Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning sequences and structural diversification in developing countries

The article explains structural diversification through the interrelationship between learning by doing and the introduction of new technology. Structural diversification is constrained when learning-by-doing benefits do not spill over across national borders and when the fixed-cost expenditure associated with the introduction of new technology is high. Structural diversification is seen as being the result of dynamic learning sequences where introducing new technology provides learning-by-doing benefits which, however, peter out. once activities associated with the new technology have been repeated many times; new and more sophisticated technology is needed to continue reaping learning effects.
Friedman's "Welfare" Effects

The argument in Section I of his article and the conclusion at its end are both correctly given. Hence no disproof is possible under the assumptions used. Two assumptions which writers on this topic make, either implicitly or explicitly, need to be stated explicitly here. They are (1) that the only change in a relative price is due exclusively to the levy of an excise tax on a given product and (2) that the taxes are so small that no one ceases buying a product completely because of any tax. This latter assumption can be explained graphically by saying that no indifference curve intersects an axis within the area of observation.
Emergence of innovations in services

Along with the ‘servicisation’ of society, innovation in services has become a topical issue. However, analytical and detailed discussion about the nature of service innovations and their emergence is only beginning. This article aims to contribute to this discussion through a theoretical analysis supplemented with findings from two empirical case studies. The theories examined are multi-disciplinary including general service theories, general innovation theories and theories linked to new service development and innovation management. The empirical studies have been carried out in Finland in the fields of real estate and construction services and of knowledge-intensive business services.
Dynamic analysis of chromosome aberrations in three victims of the Tokai-mura criticality accident

Purpose : To investigate the dynamics of chromosome aberrations in the blood cells of three workers severely exposed to neutrons and γ-rays in a criticality accident that occurred in Tokai-mura, Japan, in 1999. Materials and methods : The change with time of the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the three patients was examined using a new analysis to score drug-induced prematurely condensed ring chromosomes (PCC-R) and a conventional metaphase analysis. Results : The frequencies and cellular distributions of PCC-R, dicentrics and rings did not change significantly among the samples obtained at 9-48 h after the accident while the first depletion of lymphocytes occurred. The distributions of these aberrations in the cells of two patients showed a slight overdispersion compared with a Poisson distribution reflecting neutron and non-uniform exposures. The dose-response curve of rings paralleled that of dicentrics, but not PCC-R. The half-lives of PCC-R (8.5 months) and of rings (8.7 months) were shorter than that of dicentrics (13.5 months). Conclusions : In the three patients of the Tokai-mura accident, lymphocytes in the circulating and extravascular pools had reached equilibrium at 9h, and highly damaged lymphocytes did not selectively move away from the circulatory system during the first rapid depletion of lymphocytes after exposure. Data on the in vivo half-life of PCC-R as well as dicentrics and rings obtained in the present study may be useful for retrospective dosimetry.
Ciliary body medulloepithelioma: four cases associated with pleuropulmonary blastoma—a report from the International Pleuropulmonary Blastoma Registry

Background and aims Ciliary body medulloepithelioma (CBME) is a rare embryonal ocular tumour of children under age 10 years. Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a rare embryonal lung tumour in young children and the sentinel disease of the PPB Family Tumour and Dysplasia Syndrome, a distinctive predisposition leading to unusual dysontogenetic-dysplastic and neoplastic conditions in PPB patients and their relatives. Germline mutations of DICER1 gene, a key regulator of gene silencing, underlie this syndrome. CBME occurs with PPB. The authors' aim was to identify CBME cases associated with PPB. Methods The authors evaluated International PPB Registry and literature PPB cases for CBME, including review of pathologic specimens. Results Four CBME were observed among 550–600 PPB cases; three in patients and one in a parent. One CBME was clinically diagnosed; three were confirmed pathologically (one benign teratoid CBME; one benign non-teratoid CBME; one case, details not available). Conclusions These observations suggest that CBME is a manifestation of the tumour predisposition associated with PPB. Paediatric oncologists and ophthalmologists should be aware that CBME can occur in PPB patients or their relatives and that CBME may indicate a hereditable tumour predisposition for a child or family.
Localization of GerAA and GerAC Germination Proteins in the Bacillus subtilis Spore

