Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Spillovers in the Spot and ETF Indices in Taiwan

This paper empirically explores the impact of the spot index on the exchange trade fund (ETF) indices in Taiwan, with the vector autoregressive (VAR) model revealing positive relationships between the six time-series variables. Our results indicate that the ETF 52 index has the greatest volatility as well as the most negative returns, whilst also suggesting the existence of at least five cointegrating vectors among the variables; thus, through the concept of cointegration, we demonstrate that vectors will not arbitrarily wander far from each other in long-run relationships. We also examine Granger (1980) causality in the relationships between the variables and find that the guiding relationship exists within the spot index, with stronger indications of the spot index leading the ETF indices. Among the six time-series variables, depending on the decomposition of the forecast residual variance, the spot index is the least affected by external forces. Furthermore, the spot index is affected mainly by its own shocks, and less so by those of the other time-series variables. Although the spot index variance decomposition can identify all but its own excess shocks, none of the indices can consistently trace out the effects of one-unit impulses.
Expression and characterization of human recombinant and alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS-IIIB, Sanfilippo type B Syndrome) is a heterosomal, recessive lysosomal storage disorder resulting from a deficiency of [alpha]-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU). To characterize this enzyme further and evaluate its potential for enzyme replacement studies we expressed the NAGLU-encoding cDNA in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1 cells) and purified the recombinant enzyme from the medium of stably transfected cells by a two-step affinity chromatography. Two isoforms of recombinant NAGLU with apparent molecular weights of 89 and 79 kDa were purified and shown to differ in their glycosylation pattern. The catalytic parameters of both forms of the recombinant enzyme were indistinguishable from each other and similar to those of NAGLU purified from various tissues. However, compared to other recombinant lysosomal enzymes expressed from CHO-K1 cells, the mannose-6-phosphate receptor mediated uptake of the secreted form of recombinant NAGLU into cultured skin fibroblasts was considerably reduced. A small amount of phosphorylated NAGLU present in purified enzyme preparations was shown to be endocytosed by MPS-IIIB fibroblasts via the mannose-6-phosphate receptor-mediated pathway and transported to the lysosomes, where they corrected the storage phenotype. Direct metabolic labeling experiments with Na(2) (32)PO(4) confirmed that the specific phosphorylation of recombinant NAGLU secreted from transfected CHO cells is significantly lower when compared with a control lysosomal enzyme. These results suggest that the use of secreted NAGLU in future enzyme and gene replacement therapy protocols will be severely limited due to its small degree of mannose-6-phosphorylation.
Surveillance of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Clinical Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) and pazufloxacin (PZFX) have strong antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We investigated the sensitivity of P. aeruginosa to CPFX and PZFX in 373 strains isolated from inpatients (321 strains) and outpatients (52 strains) during September 2010 to September 2011 at Toho University Ohashi Medical Center. The percentage of CPFX-non-susceptible (≥3.91 μg/mL) among inpatients was 22.4%, but that among outpatients was 1.9%. As the major resistance mechanism to fluoroquinolones in P. aeruginosa involves modification of type II topoisomerases (DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV), we examined mutations in the quinolone-resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of gyrA and parC of P. aeruginosa isolates. Among the 373 isolates, 73 isolates had reduced CPFX-susceptibility and 88 had reduced PZFX-susceptibility. Sequencing of gyrA and parC revealed base substitutions that resulted in amino acid replacements in QRDR of GyrA in 70 P. aeruginosa isolates, while Thr83Ile (in GyrA) and Ser87Leu (in ParC) substitutions were found in 12 strains. These replacements were clearly associated with reduced susceptibility to CPFX and PZFX. However, we also found strains with high MICs to quinolones without mutations in either gyrA or parC. We then investigated the effect of efflux pumps in CPFX-resistance in these isolates. In the presence of an efflux pump inhibitor, MIC values in 12 of 66 strains decreased to 1/23. We also sequenced genes related to overexpression of efflux pumps, viz., mexZ, mexR, and nfxB. Eight of the strains without mutations in QRDRs had a mutation in mexZ, 7 strains had a mutation in mexR, but no mutation was identified in nfxB.
The Dynamics of Neighborhood Watch and Norm Enforcement

