Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular cloning and expression of the spsB gene encoding an essential type I signal peptidase from Staphylococcus aureus

The gene, spsB, encoding a type I signal peptidase has been cloned from the gram-positive eubacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The gene encodes a protein of 191 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 21,692 Da. Comparison of the protein sequence with those of known type I signal peptidases indicates conservation of amino acid residues known to be important or essential for catalytic activity. The enzyme has been expressed to high levels in Escherichia coli and has been demonstrated to possess enzymatic activity against E. coli preproteins in vivo. Experiments whereby the spsB gene was transferred to a plasmid that is temperature sensitive for replication indicate that spsB is an essential gene. We identified an open reading frame immediately upstream of the spsB gene which encodes a type I signal peptidase homolog of 174 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 20,146 Da that is predicted to be devoid of catalytic activity.
Decimal floating point format based on commonly used precision for embedded system applications

The widely used IEEE standards, IEEE 754-1985 based binary floating point format (BFP) and IEEE 754-2008 standard based decimal floating point (DFP) format uses high precision formats, which are generally useful for astronomical or scientific calculations. For simple applications, such a precision is not required and is an additional overhead. In this paper, a new floating point format, named Immanuel decimal floating point format (I-DFP), is presented. I-DFP can be used for embedded system applications, which uses commonly used precision. In I-DFP format, floating point numbers can be represented either in binary or binary coded decimal (BCD). A multiplier based on I-DFP, BCD based number system is developed and is functionally simulated. The multiplier developed is an LUT based BCD multiplier. The synthesis report shows that the multiplier can run with a maximum clock frequency of 198.499 MHz. Comparing the simulation results of I-DFP with the most widely used IEEE 754-1985 BFP format based arithmetic operations, it is concluded that the floating point operations are more accurate with I-DFP. The language used for programming is VHDL, and is synthesised using Xilinx ISE 12.1 design suite. The target device selected is virtex6 family, XC6VLX75T device. The results are obtained using ModelSim SE 6.2C simulator.
Real Power Generation Scheduling to Improve Steady State Stability Limit in the Java-Bali 500kV Interconnection Power System

This paper will discuss about an active power generator scheduling method in order to increase the limit level of steady state systems. Some power generator optimization methods such as Langrange, PLN (Indonesian electricity company) Operation, and the proposed Z-Thevenin-based method will be studied and compared in respect of their steady state aspects. A method proposed in this paper is built upon the thevenin equivalent impedance values between each load respected to each generator. The steady state stability index obtained with the REI DIMO method. This research will review the 500kV-Jawa-Bali interconnection system. The simulation results show that the proposed method has the highest limit level of steady state stability compared to other optimization techniques such as Lagrange, and PLN operation. Thus, the proposed method can be used to create the steady state stability limit of the system especially in the peak load condition.
L'uso delle risorse di proprietà comune: un modello dinamico

1. Introduzione L‘uso collettivo delle risorse naturali, in primo luogo suoli agro-forestali, è stato un fattore importante nell’evoluzione socio economica di molte comunità rurali. La storiografia locale è infatti punteggiata da vicende direttamente o indirettamente legate all’esercizio di diritti collettivi su suoli privati (usi civici) o al governo di terre di proprietà comune (comunanze). La commistione fra diritti pubblici e privati nell’uso dei suoli ha origini antichissime (Forni, 1972; Sereni, 1955) ed è probabilmente legata all’impossibilità pratica di far valere dei diritti di proprietà su tutti i benefici prodotti dalla terra e/o all’opportunità di calibrare le modalità di fruizione dello specifico beneficio alle sue caratteristiche (economie di scala, organizzazione del lavoro, avversione al rischio)’. Dalle origini ad oggi gli usi collettivi hanno subito notevoli modificazioni, tutte rivolte verso una progressiva riduzione del loro ruolo, a favore di una sostanziale privatizzazione (Merlo, 1995). Tale andamento ha varie motivazioni: a) l’affermazione dell’autorità nazionale centrale sul potere locale delle comunità; b) la pressione esercitata dalla grande proprietà fondiaria sulle terre pubbliche2; c) l’opportunità di sgravare i suoli da oneri che ostacolavano la razionale coltivazione (Acerbo, 1 924)3. Le vicende storiche degli usi civici possono essere interpretate anche ana-
Financial document processing based on staff line and description language

