Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivated Support Vector Regression using Structural Prior Knowledge

It’s known that incorporating prior knowledge into support vector regression (SVR) can help to improve the approximation performance. Most of researches are concerned with the incorporation of knowledge in the form of numerical relationships. Little work, however, has been done to incorporate the prior knowledge on the structural relationships among the variables (referred as to Structural Prior Knowledge, SPK). This paper explores the incorporation of SPK in SVR by constructing appropriate admissible support vector kernel (SV kernel) based on the properties of reproducing kernel (R.K). Three-levels specifications of SPK are studied with the corresponding sub-levels of prior knowledge that can be considered for the method. These include Hierarchical SPK (HSPK), Interactional SPK (ISPK) consisting of independence, global and local interaction, Functional SPK (FSPK) composed of exterior-FSPK and interior-FSPK. A convenient tool for describing the SPK, namely Description Matrix of SPK is introduced. Subsequently, a new SVR, namely Motivated Support Vector Regression (MSVR) whose structure is motivated in part by SPK, is proposed. Synthetic examples show that it is possible to incorporate a wide variety of SPK and helpful to improve the approximation performance in complex cases. The benefits of MSVR are finally shown on a real-life military application, Air-toground battle simulation, which shows great potential for MSVR to the complex military applications. Keywords—admissible support vector kernel, reproducing kernel, structural prior knowledge, motivated support vector regression
Operational Semantics of Logical Concurrent Systems

We describe the operational semantics of the language for modelling logical concurrent systems (LCS). Such systems are characterised by atomic synchronous uniication. The model permits the description of both dependant and independent simultaneous actions or sets of atomic events. A semantics is given via labelled transition systems. The notion of equivalence over such systems is deened by strong bisimulation. Also, the notion of answer semantics is deened via LTS. Some toy-example of systems are described.
Decay Rates in Attractive Bose-Einstein Condensates

Attractive Bose-Einstein condensates are investigated with numerical continuation methods capturing stationary solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The branches of stable (elliptic) and unstable (hyperbolic) solutions are found to meet at a critical particle number through a generic Hamiltonian saddle node bifurcation. The condensate decay rates corresponding to macroscopic quantum tunneling, two and three body inelastic collisions, and thermally induced collapse are computed from the exact numerical solutions. These rates show experimentally significant differences with previously published rates. Universal scaling laws stemming from the bifurcation are derived. [S0031-9007(99)08550-6]
NR4A1 Promotes PDGF-BB-Induced Cell Colony Formation in Soft Agar

The fibroblast mitogen platelet-derived growth factor -BB (PDGF-BB) induces a transient expression of the orphan nuclear receptor NR4A1 (also named Nur77, TR3 or NGFIB). The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathways through which NR4A1 is induced by PDGF-BB and its functional role. We demonstrate that in PDGF-BB stimulated NIH3T3 cells, the MEK1/2 inhibitor CI-1040 strongly represses NR4A1 expression, whereas Erk5 downregulation delays the expression, but does not block it. Moreover, we report that treatment with the NF-κB inhibitor BAY11-7082 suppresses NR4A1 mRNA and protein expression. The majority of NR4A1 in NIH3T3 was found to be localized in the cytoplasm and only a fraction was translocated to the nucleus after continued PDGF-BB treatment. Silencing NR4A1 slightly increased the proliferation rate of NIH3T3 cells; however, it did not affect the chemotactic or survival abilities conferred by PDGF-BB. Moreover, overexpression of NR4A1 promoted anchorage-independent growth of NIH3T3 cells and the glioblastoma cell lines U-105MG and U-251MG. Thus, whereas NR4A1, induced by PDGF-BB, suppresses cell growth on a solid surface, it increases anchorage-independent growth.
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of microRNAs in Developing Grains of Zea mays L.

The development and maturation of maize kernel involves meticulous and fine gene regulation at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, and miRNAs play important roles during this process. Although a number of miRNAs have been identified in maize seed, the ones involved in the early development of grains and in different lines of maize have not been well studied. Here, we profiled four small RNA libraries, each constructed from groups of immature grains of Zea mays inbred line Chang 7–2 collected 4–6, 7–9, 12–14, and 18–23 days after pollination (DAP). A total of 40 known (containing 111 unique miRNAs) and 162 novel (containing 196 unique miRNA candidates) miRNA families were identified. For conserved and novel miRNAs with over 100 total reads, 44% had higher accumulation before the 9th DAP, especially miR166 family members. 42% of miRNAs had highest accumulation during 12–14 DAP (which is the transition stage from embryogenesis to nutrient storage). Only 14% of miRNAs had higher expression 18–23 DAP. Prediction of potential targets of all miRNAs showed that 165 miRNA families had 377 target genes. For miR164 and miR166, we showed that the transcriptional levels of their target genes were significantly decreased when co-expressed with their cognate miRNA precursors in vivo. Further analysis shows miR159, miR164, miR166, miR171, miR390, miR399, and miR529 families have putative roles in the embryogenesis of maize grain development by participating in transcriptional regulation and morphogenesis, while miR167 and miR528 families participate in metabolism process and stress response during nutrient storage. Our study is the first to present an integrated dynamic expression pattern of miRNAs during maize kernel formation and maturation.
MicroRNA-107, an oncogene microRNA that regulates tumour invasion and metastasis by targeting DICER1 in gastric cancer

