Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Case for Monetary Union in East Asia: From Theory to Empirics

Among others, this paper presents the case for fixed exchange rates and monetary union in East Asia, the underlying motivation behind the rising interest on optimum currency areas (OCAs) in the Asian context. The paper also explicitly proposes the dollar as the monetary anchor. Twenty empirical papers in 1994–2009 are reviewed and the five original members of ASEAN have been commonly indicated to be sufficiently homogenous for monetary unification. Some other common threads can be also observed. First, recent considerations could have played a more important role than the traditional theory in the selection of country samples for analysis. Second,unlike the early intellectual work which had been molded by the debate on adjustment mechanisms, current empirical literature has been driven largely by the enthusiasm to identify homogenous economies. Third, there is a reason to believe that little has been done in light of the endogeneity view of OCA criteria. Finally, an explicit monetary anchor, particularly the dollar anchor, has scarcely been set a priority in empirical analyses.
Orai-STIM–mediated Ca2+ release from secretory granules revealed by a targeted Ca2+ and pH probe

Significance Elevated cytoplasmic calcium modulates many cellular responses. Two Ca2+ sources feed most cytoplasmic Ca2+ elevations, the extracellular space and the endoplasmic reticulum. We found that secretory granules represent another Ca2+ source that releases Ca2+ in a physiologically interesting way. We developed a targeted probe for monitoring Ca2+ in secretory granules. It revealed a unique receptor-stimulated mechanism of Ca2+ release from secretory granules apparently involving “store-operated” Orai channels in the secretory granule membrane. The channels open when reticular stores are depleted. Such Ca2+ release from granules might elevate local Ca2+ concentrations and aid in the refilling of other cytoplasmic Ca2+ stores. Secretory granules (SGs) sequester significant calcium. Understanding roles for this calcium and potential mechanisms of release is hampered by the difficulty of measuring SG calcium directly in living cells. We adapted the Förster resonance energy transfer-based D1-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) probe to develop a unique probe (D1-SG) to measure calcium and pH in secretory granules. It significantly localizes to SGs and reports resting free Ca2+ of 69 ± 15 μM and a pH of 5.8. Application of extracellular ATP to activate P2Y receptors resulted in a slow monotonic decrease in SG Ca2+ temporally correlated with the occurrence of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE). Further investigation revealed a unique receptor-mediated mechanism of calcium release from SGs that involves SG store-operated Orai channels activated by their regulator stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) on the ER. SG Ca2+ release is completely antagonized by a SOCE antagonist, by switching to Ca2+-free medium, and by overexpression of a dominant-negative Orai1(E106A). Overexpression of the CRAC activation domain (CAD) of STIM1 resulted in a decrease of resting SG Ca2+ by ∼75% and completely abolished the ATP-mediated release of Ca2+ from SGs. Overexpression of a dominant-negative CAD construct (CAD-A376K) induced no significant changes in SG Ca2+. Colocalization analysis suggests that, like the plasma membrane, SG membranes also possess Orai1 channels and that during SG Ca2+ release, colocalization between SGs and STIM1 increases. We propose Orai channel opening on SG membranes as a potential mode of calcium release from SGs that may serve to raise local cytoplasmic calcium concentrations and aid in refilling intracellular calcium stores of the ER and exocytosis.
Weighing the evidence for a ternary protein complex mediating A‐type K+ currents in neurons

