Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Embryonic expression of an Nkx2‐5/Cre gene using ROSA26 reporter mice

Summary: Nkx2‐5, one of the earliest cardiac‐specific markers in vertebrate embryos, was used as a genetic locus to knock in the Cre recombinase gene by homologous recombination. Offspring resulting from heterozygous Nkx2‐5/Cre mice mated to ROSA26 (R26R) reporter mice provided a model system for following Nkx2‐5 gene activity by β‐galactosidase (β‐gal) activity. β‐gal activity was initially observed in the early cardiac crescent, cardiomyocytes of the looping heart tube, and in the epithelium of the first pharyngeal arch. In later stage embryos (10.5–13.5 days postcoitum, dpc), β‐gal activity was observed in the stomach and spleen, the dorsum of the tongue, and in the condensing primordium of the tooth. The Nkx2‐5/Cre mouse model should provide a useful genetic resource to elucidate the role of loxP manipulated genetic targets in cardiogenesis and other developmental processes. genesis 31:176–180, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Market for New Issues of Municipal Bonds: The Roles of Transparency and Limited Access to Retail Investors

I examine how transparency and interdealer trading affects prices investors pay in municipal bond offerings. Real-time trade reporting for municipal bonds started January 31, 2005. The dispersion of purchase prices fell sharply at that time. There was little impact on average markups for most trades, but they increased for purchases of more than $100,000. Bonds often pass through a series of dealers before being placed with a buy-and-hold investor. As the interdealer trades progress, trade sizes decline and trade prices rise. Markups on investor purchases increase with the amount of interdealer trading before the trade.
Trade Costs Versus Urban Costs: Do Jobs Move to the Suburbs or to the Sticks ?

We analyze how the interplay between urban costs, wage wedges, and trade costs may affect the interregional location of firms as well as the intraurban location, within the central business district or in a secondary employment center (SEC) of the selected region. In this way, we investigate, on the one hand, how trade may affect the internal structure of cities and, on the other hand, how decentralizing the production and consumption of goods to subcenters changes the intensity of trade by allowing large metropolitan areas to maintain their predominance. We show that, despite low commuting costs, SECs may emerge when the urban population is large and communication technologies are efficient, two features that seem to characterize modern economies. Moreover, when trade costs fall from high levels, the economy moves gradually from dispersion to agglomeration, favoring the formation of SECs. However, in an integrating world, the center of a small monocentric city could be more attractive than subcenters of large polycentric cities. Nevertheless, the core retains its predominance through the relative growth of its main center, which occurs at the expense of its subcenters.
School Vouchers and Student Outcomes: Experimental Evidence from Washington, DC

School vouchers are the most contentious form of parental school choice. Vouchers provide government funds that parents can use to send their children to private schools of their choice. Here we examine the empirical question of whether or not a school voucher program in Washington, DC, affected achievement or the rate of high school graduation for participating students. The District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) has operated in the nation’s capital since 2004, funded by a federal government appropriation. Because the program was oversubscribed in its early years of operation, and vouchers were awarded by lottery, we were able to use the “gold standard” evaluation method of a randomized experiment to determine what impacts the OSP had on student outcomes. Our analysis revealed compelling evidence that the DC voucher program had a positive impact on high school graduation rates, suggestive evidence that the program increased reading achievement, and no evidence that it affected math achievement. We discuss the implications of these findings in light of recent policy developments including the reauthorization of the OSP and the enactment or expansion of more than a dozen school voucher or voucher-type programs throughout the United States in 2011 and 2012. C � 2013 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Revisión de la metodología empleada y resultados alcanzados en la investigación sobre actuación medioambiental de la empresa y rendimiento económico (1972-2009)

The "environment" factor has become increasingly important in business management. The relationship between the environmental behavior of the company and its economic performance has been one of the recurring themes of research, especially in the last two decades. However, many gaps still exist in this field of study, such as the lack of a theoretical framework and a methodology that allow reliable research in order to empirically contrast and compare the results of the different studies. Thus, we found that the empirical evidence on this relationship sometimes presents contradictory results. Therefore, this work has two objectives. On the one hand, we review the existing literature in order to identify and systematize the type of studies, the analysis techniques, the key factors of such relationship, the shortcomings and limitations of these studies, etc. trying to throw some light on the sign of the target relation. On the other hand, we look for fostering critical reflection, and we make some suggestions for future research.
Lessons from Forestry for International Environmental Law