ABSTRACT The GerAA, -AB, and -AC proteins of the Bacillus subtilis spore are required for the germination response tol-alanine as the sole germinant. They are likely to encode the components of the germination apparatus that respond directly to this germinant, mediating the spore's response; multiple homologues of the gerA genes are found in every spore former so far examined. The gerA operon is expressed in the forespore, and the level of expression of the operon appears to be low. The GerA proteins are predicted to be membrane associated. In an attempt to localize GerA proteins, spores of B. subtilis were broken and fractionated to give integument, membrane, and soluble fractions. Using antibodies that detect Ger proteins specifically, as confirmed by the analysis of strains lacking GerA and the related GerB proteins, the GerAA protein and the GerAC+GerBC protein homologues were localized to the membrane fraction of fragmented spores. The spore-specific penicillin-binding protein PBP5∗, a marker for the outer forespore membrane, was absent from this fraction. Extraction of spores to remove coat layers did not release the GerAC or AA protein from the spores. Both experimental approaches suggest that GerAA and GerAC proteins are located in the inner spore membrane, which forms a boundary around the cellular compartment of the spore. The results provide support for a model of germination in which, in order to initiate germination, germinant has to permeate the coat and cortex of the spore and bind to a germination receptor located in the inner membrane.
On the foundation of performance measures under asymmetric returns

Abstract We examine two performance measures advocated for asymmetric return distributions: the Sortino ratio—originally introduced by Sortino and Price (Sortino F and Price L 1994 J. Investing 59–65)—and a measure based on power utility introduced in Leland (Leland H 1999 Financial Analysts J. 27–36). In particular, we investigate the role of the maximum principle in this context, and assess the conditions under which the measures satisfy it. Our results add further motivation for the use of a modified Sortino ratio, by placing it on a sound theoretical foundation. In this light, we discuss its relative merits compared with alternative approaches.
Corporate cash flow and dividends smoothing: a panel data analysis at Bursa Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate and find out the impact of cash flow on changes in dividend payout decisions among non-financial firms quoted at Bursa Malaysia as compared to earnings. There has been renewed debate in recent finance and accounting literature concerning the key determinants of changes in dividends payout policy decisions in some jurisdictions. The conclusion in some is that firms base their dividend decisions on cash flows rather than published earnings. Design/methodology/approach – The research made use of panel data from 1999 to 2012 at Bursa Malaysia, using generalized method of moments as the main method of analysis. Findings – The research finds that Malaysia non-financial firms consider current earnings more important than current cash flow while making dividends payout decisions, and prior year cash flows are considered more important in dividends decisions than prior year earnings. We also found support for Jensen (1986) in Malaysia on agency the.
Regulation and information asymmetry: Evidence from the performance of industrial and utility firms issuing seasoned equity in the USA

Purpose - This paper seeks to examine the potential for regulation to reduce information asymmetries between firm insiders and outside investors. Design/methodology/approach - Extensive prior research has established that there are substantial effects of information asymmetry in seasoned equity offers (SEOs). The paper tests for a mitigating effect of regulation on such information asymmetries by examining differences in long-run operating performance, changes in that performance, and announcement-period stock returns between unregulated industrial firms and regulated utilities that issue seasoned equity. The authors also segment the samples by firm size, since smaller firms are likely to have greater asymmetries. Findings - Consistent with regulated utility firms having lower levels of information asymmetry, they have superior changes in abnormal operating performance than industrial firms pre- to post-issue and their announcement period returns are significantly less negative. These findings are most pronounced for the smallest firms, firms likely to have the greatest information asymmetries and where regulation could have its greatest effect. Research limitations/implications - The paper does not examine costs of regulation. Thus, future research could seek to measure the cost/benefit trade-off of regulation in reducing information asymmetry. Also, future research could examine cross-sectional differences between different industries and regulated utilities. Practical implications - Regulation reduces information asymmetry. Thus, regulation or mandated disclosure may be appropriate in industries/markets where information asymmetry is severe. Originality/value - This paper is the first to compare the operating performance of regulated and unregulated SEO firms.
RF based underwater wireless sensor network architectures for tracking intruders in 3D space

Acoustic wave based underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs), generally deployed for underwater surveillance, face high challenges while meeting the demand for fast detection and tracking of many modern high-speed submerged intruders. The higher propagation speed of radio frequency (RF) wave keeps the RF based underwater networks into focus for supporting such fast detection requirements. In light of this, this paper proposes two three dimensional (3D) cluster-based UWSN architectures and scrutinizes them for identifying and tracking submerged moving intruders. The UWSN senses the presence of an intruder within the surveillance area and instantaneously transfers the data to an onshore base station (BS) for tracking the intruder. All the communication links from the intruder sensing nodes to the BS are RF based. The BS is also equipped with the essential mathematical tools for identifying and tracking an intruder. Extensive simulations are carried out for evaluating the performance of the deployed architectures in a seawater environment. Accuracy in tracking by the topologies is thoroughly examined in terms of error in estimated travelled distance as well as travelled direction. Influence of various system parameters on the performance is also reasonably analyzed.
Design of drop in type band pass filter with extended stop band

