Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Industry self‐regulation and adverse selection: a comparison across four trade association programs

In an attempt to avoid costly regulation and liability as a result of externalities, a number of trade associations have promoted industry self-regulation -- the voluntary association of firms to control their collective behavior. However, previous studies have found that without explicit sanctions for malfeasance, such self-regulatory programs are likely to attract more polluting firms. In this paper, we examine four environmental self-regulatory programs in the chemical, textile, and pulp and paper industries. Using a sample of over 4000 firms within these industries, we find evidence that, in at least one program, more polluting firms tended to join, while in another, cleaner firms were more likely to join. We propose that differences in the structure of the programs drive the appearance of this form of adverse selection. In particular, we speculate that only when self-regulatory programs have explicit sanctions for malfeasance may they avoid adverse selection problems.
Australia's Real Exchange Rate--Is It Explained by the Terms of Trade or by Real Interest Differentials?

The authors find weak evidence of a stable relationship between the Australian real exchange rate and the terms of trade from 1969 to 1990. Since the float, the terms of trade and long real interest differentials together help to explain the real exchange rate. The authors' best estimates are that a real exchange rate appreciation of about 0.3 to 0.5 percent is associated with a one percent improvement in the terms of trade, while an appreciation of about 2 to 3.5 percent is associated with an increase of one percentage point in the differential between Australian and world long real interest rates. Copyright 1994 by The Economic Society of Australia.
A new channel estimation model in OFDM system based on improved pilot training sequence

Channel estimation is important to OFDM system coherent-demodulation. Though fading can be partly solved by increasing bandwidth, considering performance and complexity, the general channel estimation algorithms, as MMSE and LS algorithm, are not perfect. Based on the OFDM forward channel statistic model, this paper propose a special pilot training sequence, which, when antenna number is not large, can be used to well estimate the time varying channel. The new pilot training sequence eliminates matrix inverse operation and greatly decreases operation quantity. 16QAM and DMPSK is used in emulation and verifies the new estimated machine.
The human salivary peptide histatin 5 exerts its antifungal activity through the formation of reactive oxygen species

Previous studies have shown that the human salivary antifungal peptide histatin 5 is taken up by Candida albicans cells and associates intracellularly with mitochondria. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the biological consequence of this specific subcellular targeting. Histatin 5 inhibited respiration of isolated C. albicans mitochondria as well as the respiration of intact blastoconidia in a dose and time-dependent manner. A nearly perfect correlation was observed between histatin-induced inhibition of respiration and cell killing with either logarithmic- or stationary-phase cells, but stationary-phase cells were less sensitive. Because nonrespiring yeast cells are insensitive to histatin 5, the potential mechanistic relationship between histatin 5 interference with the respiratory apparatus and cell killing was explored by using an oxygen radical sensitive probe (dihydroethidium). Fluorimetric measurements showed that histatin 5 induced the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C. albicans cells as well as in isolated mitochondria and that ROS levels were highly correlated with cell death. In the presence of an oxygen scavenger (l-cysteine), cell killing and ROS formation were prevented. In addition, the membrane-permeant superoxide dismutase mimetic 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl, abolished histatin-induced ROS formation in isolated mitochondria. In contrast to histatin 5, the conventional inhibitors of the respiratory chain, sodium cyanide or sodium azide, neither induced ROS nor killed yeast cells. These data provide strong evidence for a comprehensive mechanistic model of histatin-5-provoked yeast cell death in which oxygen radical formation is the ultimate and essential step.
Recognizing a Glaucomatous Optic Disc

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy with its hallmark being a characteristic loss of the ganglion cell axons which in turn leads to an excavation of the optic disc. Although optic disc cupping occurs in many other ocular diseases [1] the assessment of the optic nerve head with either optic disc photography or the newer modalities remains of utmost importance in the diagnosis and follow up of the glaucomatous process. The digital stereophotographs allow storage of optic disc photos for future comparison and offer qualitative assessment of the optic nerve head. The new imaging modalities can quantitatively and objectively analyze various param‐ eters of the optic nerve head and the retinal nerve fiber layer in order to discriminate between glaucomatous and nonglaucomatous optic discs. They can also compare scans of the same patient overtime and detect any changes. As glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy patient’s assessment overtime is of paramount importance in order to tract changes and monitor the progression of the disease.
The effects of social capital on the performance of newly founded businesses in Slovenia

The paper explores the impact of entrepreneur's social capital on new venture performance. We adopt a multidimensionality approach of social capital by examining the influence of the different dimensions (structural, relational, cognitive and resource dimension) on new venture performance. In particular, we focus on ventures that are within their first year of operation. The data consists of 300 newly founded businesses. Hypotheses were tested with multiple regression analysis. The results of our study reveal that Slovenian start-ups mostly rely on their strong ties when starting their business. Furthermore, the performance is significantly influenced by the approval of the personal network, representing the cognitive dimension of social capital.
A Modified S-Transform and Random Forests-Based Power Quality Assessment Framework