MicroRNAs are small non‐coding RNA molecules that control expression of target genes. Previous studies showed that microRNA‐107 (miR‐107) is overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues compared with the matched normal tissues. However, it remains largely unclear as to how miR‐107 exerts its function and modulates the malignant phenotypes of gastric cancer, because our understanding of miR‐107 signalling pathways is limited. In this study, we demonstrate that miR‐107 is frequently up‐regulated in gastric cancers and its overexpression is significantly associated with gastric cancer metastasis. Furthermore, silencing the expression of miR‐107 could inhibit gastric cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Subsequent investigation characterized DICER1 as a direct target of miR‐107. Up‐regulation of DICER1 resulted in a dramatic reduction of in vitro migration, invasion, in vivo liver metastasis of nude mice, which is similar to that occurs with the silencing of miR‐107, indicating that DICER1 functions as a metastasis suppressor in gastric cancer. Furthermore, the restoration of DICER1 can inhibit miR‐107‐induced gastric cancer cell invasion and metastasis. In conclusion, our results suggested that miR‐107, an oncogene miRNA promoting gastric cancer metastasis through down‐regulation of DICER1. Inhibition of miR‐107 or restoration of DICER1 may represent a new potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.
Crystal Structure and Identification of Two Key Amino Acids Involved in AI-2 Production and Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus suis LuxS

Streptococcus suis has emerged as an important zoonotic pathogen that causes meningitis, arthritis, septicemia and even sudden death in pigs and humans. Quorum sensing is the signaling network for cell-to-cell communication that bacterial cells can use to monitor their own population density through production and exchange of signal molecules. S-Ribosylhomocysteinase (LuxS) is the key enzyme involved in the activated methyl cycle. Autoinducer 2 (AI-2) is the adduct of borate and a ribose derivative and is produced from S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). AI-2 can mediate interspecies communication and in some species facilitate the bacterial behavior regulation such as biofilm formation and virulence in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we reported the overexpression, purification and crystallographic structure of LuxS from S. suis. Our results showed the catalytically active LuxS exists as a homodimer in solution. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed the presence of Zn2+ in LuxS. Although the core structure shares the similar topology with LuxS proteins from other bacterial species, structural analyses and comparative amino acid sequence alignments identified two key amino acid differences in S. suis LuxS, Phe80 and His87, which are located near the substrate binding site. The results of site-directed mutagenesis and enzymology studies confirmed that these two residues affect the catalytic activity of the enzyme. These in vitro results were corroborated in vivo by expression of the LuxS variants in a S. suis ΔluxS strain. The single and two amino acid of LuxS variant decreased AI-2 production and biofilm formation significantly compared to that of the parent strain. Our findings highlight the importance of key LuxS residues that influence the AI-2 production and biofilm formation in S.suis.
Hepatitis C virus infection in nephrology patients.

CONTEXT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to chronic liver disease, but also to extra-hepatic manifestations. EVIDENCE ACQUISITIONS Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, Pubmed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science have been searched. RESULTS Herein, we provide an overview of renal diseases related to HCV and their therapies, as well as the treatment options available for HCV (+)/RNA (+) dialysis patients. We will not mention, however, HCV infection-related complications in the post-kidney transplantation setting. CONCLUSIONS Extra-hepatic manifestations of HCV infection include mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, and renal disease. HCV infection has been reported in association with distinct histological patterns of glomerulonephritis in native kidneys.
A deep i-selected multiwaveband galaxy catalogue in the COSMOS field

