Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KERNEL GRAPH CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETS

Graph kernels have been successfully applied to many graph classification problems. Typically, a kernel is first designed, and then an SVM classifier is trained based on the features defined implicitly by this kernel. This two-stage approach decouples data representation from learning, which is suboptimal. On the other hand, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have the capability to learn their own features directly from the raw data during training. Unfortunately, they cannot handle irregular data such as graphs. We address this challenge by using graph kernels to embed meaningful local neighborhoods of the graphs in a continuous vector space. A set of filters is then convolved with these patches, pooled, and the output is then passed to a feedforward network. With limited parameter tuning, our approach outperforms strong baselines on 7 out of 10 benchmark datasets, and reaches comparable performance elsewhere. Code and data are publicly available1.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Mesoblastic Nephroma

Introduction Approximately 2/3 of abdominal masses during fetal and infantile periods are related with renal problems, and most of them are hydronephrosis and multicystic dysplastic kidneys. Although congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) is less than 5% of infantile renal tumors, it is the most frequently seen renal tumor in the first three months of life. Also, it is 80% of renal tumors reported during neonatal period. Congenital mesoblastic nephroma consists of mesenchymal cells and they are generally benign. In this study, we aimed to present and discuss a case that was diagnosed with prenatal CMN in the 35-week-old fetus in our clinic.
EGF modulates expression of STAT5 in mammary epithelial cells.

HC11 mouse mammary epithelial cells are capable of differentiating in vitro. By growing cells in EGF-containing medium, and upon confluence withdrawing EGF, these cells become competent at responding to lactogenic hormone treatment and expressing milk proteins. We found that during proliferation and at confluence STAT5A and STAT5B proteins were expressed at equal levels or with STAT5B being predominant. In competent cells, expression levels of STAT5A and STAT5B increased markedly with STAT5A now being the predominant form, an expression pattern resembling the expression patterns of STAT5 proteins seen during mammary gland differentiation in vivo. This suggests that EGF has a suppressive effect on STAT5 expression, in particular, STAT5A, which we conclude to be mediated through ras/raf/MEK/MAPK pathway and to a lesser extent through a PI3-kinase-mediated pathway. Furthermore, we also found that EGF regulated a nuclear phosphatase capable of dephosphorylating tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT5. Our data show that HC11 cells have retained the expression patterns of STAT5 proteins seen in vivo. This makes HC11 cells useful for studying molecular mechanisms regulating expression of STAT factors and their participation in differentiation processes of mammary gland.
Liquidity and price volatility of cross-listed French stocks

The changes in the volatility and liquidity of French stocks are examined before and after their cross-listing on the German electronic market, the Xetra. The results are mixed in terms of the change in liquidity and volatility of stocks after cross-listing. It is found that for many stocks volatility of stock prices increases and liquidity declines after cross-listing. Furthermore, similar results are obtained when market volatility in the Paris Bourse is controlled for. These results suggest the migration of orders to the Xetra and the deterioration of the quality of the Paris Bourse with the cross listing of French stocks on the German market, especially for those stocks that are continuously traded on the Xetra. These results seem to be against the integration of the French and German markets during the period analysed in this study. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the trading scheme and the characteristics of the stock should be considered in examining the cross-listing effects.
Old City, New Image

Abstract This paper takes a multi-level approach to the analysis of Budapest as a capital city and tourism destination, focusing on the international, European, regional and national elements used in image construction. Drawing on perception studies undertaken by the Hungarian National Tourist Office (2002) and on visitor profiles of budget airline passengers by the Tourist Office of Budapest (2005), the authors will examine the factors that distinguish the city from other national capitals, especially in the CEE region and ‘new’ EU. An analysis will be made of the promotional strategies that are employed at both a national and city level by the HNTO and the TOB in order to position and brand Budapest in an international, European and regional context. Much of the analysis will attempt to ascertain the extent to which Budapest is being promoted as a quintessentially Hungarian city as opposed to a European or global city. The final part of the paper will make recommendations for image creation, branding, and product development.
Contribution of Diurnal and Nocturnal Insects to the Pollination of Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) in Southwestern China

ABSTRACT Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is being increasingly planted worldwide, but questions remain regarding its pollination biology. This study examined the contribution of diurnal and nocturnal insects to the pollination of monoecious J. curcas, through its floral biology, pollination ecology, and foraging behavior of potential pollinators. Nectar production of both male and female flowers peaked in the morning, declined in the afternoon, and rapidly bottomed during the night in all of their anthesis days. The diurnal visitors to the flowers of J. curcas are bees and flies, and the nocturnal visitors are moths. Flowers received significantly more visits by diurnal insects than by nocturnal insects. Through bagging flowers during night or day or both or exclusion, we compared fruit and seed production caused by diurnal and nocturnal pollinators. Both nocturnal and diurnal visitors were successful pollinators. However, flowers exposed only to nocturnal visitors produced less fruits than those exposed only to diurnal visitors. Thus, diurnal pollinators contribute more to seed production by J. curcas at the study site.
The Size and Book-to-Market Effects Revisited *