The subthreshold‐operating A‐type K+ current in neurons (ISA) has important roles in the regulation of neuronal excitability, the timing of action potential firing and synaptic integration and plasticity. The channels mediating this current (Kv4 channels) have been implicated in epilepsy, the control of dopamine release, and the regulation of pain plasticity. It has been proposed that Kv4 channels in neurons are ternary complexes of three types of protein: pore forming subunits of the Kv4 subfamily and two types of auxiliary subunits, the Ca2+ binding proteins KChIPs and the dipeptidyl peptidase‐like proteins (DPPLs) DPP6 (also known as DPPX) and DPP10 (4 molecules of each per channel for a total of 12 proteins in the complex). Here we consider the evidence supporting this hypothesis. Kv4 channels in many neurons are likely to be ternary complexes of these three types of protein. KChIPs and DPPLs are required to efficiently traffic Kv4 channels to the plasma membrane and regulate the functional properties of the channels. These proteins may also be important in determining the localization of the channels to specific neuronal compartments, their dynamics, and their response to neuromodulators. A surprisingly large number of additional proteins have been shown to modify Kv4 channels in heterologous expression systems, but their association with native Kv4 channels in neurons has not been properly validated. A critical consideration of the evidence suggests that it is unlikely that association of Kv4 channels with these additional proteins is widespread in the CNS. However, we cannot exclude that some of these proteins may associate with the channels transiently or in specific neurons or neuronal compartments, or that they may associate with the channels in other tissues.
Chromosome 14–encoded Alzheimer's disease: Genetic and clinicopathological description

A family of Finnish descent with very‐early‐onset Alzheimer's disease has been identified. Genetic analysis of this family eliminated the amyloid precursor protein gene as the pathogenic locus, but strongly implicated a locus on chromosome 14q23.4 between D14S52 and D14S55. The early age at onset of the disease (average, 36 years; range, 35–39 years), the rapid progression, and the early and prominent myoclonus, while they appear to be frequent findings in the chromosome 14–encoded form of Alzheimer's disease, raised the clinical suspicion of prion disease. However, sequencing the prion gene–coding region of 2 affected members of the pedigree failed to show any abnormality. Apart from the presence of modest cortical vacuolar change, the pathological features of our index patient appeared typical of Alzheimer's disease with abundant senile plaques immunoreactive with beta‐amyloid, but not with prion protein antibodies.
Treatment of the inversion ankle sprain: comparison of different modes of compression and cryotherapy.

Relatively few studies have been performed to examine the effectiveness of different methods of treatment for the inversion ankle sprain. In this study, restoration of function following a grade II inversion sprain was compared among 34 subjects who received one of three methods of treatment, each of which incorporated an Air-Stirrup brace. The methods included uniform compression provided by elastic tape, focal compression provided by a U-shaped device, and focal compression with simultaneous cryotherapy. Although the results failed to demonstrate statistical significance at the . 05 level (p = .055), the two groups that received focal compression attained each of nine levels of function in fewer days than the group that received uniform compression. The results of this study indicate that focal compression appears beneficial, but increased frequency and duration of cryotherapy does not appear to enhance the rate of recovery following an inversion ankle sprain.
Auditory and Vestibular Assessment of Patients with Ménière’s Disease Who Suffer Tumarkin Attacks

Tumarkin attacks are a feature of Ménière’s disease that generate a significant degree of disability. The surprising nature of these events is the main reason behind their associated morbidity. In this study we set out to evaluate auditory and vestibular function, as well as disability, in a population of patients who suffer Tumarkin attacks. We found that patients who suffer Tumarkin attacks are more disabled and experience severer and more frequent autonomic symptoms and that their hearing level is significantly worse in the asymptomatic ear, especially at low frequencies. Accordingly, we consider that treatment must be carefully planned to be as conservative as possible in terms of hearing and that psychiatric and/or psychological treatment must always be considered as an adjuvant therapy.
Non-invasive Analysis of Reactive Oxygen Species Generated in Rats with Water Immersion Restraint-induced Gastric Lesions Using In Vivo Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are reportedly associated with gastric ulcer. We previously reported the use of an in vivo 300-MHz electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy/nitroxyl probe technique to detect •OH generation in the stomachs of rats with gastric ulcers induced by NH4OH. However, this is an acute ulcer model, and the relationship between in vivo ROS generation and lesion formation remains to be clarified. To address this question, the same technique was applied to a sub-acute water immersion restraint (WIR) model. A nitroxyl probe that was less membrane-permeable was orally administered to WIR-treated rats, and the spectra in the gastric region were obtained by in vivo ESR spectroscopy. The signal intensity of the orally administered probe was clearly changed in the WIR group, but no change occurred in the control group. Both enhanced signal decay and neutrophil infiltration into mucosa were observed 2 h after WIR with little formation of any mucosal lesions. The enhanced signal decay was caused by •OH generation, based on the finding that the decay was suppressed by mannitol, desferrioxamine and catalase. Intravenous treatment with either anti-neutrophil antibody or allopurinol also suppressed the enhanced signal decay, and allopurinol depressed neutrophil infiltration into the mucosa. In rats treated with WIR for 6 h, lesion formation was suppressed by 50% with all antioxidants used in this experiment except anti-neutrophil antibody. These findings suggest that •OH, which is generated in the stomach via the hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase system upon neutrophil infiltrated into the mucosa, induces mucosal lesion formation, but that it accounts for only half the cause of lesion formation.
A Meta-Analysis About the Financial Performance of Family Firms: Another Try

