Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Theory of Foreign Influence

How do foreign interests influence the setting of policies by particular countries? What are the implications of such foreign influence? In this paper we develop a theory of foreign influence and apply it to the study of optimal tariffs. We develop a two-country probabilistic voting model of electoral competition, where we allow the incumbent party in each country to take costly actions that affect the election outcome in the other country. We show that policies end up maximizing a weighted sum of domestic and foreign welfare, and study the determinants of this weight. We show that although foreign influence is zero in equilibrium, its "threat" may be welfare-enhancing from the point of view of aggregate world welfare. This is because foreign influence helps alleviate externalities arising from cross-border effects of policies. We apply our model of foreign influence to the study of optimal trade policy. We derive a modified formula for the optimal import tariff and show that a country's import tariff is more distorted whenever the influenced country is small relative to the influencing country and whenever natural trade barriers between the two countries are small.
Gauged (2,2) Sigma Models and Generalized Kahler Geometry

We gauge the (2, 2) supersymmetric non-linear sigma model whose target space has bihermitian structure (g, B, J±) with noncommuting complex structures. The bihermitian geometry is realized by a sigma model which is written in terms of (2, 2) semi-chiral superfields. We discuss the moment map, from the perspective of the gauged sigma model action and from the integrability condition for a Hamiltonian vector field. We show that for a concrete example, the SU(2) × U(1) WZNW model, as well as for the sigma models with almost product structure, the moment map can be used together with the corresponding Killing vector to form an element of T⊕T* which lies in the eigenbundle of the generalized almost complex structure. Lastly, we discuss T-duality at the level of a (2,2) sigma model involving semi-chiral superfields and present an explicit example.
Parallelization of deconvolution based image super-resolution on multi-core CPU platform

Super-resolution (SR) reconstruction has been widely studied in recent years because of its promising applications in image and video processing. However, comparatively few studies on achieving high computational efficiency without losing performance have been made. In this paper, we provide parallelization of deconvolution-based image SR on a multi-core central processing unit (CPU) platform. We divide the SR problem in images into many sub-problems which are computationally independent of each other. The sub-problems are solved by mapping threads to different cores on a multi-core CPU platform. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior performance in terms of both image quality and runtime.1
Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction: Differential Diagnosis and Management

The most common cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to left heart disease (LHD) was previously rheumatic mitral valve disease. However, with the disappearance of rheumatic fever and an aging population, nonvalvular LHD is now the most common cause of group 2 PH in the developed world. In this review, we examine the challenge of investigating patients who have PH and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HF-pEF), where differentiating between pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and PH-LHD can be difficult, and also discuss the entity of combined precapillary and postcapillary PH. Given the proven efficacy of targeted therapy for the treatment of PAH, there is increasing interest in whether these treatments may benefit selected patients with PH associated with HF-pEF, and we review current trial data.
The structural connectome of children with traumatic brain injury

This study aimed to investigate the impact of mild to severe pediatric TBI on the structural connectome. Children aged 8–14 years with trauma control (TC) injury (n = 27) were compared to children with mild TBI and risk factors for complicated TBI (mildRF+, n = 20) or moderate/severe TBI (n = 16) at 2.8 years post‐injury. Probabilistic tractography on diffusion tensor imaging data was used in combination with graph theory to study structural connectivity. Functional outcome was measured using neurocognitive tests and parent and teacher questionnaires for behavioral functioning. The results revealed no evidence for an impact of mildRF+ TBI on the structural connectome. In contrast, the moderate/severe TBI group showed longer characteristic path length (P = 0.022, d = 0.82) than the TC group. Furthermore, longer characteristic path length was related to poorer intelligence and poorer working memory in children with TBI. In conclusion, children have abnormal organization of the structural connectome after moderate/severe TBI, which may be implicated in neurocognitive dysfunction associated with pediatric TBI. These findings should be interpreted in the context of our exploratory analyses, which indicate that the definition and weighting of connectivity (e.g., streamline density, fractional anisotropy) influence the properties of the reconstructed connectome and its sensitivity to the impact and outcome of pediatric TBI. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3603–3614, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Detection of Hepatitis G Virus Replication Sites by Using Highly Strand-Specific Tth-Based Reverse Transcriptase PCR