We analyze the dynamics of neighborhood watch programs in a local interaction framework. Agents can watch their neighbors' houses and, thus, deter burglars from breaking in. At the same time, agents also try to recruit their neighbors to join the neighborhood watch program. The probability of an agent joining the neighborhood watch program depends on the success of the program, i.e., whether burglaries continue to occur. We show that the punishment of burglars plays a dual role in this context. On the one hand, punishment deters burglaries if the level of punishment is sufficiently high. On the other hand, it also affects the probability of an agent joining the neighborhood watch program. In particular, we show that if recruitment is harder when burglaries do not occur, a legal policy attempting to improve deterrence using more severe punishment is suboptimal. In a second part, we extend our model to the study of norm enforcement in public goods dilemmas and show that our results remain valid if agents can punish each other (instead of burglars) for not contributing to the public good. Our paper, thus, provides a first analysis of the evolution of altruistic punishment in large populations with local interaction.
Colonial behaviour and electrical activity in the Hexacorallia

The behaviour of the polyps of eight coral species in the subclass Hexacorallia is described with reference to electrical activity recorded with extracellular suction electrodes. Following repetitive mechanical or electrical stimulation, waves of polyp retraction spread over the colony from the point of stimulation. In response to a single electrical or mechanical stimulus, a single electrical potential was evoked. It is suggested that this pulse represented activity in the colonial nerve net. The pulse was conducted without decrement over large areas of the colony. The conduction velocity was 15-25 cm s-1 at 25°C. There was no evidence for multiple firing following single threshold stimuli. Polyp retraction only occurred after two or more ‘nerve net' pulses had impinged upon the neuromuscular junctions of the retractor muscles within a short time interval. Colonial polyp retraction responses occurred, therefore, when a number of nerve net pulses were conducted across the colonial nerve net. A burst of pulses showed a reduction in frequency as it was conducted from the point of stimulation. A new explanation of colonial polyp retraction patterns in response to electrical stimulation is proposed. The different patterns may be explained in terms of the way in which the frequency (but not the number) of the pulses in a burst of nerve net activity changes with the distance conducted. Changes in nerve net pulse frequency affect the degree of facilitation of the neuromuscular junctions which, in turn, affects the size of the muscle contraction evoked. The possibility is considered that ‘slow conduction systems’ similar to those found in sea anemones may also be present in the colonial Hexacorallia.
Knowledge Creation and Diffusion in a Multi-Regional Setting: Conceptual Foundations for an Agent-Based Model

Strong dynamics of innovation in regions are crucial for achieving national and regional economic growth objectives. In this respect, policy recommendations are being sought by European, national as well as regional policymakers. Regional innovation results from the innovative performance of firms, which increasingly have to face global competition, tightened by accelerated technological development and specialization. The necessary new knowledge can no more be created within organizations only, but has increasingly to be sourced through R&amp;D collaborations in flexible networks with partners nearby as well as from anywhere in the world. In this regard, inter-regional networks for the creation of knowledge are gaining importance for regional policy. However, there is little systematic evidence so far in Regional Science on the relationship between localised knowledge creation processes in firms and their embedding in inter-regional R&amp;D collaboration networks. <br><br>This Working Paper represents a first step towards closing this research gap by modelling knowledge creation in regions, taking into account firm-level R&amp;D collaborations, inside and outside of the region. We adopt an empirically driven agent-based modelling (ABM) approach to simulate knowledge creation in European regions. In particular, we focus on three main objectives: (i) characterising the influence of inter-regional R&amp;D collaboration on the regional knowledge creation, (ii) disentangling “local buzz” and “global pipelines” as triggers of the regional knowledge creation, and (iii) characterising technological specialization and geographical concentration tendencies (as well as future prospects) among and within European regions. <br><br>Our aim is to demonstrate the power of the ABM approach – up to now rarely used in the context of Regional Science – to analyse the interdependencies between R&amp;D networks and the technological performance as well as the collaborative behaviour of firms. Moreover, a novelty of this research is in its extensive use of empirical data for the initialization and the calibration of the ABM, which will enable us to apply the model to real world contexts: In policy experiments the effect of political framework conditions on the regional knowledge creation can be simulated, in order to support the ex-ante evaluation of different public policy measures. Both the theoretical foundation of the model and its empirical foothold will equip the simulation model with a high level of relevance for policymakers at regional, national and European levels.
Tariff Uncertainty and Firm Innovation: Evidence from the U.S.-China Permanent Normal Trade Relation