This study presents the results of a comprehensive meta-analysis on the financial performance of family firms. Drawing on a sample of 380 studies, we find that family firms show economically weak, albeit statistically significant, superior performance compared to non-family firms. Furthermore, we find moderating factors on country, firm, and family level to significantly intervene in the relationship: these results show for example that the positive effect of family firms on financial performance is more pronounced in samples of public and large firms, as well as when an ownership definition of family firms is used. Based on the broad empirical evidence obtained, we discuss implications and avenues for future research.
Blood pressure and insulin in Ethiopian immigrants: longitudinal study.

Immigration from Ethiopia to Israel exposed subjects from an underdeveloped environment to that of a westernised, developed country. In previous cross-sectional analyses we found that residence in Israel for more than 2 years was associated with a rise in blood pressure which, in turn, was associated with a rise in lipids and insulin levels. Herein we report longitudinal follow-up and baseline examination of 53 young male Ethiopians who resided in a relatively controlled environment (agricultural boarding schools) for 2 years after immigration. Their mean age, when re-examined, was 23 +/- 3 years. Body mass index (20 +/- 2 kg/m2) and triceps' skinfold (71 +/- 32 mm) were not different from baseline values. However, over the 2 years blood pressure rose from 118 +/- 9/62 +/- 11 to 129 +/- 13/71 +/- 10 mmHg, P < 0.0001 for both systolic and diastolic pressures. At 2 years 11 of 53 subjects (20.7%) had hypertension. Total high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels increased from 131 +/- 27, 36 +/- 8 and 65 +/- 22 mg/dl to 146 +/- 29, 43 +/- 10 and 98 +/- 42 mg/dl, respectively; P < 0.00001 for all. Surprisingly, glucose tolerance (to oral 75 g load) improved and the sum of insulin (first and second hour post-load) decreased significantly and was not correlated with blood pressure changes. Only systolic blood pressure was an independent predictor of incident hypertension (r2 = 0.33, P < 0.0001) in multiple regression analysis. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Creditor Rights and LBOs

This paper examines the relation between legal conditions and leveraged buyouts (LBOs) in 49 countries. The data indicate that sophisticated PE fund managers carrying out large international LBOs can only partially mitigate costs associated with inefficient legal protections. LBOs are more active in countries with strong creditor rights. Club deals are more likely to occur in countries with weak creditor rights. Cross-border LBO investment is more common from strong creditor rights countries to weak creditor rights countries. Premiums offered to shareholders are on average negatively correlated with creditor rights for both domestic and cross-border LBOs.
Business Models for Location Based Services

Location Based Service (LBS) is a service provided to the subscribers based on their (or others') geographical location. Interest in LBS has increased not only in the aspect of promoting utilization, including the public usage such as emergency rescue, but also in the aspect of protecting the personal location information of the subscribers. This study aims to suggest and classify the business models for LBS services, focusing on the flow of the personal location information. Each business model is reviewed from the perspective of protecting the location privacy of the subscribers.
Should we distinguish between periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensities?

