Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated salinities may enhance the recovery of hydrated heat-shocked Artemia franciscana cysts (International Study on Artemia. LXV)

Hydrated encysted embryos of the crustacean Artemia franciscana Kellogg 1906 were incubated at 42 o C and 44 o C for 48 h at elevated salinities. They exhibited better recovery when incubation took place in a high salinity environment. The recovery and/or protection by salinity of A. franciscana encysted embryos depend on the severity of the heat shock. Cysts heat shocked at 44 o C and different salinity media (35, 50 and 70 ppt), upon return to optimal conditions, gave similar hatching percentages of less than 5 %. When heat shock took place at 80 ppt, a significant increase in hatching was observed (i.e. from 5 % to 22 %). Concentration of glycerol and translocation of a major protein of about 26 kD (p26) in Artemia encysted embryos were studied to reveal the potential protective role of these two factors against elevated temperatures. Increased glycerol levels were scored when cysts were incu- bated in elevated salinities within the first 4 h and prior to heat shock treatment (i.e. a 38 % and 49 % increase at the salinities of 70 ppt and 80 ppt, respectively). SDS-PAGE of proteins extracted from control and heat-shocked cysts suggested that the intracellular translocation of p26 was enhanced as the salinity increased. It is proposed that salin- ity-dependent heat shock seems to be at least partly responsible for i) the significant increase of glycerol and ii) the degree of translocation of p26, a suspected molecular chaperone described previously. These two factors along with others may contribute to the better recovery of heat-shocked Artemia encysted embryos. This phenomenon, which may be attributed to increased thermostability of proteins, is reflected as different cyst hatching ability.
Citizen interaction and e‐government: Evidence for the managerial, consultative, and participatory models

Purpose – This paper aims to examine citizen interaction with e‐government using three e‐participation models. The two major research questions of this paper are: what is the current level of e‐participation in the USA? ; and what factors explain why citizens participate in online government? Design/methodology/approach – Survey evidence of citizens in the USA and their use of e‐participation is examined using quantitative methods.Findings – Citizens were most likely to use e‐participation for management activities. Citizens were much less likely to use the internet for more advanced consultative and participatory activities. Using regression analysis, factors such as demand by citizens for e‐government, the digital divide, and political factors influenced the level of e‐participation.Research limitations/implications – The results of this study imply that governments should do more to stimulate demand for e‐government, address issues of the digital divide, and provide for more open and transparent governme.
The 2013 Long-Term Budget Outlook

Abstract : Between 2009 and 2012, the federal government recorded the largest budget deficits relative to the size of the economy since 1946, causing federal debt to soar. Federal debt held by the public is now about 73 percent of the economy s annual output, or gross domestic product (GDP). That percentage is higher than at any point in U.S. history except a brief period around World War II, and it is twice the percentage at the end of 2007. If current laws generally remained in place, federal debt held by the public would decline slightly relative to GDP over the next several years, CBO projects. After that, however, growing deficits would ultimately push debt back above its current high level. CBO projects that federal debt held by the public would reach 100 percent of GDP in 2038, 25 years from now, even without accounting for the harmful effects that growing debt would have on the economy (see Figure 1). Moreover, debt would be on an upward path relative to the size of the economy, a trend that could not be sustained indefinitely.
Bethe–Peierls approximation and the inverse Ising problem

We apply the Bethe–Peierls approximation to the inverse Ising problem and show how the linear response relation leads to a simple method for reconstructing couplings and fields of the Ising model. This reconstruction is exact on tree graphs, yet its computational expense is comparable to those of other mean-field methods. We compare the performance of this method to the independent-pair, naive mean-field, and Thouless–Anderson–Palmer approximations, the Sessak–Monasson expansion, and susceptibility propagation on the Cayley tree, SK model and random graph with fixed connectivity. At low temperatures, Bethe reconstruction outperforms all of these methods, while at high temperatures it is comparable to the best method available so far (the Sessak–Monasson method). The relationship between Bethe reconstruction and other mean-field methods is discussed.
Functional Generalized Linear Models with Images as Predictors

