Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Australian demographic trends and their implications for housing subsidies

This Positioning Paper is the first output of a project that aims to forecast future housing subsidies that will accompany projected demographic changes and the challenges these trends may pose for the fiscal sustainability of housing policy. Population ageing is a key demographic trend that features strongly in Australia’s future demographic projections and has important implications for the future of Australia’s welfare system, including the role of housing policy in that system. In particular, there are fears that the budgetary cost of housing subsidy arrangements will blow out as the Australian population ages. But there are also wider concerns in this context. Increasing numbers of home owners are approaching retirement with mortgages, and a sizeable number of older mortgagors are dropping out of home ownership, particularly those affected by separation and divorce. So there is now a growing interest in whether the type of housing subsidy required by seniors will change, and the risks this might present for retirement incomes policy. Our forecasts will shed light on these issues by modelling the consequences of demographic trends under different home ownership projections.
Bidirectional WDM Transmission Technique Utilizing Two Identical Sets of Wavelengths for Both Directions Over a Single Fiber

In-band crosstalk due to Rayleigh backscattering (RB) can be avoided in bidirectional wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) transmission systems when using two identical sets of wavelengths in opposite directions over a single fiber. We describe this by using such sets in a disjoint manner and eliminating the RB crosstalk with the help of simple optical edge filters instead of the WDM comb filters previously employed in interleaved bidirectional systems. We also provide a practical application example and describe the power penalty due to the interferometric RB crosstalk, taking into account recent polarized optical noise research because RB light is partially polarized. Numerical results for externally modulated intensity-modulation/direct-detection (IM/DD) optical systems show that the power penalty can be kept less than 0.5 dB with moderate edge filters, even for more than several tens of optically amplified repeater segments
The dengue virus envelope protein induced PAI-1 gene expression via MEK/ERK pathways

Summary Dengue virus (DV) infections cause mild dengue fever or severe life-threatening dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF)/ dengue shock syndrome (DSS). DV-infected patients have high plasma concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor type I (PAI-1). However, the mechanism to cause haemorrhage in DV infections remains poorly understood. In this study, investigation was carried out on the purified recombinant domain III of the envelope glycoprotein of DV serotypes 2 (EIII) and the signalling pathways of EIII leading to PAI-1 gene expression were measured by RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence stain. Reporter gene constructs containing serially 5’-deleted sequences of the proximal human PAI-1 promoter region were constructed and then transfected to Huh7 cells, a human hepatoma cell line, prior to EIII treatment. EIII increased the PAI-1 mRNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner in Huh7 cells. Results showed that U0126, an inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK), almost completely suppressed EIII-induced PAI-1 expression. The results suggest that the MEK/ERK signalling pathways mediate the EIII-dependent induction of PAI-1 gene expression via the proximal promoter region.
Pengaruh Informasi Arus Kas, Laba Akuntansi, Dan Ukuran Perusahaan Terhadap Harga Saham (Studi Empiris Pada Perusahaan LQ 45 Yang Terdaftar di PT. BEI)

This research to know influence cash flow, components cash flow (cash flow from operation activity, cash flow from investment activity, cash flow from financing activity), accounting income, and size of firm to stock price at LQ 45 company listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). This type of research is research into the causative. The population in this research is the LQ 45 company registered in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2009 until 2012. While the sample was determined by the purposive sampling method to obtain a sample of 23 companies.Types of data used is secondary data obtained from www.idx. co.id. The method of analysis used is multiple regression analysis. Based on the results of multiple regression analysis with a significance level of 5%, the results of the study concluded, cash flow from financing activity, accounting income and size of firm has a positif and significant influence to stock price, while cash flow from cash flow, operation activity,and cash flow from investment activity have insignificant influence to stock price. Keywords: Stock price, cash flow from operation activity, cash flow from investment activity, cash flow from financing actyvity, accounting income, size of firm
CDS and bank ownership structures: does the credit side show who advocates more risk?

Purpose - This study aims to investigate whether ownership compositions effect credit risk profiles of banks prior to and during the financial crisis. In detail, this study examines whether more powerful owners of a bank impact the credit risk profile. Design/methodology/approach - The effects of the ownership structure on credit risk are estimated using credit default swap (CDS) spreads. Therefore, 86 global privately held and publicly listed banks from 23 countries are considered in a panel analysis for the period 2005-2008. Findings - The results indicate that banks with a more concentrated ownership structure tend to be riskier, as they have larger CDS spreads. Furthermore, we observe that bank regulation has a negative impact on banks’ credit risk. Larger banks exhibit significantly lower risk than smaller banks. Originality/value - These findings are of high relevance for the respective national regulative environment and for the respective financial institutions themselves. Regulatory bodies have to be aware of whether certain ownership compositions lead to a significant risk factor and which risk indicators exhibit the risk more precisely and in timely fashion.
A Noise Power Ratio Measurement Method for Accurate Estimation of the Error Vector Magnitude