Millions of financial transactions take place every day. Associated with them are documents such as bank cheques, payment slips and bills which have to be processed. A great deal of time, effort and money will be saved if they can be entered into the computer and processed automatically. According to the specific characteristics of financial documents, it can be concluded that it is possible to build a system for recognizing specific types of financial documents, instead of a complex and general one aiming at different kinds of documents. In this paper, a financial document recognition prototype system which can process bank cheques, payment slips and bills, is presented. It consists of four major parts: (a) document image acquisition including scanning and binarization, (b) fixed document processing subsystem based on the detection of staff lines, (c) flexible document processing subsystem operating in a form description language (FDL), and (d) character recognition. Numerous experimental results are presented and discussed. >
Deviations from Fundamentals in US and EU Stock Markets: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract A ‘two-stage growth’ discounted cash flow (DCF) model is built to test whether changes in the underlying market fundamentals help to explain movements in stock prices. Empirical results on two samples of US and EU stocks show that the ‘fundamental’ earning price ratio (E/P) explains a significant share of cross-sectional variation of the observed E/P, this impact being stronger in the US market. It is also found that: (i) the fundamental component of the E/P has superior explanatory power than simpler measures of expected earnings growth; (ii) ‘non-fundamental’ components, interpreted as signals reducing asymmetric information (such as firm size, the number of forecasts and the chartist momentum), mitigate the role of the fundamentals; (iii) current deviations from the fundamentals are affected by ex post adjustment of publicly available information in the EU sample. It is argued that differences in regulatory environments and in the composition of investors between the US and EU financial systems may help to explain these comparative findings. Results appear consistent with the ‘market integrity hypothesis’ postulating that reliance on publicly observable fundamentals is higher when insider trading is lower.
Prevalence and secular trend of congenital anomalies in Glasgow, UK

Aim: To describe the epidemiology of congenital anomalies in Glasgow with special reference to secular trends. Methods: The prevalence of congenital anomalies was determined retrospectively in 233 777 births using the Glasgow Register of Congenital Anomalies for the period 1980–97. Results: The total prevalence of congenital anomalies was 324 per 10 000 births, declining by just over a third from 382 per 10 000 births in 1980 to 238 per 10 000 births in 1997. The categories of defects with the highest prevalence were congenital heart disease (50 per 10 000 births), anomalies of limbs (49 per 10 000 births), and digestive system anomalies (47 per 10 000 births). Prevalence in most categories of anomaly declined, including those of the ear (−88%), congenital heart disease (−69%), anomalies of integument (−67%), nervous system anomalies (−61%), anomalies of limb (−54%), and urogenital (including renal) anomalies (−31%). By contrast, there was a significant upward trend for chromosomal anomalies (+50%). Conclusions: Despite the decline in the prevalence of many types of congenital anomaly, around 2.5% of all births in Glasgow were still associated with these disorders in 1997. In attempting to explain the prevalence and secular trend of congenital anomalies in Glasgow, underlying contributing factors require to be considered. These include changes in case ascertainment, antenatal screening, and diagnostic methods.
A frequency shift keying transmitter based on incoherent frequency-to-time mapping for free-space optical communications

A novel frequency shift keying (FSK) transmitter for free-space optical communications based on incoherent frequency-to-time mapping is proposed and demonstrated. In the proposed system, an incoherent broadband optical source is spectrally shaped by an optical filter that has a sinusoidal frequency response and a tunable free spectral range (FSR), and then modulated at a temporal gate. The temporally gated optical signal is sent to a dispersive device to realize frequency-to-time mapping. By switching the FSR of the optical tunable filter that is controlled by a data sequence, a temporal sinusoidal signal with FSK modulation is thus generated after frequency-to-time mapping. The proposed transmitter is experimentally demonstrated. An FSK signal at a bit rate of 700 Mbits/s is experimentally generated.
Capitalisation Changes and Share Price Movements: New Zealand Evidence

This paper examines the reaction of prices on the New Zealand Stock Exchange to the announcement of two classes of capitalisation change: bonus issues and rights issues. The reaction is rapid and unbiased. Capitalisation changes are almost always accompanied by effective dividend increases, which can be interpreted as proxies for relevant parameters of firms' probability distributions of future cash flows. The evidence is consistent with capital market efficiency.
Projected and Perceived Image of Spain as a Tourist Destination for British Travellers

Abstract This paper discusses the concept of tourist destination image, and in particular the relationship between the perceived and projected image of Spain in the British market. The projected image was obtained through an analysis of the principal sources of secondary information on the promotion of Spain, while the perceived image was obtained from a study carried out among 120 British tourists. Evaluation of destination attributes and positioning of Spanish tourist areas provided useful results of the perceived image. Some differences were noted between the projected and the perceived image of Spain. The paper concludes by recommending a consumer-focused orientation in marketing strategies.
ScienceDirect Contemporary Issues in Business , Management and Education 2013 Local agglomeration economies : what impact on multinational and national Italian firms ’ survival ?