This article reflects on the progress of international forest law since 1992 and makes suggestions for related areas of international environmental law, based on insights gained from the international forest regime. To do this, it explores principles of forest law that have emerged since 1992 and analyzes the relationship between national and international law in the context of the forest sector. It then discusses compliance with international forest agreements, concludes that agreements that include incentives for all parties to comply are more likely to be successful than those that do not, and draws from this lessons for lawmakers engaged in the development of related areas of international environmental law, such as international law on biodiversity and habitat protection. In particular, it emphasizes the importance of strengthening the rule of law, improving the implementation of existing agreements and including in new agreements incentives designed to ensure compliance by all parties.
Singapore's image as a tourist destination

The present study seeks to examine the image of Singapore as a tourist destination. A sample of 131 tourists was collected at the Singapore Changi International Airport's two departure halls. In addition to answering a short Likert-scale questionnaire, respondents were asked to describe in their own words the unique aspects of the country. Comparisons of response differences in respect of gender, age groups, educational levels as well as countries of origin were also conducted. Significant perceptual differences were detected with respect to the last three categories. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.
Debate For and Against Euthanasia in the Control of Dog Populations

Dogs share the same environment of humans and play an important role in their ecological adjustment. Since its domestication 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, they have been part of human evolution with increases on its population as humans settle down. Dogs provide social and health benefits to humans but they may also be involved in social conflicts such as bites, zoonosis, destruction of ecosystems, etc. As consequence of its uncontrolled and logarithmic growth on its population, several strategies have been taken in both developed and developing countries. Under these two scenarios, euthanasia is employed as part of the strategy to overcome the surplus of this species. However, ethical issues arise when healthy dogs are killed or methods used for euthanasia are inhumane and against international standards. Besides, euthanasia as a method to control the dog overpopulation has shown to be expensive and ineffective on long term. In humans euthanasia is restricted to compassion or “mercy” killing to relief the patient of an terminal disease or when life become too painful and with poor life expectative. In veterinary medicine the term euthanasia is broader since it also includes healthy animals such as dogs, for elective euthanasia considering owner convenience, reasons of overpopulation, for behavior problems or research purposes. Canine overpopulation arises when uncontrolled breeding of dogs and irresponsible ownership act together. Dogs are promiscuous species by nature and since not a well defined seasonality occurs in this species, are ready to mate all through the year. Owners frequently claim their rights to own a dog but may be reluctant to take care of their responsibilities. If no laws to regulate dog ownership exist or if they exists but are not reinforced, the imminent consequence will be a surplus of the species ending on the streets or shelters. Even in shelters, it is estimated that 2 out of 3 animals entering a shelter won’t have a chance to be adopted and have to be euthanized. Several methods for euthanasia in dogs have been used. Some are recommended by international associations and others are considered illegal in some countries. Barbiturates (pentobarbitone or pentobarbital sodium) are by most the more common used drug for euthanasia in dogs; barbiturates cause deep anesthesia and unconsciousness before leading to respiratory failure. However, in case of anesthetized animals other methods such as Magnesium sulfate, potassium salts, carbon monoxide gas and even captive bolt shots can be administrated. Some inacceptable methods, still used in some countries are the use of
You Are Not in My Boat: Common Fate and Similarity Attractors in Bargaining Settings

Sharing a common fate with some people but not others may affect how economic agents behave within firms and organizations. Recognizing that many bilateral transactions occur both within and between groups sharing some degree of common fate, we present an experimental test of the effect of common fate in bargaining settings. Virtually all subjects differentiating between insiders and outsiders discriminate against outsiders. Within-group cooperation was not increased, but between-group conflict was. We also test, and find support for, theories of similarity-based decision-making. We develop and use a generally applicable technique to understand framing effects, based on identifying similarity attractors.
Does Kinematic Alignment Improve Short-Term Functional Outcomes after Total Knee Arthroplasty Compared with Mechanical Alignment? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract This meta-analysis was conducted to study whether kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improves short-term functional outcomes compared with mechanical alignment without changing the hip–knee–ankle angle. Prospective cohort studies were searched from electronic literature databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase (Ovid interface), and Cochrane Library (Ovid interface). Total 1,159 records were identified. Six trials involving 561 patients were eligible for data extraction and meta-analysis. The included studies recorded outcomes in the follow-up range from 6 to 34 months. Primary outcomes were to assess the functional outcomes in follow-up, and KA group achieved better performance on WOMAC score (mean difference [MD] = −18.82, 95% CI: −16.06 to −5.58), knee function score (MD = 7.23, 95% CI: 0.52–13.94), Oxford knee score (MD = 4.76, 95% CI: 0.40–9.12), and knee range of flexion (MD = 4.48, 95% CI: 2.09–6.86), whereas other parameters including Knee Society score, knee range of extension, VAS pain score, and the occurrence of the complications were without significant difference (p > 0.05). Second outcomes evaluated the perioperative clinic indexes. Our meta-analysis showed that KA group had a shorter time of operation (MD = −15.44, 95% CI: −27.47 to −3.71) and a longer walk distance before discharge (MD = 53.24, 95% CI: 21.32–85.15) when compared with the MA group, whereas the change in hemoglobin, incision length, knee range of flexion before discharge, and length of stays were without significant difference (p > 0.05). Third outcomes were used to analyze the alignment data. Our study showed that KA had larger angles of femoral component and mechanical axis of the femur (MD = −1.95,95% CI: −2.77 to −1.13), tibial component and mechanical axis of tibia (MD = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.43–2.70), anatomic knee angle (MD = −0.72, 95% CI: −1.33 to −0.11), and operative limb alignment (MD = −1.97, 95% CI: −2.50 to −1.45,) compared with the MA group, but the hip–knee–ankle angles between the two groups were similar. KA provided better functional outcomes and better flexion following short-term follow-up of TKA. However, longer-term follow-up and larger sample studies are needed to put into research in the future.
Independent central banks and economic performance