Summary Functional principal component regression (FPCR) is a promising new method for regressing scalar outcomes on functional predictors. In this article, we present a theoretical justification for the use of principal components in functional regression. FPCR is then extended in two directions: from linear to the generalized linear modeling, and from univariate signal predictors to high‐resolution image predictors. We show how to implement the method efficiently by adapting generalized additive model technology to the functional regression context. A technique is proposed for estimating simultaneous confidence bands for the coefficient function; in the neuroimaging setting, this yields a novel means to identify brain regions that are associated with a clinical outcome. A new application of likelihood ratio testing is described for assessing the null hypothesis of a constant coefficient function. The performance of the methodology is illustrated via simulations and real data analyses with positron emission tomography images as predictors.
Compiler-directed dynamic voltage and frequency scaling for cpu power and energy reduction

The high power consumption of a processor is becoming a critical problem for both battery-powered devices and high-performance computers. It reduces circuit reliability, complicates the cooling technology, shortens the battery lifetime, and increases the production and operation costs of a CPU. One effective technique, called dynamic voltage scaling (DVS), achieves CPU power reduction through lowering the CPU supply voltage and clock frequency at runtime. It is effective because the CPU power is proportional to the clock frequency and to the square of the supply voltage. However, the CPU power savings come at the cost of degraded performance due to the slower clock frequency. Furthermore, the longer the CPU runs, the more power other computer components (e.g., disk and screen) will consume; not to mention that a user may not be willing to sacrifice any performance. Therefore, DVS should only be applied when it will not noticeably affect performance. In this thesis I will present investigations on how compiler techniques can be used to minimize CPU power and energy consumption with almost no performance penalty. A compile-time DVS algorithm is proposed that uses a profile-driven program analysis to identify and slow down program regions whose performance bottleneck is not in the CPU. Simulations and physical measurements demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy. Specifically, the total system power of a notebook computer can be reduced by up to 29% with a performance penalty of less than 5%. On average, the system power and energy savings are 10% and 11% at 2% of performance slowdown. To the best of my knowledge, this is one of the first works that demonstrate the effectiveness of a DVS algorithm via physical measurements. The thesis also discusses the impact of performance-oriented compiler optimizations on the proposed algorithm, the limit of energy savings that can be achieved through DVS, and how the DVS technique affects the design of a future computing system.
Running a Best-Subsets Logistic Regression: An Alternative to Stepwise Methods

Although the algorithm for generating a best-subsets variable-selection routine in logistic regression was presented more than a decade ago, a search of the literature reveals that the technique is seldom applied. A possible explanation is its omission from popular statistical computing packages. Newer versions of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) provide limited capabilities, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) does not allow for its calculation. Using a sample data set, this article briefly describes in nonmathematical terms how to implement and interpret results from a best-subsets logistic regression using SAS.
- 289-Hyperplasia in Exercise-Induced Muscle Growth ?

Compensatory growth in response to exercise is an important adaptation mechanism of skeletal muscles, as they become in this way able to move heavier mechanical loads. The increase of muscle mass is primarily the result of the increase of muscle fibre size (fibre hypertrophy). Whether increase of fibre number (hyperplasia) also contributes to compensatory growth is still matter of debate. This short review aims to analyse some data in favour or against this possibility.
Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change Induced Technical Change and the Cost of Climate Policy

This paper investigates the potential for a carbon tax to induce R&D, and for the consequent induced technical change (ITC) to lower the macroeconomic cost of abating carbon emissions. ITC is modelled within a general equilibrium simulation of the U.S. economy by the effects of emissions restrictions on the level and composition of aggregate R&D, the accumulation of the stock of knowledge, and the industry-level reallocation and substitution of intangible services derived therefrom. Contrary to other authors, I find that ITC’s impact is large, positive and dominated by the latter “substitution effect”, which mitigates most of the deadweight loss of the tax. JEL Classification: O33, Q25, C68
Insulin resistance and muscle wasting in non-diabetic end-stage renal disease patients.

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance (IR) is prevalent in uraemia. Recent experimental studies suggested IR to be a central mechanism for uraemic malnutrition. However, it is not known whether IR is related to muscle wasting in non-diabetic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. METHODS We cross-sectionally assessed IR and muscle wasting in 21 non-diabetic ESRD patients who admitted for the initiation of dialysis. For the assessment of muscle wasting, lean body mass was measured (LBMm) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and compared with the estimated LBM (LBMe) from the prediction equation derived from healthy controls using the ratio of LBMm/LBMe. For measurement of IR, the homoeostasis model (HOMA-IR) was used. In addition, among patients who chose continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, muscle was sampled during catheter insertion from the rectus abdominis to measure 14-kDa actin fragments, a marker of muscle protein degradation. RESULTS Patients with a low LBMm/LBMe ratio (<1.00) showed higher HOMA-IR and fat mass (FM) (% body weight) and lower LBM (% body weight) than those with a high LBMm/LBMe ratio (>or=1.00). LBMm/LBMe ratio was negatively correlated with HOMA-IR, regardless of obesity. By multiple regression analysis, HOMA-IR was an independent factor affecting LBMm/LBMe ratio. Furthermore, in the muscle samples, patients with high HOMA-IR had lower LBMm/LBMe ratios and stronger bands for the 14-kDa actin fragments than did patients with low HOMA-IR. CONCLUSION These results suggest that IR seems to be associated with muscle wasting in non-diabetic ESRD patients.
The Perfect Storm: The Political Economy of the Fischler Reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy

