Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The European Monetary System: Credible at Last?

We update tests of the credibility of the EMS exchange rate target zones. Our main methodological innovation is to use a survey of exchange rate forecasts, as well as interest differentials, in measuring exchange rate expectations. We investigate the hypothesis -- suggested by the apparent stabilization of the EMS and by recent institutional developments -- that the EMS target zones have experienced an increase in credibility since their 1987 realignment. The evidence tends to support this hypothesis for most currencies. We also examine the empirical failure of standard target zone models, but find no evidence that it can be attributed to mismeasurement of expectations. Finally, we consider an alternative credibility measure which captures the importance of possible realignments in overall expectations of exchange rate changes.
Valuing Increments and Decrements in Natural Resource Service Flows

A general model for valuation of changes in natural resource service flows, entirely consistent with Hicksian concepts of consumer surplus, is developed. It is a total value model, applicable to all classes of goods: divisible and indivisible in production, divisible and indivisible in consumption, exclusive and nonexclusive. The standard result of partial equilibrium microeconomics—price is equal to value at the margin-may be derived as a special case from this model. An empirical application involving the valuation of changes in the provision of wildlife-related amenities is presented.
Up-Regulation of a Magnesium Transporter Gene OsMGT1 Is Required for Conferring Aluminum Tolerance in Rice1[W][OA]

Magnesium (Mg)-mediated alleviation of aluminum (Al) toxicity has been observed in a number of plant species, but the mechanisms underlying the alleviation are still poorly understood. When a putative rice (Oryza sativa) Mg transporter gene, Oryza sativa MAGNESIUM TRANSPORTER1 (OsMGT1), was knocked out, the tolerance to Al, but not to cadmium and lanthanum, was decreased. However, this inhibition could be rescued by addition of 10 μm Mg, but not by the same concentration of barium or strontium. OsMGT1 was expressed in both the roots and shoots in the absence of Al, but the expression only in the roots was rapidly up-regulated by Al. Furthermore, the expression did not respond to low pH and other metals including cadmium and lanthanum, and was regulated by an Al-responsive transcription factor, AL RESISTANCE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1. An investigation of subcellular localization showed that OsMGT1 was localized to the plasma membrane. A short-term (30 min) uptake experiment with stable isotope 25Mg showed that knockout of OsMGT1 resulted in decreased Mg uptake, but that the uptake in the wild type was enhanced by Al. Mg concentration in the cell sap of the root tips was also increased in the wild-type rice, but not in the knockout lines in the presence of Al. A microarray analysis showed that transcripts of genes related to stress were more up- and down-regulated in the knockout lines. Taken together, our results indicate that OsMGT1 is a transporter for Mg uptake in the roots and that up-regulation of this gene is required for conferring Al tolerance in rice by increasing Mg concentration in the cell.
Mining Software Contracts for Software Evolution

Maintenance and evolution are important parts for all successful software projects. In recent years, version control systems have played a key role in software development process. Not only do they provide a means to coordinate programmers, organize and manage source code, but they also persist the evolution history of the source code into their software repositories. Mining software repositories has provided many insights on the evolution of software, both for researchers and practitioners. In this paper we propose that versioned software contracts -- mined from software repositories -- can be a powerful tool for better understanding and supporting software evolution. Tooling support is critical, due to the complexities of configuring, compiling, and running the software to produce meaningful inferred contracts. This paper contributes both techniques and tool support for downloading, building, and analyzing open source software from social coding sites like GitHub. The tool automatically produces a description of software evolution represented by versions of program invariants.
Control of Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin production using antioxidants at different conditions of water activity and pH

Aims: The effect of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), trihydroxybutyrophenone (THB) and propyl paraben (PP) (at concentrations of 1, 10 and 20 mmol l−1) on germination, growth and aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus section Flavi was evaluated.
DISCRIMINATION IN MASS TRANSIT

Abstract Helping to offset the mobility deprivations of the poor should be one of the main goals of transit. Yet, in a number of ways, transit systems have implicitly discrim- inated against this group, which most needs their services. This article examines the nature and extent of various types of inequities in transit finance that harm low- income and minority riders. Through analysis of nationwide, aggregate data for 1978 as well as in-depth studies of individual cities, an assessment is made of the degree to which transit finance inequities represent violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Finally, recommendations are made for policy changes that would reverse or at least mitigate these inequities.
An update on an immune system that goes awry in systemic sclerosis

