Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
European Valuation Practice: Theory and Techniques

The variability of valuation practice within Europe is perceived as a problem within the globalization of property. This edited textbook examines the practice of real estate valuation in selected countries in Europe. The focus is on countries with well developed real estate markets in which both international and indigenous investors are active. The book is aimed at real estate professionals, financiers, institutional advisers, property researchers and students who require a greater understanding of comparative property appraisal techniques applied across Europe.
A Set of Indexes for Trading Commercial Real Estate Based on the Real Capital Analytics Transaction Prices Database

This paper describes the engineering of a set of indexes for tracking same property realized price appreciation in the U.S. commercial real estate asset market, based on the transactions database of Real Capital Analytics, Inc (RCA). The set of regression-based, repeat-sales indexes developed so far includes a national all-property index at the monthly frequency, national quarterly indexes for each of the four major property type sectors (office, apartment, industrial, retail), selected annual-frequency indexes for specific property sectors in specific metropolitan areas, and other specialized indexes. The RCA database is one of the most extensive and intensively documented national databases of commercial property prices ever developed in the U.S., and attempts to include on a timely basis all transactions of commercial properties greater than $2,500,000 in value. The indexes described in this paper were developed de novo for the specific purpose of supporting and facilitating derivatives trading, such as iindex return swapsi. This paper presents the price index methodology and an initial history of the major indexes starting in 2001.
CRM ARCHITECTURE FOR EFFECTIVE ENTERPRISE RELATIONSHIP MARKETING

A key consideration in effective CRM is the way in which the systems are constructed. Unlike purely internal systems, CRM systems must be able to operate in the office, out of the office and over the web. They must tie together multiple communication channels each using very different technologies (web, e-mail, telephone). CRM Architecture will provide integrated automation of business processes. This article deals with CRM architecture for effective enterprise relationship marketing.
A System-in-Package (SiP) With Mounted Input Capacitors for Reduced Parasitic Inductances in a Voltage Regulator

This paper presents a system-in-package (SiP) that mounts an input capacitor for voltage regulators. The SiP has a low power loss of 3.8 W at a switching frequency of 1 MHz, input voltage of 12 V, and output current of 25 A. The parasitic inductance of this SiP is 56% that of the previously reported SiP, which had the input capacitor mounted on the printed circuit board, and this reduction is due to the short current loop from the input capacitor to the MOSFETs. As a result, the power loss can be reduced by 20% for the same spike voltage. The high-side MOSFET die is flipped so that the drain electrode faces up, facilitating the connection of the drain electrode of the high-side MOSFET and the source electrode of the low-side MOSFET to the mounted input capacitor. The authors also propose a way to estimate the parasitic inductance experimentally, not from a current measurement such as with a shunt resistor and a current probe, but from the ringing frequency when the high-side MOSFET is switched and the output capacitance C oss of the MOSFET being on the off state.
Is India's Long-Term Trend Growth Declining?

The recent decline in gross domestic product (GDP) growth in India raised a debate about whether it is a trend or a business cycle slowdown. We observe a cyclical downturn post-global financial crisis due to external and domestic conditions. With global recovery strengthening and appropriate demand management policies, the business cycle downturn can be reversed. At the same time, the economy witnessed negative shocks to trend growth caused by policy uncertainty. In this paper, we argue that these shocks are temporary. A stable policy environment can give positive shocks to growth. Policy action eliminating frictions that hamper efficient allocation of resources in factor markets can be seen as a positive shock that will pull up trend growth of output. Given that the supply of factors, namely labor, human capital, infrastructure, and non-infrastructure capital appears robust and productivity growth potentially strong, timely reforms that eliminate structural bottlenecks will enable trend growth to pick up.
Delayed hypersensitivity to extracts from primary sarcomata in the autochthonous host

All rats with benzpyrene‐induced primary tumours responded by producing varying degrees of delayed hypersensitivity reactions to their own tumour extracts after the complete removal of the tumour. After partial removal of the tumour the delayed hypersensitivity reactions were uniformly shown to be negative. Gradual increase in delayed hypersensitivity response as shown by the gradual increase in foot‐pad swelling was detected after each successive tumour transplant and excision in the same animal. The delayed hypersensitivity phenomena are not specific to each individual tumour and there appears to be almost complete cross‐reactivity. The possible reasons for these observations are discussed.
Fear of a female planet: how John Harris came to endorse eugenic social engineering

In this paper, I respond to criticisms by John Harris, contained in a commentary on my article “Harris, harmed states, and sexed bodies”, which appeared in the Journal of Medical Ethics, volume 37, number 5. I argue that Harris's response to my criticisms exposes the strong eugenic tendencies in his own thought, when he suggests that the reproductive obligations of parents should be determined with reference to a claim about what would enhance ‘society’ or ‘the species’.
Magnetic eye tracking in mice