Error vector magnitude (EVM) and noise power ratio (NPR) measurements are well-known approaches to quantify the inband performance of communication systems and their respective components. In contrast to NPR, EVM is an important design specification and is widely adopted by modern communication standards such as 802.11 (WLAN). However, EVM requires full demodulation, whereas NPR excels with simplicity requiring only power measurements in different frequency bands. Consequently, NPR measurements avoid bias due to insufficient synchronization and can be readily adapted to different standards and bandwidths. We argue that NPR-inspired measurements can replace EVM in many practically relevant cases. We show how to set up the signal generation and analysis for power-ratio-based estimation of EVM in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing systems impaired by additive noise, power amplifier nonlinearity, phase noise, and in-phase–quadrature (IQ) imbalance. Our method samples frequency-dependent inband errors via a single measurement and can either include or exclude the effect of IQ mismatch using asymmetric or symmetric stopband locations, respectively. We present measurement results using an 802.11ac PA at different backoffs, corroborating the practicability and accuracy of our method. Using the same measurement chain, the mean absolute deviation from the EVM is less than 0.35 dB.
Functional analysis of CYP2D6.31 variant: Homology modeling suggests possible disruption of redox partner interaction by Arg440His substitution

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is an important human drug‐metabolizing enzyme that exhibits a marked genetic polymorphism. Numerous CYP2D6 alleles have been characterized at a functional level, although the consequences for expression and/or catalytic activity of a substantial number of rare variants remain to be investigated. One such allele, CYP2D6*31, is characterized by mutations encoding three amino acid substitutions: Arg296Cys, Arg440His and Ser486Thr. The identification of this allele in an individual with an apparent in vivo poor metabolizer phenotype prompted us to analyze the functional consequence of these substitutions on enzyme activity using yeast as a heterologous expression system. We demonstrated that the Arg440His substitution, alone or in combination with Arg296Cys and/or Ser486Thr, altered the respective kinetic parameters [Km (μM) and kcat (min−1)] of debrisoquine 4‐hydroxylation (wild‐type, 25; 0.92; variants, 43–68; 0.05–0.11) and dextromethorphan O‐demethylation (wild‐type, 1; 4.72; variants, 12–23; 0.64‐1.43), such that their specificity constants (kcat/Km) were decreased by more than 95% compared to those observed with the wild‐type enzyme. The rates of oxidation of rac‐metoprolol at single substrate concentrations of 40 and 400 μM were also markedly decreased by approximately 90% with each CYP2D6 variant containing the Arg440His substitution. These in vitro data confirm that the CYP2D6*31 allele encodes an enzyme with a severely impaired but residual catalytic activity and, furthermore, that the Arg440His exchange alone is the inactivating mutation. A homology model of CYP2D6 based on the crystal structure of rabbit CYP2C5 locates Arg440 on the proximal surface of the protein. Docking the structure of the FMN domain of human cytochrome P450 reductase to the CYP2D6 model suggests that Arg440 is a key member of a cluster of basic amino acid residues important for reductase binding. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enhanced Imaging Over Complete Circular Apertures

We consider enhanced imaging methods for spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data collected over a complete circular aperture of 360 degrees. Circular SAR has two unique features to its wide-angle non-planar collection geometry. First, it provides wide-angle information about the unisotropic reflectivity of the scattering centers in the scene. Second, unlike the linear collection geometry circular SAR reveals three dimensional information about the location of the scattering centers in the spotlighted area. In this paper, first we review traditional imaging techniques for far-field circular SAR geometries and present a GLRT based three dimensional imaging algorithm matched to limited persistence scatterers. The 3-D resolution of the circular SAR systems are limited by the sparse sampling elevation and the limited persistence of the reflectors in the scene. We employ Cramer-Rao bound analysis to characterize 3-D resolution for circular SAR systems for point targets with limited persistence. Finally ,we present an enhanced imaging algorithms with non-quadratic regularization providing a sparse description of the target scene that is consistent with the collected SAR data with reduced sidelobes.
Zonal Mitigation of Power Quality Using FACTS Devices for Provision of Differentiated Quality of Electricity Supply in Networks With Renewable Generation

This paper presents the concept of provision of differentiated quality of electricity supply based on customers' requirements in distribution networks. To fulfill this concept, five new gap indices are proposed to reflect the satisfaction of the received power-quality (PQ) performance compared to the thresholds which are set based on customers' requirements regarding the performance of individual PQ phenomenon or the aggregated PQ performance. Using these new indices as objective functions, an optimization-based mitigation strategy is proposed to carry out the strategic placement of different flexible ac transmission systems devices based on the analysis of PQ performance and sensitivity analysis. In this methodology, a greedy algorithm is applied to search the optimal mitigation scheme in order to enable the provision of differentiated PQ levels. The feasibility of the proposed mitigation methodology is demonstrated using a large-scale generic distribution network. The advantages and disadvantages of using the proposed indices as the optimization objective functions are also analyzed in this paper.
Who Hosts the Clean Development Mechanism? Determinants of CDM Project Distribution

