Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Housing and Location Choices of Immigrants in France

Our study examines the empirical links between social housing policy and location choices of immigrants in France. More specifically, we characterize the main individual and contextual determinants of the probability for immigrants to live in a HLM (habitations a loyer modere, dwelling with a moderate rent), which is the main public housing policy in France. For that purpose, we use individual information coming from large (one-fourth) extracts of the French population censuses conducted by INSEE (Paris) in 1982, 1990, and 1999. Our estimates show that, in general, migrants live more frequently in social housing than French natives, other observables being equal. In particular, this probability is higher for migrants from Turkey, Morocco, Southeast Asia, Algeria, Tunisia and Sub-Saharan Africa (in descending order). We find also that migrants of all origins live less often in a HLM when the city has plenty of social housing and when the fraction of natives is high.
A novel cognitive architecture for simulated robots in an artificial world

This paper presents a novel cognitive architecture for simulated autonomous robots in an artificial world. The design principle of the architecture enables the robotic system to both react to the world and perform premeditated actions. The cognitive architecture is a modular structure composed of a number of multilevel interconnected components, each with distributed, module-specific memory. The modular structure allows for simple portability of the architecture across a variety of robotic platforms. The behavior of the robot is based on the automatic creation of composite behavior from a set of predefined atomic behaviors. Facts about the world are discovered as the robot performs its tasks. An autonomous robot embedded within an artificial world (named Machina Cogitans) is equipped with this architecture, and a number of experiments are presented. <<ETX>>
Notice of Retraction Exploring successful International Human Resource Management: Past, present, and future directions

This paper is dedicated to helping develop the understanding and competencies necessary for HR managers to succeed. Additionally, this paper aims to review the most important aspects of International Human Resource Management, (IHRM), such as the development of IHRM, IHRM vs. domestic HRM, successful localization, and talent management in IHRM. Finally this paper discusses issues that are likely to gain importance in the IHRM field in the near future.
Financial Contagion in South Asia: An EGARCH Approach

This study examines financial contagion in stock markets of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan during various financial crises. These markets represent a significant part of South Asian economies; therefore, the results obtained can be generalized to the region. The paper employs an Exponential GARCH model in an event study approach. Empirical analysis reveals that none of the studied markets experienced excess volatility during South East Asian crisis of 1997 but all of them experienced higher volatility in response to global financial crisis of 2008. The Indian market started showing signs of being affected by volatility transmission earlier than markets in the smaller South Asian countries. The overall patterns of results suggest that in future contagion effects are more likely to influence these markets. Moreover, the negative shocks that originate elsewhere are expected to more than proportionately impact volatility in the bourses in the region.
The Effect of CEO Power on the Informativeness of Stock Prices: An Empirical Note

Motivated by agency theory, we explore how powerful CEOs influence the extent of stock price informativeness. Using idiosyncratic volatility to measure stock price informativeness, we find that firms with more powerful CEOs experience a more opaque information environment. This is consistent with the notion that more powerful CEOs tend to be more entrenched and are more likely to take actions that do not maximize shareholders’ wealth. To conceal their opportunistic actions, they are less likely to disclose information, resulting in more information asymmetry and therefore lower stock price informativeness. Our additional results based on propensity score matching also confirm the conclusion.
Crowdsourcing and its application in marketing activities

ABSTRACT Crowdsourcing is a newly developed term which refers to the process of outsourcing of activities by a firm to an online community or crowd in the form of an ‘open call’. Any member of the crowd can then complete an assigned task and be paid for their efforts. Although this form of labour organisation was pioneered in the computing sector, businesses have started to use ‘crowdsourcing’ for a diverse range of tasks that they find can be better completed by members of a crowd rather than by their own employees. This paper examines how firms are utilising crowdsourcing for the completion of marketing-related tasks, concentrating on the three broad areas of product development, advertising and promotion, and marketing research. It is found that some firms are using crowdsourcing to locate large numbers of individuals willing to complete largely menial repetitive tasks for limited financial compensation. Other firms utilise crowdsourcing to solicit solutions to particular tasks from a crowd of diverse and/or expert opinions. Conclusions are drawn regarding the advantages and the limitations of crowdsourcing and the potential for the future use of crowdsourcing in additional marketing-related applications. Keywords: Crowdsourcing, Outsourcing, Wikinomics
Regulation of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 E7 Activity through Direct Protein Interaction with the E2 Transcriptional Activator