This paper presents the analysis and design of “drop in” band pass filter with extended stop band for wide band microwave front end applications. A compact band pass filter is designed using interdigital topology with stepped impedance resonators (SIRs) in microstrip medium. The quarter wave uniform resonators in the conventional planar interdigital structure are replaced by SIRs to achieve size miniaturization and to increase the stop band region. The proposed filter has been based on circuit models and an experimental filter designed over 3GHz to 4GHz has been made and tested. The measured results show maximum insertion loss of 1.5dB and minimum return loss of 13dB over the required frequency band of operation. Second harmonic band is suppressed to the level better than 35dB. The stop band rejection is better than 25dB up to 10GHz. The drop in filter is compact and measures a size of 10mm × 10mm × 0.635mm.
Recombinant antigens prepared from the urease subunits of Helicobacter spp.: evidence of protection in a mouse model of gastric infection

Urease is an important virulence factor for gastric Helicobacter spp. To elucidate the efficacy of individual urease subunits to act as mucosal immunogens, the genes encoding the respective urease subunits (UreA and UreB) of Helicobacter pylori and Helicobacter felis were cloned in an expression vector (pMAL) and expressed in Escherichia coli cells as translational fusion proteins. The recombinant UreA and UreB proteins were purified by affinity and anion-exchange chromatography techniques and had predicted molecular masses of approximately 68 and 103 kDa, respectively. Western blotting (immunoblotting) studies indicated that the urease components of the fusion proteins were strongly immunogenic and were specifically recognized by polyclonal rabbit anti-Helicobacter sp. sera. The fusion proteins (50 micrograms) were used, in combination with a mucosal adjuvant (cholera toxin), to orogastrically immunize mice against H. felis infection. Gastric tissues from H. felis-challenged mice were assessed by the biopsy urease test and by histology. In mice immunized with recombinant H. felis UreB, 60% of animals (n = 7) were histologically negative for H. felis bacteria after challenge at 17 weeks. This compared with 25% (n = 8) for mice immunized with the heterologous H. pylori UreB antigen. Neither the homologous nor the heterologous UreA subunit elicited protective responses against H. felis infection in mice. The study demonstrated that a recombinant subunit antigen could induce an immunoprotective response against gastric Helicobacter infection.
Essays on habit formation and inflation hedging

The thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 reviews recent contributions on habit formation in the literature and investigates its implications for investors. Chapter 2 revisits the “Floor-Leverage” rule for investors with ratchet consumption preference proposed by Scott and Watson (2011). It shows that the original Floor-Leverage rule is infeasible and has a high probability of bankruptcy and that a relatively inexpensive option strategy can hedge against such bankruptcy risk. Chapter 3 investigates the optimal portfolio and consumption policies for a finite-horizon investor in a life-cycle model with habit formation and inflation. It considers two types of habit formation, real habit formation and nominal habit formation, and shows that the effects of inflation on the optimal strategy are marginal under the former, but substantial under the latter. Chapter 4 studies portfolio choice for a finite-horizon investor whose labor income is cointegrated with inflation. This long-run relationship is crucial for the inflation-hedging property of human capital and the overall portfolio strategy.
Contribution of informal markets to poverty reduction and household food security among street traders in Thulamela local municipality of Vhembe district Limpopo province.

Although the government of South Africa has embarked on various interventions to address problems facing the country, a skewed economic structure, high unemployment rate, chronic poverty and structural household food insecurity continue to represent the country. As a result, many unemployed people and poor households venture into informal street trading to escape these challenges. It is against this background that this study attempts to document the contribution of the informal economy to poverty reduction and household food security. The following objectives were implemented in order to achieve the intention of the study: to document the profile of informal street traders in Thulamela Local Municipality, assessing their knowledge of operating a business and the challenges they face, and to assess the prevalence of household food insecurity amongst households engaged in informal street trading in Thulamela Local Municipality. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to randomly select 100 controlled informal street traders. A mixed research method, field observations, key informants and open-ended and closed questionnaires were used to gather the information. Analysis of the data was done with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The outcomes of the study revealed that informal street traders in Thulamela Local Municipality are 45 years old on average. Most of them live in rural areas in a household that consists of 5.3 family members. The informal street traders were found to have ten years of operating experience and predominantly trading horticultural crops. However, the sector is still confronted with various challenges that are obstructing its growth, profitability and sustainability. Amongst interviewed street traders, 37% were found to be food secure, 14% mildly food insecure, 33% moderately food insecure and 16% severely food insecure. The majority of households were unable to access sufficient food they prefer. Households can be affected by food insecurity in different ways depending on their socio-economic characteristics. Some significant differences were noticed between the socio-economic variables and household food insecurity prevalence categories. The study therefore recommends that policy-makers need to recognise and admit the importance of informal street trading as the number of people venturing into the informal sector accumulating.
A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Alters the Activity of the Renal Na+:Cl- Cotransporter and Reveals a Role for Transmembrane Segment 4 in Chloride and Thiazide Affinity*

