Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MECSE-18-2003 LiNbO 3 broandband Interferometric optical modulators ; modelling and implementation

An accurate and yet simple simulation technique for optical modulators operating at multi-GHz region and optical modulators are critical for Tera-bps optical communications. This paper describes a simple, efficient and accurate analysis of the travelling wave electrodes for high pseed optical modulation and the implementation of these electrodes in interferometric optical modulators. A finite difference approach is employed in modelling the traveking wave eletrodes for efficient electro-optic interaction in interferometric optical modlators. Eletrode configurations such as symmetric and asymmetric co-planar waveguide or strip structures and shielded electrode systems can be modelled. Simulated results demonstrate the efficiency of the presented method as compared with other methods such as the Green’s function, conformal mapping, method if images, spectral domain analysis etc. Tilted and thick practical eletro-plated electrodes are modeled and confirmed with implemented modulators operating up to 26 GHz in diffused LiNbO3 optical interferometric MECSE-18-2003: "LiNbO3 broandband Interferometric optical modulators; . ", L.N. Binh and T.W. Chua
Opportunistic Network-Coded Cooperative Transmission with Demodulate-and-Forward Protocol in Wireless Channels

In this letter, we consider a multiuser cooperative transmission scheme with network coding over wireless channels. Network coding based on decode-and-forward protocol is a promising technique to improve network throughput. However, decoding errors at the relay cause error propagation, which degrades the performance of network-coded cooperations. To mitigate the error propagation in the network-coded signal, we first express a single equivalent gain, and then the opportunistic relay selection and proportional combining schemes are performed with the equivalent channel and the relay-destination channel. Simulation results show that all cooperative users can obtain a diversity gain of order two by using single network-coded transmission, even when there are detection errors at the relay.
Dynamic E-Business Implementation Management: How to Effectively Manage E-Business Implementation

From the Publisher: Implementing e-business requires a dynamic approach that can respond to changes in technology, management direction, customer and supplier behavior, and competition. Many traditional project management methods don't work with e-business. This book presents proven real world management methods that are adaptive, dynamic, and flexible in an e-business environment. It tackles the central issues of e-business: the burgeoning market for "buy-side" extranet/Internet procurement and supply chain management/business-to-business, Web-based transactions. This Book Enables the Reader to: Set up an e-business implementation plan using proven project templates Anticipate and cope with dynamic change during e-business implementation Encourage and motivate the e-business team to participate in project management and resolving issues Deal with e-business implementation issues and crises Address 100 specific e-business management issues Communicate effectively with management on e-business Share and allocate resources among e-business and other work Manage e-business teams of business staff, vendors, and IT Gather and use e-business lessons learned as the basis for expanding and improving future e-business efforts Answers Questions Such as: What are critical success factors in e-business implementation? How do you get employees and managers to participate in e-business? How do you set up your e-business implementation plan fast? How do you share resources between e-business and other work? How do you use project templates and modern software tools to increase your chance of e-business success? How do you manage and control risk in your e-business project? How do you direct large-scale e-business efforts in the real world?
Corporate Performance and Ownership Structure: Empirical Evidence for Chile

This article focuses on the relationship between performance and corporate diversification. The sample covers 70 Chilean public firms between 2000 and 2007. Our findings show a positive and statistically significant relation between performance and corporate diversification. Moreover, when separating the sample into two groups, namely, those that are less and those that are more diversified, a positive relationship between ownership concentration and performance is observed in the case of less diversified firms. On the other hand, for the more diversified group, we report a negative relationship between ownership concentration and performance for the main and the three largest shareholders. Another interesting result is the negative relationship between amount of fixed assets and performance. Finally, we are not aware of other studies that control for country risk premium, which we find to be a relevant variable since the higher the country risk premium the lower the corporate performance is. This may suggest that the marginal investor in Chile is not able to fully diversify country risk.
User Experience of 3D Map Navigation - Bare-Hand Interaction or Touchable Device?