Fama and French (F&F) factors do not represent pure estimates of the size and book- to-market effects. We argue that the independent sorting procedure underlying the formation of the F&F mimicking portfolios distorts the rankings of US stocks along the size and book-to-market dimensions, causing spurious correlations between the premiums. Replacing independent rankings by conditional ones improves the properties of the individual risk premiums. As a major improvement, the technique delivers less specification errors when pricing passive investment indices.
NIDD, a Novel DHHC-containing Protein, Targets Neuronal Nitric-oxide Synthase (nNOS) to the Synaptic Membrane through a PDZ-dependent Interaction and Regulates nNOS Activity*

Targeting of neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS) to appropriate sites in a cell is mediated by interactions with its PDZ domain and plays an important role in specifying the sites of reaction of nitric oxide (NO) in the central nervous system. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel nNOS-interacting DHHC domain-containing protein with dendritic mRNA (NIDD) (GenBank™ accession number AB098078), which increases nNOS enzyme activity by targeting the nNOS to the synaptic plasma membrane in a PDZ domain-dependent manner. The deduced NIDD protein consisted of 392 amino acid residues and possessed five transmembrane segments, a zinc finger DHHC domain, and a PDZ-binding motif (-EDIV) at its C-terminal tail. In vitro pull-down assays suggested that the C-terminal tail region of NIDD specifically interacted with the PDZ domain of nNOS. The PDZ dependence was confirmed by an experiment using a deletion mutant, and the interaction was further confirmed by co-sedimentation assays using COS-7 cells transfected with NIDD and nNOS. Both NIDD and nNOS were enriched in synaptosome and synaptic plasma membrane fractions and were present in the lipid raft and postsynaptic density fractions in the rat brain. Co-localization of these proteins was also observed by double staining of the proteins in cultured cortical neurons. Thus, NIDD and nNOS were co-localized in the brain, although the colocalizing regions were restricted, as indicated by the distribution of their mRNA expression. Most important, co-transfection of NIDD and nNOS increased NO-producing nNOS activity. These results suggested that NIDD plays an important role in the regulation of the NO signaling pathway at postsynaptic sites through targeting of nNOS to the postsynaptic membrane.
Acute pancreatitis: the substantial human and financial costs

A greater understanding of the natural history of acute pancreatitis combined with greatly improved radiological imaging has led to improvement in the hospital mortality from acute pancreatitis, from around 25–30% to 6–10% in the past 30 years. Moreover, it is now recognised that the first phase of severe acute phase pancreatitis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), during which multiple organ failure and death often supervene. Survival into the second phase may be accompanied by local complications, such as infected pancreatic necrosis, which may be prevented by prophylactic antibiotics and treated by judicious surgery. Intensive care unit costs can be substantial, but might be justified because of the excellent quality of life of survivors. Reduction in multiple organ failure by agents such as lexipafant, an antagonist of platelet activating factor (PAF) (which plays a critical role in generating the SIRS), may contribute to intensive care unit cost containment, as well as reducing the incidence of local complications and deaths from acute pancreatitis. A further improvement in the human and financial costs also requires the centralisation of the management of patients with severe acute pancreatitis, to single hospital units whose concentrated expertise equips them to intervene most effectively in what is still recognised as a highly complex disease.
The role of quality in strategic management

Many organizations treat strategic planning as a confidential exercise. While more and more organizations practice quality improvement initiatives, they fail to see the linkage between quality, productivity and profitability. Therefore, the impact of these improvement efforts does not get integrated into their strategic and business planning processes. Hoshin kanri is an excellent tool for this strategic quality planning exercise.
Bankers’ Compensation and Fair Value Accounting