ABSTRACT In order to ensure a productive life cycle, human papillomaviruses (HPVs) require fine regulation of their gene products. Uncontrolled activity of the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 results in the immortalization of the infected epithelial cells and thus prevents the production of mature virions. Ectopically expressed E2 has been shown to suppress transcription of the HPV E6 and E7 region in cell lines where the viral DNA is integrated into the host genome, resulting in growth inhibition. However, it has been demonstrated that growth control of these cell lines can also occur independently of HPV E2 transcriptional activity in high-risk HPV types. In addition, E2 is unable to suppress transcription of the same region in cell lines derived from cervical tumors that harbor only episomal copies of the viral DNA. Here we show that HPV type 16 (HPV-16) E2 is capable of inhibiting HPV-16 E7 cooperation with an activated ras oncogene in the transformation of primary rodent cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate a direct interaction between the E2 and E7 proteins which requires the hinge region of E2 and the zinc-binding domain of E7. These viral proteins interact in vivo, and E2 has a marked effect upon both the stability of E7 and its cellular location, where it is responsible for recruiting E7 onto mitotic chromosomes at the later stages of mitosis. These results demonstrate a direct role for E2 in regulating the function of E7 and suggest an important role for E2 in directing E7 localization during mitosis.
Infection risk associated with anti-TNF-α agents: a review

Introduction: TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine known to a have a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic immune-mediated diseases. TNF-α inhibitors can be administered either as monotherapy or in combination with other anti-inflammatory or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to treat chronic immune-mediated diseases. Areas covered: Patients receiving TNF-α inhibitors are at high risk of infections. Based on our experience, in this paper, we discuss the risk of infections associated with the administration of TNF-α inhibitors and the strategies for mitigating against the development of these serious adverse events. Expert opinion: Infliximab more so than etanercept appears to be responsible for the increased risk of infections. Re-activation of latent tuberculosis (LTB) infection and the overall risk of opportunistic infections should be considered before beginning TNF-α inhibitor therapy. A careful medical history, Mantoux test and chest-x-ray should always be performed before prescribing TNF-α inhibitors. Particular attention should be paid to risk factors for Pneumocystis jirovecii infection. Hepatitis B and C virological follow-up should be considered during TNF-α inhibitor treatment. Finally, patients who are at high risk of herpes zoster (HZ) reactivation would benefit from a second vaccination in adulthood when receiving TNF-α inhibitors.
The role of lateral gene transfer in the evolution of isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is a major force in microbial genome evolution. Here, we present an overview of lateral transfers affecting genes involved in isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) synthesis. Two alternative metabolic pathways can synthesize this universal precursor of isoprenoids, the 1‐deoxy‐d‐xylulose 5‐phosphate (DOXP) pathway and the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. We have surveyed recent genomic data and the biochemical literature to determine the distribution of the genes composing these pathways within the bacterial domain. The scattered distribution observed is incompatible with a simple scheme of vertical transmission. LGT (among and between bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes) more parsimoniously explains many features of this pattern. This alternative scenario is supported by phylogenetic analyses, which unambiguously confirm several cases of lateral transfer. Available biochemical data allow the formulation of hypotheses about selective pressures favouring transfer. The phylogenetic diversity of the organisms involved and the range of possible causes and effects of these transfer events make the IPP biosynthetic pathways an ideal system for studying the evolutionary role of LGT.
CNAP – Evolution of Continuous Non-Invasive Arterial Blood Pressure Monitoring

Blood pressure (BP) is one of the most important cardiovascular parameters in nearly every care area. A method for continuous non-invasive arterial pressure (CNAP) monitoring is described. CNAP is especially designed for perioperative, critical and emergency care. It concentrates on the clinically important BPinformation such as absolute BP and BP-changes as well as physiological BP-rhythms and BP-waveforms, where other hemodynamic parameters like cardiac output (CO) and dynamic fluid management parameters (e.g. pulse pressure variation PPV) can be derived. For this kind of hemodynamic information, tailor-made mechanisms have been developed. Recent validation studies underline accuracy and clinical acceptance of the CNAP technology.
Tunable laser and modulator for pluggable coherent transcerivers

We developed a tunable TDA-CSG-DR laser and an InP-based DP-IQ modulator intended for pluggable coherent transceiver applications. The fabricated TDA-CSG-DR laser achieves narrow linewidth of less than 300 kHz and high fiber output power of more than +17 dBm; the developed InP-based DP-IQ modulator co-packaged with four linear driver ICs satisfies the power dissipation of less than 3.2W. These results are promising for the realization of high-density pluggable coherent transceiver for metropolitan area networks.
New Trends in Marine Natural Products

Public interest in substances with marine origin is very recent in comparison to that of terrestrial plants that dates back to our origins as nomadic hunter-gatherers. Our ancestors made the distinction between edible plants some of which they eventually cultivated as humans became sedentary and toxic substances that could serve as remedies once properly prepared and administered during special ceremonies by medicine men who are still highly respected in existing tribal systems worldwide. Several paralyzing substances and venoms were (and still are) used as aids for game hunting. Other neuroactive substances, mostly from toxic mushrooms, have been traditionally used as entrancing agents by witch doctors and more recently by westerners in search of mind-expanding (or mind-blowing) experiences.
Long-duration space flight and bed rest effects on testosterone and other steroids.