New tracking technologies allow users to interact with digital systems in a more naturalistic way, while touchable interfaces represent a more precise but also less direct interaction. In this study, example devices for each of these interaction styles were compared in terms of their suitability for free navigation in a 3D Map. Efficiency, subjective attractiveness ratings and joy-of-use based on displayed emotions in differently complex tasks were measured. We focused on users without prior experience with both respective devices, allowing insights on first impressions and unbiased interaction. Our results showed higher joy-of-use and better efficiency in an easy navigation task for bare-hand interaction. Interestingly efficiency also improved for more complex tasks, after participants first worked with a touchable interface.
Effect of Korean Service Quality Awards on the Market Value by using Event Study Methodology

This paper empirically investigates the impact of winning a service quality award on the market value in Korea. We estimates the mean "abnormal" change in the stock prices of sample firms when information of winning a service quality award was publicly announced. To access the validity of the research question, this paper employed collected 47 firms data that received the Korean Service Quality Awards so far. Event study methodology was used to analyze the effect of Korean service quality awards. The findings are as follows; The average abnormal returns on the event date are not significant at the 0.05 level which means that the receiving Korean Service Quality Awards has no influence on the firms' market value. On the other hand successive awarded firms have an increasing effect on the market value and it is significant at the 0.05 level. Furthermore, the results show that the factors of firm size such as firm's total assets are critical to vary the firms' abnormal returns. There might be some limitations in this study. The most obvious problem is the limitation of sample size. Although 518 sample cases were found during the period from 2000 to 2008, most of the cases were deleted according to the sample criteria. We are expecting the future research with more data and more precise results. Furthermore, our research consider the only two service award institutions even though there are several different service award authorities in Korea. It is needed to expand the research scope and range to adopt the various service award institutions for the future work.
Comparison of beta adrenergic receptor binding characteristics and coupling to adenylate cyclase in rat pulmonary artery versus aorta.

In an effort to define the mechanisms regulating pulmonary vasodilatation and explain the greater in vitro response to iso-proterenol in the pulmonary artery (PA) vs. aorta (AO), we compared beta adrenergic receptor binding characteristics and coupling to adenylate cyclase in PA and AO obtained from adult male rats. Beta adrenergic receptor binding characteristics and affinity for agonists were determined with [125I]-iodocyanopindolol. Agonist displacement studies were characteristic of a beta-2 adrenergic receptor subtype. Receptor density (44.7 +/- 7.3 vs. 39.6 +/- 0.8 fmol/mg of protein means +/- S.E.M., PA vs. AO) and the dissociation constant for the radioligand (10.3 +/- 2.6 vs. 13.4 +/- 3.5 pM) were similar in the two arteries. However, affinity for l-isoproterenol was greater (the inhibition constant was lower) in PA compared to AO (0.08 +/- 0.03 vs. 1.20 +/- 0.18 microM, P less than .05), as was affinity for l-epinephrine (0.89 +/- 0.20 vs. 3.87 +/- 0.62 microM, P less than .05). Affinity was similar for l-norepinephrine (18.93 +/- 3.63 vs. 13.49 +/- 3.12 microM). Base-line cyclic AMP (cAMP) content, basal adenylate cyclase activity and adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by GTP, isoproterenol plus GTP and forskolin were measured by radioimmunoassay for cAMP. Base-line cAMP content was greater in PA than in AO (513.5 +/- 46.9 vs. 125.5 +/- 19.1 pmol of cAMP per mg of protein, P less than .001), as was basal adenylate cyclase activity (10.8 +/- 1.2 vs. 5.7 +/- 1.3 pmol of cAMP per mg of protein per min, P less than .05). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A comparison of the Mallampati test in supine and upright positions with and without phonation in predicting difficult laryngoscopy and intubation: A prospective study