In this paper we present a deep and homogeneous i-band-selected multiwaveband catalogue in the COSMOS field covering an area of about 0.7 deg 2 . Our catalogue with a formal 50 per cent completeness limit for point sources of i ∼ 26.7 comprises about 290 000 galaxies with information in 8 passbands. We combine publicly available u, B, V, r, i, z and K data with proprietary imaging in H band. We discuss in detail the observations, the data reduction, and the photometric properties of the H-band data. We estimate photometric redshifts for all the galaxies in the catalogue. A comparison with 162 spectroscopic redshifts in the redshift range 0 ≤ z ≤ 3 shows that the achieved accuracy of the photometric redshifts is Δz/(z spec + 1) ≤ 0.035 with only ∼2 per cent outliers. We derive absolute UV magnitudes and investigate the evolution of the luminosity function evaluated in the rest-frame UV (1500 A). There is a good agreement between the luminosity functions derived here and the luminosity functions derived in the FORS Deep Field. We see a similar brightening of M* and a decrease of Φ* with redshift. The catalogue including the photometric redshift information is made publicly available.
H∞ fault estimation with randomly occurring uncertainties, quantization effects and successive packet dropouts: The finite‐horizon case

In this paper, the finite‐horizon H∞ fault estimation problem is investigated for a class of uncertain nonlinear time‐varying systems subject to multiple stochastic delays. The randomly occurring uncertainties (ROUs) enter into the system due to the random fluctuations of network conditions. The measured output is quantized by a logarithmic quantizer before being transmitted to the fault estimator. Also, successive packet dropouts (SPDs) happen when the quantized signals are transmitted through an unreliable network medium. Three mutually independent sets of Bernoulli‐distributed white sequences are introduced to govern the multiple stochastic delays, ROUs and SPDs. By employing the stochastic analysis approach, some sufficient conditions are established for the desired finite‐horizon fault estimator to achieve the specified H∞ performance. The time‐varying parameters of the fault estimator are obtained by solving a set of recursive linear matrix inequalities. Finally, an illustrative numerical example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed fault estimation approach. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A history of federal crime control initiatives, 1960-1993

Introduction Federal Involvement in Criminal Justice Prior to the Johnson Administration The Johnson Administration: A Continuation and Expansion of Activities from the Kennedy Years The Nixon Administration: A Shift in Federal Crime Control Policy The Ford Administration: A Continuation of Nixon, with Some Variations The Carter Administration: A Temporary Lull in Federal Criminal Justice Policy The Reagan Administration: A Return to "Law and Order" The Bush Administration: A Continuation of Reagan's Administration Conclusion: President Clinton and the Future of Federal Crime Control Policy Appendices Bibliography Index
Partisan Embedding of Liberalism

Political scientists have long debated how economic globalization influences national social policies, but they have so far not explored the political demands of political parties implicitly underlying such influence. This article explores such demands to see how globalization affects partisan-political demands for the welfare state in industrialized countries. It argues that political parties link globalization to welfare policy, but in ways that differ across parties and faces of globalization. First, globalization can be expected to spark support for welfare policies as compensation for globalization’s risks, but given the constituencies and traditions of parties, this applies more for left than for right or other parties. Second, this dynamic is different for immigration than for trade or investment because migration poses fiscal pressures and threats to solidarity that can dampen enthusiasm for welfare compensation and spark calls for welfare retrenchment. Analysis of party manifestos in 23 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries from 1960 to 2004 supports this view that some but not all parties embed some but not all liberalism.
Combining the Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Poverty Measurement and Analysis

This paper highlights the key characteristics of the quantitative and qualitative approaches to poverty measurement and analysis, examines the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and analyzes the potential for combining the two approaches in analytical work on poverty. The main conclusion of this paper is that sole reliance on either only the quantitative approach or only the qualitative approach in measuring and analyzing poverty is often likely to be less desirable than combining the two approaches. This is because there are limits to a purely quantitative approach as well as a purely qualitative approach to poverty measurement and analysis. Each approach has an appropriate time and place, but in most cases both approaches will generally be required to address different aspects of a problem and to answer questions which the other approach cannot answer as well or cannot answer at all. The need to combine the two approaches in analytical work on poverty cannot be overemphasized. There are three key ways to combine the quantitative and qualitative approaches: (i) integrating methodologies; (ii) confirming, refuting, enriching, and explaining the findings of one approach with those of the other; and (iii) merging the findings of the two approaches into one set of policy recommendations. Some ways in which the integration of methodologies can be achieved are: using quantitative survey data to determine the individuals/communities to be studied through the qualitative approach; using the quantitative survey to design the interview guide of the qualitative survey; using qualitative work to determine stratification of the quantitative sample; using qualitative work to determine the design of the quantitative survey questionnaire; using qualitative work to pretest the quantitative survey questionnaire; and/or using qualitative analyses to refine the poverty index. 'Confirming' or 'refuting' are achieved by verifying quantitative results through the qualitative approach. 'Enriching' is achieved by using qualitative work to identify issues or obtain information on variables not obtained by quantitative surveys. 'Examining' refers to generating hypothesis from qualitative work for testing through the quantitative approach. 'Explaining' involves using qualitative work to understand unanticipated results from quantitative data. In principle, each of these mechanisms may operate in either direction -- from qualitative to quantitative approaches or vice versa. 'Merging' involves analyzing the information provided both by the quantitative approach as well as the qualitative approach to derive one set of policy recommendations. The quantitative and qualitative approaches are being increasingly combined in analytical work on poverty, but there remains scope for further strengthening the links between them.
International Migration, Remittances and Subsistence Farming: Evidence from Nepal