Eye movements provide insights about a wide range of brain functions, from sensorimotor integration to cognition; hence, the measurement of eye movements is an important tool in neuroscience research. We describe a method, based on magnetic sensing, for measuring eye movements in head-fixed and freely moving mice. A small magnet was surgically implanted on the eye, and changes in the magnet angle as the eye rotated were detected by a magnetic field sensor. Systematic testing demonstrated high resolution measurements of eye position of <0.1°. Magnetic eye tracking offers several advantages over the well-established eye coil and video-oculography methods. Most notably, it provides the first method for reliable, high-resolution measurement of eye movements in freely moving mice, revealing increased eye movements and altered binocular coordination compared to head-fixed mice. Overall, magnetic eye tracking provides a lightweight, inexpensive, easily implemented, and high-resolution method suitable for a wide range of applications.
The private forest-land owners of the United States

A report on a 1978 survey of private forest-land owners, based on 11,076 questionnaires. About 7.8 million ownership units hold 333 million acres of privately owned forest land in the United States. Regional and subregional breakdowns are included for such important variables as form of ownership; owner's occupation, age, sex, race, residence, and education; size class of ownership, etc. An important finding at the national level was that nearly half of the private forest land is in ownerships of greater than 500 acres; it is owned by less than 1 percent of the ownership units. These data are needed for policymakers to evaluate programs and forest industry will use them to forecast timber availability.
ECOLOGICAL COSTS OF PLANT RESISTANCE TO HERBIVORES IN THE CURRENCY OF POLLINATION

In this paper, we examine how ecological costs of resistance might be manifested through plant relationships with pollinators. If defensive compounds are incorporated into floral structures or if they are sufficiently costly that fewer rewards are offered to pollinators, pollinators may discriminate against more defended plants. Here we consider whether directional selection for increased resistance to herbivores could be constrained by opposing selection through pollinator discrimination against more defended plants. We used artificial selection to create two populations of Brassica rapa plants that had high and low myrosinase concentrations and, consequently, high and low resistance to flea beetle herbivores. We measured changes in floral characters of plants in both damaged and undamaged states from these populations with different resistances to flea beetle attack. We also measured pollinator visitation to plants, including numbers of pollinators and measures of visit quality (numbers of flowers visited and time spent per flower). Damage from herbivores resulted in reduced petal size, as did selection for high resistance to herbivores later in the plant lifetime. In addition, floral display (number of open flowers) was also altered by an interaction between these two effects. Changes in floral traits translated into overall greater use of low‐resistance, undamaged plants based on total amount of time pollinators spent foraging on plants. Total numbers of pollinators attracted to plants did not differ among treatments; however, pollinators spent significantly more time per flower on plants from the low‐resistance population and tended to visit more flowers on these plants as well. Previous work by other investigators on the same pollinator taxa has shown that longer visit times are associated with greater male and female plant fitness. Because initial numbers of pollinators did not differ between selection regimes, palatability and/or amount of rewards offered by high‐ and low‐resistance populations are likely to be responsible for these patterns. During periods of pollinator limitation, less defended plants may have a selective advantage and pollinator preferences may mediate directional selection imposed by herbivores. In addition, if pollinator preferences limit seed set in highly defended plants, then lower seed set previously attributed to allocation costs of defense may also reflect greater pollinator limitation in these plants relative to less defended plants.
Differential Response to Risperidone in Schizophrenia Patients by KCNH2 Genotype and Drug Metabolizer Status.

OBJECTIVE Antipsychotic drugs target dopamine and serotonin receptors as well as Kv11.1 potassium channels encoded by KCNH2. Variable patient responses and a wide range of side effects, however, limit their efficacy. Slow metabolizer status and gene variants in KCNH2 associated with increased expression of Kv11.1-3.1, an alternatively spliced isoform of Kv11.1, are correlated with improved responses to antipsychotic medications. Here, the authors test the hypothesis that these effects may be influenced by differential drug binding to Kv11.1 channel isoforms. METHOD Drug block of Kv11.1 isoforms was tested in cellular electrophysiology assays. The effects of drug metabolism and KCNH2 genotypes on clinical responses were assessed in patients enrolled in the multicenter Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). RESULTS Risperidone caused greater in vitro block of the alternatively spliced Kv11.1-3.1 isoform than full-length Kv11.1-1A channels, whereas its metabolite paliperidone and other atypical antipsychotics have similar potencies for the two isoforms. In the CATIE study (N=362), patients with genotypes associated with increased Kv11.1-3.1 expression (N=52) showed a better treatment response to risperidone compared with other drugs, but this association was dependent on metabolism status. Patients with KCNH2 risk genotypes and slow metabolizer status (approximately 7% of patients) showed marked improvement in symptoms when treated with risperidone compared with patients with fast metabolizer status or without the KCNH2 risk genotypes. CONCLUSIONS These data support the hypothesis that Kv11.1 channels play a role in the therapeutic action of antipsychotic drugs, particularly risperidone, and further highlight the promise of optimizing response with genotype-guided therapy for schizophrenia patients.
Characterization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae High Affinity Copper Transporter Ctr3*