To the Editor: The recent article by DeCarli et al1 addresses a somewhat neglected aspect of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), the significance of their anatomical location. The authors argue that the commonly accepted categorization into deep (DWMH) and periventricular (PVWMH) WMH is arbitrary, because the 2 are very highly correlated, and a spatial analysis does not reveal distinct populations. We think that this conclusion is premature, because the categorization depends on a number of factors. The first limitation of their analysis is that they examined individuals in their 70s who presented to a specialty clinic, suggesting that the white matter lesions in their sample were at an advanced stage. If an analogy is drawn from cerebral atrophy in dementia, regional differences in atrophy that are present in the different subtypes of dementia become less prominent in the later stages. In our study of WMH in middle age (60 to 64 years), the correlation of DWMH and PVWMH was much lower ( r =0.621; …
Food simulator: a haptic interface for biting

The food simulator is a haptic interface that presents biting force. The taste of food arises from a combination of chemical, auditory, olfactory and haptic sensation. Haptic sensation while eating has been an ongoing problem in taste display. The food simulator generates a force on the user's teeth as an indication of food texture. The device is composed of four linkages. The mechanical configuration of the device is designed such that it will fit into the mouth, with a force sensor attached to the end effector. The food simulator generates a force representing the force profile captured from the mouth of a person biting real food. The device has been integrated with auditory and chemical display for multi-modal sensations in a taste the food simulator has been tested on a large number of participants. The results indicate that the device has succeeded in presenting food texture as well as chemical taste.
Are Bankruptcy Precursors Similar in China and the US?

Early warning models are among the most utilized developments in finance. A good early warning model can predict with a high degree of accuracy the likelihood that a healthy company will either go bankrupt or become financially distressed. B2B companies supply products are now global. This paper extends the research comparing indicators of financial health to the subject of how industrial globalization affects early warning models. In specific, it considers model develop across two continents: North America and East Asia. The target of the research are global auto suppliers, those companies deliver parts and equipment to original equipment auto manufacturers. The findings are particularly important because of the collapse and resurrection of US OEMs. The modeling effort tested the ability of a single global model of financial distress to capture the determinants of auto supplier health on two continents. Individual models for each continent proved to be superior to a single model.
Smart inverter volt-watt control design in high PV penetrated distribution systems

Advanced control techniques such as Volt-Watt and Volt-VAR Control have been developed for high integration of distributed renewable energy, such as Photovoltaic (PV) resources, on an electric distribution system. However, designing these control parameters which yields the best results in the system is complicated and depends on feeder conditions. This paper proposes a method to properly design the Volt-Watt control parameters in smart PV inverters to increase the benefit of their control action. The intention of this control design is to mitigate the voltage violations in a high PV penetrated distribution feeder, while evenly distributing the weight of energy curtailment among all PV systems. Test results are provided from simulation-only scenarios and a Hardware-In-The-Loop (HIL) test platform.
Investigations into the metabolism and mode of action of the colon carcinogen 1, 2‐dimethylhydrazine

Chromatographic methods have been developed which allow the separation and identification of azomethane (AM), azoxymethane (AOM), and methylazoxymethanol (MAM). These methods have been applied to the analysis of bile, urine, and the exhaled air of rats treated with the 14C‐labeled colon carcinogen 1, 2‐dimethylhydrazine (DMH) to provide evidence that AM, AOM, and MAM are indeed metabolites of DMH. Investigations into the metabolism and mode of action of DMH and its derivatives by other workers are briefty summarized and reviewed.
PredictRegulon: a web server for the prediction of the regulatory protein binding sites and operons in prokaryote genomes