Purpose of reviewThis review aims to provide an overview of the recent data that emerged, further substantiating the critical role of innate immunity in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Recent findingsDriven by the evidence that newly identified SSc susceptibility genes are predominantly involved in immune regulation, we discuss the aberrant antigen presenting cell (APC) activation observed in the course of disease. In particular, we report the alternate activation of ‘M1’ and ‘M2’ macrophages reflecting different clinical phenotypes and the aberrant Toll-like receptor (TLR) response, whose effect on cytokine production is mostly evident in the early phases of disease; we especially highlight the increasing importance attributed to TLR3-mediated fibrosis. We next discuss the potential role for interferon (IFN) – producing plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in triggering or perpetuating the inflammatory loop caused by TLR hyperactivation, possibly resulting in inflammasome-derived IL-1&bgr;-mediated fibrosis and IL-17 producing T helper cells (Th17) skewing. SummaryWe propose to approach SSc as a multistep immune-mediated disease that is in need of a therapeutic strategy designed to interfere with one or more of these aberrant molecular pathways. Targeting of DCs could be such a target by which dampening the immune system could modify the course of SSc.
Development of the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone in Hainan, China: achievements made and issues to be resolved

This paper focuses on the development of the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone in Sanya, Hainan Province, China. The findings are based on a research in progress, which is mainly, but not exclusively, qualitative and aims at identifying the achievements made in the development process and the issues to be resolved for the future success of the Cultural Tourism Zone. The paper indicates that the zone has the potential to be a successful case of cultural tourism in China given its achievements made so far at the initial development stage. However, a series of issues regarding the zone’s planning and management must be resolved to secure its future success. The paper concludes with the suggestion that a travel ecology approach be applied to the zone’s future development. However, substantial limits to such a community participatory tourism approach may emerge in the application process which is worthy of an in-depth study to draw theoretical and practical implications for similar cases in China and in other developing countries.
?Build it and they will come'- or will they? Choice, policy, paradoxes and the case of NHS treatment centres

At a time when ? choice? is being proposed as the main driver for cultural change and the raising of standards across the public services generally, this paper examines some of the policy issues and arguments involved with reference to one particular organisational innovation being implemented within the ? choice? agenda: National Health Service (NHS) Treatment Centres (TCs). In this context, the paper reveals eight policy paradoxes or contradictions across five dimensions (market, cultural, systems, structural and political) that remain unresolved. We suggest that our findings in relation to the ? paradoxes of choice? in the NHS may have (a) broader implications across other public sector services that are implementing similar policies aimed at maximising consumer choice, and (b) that whilst paradox should not necessarily be viewed as a negative, resolving them does firstly require acknowledgement of their existence and secondly ? opportunities for action and communication? At a time when ? choice? is being proposed as the main driver for cultural change and the raising of standards across the public services generally, this paper examines some of the policy issues and arguments involved with reference to one particular organisational innovation being implemented within the ? choice? agenda: National Health Service (NHS) Treatment Centres (TCs). In this context, the paper reveals eight policy paradoxes or contradictions across five dimensions (market, cultural, systems, structural and political) that remain unresolved. We suggest that our findings in relation to the ? paradoxes of choice? in the NHS may have (a) broader implications across other public sector services that are implementing similar policies aimed at maximising consumer choice, and (b) that whilst paradox should not necessarily be viewed as a negative, resolving them does firstly require acknowledgement of their existence and secondly ? opportunities for action and communication?
Alternative complement pathway activation products in urine and kidneys of patients with ANCA-associated GN.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Previous study revealed that complement activation products of the alternative pathway could be detected in renal specimens of human ANCA-associated vasculitis. The current study aimed to investigate the clinical and pathologic significance of complement activation products in the urine and kidneys of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Renal biopsy specimens from 29 patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis diagnosed at Peking University First Hospital from January of 2008 to December of 2010 were randomly collected. Urine samples from 27 of 29 patients in active stage and 22 ANCA-associated vasculitis patients in complete remission who were independent of the above-mentioned 29 patients were collected. Urine samples from 28 patients with lupus nephritis and 25 healthy individuals were also collected. The renal deposition of Bb, C3d, and C5b-9 were detected by immunohistochemistry. The urinary levels of Bb, C3a, C5a, and soluble C5b-9 were determined by ELISA. RESULTS The deposition, measured by the mean optical density of Bb, which is an alternative complement pathway marker, in glomeruli correlated with the proportion of total crescents (r=0.50, P=0.006), the extent of interstitial infiltrate (r=0.59, P=0.001), interstitial fibrosis (r=0.45, P=0.01), and tubular atrophy (r=0.55, P=0.002), whereas it correlated inversely with the proportion of normal glomeruli (r=-0.49, P=0.008). The urinary levels of Bb, C3a, C5a, and soluble C5b-9 were all significantly higher in active compared with remission stage. The urinary levels of Bb in patients with active ANCA-associated vasculitis correlated with the serum creatinine (r=0.56, P=0.002) and correlated inversely with the proportion of normal glomeruli in renal specimens (r=-0.49, P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS The present study provides additional evidence that complement activation through the alternative pathway occurred in the development of ANCA-associated vasculitis. The renal deposition of Bb and urinary Bb levels were associated with the severity of renal injury.
The influence of HLA‐DRB1*15 on motor cortical pathology in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common and heterogeneous CNS inflammatory demyelinating disease. The HLA‐DRB1 locus may influence clinical outcome. MS cortical pathology is frequent and correlates with measures of clinical disability, including motoric dysfunction that is a predominant feature of disease progression. The influence of HLA‐DRB1*15 on motor cortical pathology is unknown.
Is there a relation between emergency department and inpatient lengths of stay?