Background and Aims: Difficult ventilation and intubation have been recognized as the forerunners of hypoxic brain damage during anesthesia. To overcome catastrophic events during anesthesia, an assessment of the airway before induction is of paramount importance. We designed this study to compare the effect of phonation on the Mallampati test in supine and upright positions as against the traditionally employed test without phonation in serving to predict difficult laryngoscopy and intubation. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 661 patients aged 16-60 years were recruited during the years 2011 to 2012. The Mallampati test was conducted on patients with and without phonation in both the sitting and supine positions. A blinded observer then performed laryngoscopy and intubation. Difficult intubation was assessed according to the Cormack-Lehane Grading scale. Statistical Analysis Used: Diagnostic statistical measures for each of the four situations — sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy — were calculated. Results: In this study, 28 patients (4.2%) had difficult laryngoscopy and nine patients (1.4%) had difficult intubation. There was no difference in the sensitivity of the Mallampati test as regards prediction of laryngoscopy and intubation in the four different positions, but the upright position along with phonation had the highest specificity. The negative predictive value was above 95% in all the positions; however, the positive predictive value was the highest in the supine position along with phonation. Conclusion: Based on our results, the supine position along with phonation had the best correlation in the prediction of difficult laryngoscopy and intubation. We further conclude that phonation significantly improved the Mallampati class in the supine position compared with the upright position.
Benchmark Tipping in the Global Bond Market

We analyse the turnover of fixed income derivatives in seven currencies to test the hypothesis that market participants increasingly use contracts based on private rather than government rates to hedge and to take positions. In the US dollar money market, private benchmarks long ago displaced government benchmarks. In the bond markets, evidence from organised exchanges and the Triennial Central Bank survey on over-the-counter (OTC) markets suggests that the benchmark is tipping from government bond futures to private interest rate swaps. The global financial crisis seems only to have interrupted this process in the US dollar bond market, the European sovereign bond strains may have accelerated it in the euro bond market; and the policy to clear centrally OTC trades does not seem to be impeding it. Cross-sectional analysis of 35 bond markets identifies bond market size and GDP per capita as key determinants of the existence of government bond futures. Based on these results, one may expect uccessful introduction of government bond futures in China and Brazil even as such contracts continue to lose ground in today's major markets.
ANALISIS PENGARUH EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING DAN KUALITAS LAYANAN TERHADAP KEPUASAN PELANGGAN UNTUK MENDORONG MINAT BELI ULANG (Studi pada Member Sanggar Senam Kharisma Semarang)

T his study was conducted at a gymnasium that called Kharisma, which is located in Banyumanik, Semarang. Existing data on the gymnasium Kharisma shows a decreasing number of members in 2013-1014. This study aims to determine whether experiential marketing and service quality on customer satisfaction influece repurchase intention. T he sample used in this research is a 150 member of gymnasium Kharisma. Data analysis methods used in this study is quantitative method and analyzed using multiple linear regressions. T he results of the research shows that experiential marketing and service quality have a positive impact to customer satisfaction with the regression coefficient Y1= 0,659X1 + 0,201X2. While customer satisfaction is also has a positive impact to repurchase intention on the value of the regression coefficient Y2 = 0,957Y1
REIT Joint Ventures and Funds: Weighing the Pluses and Minuses

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are increasing their use of joint ventures and funds to finance real estate purchases and development pipelines, and diversify their revenues with additional advisory and management fees. All things being equal, Moody's views diversification as a positive credit characteristic. These joint ventures and funds may be more leveraged than a REIT's wholly owned assets, but off-balance sheet, achieving a reported (if not actual) balance sheet condition, and complicating an analysis of the true credit implications. A select group of REITs have been successfully using these structures for some time, which has provided them with revenue and funding diversification. However, as these structures are a rising trend among more REIT's, on a broad basis the related fees show a degree of historical variability, some of which may be due to the current high growth rate and early stage development for most firms. This variability is higher for acquisition, disposition and promote/success fees, but less so for property management and leasing fees. This Special Comment provides background on REITs' JV and fund structures, and outlines Moody's views of their credit implications. In addition, Moody's has historically taken a significant haircut on JV/fund income in our analysis. In this comment we expand on our quantitative and qualitative approach to these structures as first presented in Rating Methodology for REITs and Other Commercial Property Firms.
Structure-Activity Analysis of Niclosamide Reveals Potential Role for Cytoplasmic pH in Control of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) Signaling*