An interactive web server is developed for predicting the potential binding sites and its target operons for a given regulatory protein in prokaryotic genomes. The program allows users to submit known or experimentally determined binding sites of a regulatory protein as ungapped multiple sequence alignments. It analyses the upstream regions of all genes in a user-selected prokaryote genome and returns the potential binding sites along with the downstream co-regulated genes (operons). The known binding sites of a regulatory protein can also be used to identify its orthologue binding sites in phylogeneticaly related genomes where the trans-acting regulator protein and cognate cis-acting DNA sequences could be conserved. PredictRegulon can be freely accessed from a link on our world wide web server: http://www.cdfd. org.in/predictregulon/.
The impact of cultural differences on an Australian firm doing business in China

In the global business environment today, it is inevitable that activities are increasingly across cultures. As a major emerging market, China offers many MNCs great potential in their future growth. This paper explores issues in cross-cultural management area in the setting of joint ventures in China. It investigates expatriates' cross-cultural abilities in adjusting to working and living in China and its impact on their performance. It further discusses the management style appropriateness and cultural differences in leadership styles and the impact of these issues on effective management in China for Western MNCs. Using the method of a case study, this paper provides some insights from the point of view of the local Chinese staff working in Australia-China joint ventures. This is valuable for senior management since cross-cultural perspective is needed to be balanced rather than narrowly viewed. It is argued that the qualitative method is most appropriate since the cross-cultural studies are complex and cases are generally large. Therefore, the qualitative method, in this paper a case study is considered most appropriate.
SISO, MIMO and SIMO characterisation of the Land Mobile and Nomadic Satellite propagation channels

This paper presents the configuration and sample results of two experiments carried out by ONERA and CNES. These measurements were performed at 2.2 and 3.8 GHz with SISO, MIMO and SIMO antennas configurations. A first experiment includes multi-elevation characterization of the Land Mobile Satellite Channel. The second one includes both Land Mobile and Nomadic configurations.
Consumption of Illegal Alcohol among Adolescents in Stockholm County

One primary long-standing goal in Swedish alcohol policy is that youths should not consume alcoholic beverages. Nevertheless about 80% of teenagers age 16 years have consumed alcoholic beverages, according to annual national surveys of representative samples. In the spring of 1998 we conducted an anonymous classroom questionnaire survey of smoking, alcohol and drug habits, availability, and alcohol-related problems in all pupils in the ninth grade (age 16 years) in Stockholm County, with a participation rate of 83% (n=12,860). About 40% in each sex reported that they had drunk home-distilled spirits, and 8%–9% said they had done so at least five times. More than 25% had consumed smuggled spirits. We have analyzed the association between experiences of illegal alcohol and social factors, controlling for availability and drinking habits. Besides a very clear association with volume of drinking, there were certain other significant findings within the social sphere.
The study of mobility-tin, trade-off in deeply scaled high-k / metal gate devices and scaling design guideline for 22nm-node generation

The trade-off between T<sub>inv</sub> scaling and carrier mobility (mu) degradation in deeply scaled HK/MG nMOSFETs has been investigated based on experimental results. I<sub>on</sub>, components are analyzed in terms of N<sub>S</sub>, v<sub>inj</sub> and SCE in L<sub>g</sub>= 25 nm devices for the first time. As a result, it is clarified that the aggressive T<sub>inv</sub> scaling can achieve the performance improvement even if mu degradation occurs in some degree, because mu impact decreases with L<sub>g</sub> and T<sub>inv</sub> scaling impact becomes strong. Furthermore, we have introduced the effective T<sub>inv</sub> scaling (novel SiON) process and demonstrated its excellent device performance (I<sub>on</sub> 1 mA/mum @I<sub>off</sub>=100 nA/mum, L<sub>g</sub> 25 nm, V<sub>dd</sub>=LOV, A<sub>vt</sub>=1.8 mV mum, T<sub>inv</sub> 1.13 nm, without any performance booster technology).