This paper examines the role of certain fair value accounting (FVA) outcomes in compensation of US bank CEOs. The use of FVA in compensation invites an agency cost--the clawback problem--if cash compensation is based on unrealized profits that may reverse in the future. At the same time FVA may be a good measure of current managerial effort and so be cash compensated. We find evidence consistent with a positive link between CEO cash bonus and fair value (FV) valuation of trading assets, managed for short-term profit, as well as (amongst banks with limited trading exposure) a positive link between CEO pay and FV valuations of available for sale (AFS) assets. We find no evidence that trading income is incrementally compensation relevant, indicating that compensation committees avoided the clawback problem for unrealized trading gains. The paper also provides evidence on the link between FVA outcomes and equity-based pay.
Rupture of the ACL is a devastating knee injury , and in most cases , the correction of disability due to anterior instability and the prevention of secondary degenerative

reconstruction by means of bone-patellar-bone (BTB) autografting is an increasingly popular procedure for the stabillization of ACL-deficient knee (1, 2). The central one-third of the patellar tendon and bony plugs are excised together to increase strength, durability and elasticity (3, 4) and the donor site is allowed to heal by primary intensification. The outcome of ACL reconstruction, using patellar tendon, is usually excellent, but several authors have reported certain complications. Among these, quadriceps weakness, flexion contracture and patello-femoral pain are common (5, 6). Infrapatellar contracture syndrome and patellar tendon J Korean Radiol Soc 2002;46:67-72
Income Shocks and Gender Gaps in Education : Evidence from Uganda

This paper uses exogenous variation in rainfall across districts in Uganda to estimate the causal effects of household income shocks to in children’s enrollment and cognitive skills conditional on gender. I find negative income shocks to have large negative and highly significant effects on female enrollment in primary schools and the effect grows stronger for older girls. The effect on boys’ enrollment is smaller and only marginally significant. Moreover, I find that a negative income shock has an adverse effect on test scores in general and test scores of female students in particular. The results imply that households respond to income shocks by varying the quantity and quality of girls’ education while boys are to a larger extent sheltered – a finding consistent with a model where parents’ values of child labor differ across sexes.
Treatment of Melanoma with 5-Fluorouracil or Dacarbazine In Vitro Sensitizes Cells to Antigen-Specific CTL Lysis through Perforin/Granzyme- and Fas-Mediated Pathways1

Several factors may influence sensitivity of melanoma cells to CTL lysis. One is the avidity of the CTL TCR. A second is that certain cytotoxic drugs have been reported to sensitize cancer cells to CTL lysis through Fas-mediated apoptosis. In this study, we examined whether antineoplastic agents 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and dacarbazine (DTIC) sensitize melanoma cells to lysis of G209 peptide-specific CTL. Our results show that CTL generated from PBMC are HLA-A2 restricted and gp100 specific. Treatment with 5-FU or DTIC sensitized melanoma cells to lysis of G209-specific CTL. Most importantly, 5-FU- or DTIC-treated melanoma cells also became sensitive to low-avidity CTL, which per se are less cytolytic to melanomas. We sought to identify apoptotic pathways mediating this effect. The enhanced cytolysis was mediated through the perforin/granzyme pathway. Although 5-FU up-regulated FasR expression on melanoma cells, sensitization was not blocked by anti-Fas Ab, and the G209-specific CTL was Fas ligand (FasL) negative. However, when G209-specific CTL were stimulated to express FasL, FasL signaling also contributed to enhanced cytolysis. DTIC treatment, which did not increase FasR expression, also sensitized FasL-mediated killing induced by neutralizing anti-Fas Ab. For CD95L-positive G209-specific CTL, the sensitization was primarily mediated through the perforin/granzyme pathway regardless of up-regulation of FasR. The findings demonstrate that cytotoxic drug-mediated sensitization primes both perforin/granzyme and Fas-mediated killing by melanoma-specific CTL. Considering that most of autoreactive antitumor CTL are low avidity, the findings provide experimental basis for understanding cytotoxic and immunologic therapeutic synergy in melanoma.
Attitudes of nurses in Greece towards influenza vaccination.

Aim To explore the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of nurses in Greece towards influenza vaccination. Method Four focus groups were conducted with 30 nurses. Content analysis of the focus group interviews was undertaken. Findings Participants were knowledgeable about influenza and the influenza vaccination. The main reasons given for not being vaccinated were: being in good health, not being susceptible to influenza, thinking it was not needed, concern about its effectiveness, delayed availability and distribution of influenza vaccines, fear of vaccine-induced illness, and lack of support regarding the provision of information on the benefits of influenza immunisation. Conclusion Targeted health education programmes should be developed to overcome misconceptions about influenza vaccination.
Real Exchange Rates in Central and Eastern Europe

In this article, we study the fundamental macroeconomic determinants of both the inflation-based (i.e., CPI) and the tradable price-based (i.e., PPI) real effective exchange rate in five acceding countries from Central and Eastern Europe, that is, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The article is based on the combination of two approaches widely used for transition economies, namely, the behavioral equilibrium exchange rate and the structural vector autoregression. Indeed, a cointegration approach is adopted, and an estimated vector error correction model attempts to connect in a structural way the real effective exchange rate to labor productivity, the relative price of nontradable goods, public deficit, and the current account position. Impulse-response functions are subsequently employed to investigate how shocks in the underlying fundamentals impact on the effective real exchange rates.
Boundary scan as a test solution in microelectronics curricula