The proposed work aims at the accurate detection and classification of various single and multiple power quality (PQ) disturbances. To this end, a modified optimal fast discrete Stockwell transform (ST) with random forests (RF) classifier-based PQ detection framework has been proposed in this paper. In modified ST, a single signal-dependent window is introduced, with optimally selected window parameters via energy concentration maximization based constraint optimization. As a result of which accurate time-frequency localization of various PQ events is achieved, with sharper energy concentration. In classification stage, the proposed PQ framework utilizes the RF-based classifier, which follows the bagging approach by random selection of features and data points, at each node, to train the classifier. Decision stumps are used as weak classifiers, and using a simple majority voting of these decision stumps, RF builds a strong classifier. The RF gives less variance and less bias estimation due to injection of randomness into the training phase, and its performance is found to be reasonably immune to input parameter selection. As a result of this, the classification results of the proposed PQ framework are found to be very accurate and quite insensitive to the presence of noise in the data. Various test cases are presented in this paper to clearly demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme. The proposed approach has also been tested on real field data and very promising results have been obtained.
Robust monitoring of turbofan sensors

Bench development tests of new turbofan engines make an important use of sensor measurements to help engineers understand the behavior of new components design. Such tests are expensive and may be completely compromised if any measurement is missing. One of the big challenges about development tests is to minimize the number of sensors as each measurement has a non-negligible cost. However, if we suppress most of the existing redundancy it becomes very important to ensure a nominal working of the surviving sensors. On another hand, development tests are aimed to excite the systems in very specific configurations, often at the edge of the normal operational range, so very specific and original observations are frequent; thus testing if the sensor behaves according to specification is a challenge. Some sensor failures such as harness intermittencies are easy to detect because the fault pattern is specific, but a drift, a bias or even a trend caused by regulation and correction are not easy to highlight. To compensate the context variation, we model each sensor measurement, some models use only context dependencies given by nearby or redundant information and others make use of the temporal relations to consider the time dependency and continuity. The sensor model does not need to be very precise and more specifically it may be limited to specific regimes chosen among the m o s t recurrent configurations, hence improving local robustness. An autoadaptive clusterisation algorithm calibrated on the fly, identifies such recurrent configurations. The sensor models may be updated on line and the quality of each sensor is finally observed by analyzing the evolution of its model parameters or its frequency response for time dependent models. Clearly, the resulting model may be polluted by dependent and potentially faulty measurements, especially on controlled systems. Anyway, from these computations, clues to detect the specific faulty acquisition chains among a set of measurements are given and the methodology proposes an algorithmic correction scheme. The fault diagnostic is implemented in two steps: the detection of a problem, then its localization. The faulty measurement may be replaced by an estimation that corrects the physical observation according to past and validated measurements.
Candidate Selection Procedures, Seniority, and Vote-Seeking Behavior

It has been argued that inclusive and decentralized selection procedures create greater incentives for parliamentarians to enhance their personal reputations. However, while the observable implications of this theory are at the level of individual members, the empirical data often brought to bear on this question to date have been collected at an aggregate level—the partisan bloc or legislative term. Despite some previously positive aggregate results, the author finds no discernible support for the connection between candidate selection procedures and vote-seeking behavior in Israel at the individual parliamentarian level. The author suggests an alternative theory—based on the stage of the legislative career—that explains both individual-level behavior and the aggregate-level trend.
Machine Tools and The Indonesian Engineering Subsector: Consumption Trends and Localisation Efforts

A sharp rise in machine tool imports after 1986 indicates that the Indonesian machinery industry is rapidly expanding. Whereas such buoyant growth gives cause for optimism, firm-level evidence reveals that the import substitution policies pursued in the 1980s have saddled the engineering subsector with a lopsided structure. Infant industry policies were aimed at engineering goods far beyond the technical capabilities of local manufacturers. Consequently, firms operating in infant industries engaged in assembly of imported kits rather than in manufacturing proper; they developed little or no backward linkages with local components makers; and they were unable to attain international price/quality standards.
On the Dynamics of Profit-Led and Wage-Led Growth

This paper examines how variable output and profit share jointly determine investment and saving, while the difference between investment and saving drives the changes in output and profit share. Analysis of the resulting pair of differential equations yields novel implications for the multiplier process. In this more general framework a number of separate strands of the Keynesian-inspired literature can be understood. In particular, the model incorporates both forced saving and profit squeeze to analyse the stability of the dynamical system, and brings out the complex relation between in and out-of-equilibrium profit-led and wage-led regimes.
Shareholder Voting in Director Elections and Initial SOX Section 404 Reports