Background: mTORC1 is dysregulated in human disease, and there is an interest in the development of mTORC1 inhibitors. Niclosamide inhibits mTORC1 signaling, but its mode of action remains unclear. Results: Niclosamide extrudes protons from lysosomes, thus lowering cytoplasmic pH and inhibiting mTORC1 signaling. Conclusion: Cytoplasmic acidification inhibits mTORC1 signaling. Significance: Our findings may aid the design of niclosamide-based anticancer therapeutic agents. Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling is frequently dysregulated in cancer. Inhibition of mTORC1 is thus regarded as a promising strategy in the treatment of tumors with elevated mTORC1 activity. We have recently identified niclosamide (a Food and Drug Administration-approved antihelminthic drug) as an inhibitor of mTORC1 signaling. In the present study, we explored possible mechanisms by which niclosamide may inhibit mTORC1 signaling. We tested whether niclosamide interferes with signaling cascades upstream of mTORC1, the catalytic activity of mTOR, or mTORC1 assembly. We found that niclosamide does not impair PI3K/Akt signaling, nor does it inhibit mTORC1 kinase activity. We also found that niclosamide does not interfere with mTORC1 assembly. Previous studies in helminths suggest that niclosamide disrupts pH homeostasis of the parasite. This prompted us to investigate whether niclosamide affects the pH balance of cancer cells. Experiments in both breast cancer cells and cell-free systems demonstrated that niclosamide possesses protonophoric activity in cells and in vitro. In cells, niclosamide dissipated protons (down their concentration gradient) from lysosomes to the cytosol, effectively lowering cytoplasmic pH. Notably, analysis of five niclosamide analogs revealed that the structural features of niclosamide required for protonophoric activity are also essential for mTORC1 inhibition. Furthermore, lowering cytoplasmic pH by means other than niclosamide treatment (e.g. incubation with propionic acid or bicarbonate withdrawal) recapitulated the inhibitory effects of niclosamide on mTORC1 signaling, lending support to a possible role for cytoplasmic pH in the control of mTORC1. Our data illustrate a potential mechanism for chemical inhibition of mTORC1 signaling involving modulation of cytoplasmic pH.
Statistical mechanical theory of melting transition in supercoiled DNA

The melting curve for a covalently closed circular DNA has been analyzed on the basis of an expression for the supercoiling energy derived in terms of the elastic parameters of the macromolecule, treated as a homopolymer. The result obtained by applying the usual methods of statistical mechanics indicate close agreement with the available experimental data. It is found that the elevation of the melting temperature, as compared to that of the nicked circular or linear DNA, is a natural consequence of the fact that the supercoiled molecule is constrained by an invariant linking number. The flattening of the melting curve, on the other hand, arises as the closed circular duplex melts into a loose helix rather than random coils.
Differentiated Service Queuing Disciplines in NS-3

—Network Simulator 3 ( ns-3 ) is a powerful tool for modeling the behavior of computer networks using simulation. We have developed three well known differentiated service packet queuing methods: strict priority queuing, weighted fair queuing, and weighted round robin queuing, in the simulation framework. In this paper, we present the implementation details of the three modules as well as their usage. By implementing these modules in ns-3 and demonstrating their use, we intend to facilitate further research and experimentation with our contributions. We believe that our work will be utilized in solving outstanding problems that would have been impractical to investigate without our modules. Lastly, through validation, we conﬁrm that our introduced modules simulate these queuing methods correctly.
BIOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING GENETIC DIVERSITY IN THE SCUTELLARIA ANGUSTIFOLIA COMPLEX (LABIATAE)