ABSTRACT The replication sites of the recently discovered hepatitis G virus (HGV) remain unknown. Using highly strand-specific Tth-based reverse transcriptase PCR, we searched for the presence of viral RNA negative strand in multiple autopsy tissues from four patients with AIDS and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from six other human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients. Negative-strand HGV RNA was detected in three of four bone marrow samples, in two of two spleen samples, and in one of four liver tissue samples. However, the specific cellular site of replication within the positive tissues was not determined. This study does not support HGV as a primary hepatotropic virus.
Convergence towards higher leaf mass per area in dry and nutrient‐poor habitats has different consequences for leaf life span

1 Leaf life span (LL) and leaf mass per area (LMA) are fundamental traits in the carbon economy of plants, representing the investment required per unit leaf area (LMA) and the duration of the resulting benefit (LL). Species on dry and infertile soils converge towards higher LMA. It has been generally assumed that this allows species from low‐resource habitats to achieve longer average leaf life spans, as LMA and LL are often correlated. 2 Leaf life span and LMA were measured for 75 perennial species from eastern Australia. Species were sampled from nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor sites within high and low rainfall regions. LL and LMA were positively correlated across species within each site. In addition, evolutionary divergences in LL and LMA were correlated within each site, indicating that cross‐species relationships were not simply driven by differences between higher taxonomic groups. 3 Within a rainfall zone, LL–LMA combinations shifted as expected along common axes of variation such that species on poorer soils had higher LMA and longer LL, but significantly so only at high rainfall. 4 Low rainfall species were expected to have shorter LL at a given LMA or, equally, require higher LMA to achieve a given LL, i.e. shift to a parallel axis of variation, and this was observed on both nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor soils. On average, 30% higher LMA was seemingly required at dry sites to achieve a given LL. Thus, convergence towards higher LMA has different consequences for leaf life span in dry and nutrient‐poor habitats. 5 The broad shifts in LL–LMA combinations between site types were also seen when comparing closely related species‐pairs (phylogenetically independent contrasts) occurring on nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor soils (within each rainfall zone), and at high‐ and low‐rainfall sites (at each soil nutrient level).
Bayesian Estimation of Continuous-Time Finance Models 1 Introduction

A new Bayesian method is proposed for the analysis of discretely sampled diffusion processes. The method, which is termed high frequency augmentation (HFA), is a simple numerical method that is applicable to a wide variety of univariate or multivariate diffusion and jump-diffusion processes. It is furthermore useful when observations are irregularly observed, when one or more elements of the multivariate process are latent, or when microstructure effects add error to the observed data. The Markov chain-Monte Carlo-based procedure can be used to attain the posterior distributions of the parameters of the drift and diffusion functions as well as the posteriors of missing or latent data. Several examples are explored. First, posteriors of the parameters of a geometric Brownian motion are attained using HFA and compared with those obtained using standard analytical methods in a short Monte Carlo study. Second, a stochastic volatility model is estimated on a sample of S&P 500 returns, a problem for which posteriors are analytically intractable. Third, it is shown how the method can be used to estimate an interest rate process using data that suffer from severe rounding. Finally, extension of the method to jump-diffusions is described and applied to the analysis of the U.S dollar/German mark exchange rate. ∗I thank Michael Brandt, Valentina Corradi, Frank Diebold, Bjorn Eraker, Eric Jacquier, Craig MacKinlay, Robert Stambaugh, and participants at the 1998 North American summer meetings of the Econometric Society for their comments and help. All errors remain my responsibility.
The bacteriology of chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps.

OBJECTIVE To compare the bacteriologic findings in ethmoidal biopsy specimens and nasal lavage samples from healthy control patients and from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSNP+) and without nasal polyps (CRSNP-). DESIGN Comparative microbiologic investigation. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS The study included 31 CRSNP+ patients, 13 CRSNP- patients, and 21 control patients. INTERVENTION Aerobe and anaerobe bacterial culture of nasal lavage samples and biopsy specimens of anterior ethmoidal mucosa. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Analysis of biopsy specimens from 65 patients and nasal lavage samples from 63 patients. RESULTS Mixed cultures of aerobe and anaerobe bacteria were mainly detected in the biopsy specimens. The most common aerobe bacteria found in the biopsy specimens were coagulase-negative staphylococci, Corynebacterium species, Staphylococcus aureus, and alpha-hemolytic streptococci. Propionibacterium and Peptostreptococcus species were the most common anaerobes. Pathogenic bacteria such as S. aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Haemophilus influenzae were detected in biopsy specimens from 16 of 31 CRSNP+ patients (52%), 4 of 13 CRSNP- patients (31%), and 10 of 21 control patients (48%). There were no significant differences in the bacterial cultures of the biopsy specimens between the 3 patient groups (P >.30). The majority of bacteria detected in the biopsy specimens were also detected in the corresponding lavage samples; however, in 35% of patients, pathogenic bacteria were found only in nasal lavage samples and not in corresponding biopsy specimens. CONCLUSIONS There are no significant differences in the bacteriologic features of ethmoidal biopsy specimens between CRSNP+, CRSNP-, and control patients. Therefore, a bacteriologic pathogenesis of the polyps in CRSNP+ patients seems unlikely. The general use of antibiotics in patients with CRS appears questionable. Investigation of nasal lavage samples is not suitable for predicting the bacteriologic features of inflamed sinuses of patients with CRS.
Effect of anaesthetic technique on oestrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cell function in vitro.