For decades, the Common Agricultural Policy came in for a significant amount of criticism for consuming a disproportionate share of the EU budget, introducing market distortions, wasting government funds and contributing to rural inequities. Nevertheless, it survived many attempts to abolish it, and acquired a reputation for being virtually impossible to reform in any meaningful way. However, during the tenure of Franz Fischler as European Commissioner for Agriculture from 1995 to 2004, the most radical reform in the history of the CAP was implemented. This book is the first to review the reforms that were implemented, to analyse how they came about and to explain which forces made them possible. It brings together perspectives from inside and outside the policy community, including from those closely involved in the policy debates, and an interdisciplinary perspective from economists and political scientists. The authors are senior policy-makers and well-respected academics. The book gives some fascinating insights into what made the reforms possible, offers useful conclusions on what this implies for future attempts at reform and finally, addresses the question of whether the Fischler reforms 'scrapped the CAP' or saved it.
So We Will Never Forget: A Population-Based Survey on Attitudes about Social Reconstruction and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

After a decade of negotiations leading to the adoption of its internal rules in June 2007, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is the first serious effort to bring the law to bear, however belatedly and incompletely, on the horrendous crimes committed by leaders of the Khmer Rouge more than a quarter of a century ago. In power for just under four years (1975 to 1979), the Khmer Rouge more than decimated Cambodia. At least 1.7 million Cambodians, fully one quarter of the population, were killed or died as a result of the oppressive policies imposed by the Khmer Rouge, with execution, starvation, exhaustion from slave labor, malnutrition, and torture as the leading causes of death. This report presents the findings of a nationwide, population-based survey undertaken by the Human Rights Center’s Initiative on the Vulnerable in Cambodia. The survey sought to capture opinions and attitudes about accountability, social reconstruction, and the ECCC. Teams of interviewers used a structured questionnaire to interview 1,000 Cambodians 18 years old or older, randomly selecting 125 communes out of 1,621 using systematic random sampling proportionate to population size. Two villages were randomly selected from each commune, resulting in a sample size of 250 villages. Analysis of the report concluded with specific recommendations of ways in which the ECCC, Cambodian judicial and administrative institutions, civil society, and the international community can ensure that Cambodians become engaged participants in - and not merely auxiliaries to - the work of the court.
Discriminatory Related Party Transactions: A New Measure

Discretionary related party transactions (also known as tunnelling or self-dealing transactions) are non-arms length transactions with related parties of controlling shareholders for private benefit at the cost of other shareholders. Though there are studies on discriminatory related party transactions, there has been limited effort to develop a measure for such discriminatory transactions. Current measures are based on weak theoretical underpinnings and prone to high measurement error. This paper develops and tests a new measure for these discriminatory transactions. Type 1, Type 2 error rates and power of the new measurement are compared with an existing measure using computer simulated and real data. The capital market sensitivity of the new measure is also tested and compared with an existing measure. The new measure is found to be superior. This is the first systematic effort to develop a measure for discriminatory related party transactions. It will contribute in policy-making in relation to discriminatory related party transactions.
The state of European nursing research: dead, alive, or chronically diseased? A systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND Reviews of nursing research have suggested that most is descriptive; with no more than 15% providing strong evidence for practice. No studies have examined this from the perspective of nursing research conducted in Europe. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to review reports of European clinical nursing research in the top 20 nursing journals in 2010 to establish a baseline of nursing research activity in the year immediately prior to the launch of a European Science Foundation network to increase the proportion of intervention research in Europe. METHODS We identified eligible reports that were then data-extracted by two independent reviewers. Disagreements were resolved through pair discussion and independent arbitration. We appraised and synthesized topics, methods, and the extent to which studies were programmatic. We synthesized data as proportions of study reports meeting our a priori categorization criteria. RESULTS We identified 1995 published reports and included 223 from 21 European countries, of which 193 (86.6%) reported studies of primary research only, 30 (13.5%) secondary research, and three (1.4%) a mix of primary and secondary. Methodological description was often poor, misleading, or even absent. One hundred (44.8%) articles reported observational studies, 87 (39.0%) qualitative studies. We found 26 (11.7%) articles reporting experimental studies, 10 (4.5%) of which were randomized controlled trials. We found 29 (13.0%) reports located within a larger program of research. Seventy-six (34.1%) articles reported studies of nursing interventions. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION European research in nursing reported in the leading nursing journals remains descriptive and poorly described. Only a third of research reports concerned nursing interventions, and a tiny proportion were part of a programmatic endeavor. Researchers in nursing must become better educated and skilled in developing, testing, evaluating, and reporting complex nursing interventions. Editors of nursing journals should insist on systematic reporting of research designs and methods in published articles.
Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Controls Tnf-alpha Translation in Lps-induced Hepatitis Recommended Citation Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Controls Tnf-alpha Translation in Lps- Induced Hepatitis Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Controls Tnf-α Translation in Lps-induced Hepatitis