Despite the importance of testing, most curricula in microelectronic systems are centered around design activities with marginal treatment of the testing phase. One explanation may be related to a high cost of Automated Test Equipment (ATE) and the lack of MOSIS-like testing infrastructure. Boundary scan provides an economical and hence attractive solution to the testing gap in education. The paper describes a philosophy and experience from the curriculum implemented at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The presented model enables the comparison of testing activities using both classic and boundary scan approaches. For educational purposes, boundary scan testing appears to be sufficient and traditional ATE equipment becomes somewhat redundant.
Monetary policy rules under a fixed exchange rate regime: empirical evidence from China

This article uses an open economy model to estimate, using cointegration and error-correction analysis, China's monetary policy reaction function for the period 1993 to 2003. Alternative inflation-forecast-based (IFB) policy Taylor-type rules for the interest rate are examined and their parameters are estimated. The empirical results support the hypothesis that the central bank of China follows a Taylor-type rule for the interest rate, with the aim of inflation targeting and output smoothing.
IscR Regulates RNase LS Activity by Repressing rnlA Transcription

The Escherichia coli endoribonuclease LS was originally identified as a potential antagonist of bacteriophage T4. When the T4 dmd gene is defective, RNase LS cleaves T4 mRNAs and antagonizes T4 reproduction. This RNase also plays an important role in RNA metabolisms in E. coli. rnlA is an essential gene for RNase LS activity, but the transcriptional regulation of this gene remains to be elucidated. An Fe-S cluster protein, IscR, acts as a transcription factor and controls the expression of genes that are necessary for Fe-S cluster biogenesis. Here, we report that overexpression of IscR suppressed RNase LS activity, causing the loss of antagonist activity against phage T4. This suppressive effect did not require the ligation of Fe-S cluster into IscR. β-Galactosidase reporter assays showed that transcription from an rnlA promoter increased in iscR-deleted cells compared to wild-type cells, and gel-mobility shift assays revealed specific binding of IscR to the rnlA promoter region. RT–PCR analysis demonstrated that endogenous rnlA mRNA was reduced by overexpression of IscR and increased by deletion of iscR. From these results, we conclude that IscR negatively regulates transcription of rnlA and represses RNase LS activity.
Determinants of House Price: A Decision Tree Approach

The hedonic-based regression approach has been utilised extensively to investigate th relationship between house prices and housing characteristics. However, this approach is subject t criticisms arising from potential problems relating to fundamental model assumptions an estimation such as the identification of supply and demand, market disequilibrium, the selectio of independent variables, the choice of functional form of hedonic equation and marke segmentation. This study introduces and utilises an alternative approach-the decision tre approach, which is an important statistical pattern recognition tool. Using the Singapore resal public housing market as a case study, the article demonstrates the usefulness of this techniqu in examining the relationship between house prices and housing characteristics, identifying th significant determinants of housing prices and predicting housing prices. The built tree show that homebuyers are more concerned about the basic housing characteristics of two- and three room flats or four-room flats such as floor area, model type and flat age. However, homebuyer of five-room flats pay more attention to floor level in addition to the basic housin characteristics. In addition, homebuyers of executive apartments are less concerned about basi quantitative characteristics and have higher housing consumption expectations and pay mor attention to 'quality' and service characteristics such as recreational facilities and the livin environment.
Does Corporate Governance Matter? Why the Corporate Performance of Toyota and Canon is Superior to GM and Xerox

In this exploratory comparative study of Toyota/GM and Canon/Xerox, the author purports to explain why the 10-year performance of Toyota and Canon, despite their traditional Japanese primacy on job security, large board size and absence of non-executive directors, is superior to that of their US rivals. The author compares the key stakeholder and the board structure as well as corporate values, culture and strategy of the sample firms and concludes that higher performance is possible without resorting to US-style corporate governance, and proposes that corporate values, culture and strategy are equally vital ingredients of corporate success.
Interest Rate Setting and Inflation Targeting: Evidence of a Nonlinear Taylor Rule for the United Kingdom

We examine potential nonlinear behaviour in the conduct of monetary policy by the Bank of England. We find significant nonlinearity in this policy setting, and in particular that the standard Taylor rule really only begins to bite once expected inflation is significantly above its target. This suggests, for example, that while the stated objective of the Bank of England is to pursue a symmetric inflation target, in practice some degree of asymmetry has crept into interest-rate setting. We argue that, nevertheless, the very predictability of the policy rule, especially when set out in a highly plausible and intuitive nonlinear framework, is perhaps one reason why the United Kingdom has, since the early 1990s, enjoyed price stability combined with relatively strong growth.