Studies of genetic diversity at isozyme loci were used to examine the phylogenetic distribution of several frequently reported population‐genetic parameters in a putatively monophyletic group of plant species, the Scutellaria angustifolia complex. The influence of taxon‐specific differences in habitat preference, breeding system, degree of endemism, and phylogenetic relatedness was examined. Many characters of reproductive morphology traditionally used in phylogenetic inference vary with breeding system. To the extent that reproductive systems are conservative markers of phylogenetic relationships, one would expect the distribution of genetic variation to be similar in closely related taxa. Results showed that closely related taxa may exhibit very different genetic‐diversity statistics and that distantly related taxa may exhibit very similar genetic‐diversity statistics. This suggests that complex patterns of evolution of breeding systems and morphological characters have occurred in the ten taxa included in the Scutellaria angustifolia complex. Similarity in habitat is not associated with similarity in genetic diversity in this group of species.
Distinct cellular toxicity of two mutant huntingtin mRNA variants due to translation regulation

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG repeat expansion within exon1 of the HTT gene. The gene generates two mRNA variants that carry either a short or long 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) while encoding the same protein. It remains unknown whether the two mRNA variants play distinct roles in HD pathogenesis. We found that the long HTT 3′UTR was capable of guiding mRNA to neuronal dendrites, suggesting that some long-form HTT mRNA is transported to dendrites for local protein synthesis. To assay roles of two HTT mRNA variants in cell bodies, we expressed mRNA harboring HTT exon1 containing 23x or 145x CAGs with the short or long 3′UTR. We found that mutant mRNA containing the short 3′UTR produced more protein aggregates and caused more apoptosis in both cultured neurons and HEK293 cells, compared with mutant mRNA containing the long 3′UTR. Although the two 3′UTRs did not affect mRNA stability, we detected higher levels of protein synthesis from mRNA containing the short 3′UTR than from mRNA containing the long 3′UTR. These results indicate that the long HTT 3′UTR suppresses translation. Thus, short-form mutant HTT mRNA will be more efficient in producing toxic protein than its long-form counterpart.
Characterization of the swelling-induced alkalinization of endocytotic vesicles in fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran-loaded rat hepatocytes.

Short-term cultivated rat hepatocytes were allowed to endocytose fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-coupled dextran and the apparent vesicular pH (pHves) was measured by single-cell fluorescence. After 2 h of exposure to FITC-dextran, the apparent pH in the vesicular compartments accessible to endocytosed FITC-dextran was 6.01 +/- 0.05 (n = 39) in normo-osmotic media. Hypo-osmotic exposure increased, whereas hyper-osmotic exposure decreased apparent pHves. by 0.18 +/- 0.02 (n = 26) and 0.12 +/- 0.01 (n = 23) respectively. Incubation of the cells with unlabelled dextran for 2h before a 2-h FITC-dextran exposure had no effect on apparent pHves and its osmosensitivity. When, however, hepatocytes were exposed to unlabelled dextran for 5 h after a 2 h exposure to FITC-dextran, in order to allow transport of endocytosed FITC-dextran to late endocytotic/lysosomal compartments, apparent pHves. decreased to 5.38 +/- 0.04 (n = 12) and the apparent pH in the vesicular compartment containing the dye was no longer sensitive to aniso-osmotic exposure. These findings indicate that the osomosensitivity of pHves. is apparently restricted to early endocytotic compartments. Aniso-osmotic regulation of apparent pHves. in freshly FITC-loaded hepatocytes was not accompanied by aniso-osmolarity-induced changes of the cytosolic free calcium concentration, and neither vasopressin nor extracellular ATP, which provoked a marked Ca2+ signal, affected apparent pHves. Dibutyryl-cyclic AMP (cAMP) or vanadate (0.5 mmol/l) were without effect on apparent pHves. and its osmosensitivity. However, pertussis toxin-treatment or genistein (but not daidzein) or the erbstatin analogue methyl 2,5-dihydroxycinnamate fully abolished the osmo-sensitivity of apparent pHves. , but did not affect apparent pHves. It is concluded that regulation of pHves. by cell volume occurs in early endocytotic compartments, but probably not in lysosomes, and is mediated by a G-protein and tyrosine kinase-dependent, but Ca2+- and cAMP-independent mechanism.