Copper is an essential nutrient required for the activity of a number of enzymes with diverse biological roles. In the bakers' yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, copper is transported into cells by two high affinity copper transport proteins, Ctr1 and Ctr3. Although Ctr1 and Ctr3 are functionally redundant, they bear little homology at the amino acid sequence level. In this report, we characterize Ctr3 with respect to its localization, assembly, and post-transcriptional regulation. Ctr3 is an integral membrane protein that assembles as a trimer to form a competent copper uptake permease at the plasma membrane. Whereas the CTR1 andCTR3 genes are similarly regulated at the transcriptional level in response to copper, post-transcriptional regulation of these proteins is distinct. Unlike Ctr1, the Ctr3 transporter is neither regulated at the level of protein degradation nor endocytosis as a function of elevated copper levels. Our studies suggest that Ctr3 constitutes a fundamental module found in all eukaryotic high affinity copper transporters to date, which is sufficient for copper uptake but lacks elements for post-transcriptional regulation by copper.
Loop antenna located on magnetic plate for RFID tag

A rectangular loop antenna with a small loop on the low loss magnetic plate for UHF RFID tag has been analyzed numerically. The antenna size has been miniaturized by 76 % due to a magnetic plate. The radiation pattern of the miniaturized antenna is almost the same as that of the antenna without the magnetic plate. The experimental analysis of the proposed antenna will be left in the future.
Knowledge and cultural diffusion along the supply chain as drivers of product quality improvement: The illycaffè case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to widen the knowledge base on supply chain learning by exploring and explaining how an enterprise can compete and win in the international market by integrating quality management practices along its supply chain and, above all, by becoming the coordinator in a supply chain learning (SCL) network.Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted an exploratory case study on a group operating in the coffee market that is universally recognised for the high quality of its products: illycaffe.Findings – This paper illustrates and explains how the illycaffe Group implements, competes and wins in the international market because of its exemplary business strategies, its focus on the competitive priority of quality, and consistent and integrated supply chain management practices that are sustained by an innovative approach: the diffusion of knowledge, know‐how and a culture of excellence in coffee quality along the entire value chain. The authors find that the diffusion.
Involvement of endothelin‐1 in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in the lamb.

1. Using isolated pulmonary resistance vessels from mature fetal lamb and chronically instrumented lambs (8‐17 days old), we have examined whether hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is sustained by activation of a constrictor mechanism or suppression of a dilator mechanism. 2. Hypoxia contracted both arteries and veins in vitro, and the contraction was greater with the former. After removing the endothelium, arteries responded faster to hypoxia, but the magnitude of the response remained unchanged. 3. Hypoxic arteries, unlike normally oxygenated arteries, did not contract with either indomethacin (2.8 microM) or N omega‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME, 100 microM). The same vessels relaxed with sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 0.001‐10 microM) but not with bradykinin (0.1‐100 nM). 4. Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1, 0.01‐10 nM) contracted isolated arteries and veins under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In both vessels, the contraction was fast in onset and subsidence, and was inhibited by the ETA receptor antagonist BQ123 (1 microM). The ET‐1 precursor, big ET‐1 (100 nM), also contracted arteries and veins, but compared with ET‐1 its action was slower in development. Big ET‐1 contraction, unlike ET‐1 contraction, was curtailed by the inhibitor of the ET‐1‐converting enzyme, phosphoramidon (50 microM). 5. ET‐1 (0.1‐10 nM) had no effect on isolated arteries precontracted with a thromboxane A2 (TXA2) analogue (ONO‐11113) and treated with BQ123 (10 microM). Under the same conditions, ET‐1 relaxed the veins. Accordingly, in the absence of BQ123 treatment, the selective ETB receptor agonist IRL‐1620 (0.1‐100 nM) relaxed the contracted veins but not the arteries. 6. BQ123 (10 microM) inhibited the constriction of isolated arteries and veins to hypoxia. Likewise, in the conscious lamb a bolus of BQ123 (0.4 mg kg‐1, injected into the pulmonary artery) curtailed the rise in pulmonary vascular resistance (Rpa) brought about by alveolar hypoxia without changing significantly systemic vascular resistance (Rao). Under normoxia, Rpa was insignificantly affected by BQ123. 7. The results indicate that pulmonary resistance arteries are more susceptible to hypoxia than the veins, and that hypoxic vasoconstriction does not require an intact endothelium to occur. Hypoxic tone is ascribed primarily to intramural generation of ET‐1, while removal of the tonic action of a relaxant may only have an accessory role in the response.
LANGERHANS CELL HISTIOCYTOSIS: TWO CASE REPORTS IN ADULTS AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract Langerhans Cell histiocytosis is a rare proliferative histiocytic disorder in which pathologic Langerhans cells accumulate in a variety of organs. The clinical presentation, evolution and therapeutic options are highly variable. Because of its relative rarity and the broad clinical spectrum, the diagnosis of Langerhans Cell histiocytosis is often delayed or missed. At present, many questions with respect to aetiology, pathogenesis and treatment remain unanswered. In the present article we want to raise the awareness of this rare disease in adults and its diversity by the means of two case reports. In addition, the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and the current management are reviewed.
Midlife vascular risk factors and late-life mild cognitive impairment

