From their beginnings in the early 1900s, community colleges have undergone a significant shift in their purpose and mission. Starting primarily as junior colleges with an emphasis on academics, the colleges are now complex institutions taking on a broad array of educational, social, and economic functions. Many community college advocates hail the comprehensiveness of these institutions, arguing that the ever-expanding mission meets a commitment to serve the changing needs of the community. But critics suggest that the colleges have abandoned missions that should form the foundation of a democratic society and have squandered effort and resources in an attempt to “be all things to all people. ” Advocates of both sides of this controversy have compelling arguments. On the one hand, it seems logical that excellence can best be achieved with a precise focus and a clear sense of mission. Yet community colleges have strengths and resources that give them advantages in providing many of the functions that they have taken on. And in many cases, the colleges can use strengths and skills built up in one function to build a solid foundation for new activities. We do not try to resolve this controversy. Rather, we have two objectives. Our first is to clarify some of the underlying assumptions and move us closer to a concrete analysis of the optimal set of missions for the colleges. Despite the passionate and long-standing controversy, little of the discussion is based on concrete evidence of the benefits or costs of combining missions and activities; most conclusions are based on logical arguments and inferences, rather than empirical data and information. Our second objective is to report preliminary findings from a national study of the missions of community colleges. This project involves intensive fieldwork in ten community colleges and five public, regional universities, in five states. The project is designed to explore the extent to which the different functions and missions in the colleges are actually integrated or come into conflict.
Employee share ownership and human capital development: Complementarity in theory and practice

The article examines the relationship between share ownership plans and employer-provided training. It is argued that share ownership plans are conducive to training provision because they help to generate employee commitment and function to lock employees into the firm. By so doing, they lower the risks faced by employers that returns to investments in training may not be realized. Share plans are more flexible for employers than other, more traditional, ways of rewarding employees for investing their human capital in the firm. The relationship between share plans and human capital development is tested empirically using the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey. It is found that the use of share plans and high employee participation in them is associated with high training coverage. Overall, the empirical evidence is supportive of the perspective discussed and developed in this article.
Enhancement Power Gating Technique in Deep Submicron Circuit

Design of complex arithmetic logic circuits considering ground bounce noise, noise immunity, leakage current, active power and area is an important and challenging task in deep submicron circuits. In this paper, a comparative analysis of high performance stacking power gating schemes is done which minimizes the leakage power and provides a way to control the ground bounce noise. The innovative power gating schemes such as stacking power gating, , diode based stacking power gating are analyzed which minimizes the peak of ground bounce noise in transition mode for deep submicron circuits. Further to evaluate the efficiency, the simulation has been done using such high performance power gating schemes. Leakage current comparison of NAND gate without power gating and with power gating scheme is done. Finally it is observed that the leakage current in standby mode is reduced by 87.14% over the conventional power gating. It is also found that in stacking power gating, the ground bounce noise has been reduced by 76.280/0 over the conventional power gating scheme. We have performed simulations using Cadence Spectre in a 90nm standard CMOS technology at room temperature with supply voltage of IV. Finally, a detailed comparative analysis has been carried out to measure the design efficiency of high performance power gating schemes. This analysis provides an effective road map for high performance digital circuit designers who are interested to work with low power application in deep submicron circuits.
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF TAX INCENTIVES FOR INVESTMENT IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: "DOCTORING THE BALL"

Tax incentives can be a useful tool to stimulate investment in developing countries. However, in these countries interest groups often are able to exert considerable influence in its management, if not its design. From a power-based approach to the political economy of tax reform we find how interest groups work within the institutional framework to seek outcomes that best fit their objectives. When unsuccessful, they become powerful advocates of change. These power dynamics have important implications for the design and management of tax incentives in developing economies. Les mesures d’incitations fiscales peuvent etre un outil utile pour stimuler l’investissement dans les pays en developpement. Cependant, dans ces pays, les groupes d’interet sont souvent en mesure d’exercer une influence considerable sur sa gestion, voire sur sa conception. En suivant une approche de l’economie politique de la reforme fiscale basee sur le pouvoir nous trouvons comment les groupes d’interet fonctionnent dans le cadre institutionnel pour obtenir les resultats qui correspondent le mieux a leurs objectifs. Lorsqu’ils echouent, ils deviennent de puissants partisans du changement. Ces dynamiques de pouvoir ont d’importantes implications pour la conception et la gestion des mesures d’incitations fiscales dans les pays en developpement.
Perceptions of Regional Economic Development: Can Win—Lose Become Win—Win?

This study extends previous research that explored the perceptions of economic development decision makers in Illinois regarding regional economic development competition and cooperation.This research project further contributes to an understanding of the interlocal cooperative interactions that exist between and among local governments.The author uses a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews conducted in 2006-2007 of participants within selected regions of Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In 2002, communities participated in cooperative efforts, understood the benefits of cooperation, and expressed a willingness to cooperate in regional economic development efforts, however, the myriad obstacles to cooperation significantly curtailed cooperative efforts; now, the communities examined in Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee have moved to actual cooperative action. Interviewees recognize that they must cooperate to be successful in economic development efforts— suggesting perhaps that economic development previously perceived as an inherently win—lose game has become a win—win arrangement.
A High-Power CMOS Class-D Amplifier for Inductive-Link Medical Transmitters

Powering of medical implants by inductive coupling is an effective technique, which avoids the use of bulky implanted batteries or transcutaneous wires. On the external unit side, class-D and class-E power amplifiers (PAs) are conventionally used, thanks to their high efficiency at high frequencies. The initial specifications driving this study require the use of multiple independent stimulators, which imposes serious constraints on the area and functionality of the external unit. An integrated circuit class-D PA has been designed to provide both small area and enhanced functionality, the latter achieved by the addition of an on-chip (PLL) a dead-time generator and a phase detector. The PA was designed in a 0.18-μm CMOS high-voltage process technology and occupies an area of 9.86 mm2. It works at frequencies up to 14 MHz and 30-V supply and efficiencies higher than 80% are obtained at 14 MHz. The PA is intended for a closed-loop transmitter system that optimizes power delivery to medical implants.