The aim of this paper is to analyze the determinants of firm survival devoting special interest to local agglomeration economies and to their different impact on multinational and national Italian manufacturing establishments. We use a large unbalanced micro-panel data set made of 884232 observations including both new and incumbent corporate firms. Data are disaggregated by firm, sector, and province and concern manufacturing firms localized in the 110 Italian provinces over 2002-2010. We employ semi-parametric Cox hazard models to explore the determinants of duration between a firm ́s start-up and its cessation of economic activity focusing on the role of urbanization economies, local industrial clusters, industry specialization, intra and extra-industry variety, respectively for multinational and national firms. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Contemporary Issues in Business, Management and Education conference.
What Makes a Good EU Presidency? Italy and Ireland Compared

What makes a 'good' EU presidency? A comparison between the two most recent Italian and Irish experiences in office can be instrumental in evaluating the crucial factors that affect presidency performance. The argument is developed in three main stages. Firstly, four key roles are selected in order to benchmark presidencies. Secondly, these roles are applied to the empirical record as criteria to devise a score-card of the two presidencies under consideration. Thirdly, presidency-specific factors are elicited and analysed, arguing that intangible assets, such as knowledge of EU affairs (process expertise, content expertise and information); political credibility and reputation; and general attitudes towards European integration, are crucial in performing the roles of president-in-office effectively and legitimately. Copyright 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Patron Assessments of Amusement Park Attributes

This study found that consumers' perceptions of product features is influenced by the context of the features: both the absolute and relative importance of features in overall attractiveness and satisfaction appear to be contextual. Core conditions amusement parks must meet are cleanliness and the presence of nice scenery; water rides and roller coasters are also important, as is an uncrowded family atmosphere. Other features vary in importance.
Regional Influences on U.S. Monetary Policy: Some Implications For Europe

This paper looks at the monetary policy decisions of the U.S. Federal Reserve and asks whether those decisions have been influenced solely by national concerns, or whether regional factors have played a role. All of the Federal Reserve's policymakers have some regional identity, i.e., either their positions explicitly carry some regional affiliation or their region of origin is a factor that must be considered in the selection process. This research is relevant for the Fed, and it may also be relevant for Europe's fledgling central bank in Frankfurt. Critics have asserted that ECB policymakers have an incentive to base policy on national developments and respond to national political pressures. We find that Fed policymakers do take into account developments in regional unemployment when deciding monetary policy, and that these regional developments are more important for central bankers at the hub than in the spokes. These findings are robust to a variety of different specifications of the voting equation.
Evaluation of phage treatment as a strategy to reduce Salmonella populations in growing swine.

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogenic bacterium that causes human illnesses and morbidity and mortality in swine. Bacteriophages are viruses that prey on bacteria and are naturally found in many microbial environments, including the gut of food animals, and have been suggested as a potential intervention strategy to reduce Salmonella levels in the live animal. The present study was designed to determine if anti-Salmonella phages isolated from the feces of commercial finishing swine could reduce gastrointestinal populations of the foodborne pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium in artificially inoculated swine. Weaned pigs (n = 48) were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (control or phage-treated). Each pig was inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium (2 × 10(10) colony forming units/pig) via oral gavage at 0 h and fecal samples were collected every 24 h. Swine were inoculated with a phage cocktail via oral gavage (3 × 10(9) plaque forming units) at 24 and 48 h. Pigs were humanely killed at 96 h, and cecal and rectal intestinal contents were collected for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Fecal Salmonella populations in phage-treated pigs were lower (p < 0.09) than controls after 48 h. Phage treatment reduced intestinal populations of inoculated Salmonella Typhimurium in pigs compared to controls at necropsy. Cecal populations were reduced (p = 0.07) by phage treatment >1.4 log(10) colony forming units/g digesta, and rectal populations were numerically reduced. The number of pigs that contained inoculated Salmonella Typhimurium was reduced by phage treatment, but a significant (p < 0.05) reduction was only observed in the rectum. We conclude that phages can be a viable tool to reduce Salmonella in swine. Further research needs to be performed to determine the most efficacious dosing regimens and the most effective combinations of phages targeting the diverse Salmonella population found in swine before they can enter the food supply.
Outcome of occupational asthma after cessation of exposure: a systematic review