A primary channel for shareholders to express their dissatisfaction with the board is by withholding their votes in director elections. This study examines the relation between shareholders’ voting in director elections and initial Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Section 404 reports on internal control. We find that the presence of material weaknesses is associated with shareholder voting, but the effect varies between manager directors and audit committee directors. In the manager sample, shareholders react negatively to the existence of material weaknesses by withholding votes. Additional analysis of companies with material weaknesses reveals greater shareholder dissatisfaction when the number of material weaknesses is higher but less dissatisfaction when the company provided early warning disclosure of internal control problems during the fiscal year. By contrast, audit committee directors are not penalized for material weaknesses, but instead these directors are penalized for accounting restatements. Overall, the results provide new insights into the effects of internal control strength and restatements on shareholder voting for directors, and can potentially motivate directors to be more proactive in ensuring the quality of internal controls and the reliability of financial reporting.
Ethnopharmacological Evaluation of Breu Essential Oils from Protium Species Administered by Inhalation

Background Breu is an aromatic oleoresin which has been used by Amazonian traditional communities as a remedy for headaches and migraines by burning and inhaling the smoke produced during its combustion. This study evaluated the antinociceptive and sedative activities of formulations containing breu essential oils administered by inhalation. Methods Five different formulations (A–E) containing breu essential oils were evaluated for their sedative and antinociceptive activities in mice. They were delivered for 20 minutes using an inhalation chamber coupled with a nebulizer and the air inside was collected by static headspace and analyzed by GC-FID. Results All nebulized formulations had similar chemical compositions and major compounds as the original essential oils. None of them resulted in significant increase in response time during the hot plate test. In the formalin test, Formulation E showed a significant inhibition of licking responses in the early (46.8%) and late (60.2%) phases. Formulation B was effective (36.9%) in the first phase and Formulation D (37.9%) in the second. None of the formulations presented sedative effects. Conclusion Breu essential oils, when inhaled, may present antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties without sedation. Additionally, nebulization proved to be an efficient method for administration of formulations containing these essential oils.
Group B streptococcal disease in the era of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND Group B streptococcal infections are a leading cause of neonatal mortality, and they also affect pregnant women and the elderly. Many cases of the disease in newborns can be prevented by the administration of prophylactic intrapartum antibiotics. In the 1990s, prevention efforts increased. In 1996, consensus guidelines recommended use of either a risk-based or a screening-based approach to identify candidates for intrapartum antibiotics. To assess the effects of the preventive efforts, we analyzed trends in the incidence of group B streptococcal disease from 1993 to 1998. METHODS Active, population-based surveillance was conducted in selected counties of eight states. A case was defined by the isolation of group B streptococci from a normally sterile site. Census and live-birth data were used to calculate the race-specific incidence of disease; national projections were adjusted for race. RESULTS Disease in infants less than seven days old accounted for 20 percent of all 7867 group B streptococcal infections. The incidence of early-onset neonatal infections decreased by 65 percent, from 1.7 per 1000 live births in 1993 to 0.6 per 1000 in 1998. The excess incidence of early-onset disease in black infants, as compared with white infants, decreased by 75 percent. Projecting our findings to the entire United States, we estimate that 3900 early-onset infections and 200 neonatal deaths were prevented in 1998 by the use of intrapartum antibiotics. Among pregnant girls and women, the incidence of invasive group B streptococcal disease declined by 21 percent. The incidence among nonpregnant adults did not decline. CONCLUSIONS Over a six-year period, there has been a substantial decline in the incidence of group B streptococcal disease in newborns, including a major reduction in the excess incidence of these infections in black infants. These improvements coincide with the efforts to prevent perinatal disease by the wider use of prophylactic intrapartum antibiotics.
Dynamic Programming based grouping method for RO-PUFs

Key generation is one of the most promising applications of Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs), which requires 100% robust bit streams within each circuit and true randomness among a set of circuits. However, due to the noisy nature of PUFs, it is hard to provide stable outputs under changing environmental conditions, such as supply voltage and temperature. In this work, we have adapted Dynamic Programming (DP) to RO-PUFs for the first time in literature, in order to extract maximum entropy with minimum possible resource usage. Next, the robustness of all output bits is guaranteed even in unstable environmental conditions just by measuring a small subset of circuits prior to shipment. Finally, the efficiency of our method is analyzed and validated experimentally with FPGA implementation.
Distinct Endosomal Trafficking Requirements for Presentation of Autoantigens and Exogenous Lipids by Human CD1d Molecules1