INTRODUCTION Emergency departments (EDs) are key entry points to hospital care, and issues of overcrowding and poor patient flow have become a priority in Canada. Studies have sought to determine factors that influence ED wait times in an effort to improve patient flow. We sought to identify the impact of factors such as patient age, triage level, comorbid factor level and sex to determine their effects on length of stay (LOS) and the role that they play in the ED and in an inpatient setting. METHODS We analyzed 2 years of data from 2007 to 2009. We conducted a repeated-measures analysis of variance to measure the effects of age, triage level, comorbid level and sex as they relate to ED and inpatient LOS. RESULTS Our analysis resulted in a final sample of 4743 patient visits. A longer LOS in the ED was correlated with a longer inpatient LOS. Age, comorbidity level and sex were shown to have an influence on LOS. CONCLUSION Continued efforts to further reduce ED LOS are crucial, because this has the potential to influence outcomes, efficiency of EDs and succession to inpatient status, which may affect costs to the health care system. Patient-specific factors need to be considered when formulating and refining policies and processes to improve patient flow.
Mikroelektronische Realisierung von künstlichen neuronalen Netzen/ Microelectronic Realizations of artificial neural networks

Speziell entwickelte Hardware ist die Voraussetzung für die Evaluierung des Nutzens künstlicher neuronaler Netze. Die vielfältigen Formen der mikroelektronischen Realisierung von künstlichen neuronalen Netzen werden den heutigen Anwendungserfordernissen gerecht und erlauben den Entwurf anwendungsspezifischer VLSI-Bausteine. Die sich abzeichnenden neuronalen Einsatzgebiete bei autonomen Robotern oder Mensch-MaschineSchnittstellen erfordern jedoch die Integrationsdichten der nächsten Technologie-Generation.
Syphilis in Renaissance Europe: rapid evolution of an introduced sexually transmitted disease?

When syphilis first appeared in Europe in 1495, it was an acute and extremely unpleasant disease. After only a few years it was less severe than it once was, and it changed over the next 50 years into a milder, chronic disease. The severe early symptoms may have been the result of the disease being introduced into a new host population without any resistance mechanisms, but the change in virulence is most likely to have happened because of selection favouring milder strains of the pathogen. The symptoms of the virulent early disease were both debilitating and obvious to potential sexual partners of the infected, and strains that caused less obvious or painful symptoms would have enjoyed a higher transmission rate.
DISSOLVING STOCK DISCRETENESS WITH SATELLITE TRACKING : BOWHEAD WHALES IN BAFFIN BAY

Nine bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) were instrumented with satellite transmitters in West Greenland in May 2002 and 2003. Transmitters were either encased in steel cans or imbedded in floats attached to wires. Transmitters mounted in steel cans had a high initial failure rate, yet those that were successful provided tracking durations up to seven months. Float tags had a low initial failure rate and initially provided large numbers of positions; however, they had deployment durations of only 2–33 d. All tracked whales departed from West Greenland and headed northwest towards Lancaster Sound in the end of May. Three tags with long tracking durations (197–217 d) recorded movements of whales (1 , 2 ) into December in 2002 and 2003. All of these individuals remained within the Canadian High Arctic or along the east coast of Baffin Island in summer and early fall. By the end of October, all three whales moved rapidly south along the east coast of Baffin Island and entered Hudson Strait, an apparent wintering ground for the population. One of the whales did not visit Isabella Bay on east Baffin Island, the locality used for abundance estimation from photographic reidentification of individuals. The movements of whales tagged in this study raise critical questions about the assumed stock discreteness of bowhead whales in Foxe Basin, Hudson Strait, and Davis Strait and indicate current estimates of abundance are negatively biased.
Accession Countries’ Comparative Advantage in the Internal

We analyse trade between Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and the European Union during 1993-1998 using three methods. First, we calculate the share of intra-industry trade to determine the ex-tent to which two countries trade in similar products. Second, we calculate similarity indices to determine the extent to which the structure of the exports of two countries is similar to a third country. Third, we calculate the revealed comparative advantage of CEE countries in the EU internal market and analyse the results in a two-dimensional space showing relative labour-skills and capital-intensity. We also depict how the factor intensity of comparative advantage has changed since 1993. With this last approach, we find that the comparative advantage of various CEE countries have developed in quite different direc-tions. Some countries have evolved comparative advantage in industries requiring much skilled labour, while others have moved in the opposite direction. This differentiation is also reflected in degrees of capital intensity. A few CEE countries have not shifted in this two-dimensional space.
Under Dual Perspective of Work Exchange and Social Exchange between Leaders and Members in Organization