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) aims to enhance the efficiency of the Kyoto Protocol by providing greenhouse gas emission credits from projects in developing countries. Its unequal distribution among host countries gives rise to both concerns of equity and the question about the volume of carbon credits that can be generated by offset mechanisms. It is expected that more advanced developing countries with greater abatement potential host more CDM projects. The econometric analysis of CDM project distribution finds that economic development and growth, fossil fuel, and renewable energy generation, as well as links to developed countries and institutional quality positively affect the number of projects hosted. Furthermore, more advanced developing countries pursue a higher share of projects without any direct involvement from developed countries.
When Data Exploration and Data Mining meet while Analysing Usage Data of a Course

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are web-based systems that are increasingly used in education. If lecturers want to gain a deeper insight on whether and how students use the learning resources they put at their disposal in a course, user data stored by the LMS needs to be explored. To help explore these data, we have designed and implemented an application called ExtractAndMap [1] that structures and exports all data stored at various places and under various forms by a LMS into a consistent data base that can be used for numerous queries and further data mining. Using queries on the data base it is possible to answer questions like: “how many students have attempted self-evaluation exercise of week 1? ”, “how many students have attempted self-evaluation exercise of week 2? ” and so on, till the end of the semester. When looking at the results it may well be that these numbers diminish as shown in Figure 3 p. 7 in [1].
Simple Synthesis and Characterization of Hexagonal and Ordered Al–MCM–41 from Natural Perlite

Silica reagents are expensive and toxic for use in the synthesis of mesoporous silica materials. It is imperative to take an interest in green silicon sources. In this paper, we report the synthesis of hexagonal and ordered aluminum-containing mesoporous silica materials (Al–MCM–41) from natural perlite mineral without addition of silica or aluminum reagents. A pretreatment process involving acid leaching, alkali leaching, and strongly acidic cation exchange resins treatment was critical to obtain silicon and aluminum sources from natural perlite mineral. The Al–MCM–41 material was synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as the template and subsequent calcination. The resulting mesophase had a hexagonal and ordered mesoporous structure, confirmed by small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Al–MCM–41 material had a high Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) surface area of 1024 m2/g, pore volume of 0.72 cm3/g and an average pore diameter of 2.8 nm with a pore size distribution centered at 2.5 nm. The thermal behavior of the as-synthesized samples during calcination was investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) analysis. The Al–MCM–41 material showed a negative surface charge in aqueous solution with the pH value ranging from 2 to 13. The variations of chemical structures from natural perlite to Al–MCM–41 were traced by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A proposed mechanism for the synthesis of hexagonal and ordered mesoporous silica materials from natural perlite is discussed.
Early Implementation of Video Capsule Enteroscopy in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices and Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a frequent challenge encountered in patients implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), affecting approximately 25% of this population. Many patients have no identifiable source of bleeding after routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy and are labeled as obscure GIB (OGIB). Significant costs and invasive procedures are required to investigate and stop the source of bleeding in these patients. We performed a retrospective analysis at a single tertiary referral center to investigate the diagnostic yield and overall effectiveness of video capsule enteroscopy (VCE) in this population. Eight patients with LVADs underwent nine VCE studies for OGIB. The diagnostic yield was 100%, with intraluminal blood the most common finding. The jejunum was the most common location for pathology detected on VCE. Sixty-seven percent of the studies directly guided further endoscopy with successful cessation of bleeding in 100% of these patients. Finally, after an average follow-up of 46 weeks, the total number of endoscopic procedures and total units of transfused packed red blood cells (pRBC) were significantly less after the patient underwent the VCE study compared with before. Video capsule enteroscopy is a safe and high-yield investigative procedure in this population and should be implemented earlier to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs of care.
Proteome‐wide search for PP2A substrates in fission yeast