Background: Patients with occupational asthma, and their medical advisers, need valid information about the prognosis of their disease. Methods: A systematic review of the published literature on the symptomatic and functional outcomes of occupational asthma was carried out after avoidance of exposure to the causative agent. Through a full search of electronic and bibliographic sources, original studies documenting complete recovery from asthma (n = 39,1681 patients) or improvement in non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness (NSBHR; n = 28,695 patients) were identified. The median duration of follow-up was 31 (range 6–240) months for studies of symptomatic recovery and 37 (6–240) months for studies of NSBHR. Most studies were of patients recruited from special clinics. Results: Reported rates of symptomatic recovery varied from 0% to 100%, with a pooled estimate of 32% (95% CI 26% to 38%). These rates were lower with increasing age (p = 0.019) and among clinic based populations (p = 0.053). Patients with the shortest durations of exposure (⩽76 months) had the highest rate of recovery (36%; 95% CI 25% to 50%), but the effect was not linear. The pooled prevalence of persistent NSBHR at follow-up was 73% (95% CI 66% to 79%). This figure was higher among patients whose disease was due to high-molecular-weight agents (p = 0.006) and, less clearly, those from clinic-based populations (p = 0.561). In between-study comparisons, no clear patterns of improvement relating to total duration of exposure or follow-up were found. From within-study comparisons there was some evidence that a shorter duration of symptoms was associated with a higher rate of symptomatic recovery. Conclusion: The available data on the prognosis of occupational asthma are insufficiently consistent to allow confident advice to be given to patients with the disease. Clinicians and epidemiologists with an interest in this disease should consider a collaborative and carefully standardised study of the prognosis of occupational asthma.
Eastern Europe: the EU’s frontier – incorporation or regime competition?

This paper looks at some aspects of trade and investment relations between the EU and the countries of central and eastern Europe (CEEC). The approach used is based on a model of trade with, and development of, a frontier by a metropolitan economy developed by Ronald Findlay. Findlay’s model posits the existence of a monopolised supply of an input to the metropolitan economy. Development of the frontier enables the metropolitan economy to break the monopoly. The expansion of outward processing trade between the EU and the CEEC, a form of intra‐industry trade, is a notable feature of economic relations in Europe since the fall of the Soviet empire. This is modelled in the paper as a device whereby a supply side constraint (labour market restrictions) within the EU is relaxed by vertical disintegration of production and relocation outside the EU. This in turn has implications for the incorporation of the CEEC in the EU. While they remain outside the EU they provide regime competition, particularly in the area of labour market policy. The income distribution implications of this competition provides a political basis for moves to extend membership of the EU on the basis of the CEEC’s adopting the acquis communautaire.
Bridging the Sciences of Mindfulness and Romantic Relationships

Research on mindfulness, defined as paying conscious and non-judgmental attention to present-moment experiences, has increased rapidly in the past decade but has focused almost entirely on the benefits of mindfulness for individual well-being. This article considers the role of mindfulness in romantic relationships. Although strong claims have been made about the potentially powerful role of mindfulness in creating better relationships, it is less clear whether, when, and how this may occur. This article integrates the literatures on mindfulness and romantic relationship science, and sketches a theory-driven model and future research agenda to test possible pathways of when and how mindfulness may affect romantic relationship functioning. We review some initial direct and indirect evidence relevant to the proposed model. Finally, we discuss the implications of how studying mindfulness may further our understanding of romantic relationship (dys)functioning, and how mindfulness may be a promising and effective tool in couple interventions.
Banking: Interest Spread, Inelastic Deposit Supply, and Mergers

Interest spread, the difference between what a bank earns on its assets and what it pays on its liabilities, has been on an upward trend during the last few years: during 2005 the average interest spread of the banking sector has increased by 2.14 percent. An increase in the interest spread implies that either the depositor or the borrower or both stand to loose. In the context of developing economies, the lack of alternate avenues of financial intermediation aggravates the adverse impact of increase in spread. Interest spread also has implications for the effectiveness of the bank lending channel. For example, with a commitment to market based monetary policy, the central bank influences the yield on treasury bills (T. bill hereafter) that in turn affects the deposit and lending rates. The change in these rates influences the cost of capital that in turn affects the level of consumption and investment in the economy. If the pass-through of the changes in yield on T. bill rate to the deposit and lending rates is asymmetric then this changes the spread, for better or worse, depending upon the nature of asymmetry. If the increase in spread is due to lower return to depositors then this discourages savings; alternatively if it is due to higher charge on loans, investment decisions are affected. In either case the increase in spread has an adverse bearing upon the effectiveness of bank lending channel of monetary policy and has therefore important implications for the economy. This paper explores the determinants of interest spread in Pakistan focusing in particular on inelasticity of deposits supply to the banks and industry concentration.