The 2018 U.S.-China trade war has spurred wide-spread debates about the effects of Chinese imports on U.S. society. We examine the effect of United States’ conferral of Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) on China — a policy that eliminates the uncertainty of future tariff increases for Chinese goods — on U.S. firm innovation. We find a significant increase in the number of patents and patent citations for U.S. firms affected by PNTR relative to other firms. This result is stronger for firms located in the coastal area, and for firms in industries that experience a greater increase in Chinese goods following PNTR. Our evidence suggests that PNTR induces U.S. firms to innovate more.
Diet partitioning in sympatric Atlantic salmon and brown trout in streams with contrasting riparian vegetation

Prey intake by Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta was measured across different riparian vegetation types: grassland, open canopy deciduous and closed canopy deciduous, in upland streams in County Mayo, Western Ireland. Fishes were collected by electrofishing while invertebrates were sampled from the benthos using a Surber sampler and drifting invertebrates collected in drift traps. Aquatic invertebrates dominated prey numbers in the diets of 0+ year Atlantic salmon and brown trout and 1+ year Atlantic salmon, whereas terrestrial invertebrates were of greater importance for diets of 1+ and 2+ year brown trout. Terrestrial prey biomass was generally greater than aquatic prey for 1+ and 2+ year brown trout across seasons and riparian types. Prey intake was greatest in spring and summer and least in autumn apart from 2+ year brown trout that sustained feeding into autumn. Total prey numbers captured tended to be greater for all age classes in streams with deciduous riparian canopy. Atlantic salmon consumed more aquatic prey and brown trout more terrestrial prey with an ontogenetic increase in prey species richness and diversity. Atlantic salmon and brown trout diets were most similar in summer. Terrestrial invertebrates provided an important energy subsidy particularly for brown trout. In grassland streams, each fish age class was strongly associated with aquatic, mainly benthic invertebrates. In streams with deciduous riparian canopy cover, diet composition partitioned between conspecifics with older brown trout associated with surface drifting terrestrial invertebrates and older Atlantic salmon associated with aquatic invertebrates with a high drift propensity in the water column and 0+ year fish feeding on benthic aquatic invertebrates. Deciduous riparian canopy cover may therefore facilitate vertical partitioning of feeding position within the water column between sympatric Atlantic salmon and brown trout. Implications for riparian management are discussed.
Turkey’s Unravelling Economy Resembles the Ottoman Empire’s Financial Collapse