CONTEXT Limited data suggest that testosterone is decreased during space flight, which could contribute to bone and muscle loss. OBJECTIVE The main objective was to assess testosterone and hormone status in long- and short-duration space flight and bed rest environments and to determine relationships with other physiological systems, including bone and muscle. DESIGN Blood and urine samples were collected before, during, and after long-duration space flight. Samples were also collected before and after 12- to 14-d missions and from participants in 30- to 90-d bed rest studies. SETTING Space flight studies were conducted on the International Space Station and before and after Space Shuttle missions. Bed rest studies were conducted in a clinical research center setting. Data from Skylab missions are also presented. PARTICIPANTS All of the participants were male, and they included 15 long-duration and nine short-duration mission crew members and 30 bed rest subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Serum total, free, and bioavailable testosterone were measured along with serum and urinary cortisol, serum dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and SHBG. RESULTS Total, free, and bioavailable testosterone was not changed during long-duration space flight but were decreased (P < 0.01) on landing day after these flights and after short-duration space flight. There were no changes in other hormones measured. Testosterone concentrations dropped before and soon after bed rest, but bed rest itself had no effect on testosterone. CONCLUSIONS There was no evidence for decrements in testosterone during long-duration space flight or bed rest.
The Significance of Impulse Buying Today

Aware of the significance of impulse buying and wishing to anticipate possible changes in the market for its products, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company commissioned Stanford Research Institute to study the market for impulse items as it has developed in the past decade and as it is likely to develop during the 1960s. This article is drawn from the study findings, on the nature and significance of consumer impulse buying.
Product Variety, Informative Advertising, and Price Competition

In many product categories, consumer tastes are diverse, and firms use finely targeted advertising to inform consumers about their products. This article proposes a model of informative advertising that allows for diverse consumer tastes and multiple competing firms. Using this framework, the authors analyze how diversity in consumers’ tastes, informative advertising, and improvements in advertising technology may influence prices. First, informative advertising can lead to lower prices if consumer valuations are high. However, if consumer valuations are low, informative advertising can lead to higher prices. Second, when consumer valuations are high, price increases with greater diversity in tastes, though this result reverses if consumer valuations are low. Third, improvements in advertising technology lead to higher levels of advertising when consumer valuation is high, but the opposite effect can occur when consumer valuation is low. The authors relate these theoretical findings to previous empirical literature on advertising.
Histological and cytochemical indices of toxic injury in the liver of dab Limanda limanda

Lysosomes play a key role in normal cellular catabolism and during the accumulation and detoxification of different classes of anthropogenic substances. As a contribution to the Bremerhaven Workshop, cytochernical measurements of the integrity of the lysosomal compartment, histopathology and electron microscopy were made on the liver of dab L m a n d a l imanda during spawning time along a pollution gradient in the German Bight. The aim of the study was to test if lysosomal responses are able to reflect early tissue lesions and their progression during the span of the reproductive processes. Lysosomal perturbations in dab liver indicated early tissue lesions independently of the stage of gonadal development by the intralysosomal accumulation of unsaturated neutral lipids. Impairment of the lysosomal membrane stability sensitively reflected the progression towards liver degeneration. Significant differences with respect to lysosomal membrane stability, pathological lipid accumulation and liver histopathology were found along the North Sea transect.
Activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B in serum and urine in acute pancreatitis

Background—The pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis involves activation of the pancreatic proenzymes. Levels of the trypsinogen activation peptide in urine in acute pancreatitis has been shown to correlate with the severity of disease. However, this peptide is unstable in urine and, because of its low molecular mass, difficult to measure. Procarboxypeptidase B has a larger activation peptide which could be more suitable for analysis in serum and urine. Aims—To study the presence of the activation peptide from procarboxypeptidase B (CAPAP) in serum and urine in acute pancreatitis. Patients—Urine and serum samples were obtained within 48 hours of admittance from 40 patients with acute pancreatitis. Severity was classified retrospectively according to levels of C-reactive protein and clinical course. Thirty four patients with abdominal pain from other causes were studied as controls. Methods—CAPAP was purified from human pancreatic juice. Specific antibodies were obtained and a radioimmunoassay was developed. Results—Levels of CAPAP in serum and urine in acute pancreatitis correlate with the severity of the attack. CAPAP is very stable, and urine contains only CAPAP whereas, in serum, cross reacting procarboxypeptidase B is found together with CAPAP. Conclusions—CAPAP could be a valuable tool in the diagnosis and early determination of severity in acute pancreatitis.
MindID