This volume contains a collection of the most important articles on independent central banks and economic performance. The collection is comprehensive and divided into four parts: theoretical foundation of central banks independence, central bank independence, empirical evidence on central bank independence and determinants of central bank independence. The editor has prepared a new introduction discussing the main developments in this field. The volume will be a basic reference source for professors, lecturers, researchers, central bankers and other policy makers interested in studying the fundamental articles on central bank autonomy.
On Interregional Price Differentials

It is often observed that the land value is extremely high in very big cities while commodity prices are not. The objective of this paper is to consider interregional price differentials in a microeconomic framework by explicitly incorporating land for housing, and to conduct an empirical analysis of the interregional differential indices. It is revealed that across regions the CPI varies slightly, per capita income varies more, the housing rent varies still more and the land value varies the most in Japanese cities. I provide microeconomic reasons for the differences in these differentials. JEL Classificiation Numbers: R00, R10.
Stress fiber contributes to rat Schwann cell orientation under magnetic field

This paper examines the role of cytoskeletons, such as stress fibers, on magnetic orientation of Schwann cells after strong magnetic field exposure (8-T in maximum). Schwann cells were cultured from dissected sciatic nerves of neonatal rats. Schwann cells oriented parallel to the magnetic field after 60 h of more than 4-T magnetic field exposure. Actin fibers oriented in the direction of the magnetic field after 60 h of 8-T magnetic field exposure but randomly oriented without magnetic field. Orientation of Schwann cells was not observed by inhibiting stress fiber formation using Y-27632, an inhibitor of small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPase) Rho-associated kinase. Our results indicate that the magnetic field elicits reorientation of actin fibers through Rho kinase to allow a response to magnetic orientation of Schwann cells.
Economic Implications of Bull and Bear Regimes in UK Stock and Bond Returns

This paper presents evidence of persistent 'bull' and 'bear' regimes in UK stock and bond returns and considers their economic implications from the perspective of an investor's portfolio allocation. We find that the perceived state probability has a large effect on the optimal asset allocation, particularly at short investment horizons. If ignored, the presence of such regimes gives rise to substantial welfare costs. Parameter estimation uncertainty, while clearly important, does not overturn the conclusion that predictability in the return distribution linked to the presence of bull and bear states has a significant effect on investors' strategic asset allocation. Copyright 2005 Royal Economic Society.
Recursive MVDR for direction finding using circular arrays

Digital beamforming is one of the important topics in wireless communication systems. The goal of beamforming is to detect the arriving angles of various sources such that the direction of arrivals (DOA) for different signals can be determined for further process. For direction finding, traditional minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer provides a straightforward approach in solving this problem. The approach of MVDR is based on optimum filtering and spectrum analysis. However, the process requires extensive computation to inverse the correlation matrix, which creates major obstacle in real-world applications, especially when the dimensionality is high and matrix is close to singular. On this account, this paper proposes a fast approach to solve the inverse matrix recursively. The process utilizes the earlier part of the recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm, which includes correlation matrix definition and matrix inversion lemma. The order of computational complexity is reduced from O(N3) to O(N2) as compared to the direct calculation of the inverse matrix. Simulation results based on circular array antennas are presented to demonstrate that our approach outperforms regular MVDR computationally at a large scale. Circular array antennas were used as part of an integrated system for future hardware implementation.
Evaluating hedging strategies in the foreign exchange market with the stochastic dominance approach