The thiazide-sensitive Na+:Cl- cotransporter is the major salt transport pathway in the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney, and a role of this cotransporter in blood pressure homeostasis has been defined by physiological studies on pressure natriuresis and by its involvement in monogenic diseases that feature arterial hypotension or hypertension. Data base analysis revealed that 135 single nucleotide polymorphisms along the human SLC12A3 gene that encodes the Na+:Cl- cotransporter have been reported. Eight are located within the coding region, and one results in a single amino acid change; the residue glycine at the position 264 is changed to alanine (G264A). This residue is located within the fourth transmembrane domain of the predicted structure. Because Gly-264 is a highly conserved residue, we studied the functional properties of this polymorphism by using in vitro mutagenesis and the heterologous expression system in Xenopus laevis oocytes. G264A resulted in a significant and reproducible reduction (∼50%) in 22Na+ uptake when compared with the wild type cotransporter. The affinity for extracellular Cl- and for thiazide diuretics was increased in G264A. Western blot analysis showed similar immunoreactive bands between the wild type and the G264A cotransporters, and confocal images of oocytes injected with enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged wild type and G264A cotransporter showed no differences in the protein surface expression level. These observations suggest that the G264A polymorphism is associated with reduction in the substrate translocation rate of the cotransporter, due to a decrease in the intrinsic activity. Our study also reveals a role of the transmembrane segment 4 in defining the affinity for extracellular Cl- and thiazide diuretics.
Multiphysics Simulation of Electromagnetic Shielding and Thermal Stressing within Ceramic and Silicon Multilayer Packages for RF Applications

A multiphysics finite element method (FEM) based software, COMSOLtrade has been used to simulate coupled electromagnetic shielding and thermal stress issues for system-in-package (SiP) modules. The ceramic and silicon carriers under study have embedded shielding ground planes. Power HEMT RF devices in GaAs technologies are embedded on and within the carrier causing local thermal hotspots. Thermal cooling is performed using thermal vias. The electromagnetic interaction of thermal vias with the embedded ground plane is studied for hole clearance and via size
Asian companies and distribution strategies for Russian markets: case study

Research examines distribution strategies of Asian companies serving the Russian market, and special attention is given to the organisation and arrangement of flows of transportation process. Research is based on two case studies of Asian companies (electric and electronic products logistics operator and automotive manufacturer), both of which have a long experience from operating in this market. Results show that the chief four factors determining logistics management of Asian companies in this environment are: transportation volumes, transportation route, infrastructure used and the warehousing/manufacturing strategy. The completed research work represents a unique and in part seminal study of the activity of Asian companies in Russia.
Text-Independent Speaker Iden tification using Soft Channel Selection in a Multi-Microphone Environment

With the aim of improving speaker identification in a multi-microphone environment, we develop a text-independent speaker identification system. It incorporates soft channel selection before the combination of the identification results obtained by multiple microphones. The results demonstrate that the proposed system achieves high classification accuracy, thereby providing a speech interface for a wide range of potential hands-free applications in a ubiquitous environment.
Long-Term Change in the Nitrogen Cycle of Tropical Forests

The ratio of stable isotopes in leaves and wood reveals an increase in nitrogen availability in Panamanian and Thai tropical forests. Deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) from human activities has large effects on temperate forests where low natural N availability limits productivity but is not known to affect tropical forests where natural N availability is often much greater. Leaf N and the ratio of N isotopes (δ15N) increased substantially in a moist forest in Panama between ~1968 and 2007, as did tree-ring δ15N in a dry forest in Thailand over the past century. A decade of fertilization of a nearby Panamanian forest with N caused similar increases in leaf N and δ15N. Therefore, our results indicate regional increases in N availability due to anthropogenic N deposition. Atmospheric nitrogen dioxide measurements and increased emissions of anthropogenic reactive N over tropical land areas suggest that these changes are widespread in tropical forests.