Although international migration is playing an increasingly important role in Nepal, at both the macro and household levels, and in particular for the poverty reduction of rural families, empirical work focusing on this phenomenon has been largely absent. With a special view on the rural poor, in this paper we investigate the impact of international labour migration on subsistence agricultural production in the Western Mid Hills of Nepal, based on a survey conducted among smallholders with migrating family members. The results demonstrate that international migration leads to negligence of cereals – paddy, wheat, maize and millet, in particular, being the major subsistence crops. While bearing a negative impact on family labour input, its impact on hired farm labour is positive. Yet it does not affect material inputs such as fertilizer, and although it helps to ease households’ liquidity and capital constraints, it does not contribute to moving subsistence farming towards more profitable commercial farming. Therefore, although migration reduces poverty in the short run and also allows for higher daily consumption, its negative impact on cereal production requires attention by policymakers.
Management measures and fishers' commitment to sustainable exploitation: a case study of Atlantic salmon fisheries in the Baltic Sea

Fisheries management aimed at sustainable exploitation may affect fish populations indirectly by influencing human behaviour. We propose a methodology that includes stakeholders’ opinions, perceptions, and resulting behaviour, within assessment models designed to evaluate the impact of different management measures on the stocks. Based on interviews and a questionnaire, we use a Bayesian belief network to examine which factors determine fishers’ commitment to sustainable fisheries goals, what impact commitment has on exploitation rate, and what measures can be taken to improve commitment. In addition to exploring alternative management measures, the analysis evaluates knowledge actions (providing information to fishers) and commitment actions (intended to increase trust, consensus, and cooperation). The method is applied in a Baltic Sea case study in which commitment is important for successful recovery of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) stocks. The results indicate that the more fishers rely on fishing as their source of income, the less is their commitment and the smaller is the impact of changes in commitment on subsequent catches. The results suggest that commitment can be improved by selecting management measures favoured by fishers and by combining them with commitment and knowledge actions.
A Quiet Revolution in Corporate Governance: An Examination of Voluntary Best Practice Governance Policies

This paper investigates the effects of several voluntary best practice corporate governance principles on firm performance and firm risk. Using a sample of Standard & Poor's/Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index firms from 2003–2010, I show that firms with individual director election and detailed disclosure of voting results in director elections have a higher firm value or performance. Firms with independent chairman, majority voting, and detailed disclosure of voting results in director elections have lower idiosyncratic risk. In addition, the results from the panel regression show that detailed disclosure of voting results in director election leads to lower systematic and total risk.
Managing Global Issues: Lessons Learned

Globalization is pushing to the fore a wide variety of global problems that demand urgent policy attention. Managing Global Issues provides a comprehensive comparative assessment of international efforts to manage global problems. It identifies and explains successes and failures of such efforts, examines the roles of different actors, and outlines lessons that may guide future action by governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. The volume's 16 case studies examine organized crime, drugs, corruption, human rights, labor rights, health, trade, financial markets, development assistance, the environment, the global commons, communications, weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, internal conflicts, and refugees. Managing Global Issues is the result of an international multidisciplinary research team composed of experts in specific global issue areas. The book's broad scope, numerous case studies and its rigorous comparative analytical framework offers a unique and valuable contribution to the rapidly growing literature on global governance. Contributors include Vinod K. Aggarwal (University of California, Berkeley), Thomas Bernauer (University of Zurich), William Drake (Carnegie Endowment), Octavio Gomez-Dantes (National Institute of Public Health, Mexico), Catherine Gwin (World Bank), Peter M. Haas (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Christopher C. Joyner (Georgetown University), Brian Langille (University of Toronto), Robert E. Litan (Brookings Institution), Kathleen Newland (Carnegie Endowment), Peter Richardson (Transparency International), Peter H. Sand (Institute of International Law, Munich), Dinah L. Shelton (Notre Dame Law School), Timothy D. Sisk (University of Denver), Joanna Spear (King's College, London), and Phil Williams (University of Pittsburgh).