Bacterial LPS (endotoxin) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute liver disease through its induction of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. TNF-α is a key determinant of the outcome in a well-established mouse model of acute liver failure during septic shock. One possible mechanism for regulating TNF-α expression is through the control of protein elongation during translation, which would allow rapid cell adaptation to physiological changes. However, the regulation of translational elongation is poorly understood. We found that expression of p38γ/δ MAPK proteins is required for the elongation of nascent TNF-α protein in macrophages. The MKK3/6-p38γ/δ pathway mediated an inhibitory phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) kinase, which in turn promoted eEF2 activation (dephosphorylation) and subsequent TNF-α elongation. These results identify a new signaling pathway that regulates TNF-α production in LPS-induced liver damage and suggest potential cell-specific therapeutic targets for liver diseases in which TNF-α production is involved. Introduction Infection and tissue injury trigger a protective inflammatory response that mobilizes a variety of effector mechanisms to contain and eliminate the injurious agent (1). Hepatic and circulating inflammatory cytokines initiate a positive feedback loop on the innate immune system (2); although cytokine production protects against pathogenic stimuli, it can cause more damage than the initiating event if its magnitude and duration are not strictly controlled by intrinsic negative regulators (1). The cytokine TNF-α has been identified as a key regulator of the inflammatory response in animal models of fulminant hepatitis (3). Elevated concentrations of this proinflammatory cytokine are also found in acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, including trauma, sepsis, and rheumatoid arthritis (4). Upon binding to its receptors, TNF-α initiates several intracellular signaling cascades that influence cell survival, death, differentiation, proliferation , and migration (5, 6). TNF-α signaling is particularly important in the liver. While it mediates hepatocyte survival and proliferation, it is also implicated in liver failure, since it triggers hepatocyte apoptosis and leads to upregulation of key adhesion molecules and chemokines involved in leukocyte migration and infiltration (6, 7). A well-established mouse model of acute liver failure and septic shock is the in vivo administration of bacterial LPS and D-galactosamine (D-gal), which strongly induce endogenous TNF-α and other cytokines that cause liver damage (8, 9). TNF-α signaling can be mediated by protein kinases and phos-phatases, in particular the MAPK family members ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK. The p38 MAPK pathway transduces a variety of extracellular signals regulating cellular …
Touch to Authenticate — Continuous Biometric Authentication on Mobile Devices

Like no other device, smart phones influence our way of communication. The benefits of combining a variety of functionality (e.g. taking photos, navigating, surfing the web and exchanging information) into a single device led to a rich repository of private and commercial information. Although the information on smart phones in many cases is highly sensitive for either privacy or business reasons most users use simple and ineffective passcodes or patterns as authentication method. The security situation becomes even more complicated if companies encourage their employees by Bring-Your-Own-Device policies to shift workload to smart phones without a holistic security concept. As strong authentication methods will only be successful if they comply with the usability requirements of today’s users, biometric approaches pose an opportunity to close the gap between security and usability.In this paper we contribute to this research field by introduc- ing an approach for continuous biometric authentication using touchscreen gestures and related posture information as unique features. In first experiments, this new authentication layer for Android-based phones, which is using a fuzzy classifier in combination with a scoring model, demonstrated its feasibility by achieving an Equal Error Rate (EER) of 11,5%.