Already fragile Turkish-American foreign relations became severely strained when US Pastor Andrew Brunson was indicted on espionage charges in October 2016 and was sentenced to 38 months in prison after a guilty verdict by one of Turkey’s high criminal courts. As a US retaliation, bank executive Mehmet Hakan Atilla (Turkey's state-controlled Halkbank) was arrested in New York in March 2017 and sentenced to 32 months after he was found guilty of helping Iran to evade the US sanctions. These along with the domestic issues fostered a currency crisis in August 2018 (most severe since the 2001 economic crisis), the farfetched implications of the currency and debt crisis caused the economy of Turkey to debilitate and find itself in a severe financial emergency. Since the August rout, the Turkish economy has been on a wild roller-coaster ride. First, all economic indicators recorded their worst levels in more than a decade (since 2003); interest rates in October 2018 skyrocketed, 36% for commercial loans, 28% for housing loans, and as high as 24% for deposits in lira. Second, after central bank (TCMB) has cut 750 basis points in its key policy rate (reduced from 24% to 16.50%), interest rates for commercial loans dropped to below 20%, 16% for housing loans, and as low as 14% for deposits in lira. The events that contributed to the Ottoman Empire’s collapse are strikingly similar to the financial collapse of the Turkish economy at the end of 2018. The Ottoman’s financial problems began with its engagement in the costly Crimean War (1853-56); likewise, Turkey’s gloomy economic situation was contributed by its war affairs alongside the Iraq and Syria borders as well as its costly military operations to eradicate terrorists at home and near borders. The Ottoman borrowing spree in mid-19th century onward turned into an elongated addiction to foreign capital which resulted in Ottoman’s default on its public debt in 1876, and in 1878 at the Congress of Berlin, France and Britain took control of the Ottoman finances by forcing sultan Abdulhamid II to create the Ottoman Public Debt Administration (OPDA) in 1881. Similarly, the increased military spending even though Turkey did not take part in WWII and repeated economic disruptions in the post-WWII era often resulted in balance of payments crises as well as consequent devaluations of the Turkish lira; political turmoil coupled with economic difficulties prompted the military to intervene (coup) in 1960 and this paved the road to Turkey’s first standby agreement with the IMF in 1961.
Designing a Coherent Ecological Network for Large Mammals in Northwestern Europe

Abstract: In densely populated northwestern Europe, native large mammals are confronted with a very fragmented landscape, and most of the areas they inhabit are island‐like reserves threatened with total isolation from other reserves. The only way to counteract the threat of further decline in the numbers of large‐mammal species is to restore their habitats. The appropriate size of future reserves could be estimated from the habitat requirements of wild ungulates that are considered key species for ecosystem functioning. The species selected to guide the design of large nature reserves in northwestern Europe is the red deer ( Cervus elaphus) because of its widespread distribution, key role in ecosystem functioning, and home‐range size. We describe a network analysis of the Netherlands, Belgium, and adjacent parts of France and Germany, performed with the LARCH landscape ecology model, that was conducted in order to identify the structure of the ecological network for red deer and the spatial connectivity of the landscape. The resulting maps show areas that could support viable populations and indicate habitat areas that will support persistent populations only if they are in a network of linked habitats. The gaps and barriers that prevent connectivity in such networks guide the design of effective corridors to increase spatial connectivity. The results of our analysis can be used for policy decisions on nature conservation and spatial planning, and the method is applicable to other regions and species.
Flow cytometric measurement of the production of reactive oxygen intermediates in activated rat mast cells

The production of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) in compound 48/80‐ or calcium ionophore A 23187‐ activated pleural or peritoneal mast cells was monitored using flow cytometry and the fluorescence indicator dihydrorhodamine 123 (a derivate of rhodamine 123). Mast cell degranulation and ROI production were estimated by flow cytometric fluorescence and light‐scatter analysis. In addition, activation was monitored by spectrofluorimetric measurement of histamine secretion from the cells. We used flow cytometric measurement of narrow and wide angle scatter and fluorescence intensity to distinguish between degranulated and resting mast cells during activation and to monitor the two populations separately. Both stimuli induced a dose‐dependent elevation of ROI production in mast cells which was accompanied by cell degranulation and histamine secretion. These alterations were completely abolished by preincubation of the mast cells with diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC). Using low concentrations of DTC partial decrease of degranulation and histamine secretion was observed while ROI production was blocked. D‐mannitol increased ROI production in stimulated mast cells without a marked effect on degranulation or histamine secretion. The data suggest that mast cell degranulation (histamine secretion) and ROI production are independent processes.
An Analysis on Rural Development Through MGNREGS in Balangir District of Odisha