Person identification technology recognizes individuals by exploiting their unique, measurable physiological and behavioral characteristics. However, the state-of-the-art person identification systems have been shown to be vulnerable, e.g., anti-surveillance prosthetic masks can thwart face recognition, contact lenses can trick iris recognition, vocoder can compromise voice identification and fingerprint films can deceive fingerprint sensors. EEG (Electroencephalography)-based identification, which utilizes the user's brainwave signals for identification and offers a more resilient solution, has recently drawn a lot of attention. However, the state-of-the-art systems cannot achieve similar accuracy as the aforementioned methods. We propose MindID, an EEG-based biometric identification approach, with the aim of achieving high accuracy and robust performance. At first, the EEG data patterns are analyzed and the results show that the Delta pattern contains the most distinctive information for user identification. Next, the decomposed Delta signals are fed into an attention-based Encoder-Decoder RNNs (Recurrent Neural Networks) structure which assigns varying attention weights to different EEG channels based on their importance. The discriminative representations learned from the attention-based RNN are used to identify the user through a boosting classifier. The proposed approach is evaluated over 3 datasets (two local and one public). One local dataset (EID-M) is used for performance assessment and the results illustrate that our model achieves an accuracy of 0.982 and significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art and relevant baselines. The second local dataset (EID-S) and a public dataset (EEG-S) are utilized to demonstrate the robustness and adaptability, respectively. The results indicate that the proposed approach has the potential to be widely deployed in practical settings.
Fuzzy Logic Based Energy Efficient Network Lifetime Optimization in Wireless Sensor Network

Energy conservation is prime issue for wireless sensor network due to their limited battery life. Energy losses are occurring mostly on the edges of wireless sensor network, where most of the packet drops are occurred. In order to avoid this energy loss problem this paper has introduced concept of advance/ super node which can be deployed at edges of the network or inside to the network. For the cluster head selection both the methods e.g. clustering technique and direct communication are employed to minimize energy consumption loss. Proposed algorithm is improved form of E-zone model. The simulation is done with the help of MATLAB toolbox and result shows that our proposed model is better in terms of energy saving, reaming alive nodes and improved network lifetime for Wireless Sensor Network.
The perceived value of direct mail advertising in small retail firms: Threat to local newspapers?

This exploratory study contributes to an overlooked area of direct marketing research—the small local retail view of direct mail as an advertising medium. Traditional wisdom has indicated newspaper advertising as most appropriate for local retail firms, however, recent literature challenges that perspective. Data gathered from 187 small local retail firms in 41 states indicated that direct mail is perceived as a valuable advertising medium. Moreover, analysis suggests that direct mail is seen as significantly more valuable than weekly/community and daily newspapers—media that historically have been mainstays in the small retailer promotional mix. However, the data do reveal several significant differences in media perceptions between various retail sectors. Because of increased advertiser pressure for measurable results from advertising, and challenges facing the newspaper industry, it appears that direct mail may pose a significant threat to newspapers.
Life course, diet-related identity and consumer choice of organic food in Taiwan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish an understanding of choices of organic food in relation to life course by taking into account of age and two indicators of diet-related identity, vegetarianism and healthful attribute preference for agricultural produce. The stated variables tend to reveal how consumer attitudes and consumption of organic produces relate to life course factors across diet-related identities and age groups. Design/methodology/approach – This study takes adult consumers of Taichung City in Central Taiwan as the target population. A survey data by personal interviews collected through systematic sampling of four supermarkets and one farmer’s market was employed to obtain a sample of 322 adult consumers in February, 2010. Findings – This study finds that the level of individual vegetarianism is significantly correlated with organic food attitude. Individuals who live with young children and possess healthful preference for agricultural produce demonstrate more positive attit.
The Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Advertising: A Case Study

One of the basic problems of advertising research concerns the extent to which the cost of advertising in dollars alone differs from the cost of making a given number of impressions on a given number of people. It is well known that two pieces of promotional literature can reach entirely different audiences in both size and characteristics although appearing in the same medium at much the same cost. The present article represents an attempt to evaluate the impact on physicians of pharmaceutical-magazine advertising and direct-mail literature, with regard to the reception accorded this material and the cost of the advertising. It is part of a larger study on pharmaceutical advertising carried out at the University of Illinois with the aid of a grant from Modern Medicine Publications, Inc.