This study uses stochastic dominance theory, which is distribution free, to evaluate eight foreign exchange hedging strategies for six currencies in terms of US Dollar from 1990 to 2007. Our results show that ‘always hedge’ is the best performing strategy for European currencies such as British Pound, Euro and Swiss Franc. However, the Forward Hedge Rule (hedging when forward rate is at a premium) generally outperforms the other seven strategies for currencies such as Canadian Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar and Japanese Yen. Our results can be a reference for decision makers to design their hedging strategies in the foreign exchange market.
High‐resolution assessment of blood flow in murine RIF‐1 tumors by monitoring uptake of H217O with proton T1ρ‐weighted imaging

Perfusion parameters, such as blood flow, are critical properties of tumors related to angiogenesis, drug delivery, radiosensitivity, bioenergetic status, and steady state levels of metabolites, such as lactate, that have been proposed as indices of tumor response to therapy. The existing MR methods for measuring tumor blood flow (TBF) have limitations related to sensitivity, spatial resolution, or dependence on other physiological properties such as vascular permeability. To address many of these difficulties, this study introduces the use of an 17O‐enriched tracer in conjunction with high‐resolution, indirect MRI to measure TBF. To demonstrate the advantages of this technique, relative TBF was measured in subcutaneous RIF‐1 tumors in C3H mice by monitoring the uptake of H217O with a resolution of 0.16 × 0.31 × 3 mm in 13 sec. At this resolution, tumor heterogeneity with respect to blood flow is clearly visible. Measurement of the tracer arterial input function, which is necessary for determination of absolute blood flow, may be facilitated with improved temporal resolution. Magn Reson Med 49:1–6, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A new perspective on the Plog psychographic system

This research evaluates Plog’s model of allocentricity and psychocentricity in order to test its effectiveness as a predictor of travel behavior. While some of Plog’s psychographic system’s behavioral characteristics were confirmed, the major finding related to the actual visitation patterns of the tested sample’s travel, with the vast majority of the sample’s travel, regardless of the traveler’s Plog classification, to destinations classified as psychocentric. Practical marketing and destination management implications are discussed.
An Intelligent Search Algorithm Based on Skyline Query in Unstructured P2P Systems

Information retrieval has been the important problem of research in unstructured P2P systems. In order to improve the efficiency of the data retrieval, this paper proposed an algorithm for intelligent search based on skyline query technology. Combining the similarity of messages and the hit rate of nodes, a best set of neighbour nodes which was sent messages to was obtained by skyline query technology. The experiment shows that it can obviously reduce the number of messages and advance the efficiency of querying.
Phrase Translation Model Enhanced with Association based Features

In this paper, we propose to enhance the phrase translation model with association measures as new feature functions. These features are estimated on counts of phrase pair co-occurrence and their marginal counts. Four feature functions, namely, Dice coefficient, log-likelihood-ratio, hyper-geometric distribution and link probability are exploited and compared. Experimental results demonstrate that the performance of the phrase translation model can be improved by enhancing it with these association based feature functions. Moreover, we study the correlation between the features to predict the usefulness of a new association feature given the existing features.
Priority Contribution West Nile virus in the New World: potential impacts on bird species

The past five years have seen the arrival and extremely rapid expansion of West Nile virus (WNV) in the Western Hemisphere. The rapid sweep across North America has permitted little time for developing knowledge of the virus's potential impacts on wildlife in the New World. Given this information gap, we here summarize for the ornithological community what is known or can be anticipated for WNV's effect on bird communities in coming years. Our particular focus is on impacts of WNV on the conservation status of birds, the principal vertebrate reservoir for the virus.
Stochastic Quantum Inductive Circuit With Discrete Charge

In this paper, we study the response of an inductive quantum circuit with discrete charge to a stochastic electromotive force. We show that the discreteness of the charge causes a totally different behavior of the quantum circuit with respect to the classical circuit case. In particular, we show that in the case of fluctuating phase of a harmonic voltage source, the mesoscopic circuit would generate a quantum current with the same frequency of the voltage source one. Possible practical applications of mesoscopic circuits could be modeling the Josephson junction as discussed in this paper.
Vaccination with Haemophilus influenzae type b meningococcal protein conjugate vaccine reduces oropharyngeal carriage of Haemophilus influenzae type b among American Indian children

The effect of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) meningococcal protein conjugale vaccine (Hib-OMPC; Merck, Sharp & Dohme) on oropharyngeal (OP) carriage of Hib was evaluated in Navajo and Apache Indian children, who are known to be at high risk for invasive Hib disease. We obtained 1423 OP swabs at well child visits from 1321 children 3 months to 4 years of age: 293 of the swabs were obtained from children before the administration of any Hib-OMPC; 1119 were taken after the primary vaccination series; and 11 after the booster dose. Swabs were tested for the presence of Hib capsular polysaccharide antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Forty of 1423 swabs were positive for Hib. Among the 40 positive swabs 5 (13%) were obtained from children who