BACKGROUND Metastatic recurrence is the main cause of breast cancer-related deaths. Tumour cell proliferation and migration are crucial steps in the metastatic process. Several perioperative factors, including general anaesthesia and opioid analgesia, adversely affect immune function, potentially increasing metastatic recurrence. Regional anaesthesia-analgesia has been consistently shown to attenuate the stress response to surgery, and also reduce opioid and general anaesthesia requirements, thereby attenuating this perioperative immunosuppression. We investigated the effect of serum from breast cancer surgery patients who received different anaesthetic techniques on breast cancer cell function in vitro. METHODS Patients were randomized to receive propofol/paravertebral anaesthesia-analgesia (propofol/paravertebral, n=11) or sevoflurane general anaesthesia with opioid analgesia (sevoflurane/opioid, n=11). The ER-negative MDA-MB-231 cell line was treated with patient serum from both groups. The effects on proliferation and migration were measured. RESULTS Treatment groups were well balanced for age, weight, surgical procedure, and cancer pathology. Pain scores were lower at 1 and 2 h in the propofol/paravertebral analgesia group. Compared with preoperative values, proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with postoperative patient serum at 10% concentration from the propofol/paravertebral group was significantly reduced compared with the sevoflurane/opioid group (-24% vs 73%, P=0.01). There was no significant change in MDA-MB-231 cell migration after treatment with patient serum between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Serum from patients receiving propofol/paravertebral anaesthesia for breast cancer surgery inhibited proliferation, but not migration, of ER-MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro, to a greater extent than that from patients receiving sevoflurane/opioid anaesthesia-analgesia. This implies that anaesthetic technique alters the serum molecular milieu in ways that may affect breast cancer cell function, possibly by altering anaesthetic and opioid drug administration and resultant pain scores.
Zebrafish notch signalling pathway mutants exhibit trunk vessel patterning anomalies that are secondary to somite misregulation

The Notch signalling pathway mutants, after‐eight (aei), beamter (bea), and deadly‐seven (des) have previously been used to study somitogenesis and neurogenesis. Notch signalling has also been shown to have roles in vascular development. However, vascular development in each of these three Notch mutants has not been described, and so their potential usefulness for further understanding the role of Notch signalling in angiogenesis is unknown. Here we demonstrate each of the mutants also exhibit vascular defects in inter‐somitic vessel (ISV) positioning and patterning. Ectopic filopodia were also observed on the ISVs of the mutants. Ectopic filopodia are not due to loss of dll4. Somite expression of known vascular guidance cues, efnb2, sema3a2, and plexinD1 are disrupted, suggesting that the ISV vascular phenotype is due to disruption of these cues. Developmental Dynamics 239:2761–2768, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lymph node ratio predicts local recurrence for periampullary tumours

To better define the prognostic role of nodal disease, evaluation of metastatic lymph node ratio (MLR) has been performed, and this method has recently gained prominence in various gastrointestinal cancers. The present study attempts to identify prognostic factors and evaluate the independent prognostic influence of MLR in patients who have undergone curative pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Magnetic properties of metallic ferromagnetic nanoparticle composites

Magnetic properties of nanoparticle composites, consisting of aligned ferromagnetic nanoparticles embedded in a nonmagnetic matrix, have been determined using a model based on phenomenological approaches. Input materials parameters for this model include the saturation magnetization (Ms), the crystal anisotropy field (Hk), a damping parameter (α) that describes the magnetic losses in the particles, and the conductivity (σ) of the particles; all particles are assumed to have identical properties. Control of the physical characteristics of the composite system—such as the particle size, shape, volume fraction, and orientation—is necessary in order to achieve optimal magnetic properties (e.g., the magnetic permeability) at GHz frequencies. The degree to which the physical attributes need to be controlled has been determined by analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and eddy current losses at varying particle volume fractions. Composites with approximately spherical particles with radii smaller than 10.
The impact of maternal high fat nutrition on the next generation: food for thought?