Objective: To evaluate the impact of midlife elevated serum cholesterol levels and blood pressure on the subsequent development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to investigate the prevalence of MCI in elderly Finnish population, applying the MCI criteria devised by the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Background: MCI has been considered as a predictor of AD. Vascular risk factors may be important in the development of cognitive impairment and AD. However, the role of vascular risk factors in MCI and the prevalence of MCI still remain virtually unknown. Methods: Subjects were derived from random, population-based samples previously studied in surveys carried out in 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987. After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1,449 subjects aged 65 to 79 years were reexamined in 1998. Results: Eighty-two subjects, 6.1% of the population (average age, 72 years) met the criteria for MCI. Midlife elevated serum cholesterol level (≥6.5 mmol/L) was a significant risk factor for MCI (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.0, adjusted for age and body mass index); the effect of systolic blood pressure approached significance. Conclusion: Data point to a role for midlife vascular risk factors in the development of MCI in late life.
Social Spending Generosity and Income Inequality: A Dynamic Panel Approach

This paper explores if more generous social spending polices in fact lead to less income inequality, or if redistributive outcomes are offset by behavioral disincentive effects. To account for the inherent endogeneity of social policies with regard to inequality levels, I apply the System GMM estimator and use the presumably random incidence of certain diseases as instruments for social spending levels. The regression results suggest that more social spending effectively reduces inequality levels. The result is robust with respect to the instrument count and different data restrictions. Looking at the structure of benefits, particularly unemployment benefits and public pensions are responsible for the inequality reducing impact. More targeted benefits, however, do not significantly reduce income inequality. Rather, their positive effect on pre-government income inequality hints at substantial disincentive effects.
E-Governance and Online Public Service: The Case of a Cyber Island

One of the central research questions emerging from the favorable and critical views on eGovernance is how such a new mode of governance has impacted on service delivery in the public sector. This dimension is crucial, because what matters most is whether the adoption of eGovernance has been able to improve service delivery, one of the core functions of Governments — based on quality, processes and operations. This article explores these issues by analyzing a specific eservice (online application for learner's licence) provided by the Government of Mauritius, a country which represents one of the leading advocates of eGovernance in Sub Saharan Africa. The results from the survey undertaken indicate that the most important effect of eGovernance on the application for learner's license is speeding up of processes and better quality of service in terms of responsiveness and reliability but not in terms of access and security. As far as the process is concerned eGovernance has lead to personalized service but has not covered all the physical aspect of the service. In terms of operations the resulting effect was the modernisation of the service.
Inactivation of clay-associated bacteriophage MS-2 by chlorine

The model system consisted of bacteriophage MS-2, bentonite clay, and hypochlorous acid (HOC1). Factors that influenced association of the bacterial virus with bentonite were the titer of unadsorbed viruses, clay concentration, cation concentration, temperature, stirring rate, and the presence of soluble organics. Variation of the kinetic adsorption rate constant with stirring speed indicates that phage attachment is a diffusion-limited process; the attachment reaction has an apparent activation energy of 1 kcal/mol. About 18% of clay-associated bacteriophages was recovered by mixing the suspension with an organic eluent. Inactivation data were obtained from batch reactors operated under those conditions in which loss of HOC1 was minimal during the reaction. Bacteriophages attached to clay were more resistant to HOC1 than were freely suspended phages; for equivalent HOC1 concentrations, clay-associated phages required about twice the time that freely suspended phages required for loss of 99% of the initial virus titer.