CD1d molecules present both self Ags and microbial lipids to NKT cells. Previous studies have established that CD1d lysosomal trafficking is required for presentation of autoantigens to murine invariant NKT cells. We show in this study that this is not necessary for autoantigen presentation by human CD1d, but significantly affects the presentation of exogenous Ags. Wild-type and tail-deleted CD1d molecules stimulated similar autoreactive responses by human NKT clones, whereas presentation of exogenous lipids by tail-deleted CD1d was highly inefficient. Chloroquine treatment markedly inhibited exogenous Ag presentation by wild-type CD1d transfectants, but did not affect NKT autoreactive responses. Conversely, APC expression of HLA-DRαβ and the invariant chain (Ii) was associated with faster internalization of CD1d into the endocytic system and enhanced CD1d-mediated presentation of exogenous Ags, but did not appear to augment NKT autoreactivity. Knockdown of the Ii by small interfering RNA resulted in reduced CD1d surface expression and slower internalization in HLA-DR+ APCs, but not HLA-DR− APCs, demonstrating a direct effect of MHC/Ii complexes on CD1d trafficking. CD1d-mediated presentation of exogenous Ags was much more efficient in immature dendritic cells, which actively recycle MHC class II molecules through the endocytic system, than in mature dendritic cells that have stabilized MHC class II expression at the cell surface, suggesting a physiological role for MHC/Ii complexes in modulating CD1d function. These results indicate that autoantigens and exogenous lipids are acquired by human CD1d at distinct cellular locations, and that Ii trafficking selectively regulates CD1d-mediated presentation of extracellular Ags.
Statistical methods in psychiatric genetics

Most psychiatric disorders are determined by the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Aetiological research into these complex disorders raises many different questions which require a variety of statistical methods. These include survival analysis for the estimation of morbid risk, structural equation models for the partitioning of phenotypic variances and covariances into genetic and other components, complex segregation analysis to detect loci of major effect, and linkage and association analysis for the localisation and identification of susceptibility genes. Future developments in psychiatric genetics will involve the integration of genetic and epidemiological statistics in order to study the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in the complex pathways which lead to mental disorders.
3,5-Dicarboxypyridinium fluoride

The cation of the title salt, C7H6NO4 +. F−, lies on a twofold rotation axis that passes through the N and 4-C atoms of the pyridine ring; the carboxylic acid substituent features unambiguous carbon–oxygen single and double bonds. The fluoride ion is a hydrogen-bond acceptor to two hydroxy and one amino groups, these O—H⋯F and N—H⋯F hydrogen bonds leading to the formation of a layer structure parallel to the ab plane. The F atom lies on a position of 2 site symmetry.
Presentation of three cases with phyto contact dermatitis caused by Ranunculus and Anthemis genera

Abstract In addition to being used especially in a systematic way, herbal treatments are preferred topically by the elderly population in some rheumatological and dermatological diseases. Although alternative medicine treatments may have beneficial effects, certain plants are known to cause common contact dermatitis. Protoanemonin and sesquiterpene lactones, which are found in such plant types as respectively Ranunculus and Anthemis, often cause contact dermatitis. In this article, three cases of phyto contact dermatitis, which are the result of topical use of plant types of Ranunculus ve Anthemis as an alternative method of treatment due to myalgia or arthralgia, have been presented.
Development of Peptide Transport Activity in Barley Scutellum during Germination.

The scutella separated from nongerminated grains of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Pirkka) took up labeled glycylsarcosine (Gly-Sar), glycylglycine, and leucylleucine at a rate of about 2 nanomoles per scutellum per hour. About 55% of the uptake of Gly-Sar (2 millimolar) was due to nonmediated uptake, but the active component was similar to that operating in the scutella from germinating grains (pH optimum about 4.5, K(m) about 10 millimolar). When the grains were allowed to germinate aseptically on agar, the rate of uptake of Gly-Sar began to increase after a lag of about 5 hours. The increase continued until a maximum value of 70 nanomoles per scutellum per hour (35-fold increase) was attained after 3 days of germination. After this the activity began to decrease slowly. The uptake of glycylglycine and leucylleucine changed in a similar way. When embryo-containing halves of seeds or separated embryos were allowed to germinate for 12 hours on agar containing various inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis, the increase in the peptide uptake activity was completely or partially inhibited. The increase was not affected by removal of the "embryo proper" or endosperm, or by additions of gibberellic or abscisic acid.Root tips and aleurone layers took up Gly-Sar very slowly; the rate of the mediated component of uptake was less than 1% of the uptake by scutella.The preferential localization of the peptide transport system in the scutellum and its rapid development at the beginning of germination strengthen the earlier conclusion that peptide transport plays an essential role in the mobilization of reserve proteins during germination.