The adverse impact of maternal gestational undernutrition on the development and long-term health of offspring has now been studied extensively, both in humans and animal models, with a range of reported postnatal consequences including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, as well as behavioural alterations. However, the increasing prevalence of obesity both in Western and rapidly developing societies raises the question of whether maternal overnutrition may hold similar risks for the developing fetus and its future health. Howie and colleagues (2009) reported recently in The Journal of Physiology that a high fat (HF) diet fed to female rats either throughout life, including pregnancy and lactation, or solely during pregnancy and lactation, resulted in significant changes in offspring phenotype. These included altered birth weight and postnatal growth, increased fat deposition, and changes in leptin and insulin homeostasis. Importantly, their study has shown for the first time that a HF diet consumed solely during pregnancy and lactation was equally as detrimental to the development of offspring as if the mother had experienced a life-long overconsumption of fat (Howie et al. 2009), emphasising the particular importance of maternal diet during pregnancy.
Covered transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt versus endoscopic therapy + β‐blocker for prevention of variceal rebleeding

Gastroesophageal variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, as well as a high rebleeding risk. Limited data are available on the role of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) with covered stents in patients receiving standard endoscopic, vasoactive, and antibiotic treatment. In this multicenter randomized trial, long‐term endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) or glue injection + β‐blocker treatment was compared with TIPS placement in 72 patients with a first or second episode of gastric and/or esophageal variceal bleeding, after hemodynamic stabilization upon endoscopic, vasoactive, and antibiotic treatment. Randomization was stratified according to Child‐Pugh score. Kaplan‐Meier (event‐free) survival estimates were used for the endpoints rebleeding, death, treatment failure, and hepatic encephalopathy. During a median follow‐up of 23 months, 10 (29%) of 35 patients in the endoscopy + β‐blocker group, as compared to 0 of 37 (0%) patients in the TIPS group, developed variceal rebleeding (P = 0.001). Mortality (TIPS 32% vs. endoscopy 26%; P = 0.418) and treatment failure (TIPS 38% vs. endoscopy 34%; P = 0.685) did not differ between groups. Early hepatic encephalopathy (within 1 year) was significantly more frequent in the TIPS group (35% vs. 14%; P = 0.035), but during long‐term follow‐up this difference diminished (38% vs. 23%; P = 0.121). Conclusions: In unselected patients with cirrhosis, who underwent successful endoscopic hemostasis for variceal bleeding, covered TIPS was superior to EVL + β‐blocker for reduction of variceal rebleeding, but did not improve survival. TIPS was associated with higher rates of early hepatic encephalopathy. (Hepatology 2016;63:581–589)
Preliminary validation of the Nepean Dysphoria Scale

Objective: To present the psychometric properties of the Nepean Dysphoria Scale (NDS), the first instrument developed to measure the severity of dysphoria. Method: The NDS was administered to 134 university students and its characteristics were examined. The structure of the scale was investigated using exploratory factor analysis. Convergent and divergent validity were examined by investigating the associations between the NDS and its subscales with other conceptually similar (Beck Depression Inventory II, Dysfunctional Attitude Scale – Form A and Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and conceptually distinct (Anxiety Sensitivity Index) instruments. Results: The 24-item NDS demonstrated excellent internal consistency. A four-factor solution was derived, with factors pertaining to irritability, discontent, surrender and interpersonal resentment. There were medium to strong correlations between the NDS and its subscales and depressive symptoms as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory II. The NDS and its subscales showed weaker, but still significant, correlations with Dysfunctional Attitude Scale – Form A, Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Index. Conclusions: The study suggests that the NDS has good psychometric properties. Further research would more firmly establish the NDS as a valid measure of the complex emotional state of dysphoria.
Implementing virtual platform for global‐scale cyber physical system networks

The need for global‐scale cyber physical system (CPS) is increasing with the evolution of CPS research. A global‐scale CPS requires additional considerations beyond the well‐known CPS requirements, such as security, reliability, and timely delivery, which cannot be easily satisfied when a CPS becomes global scale. Building an entire dedicated network for a global‐scale CPS cannot be a solution, because it requires a large capital outlay in order to be actualized. To overcome these obstacles, we implement a virtual platform named Xebra that includes effective CPS middleware for realizing a global‐scale CPS and isolation techniques based on virtualization. In this paper, we discuss the requirements for realizing global‐scale CPS network, and also, we introduce our implementation as a virtual platform with its performance evaluation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.