PP2A (protein phosphatase 2A) is a major phosphatase in eukaryotic cells that plays an essential role in many processes. PP2A mutations in Schizosaccharomyces pombe result in defects of cell cycle control, cytokinesis and morphogenesis. Which PP2A substrates are responsible for these changes is not known. In this work, we searched for PP2A substrates in S. pombe using two approaches, 2D‐DIGE analysis of PP2A complex mutants and identification of PP2A interacting proteins. In both cases, we used MS to identify proteins of interest. In the DIGE experiment, we compared proteomes of wild‐type S. pombe, deletion of pta2, the phosphoactivator of the PP2A catalytic subunit, and pab1–4, a mutant of B‐type PP2A regulatory subunit. A total of 1742 protein spots were reproducibly resolved by 2D‐DIGE and 51 spots demonstrated significant changes between PP2A mutants and the wild‐type control. MS analysis of these spots identified 27 proteins that include key regulators of glycerol synthesis, carbon metabolism, amino acid biosyntesis, vitamin production, and protein folding. Importantly, we independently identified a subset of these proteins as PP2A binding partners by affinity precipitation, suggesting they may be direct targets of PP2A. We have validated our approach by demonstrating that phosphorylation of Gpd1, a key enzyme in glycerol biogenesis, is regulated by PP2A and that ability of cells to respond to osmotic stress by synthesizing glycerol is compromised in the PP2A mutants. Our work contributes to a better understanding of PP2A function and identifies potential PP2A substrates.
Visitors’ perceived impacts of interpretation on knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions at Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada

Interpretation in protected areas can help reach conservation goals and inspire a new generation of knowledgeable and dedicated park supporters. However, few research projects have examined this connection in a comprehensive manner. This 2011 study evaluated perceived knowledge, interest, appreciation, and advocacy impacts from interpretive programs at Miquelon Lake Provincial Park (MLPP), Alberta, Canada. Of 497 respondents, 19.7% attended an interpretive program. Among attendees, 89% rated the programs as excellent or very good, and most agreed that interpretation increased knowledge about nature (88%), interest in future programs (87%), and appreciation for MLPP (82%). Somewhat fewer but still a majority of attendees agreed that interpretation increased their desire to support AB Parks (71%), their awareness of environmental issues (69%), and their desire to help the environment (61%). Attendees (and nonattendees to a lesser extent) supported the role of interpretation in the park. The key constraints for not attending were lack of awareness, awkward timing, and being too busy. Park interpretation at MLPP appears to generate positive impacts related to the environment, regarding learning, awareness, appreciation, and a desire to help.
Rates of very preterm birth in Europe and neonatal mortality rates

Objective: To estimate the influence of variation in the rate of very preterm delivery on the reported rate of neonatal death in 10 European regions. Design: Comparison of 10 separate geographically defined European populations, from nine European countries, over a 1-year period (7 months in one region). Participants: All births that occurred between 22+0 and 31+6 weeks of gestation in 2003. Main outcome measure: Neonatal death rate adjusted for rate of delivery at this gestation. Results: Rate of delivery of all births at 22+0–31+6 weeks of gestation and live births only were calculated for each region. Two regions had significantly higher rates of very preterm delivery per 1000 births: Trent UK (16.8, 95% CI 15.7 to 17.9) and Northern UK (17.1, 95% CI 15.6 to 18.6); group mean 13.2 (95% CI 12.9 to 13.5). Four regions had rates significantly below the group average: Portugal North (10.7, 95% CI 9.6 to 11.8), Eastern and Central Netherlands (10.6, 95% CI 9.7 to 11.6), Eastern Denmark (11.2, 95% CI 10.1 to 12.4) and Lazio in Italy (11.0, 95% CI 10.1 to 11.9). Similar trends were seen in live birth data. Published rates of neonatal death for each region were then adjusted by applying (a) a standardised rate of very preterm delivery and (b) the existing death rate for babies born at this gestation in the individual region. This produced much greater homogeneity in terms of neonatal mortality. Conclusions: Variation in the rate of very preterm delivery has a major influence on reported neonatal death rates.
Complementary therapies for patients with systemic sclerosis

Patients with systemic sclerosis often seek information regarding complementary and nutrition-based therapy. Some study results have shown that vitamins D and E, probiotics, turmeric, l-arginine, essential fatty acids, broccoli, biofeedback, and acupuncture may be beneficial in systemic sclerosis care. However, large randomized clinical trials have not been conducted. This review summarizes current data regarding various complementary therapies in systemic sclerosis and concludes with recommendations.
T cell activation: in vivo veritas

Phenotypic changes in CD4+ T cells undergoing antigen‐dependent activation were compared in vivo and in vitro. The most obvious difference was in expression of CD25, the alpha chain of the high affinity receptor for IL‐2. High level expression of CD25 in vivo is restricted to a small fraction of the cells at the leading edge of the cell division profile, whereas all activated cells express high levels of CD25 in cultures responding to antigen. Because IL‐2 is known to upregulate expression of CD25 in preactivated T cells, this suggests a difference in IL‐2 exposure in the two responses. A number of other markers, including CD54, show a similar difference in the pattern of expression in vivo and in vitro. Using 6‐colour flow cytometry, it was demonstrated that the small percentage of cells expressing CD25 in vivo coexpresses a very high level of a number of other activation markers, including CD38, CD44 and Ly‐6A/E, suggesting that these may also be upregulated by autocrine IL‐2.