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) played a very vital role by providing wage employment for one hundred days in a year to each rural household whose adult member volunteer to do unskilled manual work. It acts as a fall back measures during these lean seasons by becoming an alternative source of income for these poor household, acting as a social safety net for them. This study analyses the impact of the program on the rural development . Rural development is the overall development of rural areas with respect to food security, economic security, habitat security, health security, nutritional security etc. So, respective index are being constructed to find the impact on rural development. Randomized selection of beneficiary and non-beneficiary communities has been done. A randomisation impact evaluation design was used with households eligible and the rural development index (RDI) is constructed. It has been found that there is significant impact of the program on the rural development.
Plasmids in Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi carry genes for pathogenicity

All strains tested which are pathogenic to peas and which react with antiserum to Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi contain two to four plasmids; non-pathogens contain none. Two plasmids from a pathogenic strain were transferred individually to a non-pathogenic recipient strain of Pseudomonas syringae: both plasmids converted the recipient to a pathogen on peas and from hypersensitivity negative to hypersensitivity positive on tobacco. Neither plasmid encoded homoserine catabolism (.)
The Economic Consequences of GASB Financial Statement Disclosure

We examine whether Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) financial statement disclosure influence local governments’ economic decision-making. To do so, we exploit a recent GASB standard that differentially changed the disclosure requirements for pension obligations for county governments. The standard, GASB 68, had no effect on pension economics nor on the annual budget — it only affected whether and how information was presented on GASB financial statements and did so differently depending on the type of pension plan sponsored by the county. Using a broad hand-collected dataset, we document that counties that did not previously disclose pension liabilities reduced public welfare expenditures, employment, and salary expenses relative to those that had disclosed such information prior to GASB 68. The effects we document are concentrated in larger counties and in those that are more active in debt markets, suggesting that either political or capital market pressures contribute to our findings.
Analyses of indole acetic acid and absclsic acid contents in nodules of soybean plants bearing VA mycorrhizas

Abstract Indole acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) contents were determined in soybean plant (Glycine max L.) bearing nodules cultured under adequate nutrient supply to analyze the changes in the contents of plant hormones associated with infection by vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi. There were no significunt differences in the IAA content of shoots or roots between mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. However, the IAA content in the nodules of the mycorrhizal plants was higher than that in the nodules of the non-mycorrhizal plants. This increase paralleled the growth of the nodules. The ABA contents in roots, shoots, and nodules of the mycorrhizal soybean plants also increased compared with the non-mycorrhizal ones. Based on these results, it is suggested that infection with VA mycorrhizal interacted with the nodules, leading to changes in the hormonal balance of the plants.
The relationships between brain regions and forelimb dexterity in marsupials (Marsupialia): a comparative test of the principle of proper mass

A behavioural index of forelimb dexterity and comparative statistics were used to analyse the relationships between proximal (shoulder, upper and lower forelimb) and distal (wrist, forepaw, digits) forelimb dexterity and four aspects of brain morphology (overall brain, cortex, cerebellum and telencephalon sizes) in 18 species of marsupials. On the basis of the principle of proper mass, it was expected that an increase in forelimb dexterity (either proximal or distal) would be positively correlated with the size of the brain and the three brain components. Using independent contrast analysis to remove the effects of phylogeny revealed three significant correlations between: cortex size and distal dexterity, cerebellum size and proximal dexterity, and telencephalon size and distal dexterity. The relationship between cortex size and distal dexterity was subsequently corroborated by Spearman rank correlations. These results suggest that the execution of finely coordinated forelimb movements may not be dependent upon overall brain size, but may be dependent upon the size of brain components, thus supporting the principle of proper mass.