This paper explored LMX' impact on employees' organizational affective commitment and chose the perceived organizational support as a mediated variable, using structural equation model technology to verify the relationship of them. The results showed that: affection, loyalty and professional respect had a significant impact on affective commitment but the result of contribution is not significant. So work exchange (contribution) was different from social exchange (affect, loyalty and professional respect) in the influence on employee's organizational affective commitment. Perceived organizational support had a mediated effect between the affect exchange and affective commitment in the organization. Leader-member relationship had an important implication on the employee-organization relationships. The exchanges of different dimensions between leaders and members were different no matter for the affected contents of the attitude to the organization of the employee or for the affecting mechanism.
Oligomerization of Hmo1 mediated by box A is essential for DNA binding in vitro and in vivo

Hmo1, a member of HMGB family proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, binds to and regulates the transcription of genes encoding ribosomal RNA and ribosomal proteins. The functional motifs of Hmo1 include two HMG‐like motifs, box A and box B, and a C‐terminal tail. To elucidate the molecular roles of the HMG‐like boxes in DNA binding in vivo, we analyzed the DNA‐binding activity of various Hmo1 mutants using ChIP or reporter assays that enabled us to conveniently detect Hmo1 binding to the promoter of RPS5, a major target gene of Hmo1. Our mutational analyses showed that box B is a bona fide DNA‐binding motif and that it also plays other important roles in cell growth. However, box A, especially its first α‐helix, contributes to DNA binding of Hmo1 by inducing self‐assembly of Hmo1. Intriguingly, box A mediated formation of oligomers of more than two proteins on DNA in vivo. Furthermore, duplication of the box B partially alleviates the requirement for box A. These findings suggest that the principal role of box A is to assemble multiple box B in the appropriate orientation, thereby stabilizing the binding of Hmo1 to DNA and nucleating specific chromosomal architecture on its target genes.
Elucidating Human Phosphatase-Substrate Networks

An online database provides an analysis of human phosphatases and their substrates. Investigating the Flip Side of Phosphorylation Although less studied than their kinase counterparts in the role of phosphorylation in cellular regulation, phosphatases are nevertheless critical players in this dynamic process. Li et al. describe an online resource called DEPOD and the results of their analysis of the human phosphatase-substrate network. The authors present a structure-based classification scheme for the phosphatases that provides insight regarding substrates and enables their prediction. Visualization of the network of substrates and phosphatases reveals multifunctional phosphatases and hub substrates. Mapping of kinase substrates with phosphatase substrates to identify common targets enables predictions of previously unknown phosphatase targets. Thus, this analysis and DEPOD are a useful resource for researchers interested in phosphorylation-mediated regulation. Phosphatases are crucially involved in cellular processes by dephosphorylating cellular components. We describe a structure-based classification scheme for all active human phosphatases that reveals previously unrecognized relationships between them. By collating protein and nonprotein substrates and integrating colocalization and coexpression data, we generated a human phosphatase-substrate network. Analysis of the protein sequences surrounding sites of dephosphorylation suggested that common recognition mechanisms may apply to both kinases and a subset of phosphatases. Analysis of three-dimensional substrate recognition by protein phosphatases revealed preferred domains in the substrates. We identified phosphatases with highly specific substrates and those with less specificity by examining the relationship between phosphatases, kinases, and their shared substrates and showed how this analysis can be used to generate testable hypotheses about phosphatase biological function. DEPOD (human DEPhOsphorylation Database, version 1.0, http://www.DEPOD.org) is an online resource with information about active human phosphatases, their substrates, and the pathways in which they function. The database includes links to kinases and chemical modulators of phosphatase activity and contains a sequence similarity search function for identifying related proteins in other species.
Managing the Dollar: Has the Plaza Agreement Mattered?

This paper considers whether the Plaza Agreement of September 1985 marked the beginning of a fundamental shift in the exchange-rate policy regime for the United States, the former West Germany, and Japan. The paper uses a simple monetary model of the open economy to illustrate how the exchange rate responses to news about the trade balance when the government authorities gear policy toward resolving external imbalances. The paper finds that U.S. dollars exchange rates against the Japanese yen and the West German mark respond strongly to news about the U.S. trade deficit during the period following the Plaza Agreement but not during the period preceding the Agreement. This evidence, evaluated in the context of the simple model, suggests that the Plaza Agreement marked a significant shift toward more active government management of exchange rates. Copyright 1991 by Ohio State University Press.