Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bubble wall velocity in the minimal supersymmetric light stop scenario

We build on existing calculations of the wall velocity of the expanding bubbles of the broken symmetry phase in a first-order electroweak phase transition within the light stop scenario (LSS) of the MSSM. We carry out the analysis using the 2-loop thermal potential for values of the Higgs mass consistent with present experimental bounds. Our approach relies on describing the interaction between the bubble and the hot plasma by a single friction parameter, which we fix by matching to an existing 1-loop computation and extrapolate to our regime of interest. For a sufficiently strong phase transition (in which washout of the newly created baryon asymmetry is prevented) we obtain values of the wall velocity, vw≈0.05, far below the speed of sound in the medium, and not very much deviating from the previous 1-loop calculation. We find that the phase transition is about 10% stronger than suggested by simply evaluating the thermal potential at the critical temperature. We also comment on the relevance of our results to extended models, such as the NMSSM.
Relationship between Academic Anxiety and Mental Health among Adolescents

The present study tries to explain the relationship between Academic Anxiety and Mental Health among adolescents. Descriptive survey method of research was adopted for the study. A sample of 100 adolescents with equal number of boys and girls of 13 to 16 years of age was taken through purposive sampling technique. The tools for data collection were Academic Anxiety’ Scale for Children (AASC) and Mental Health Battery (MHB) developed by Dr. Arun Kumar Singh and Dr. Alpana Sengupta. The data were analyzed using t-test and Product Moment method of correlation. Findings revealed that, Academic Anxiety is significantly but negatively correlated with Mental Health, for both male and female adolescents. Gender difference on Academic Anxiety among adolescents was found significant. Gender difference on Mental Health among adolescents was not found significant. The present study has implications in education as well as in social settings, because it provides an understanding into the manifestation of academic anxiety as related to mental health.
Feature Fusion by Similarity Regression for Logo Retrieval

We propose a simple yet effective multi-feature fusion approach based on regression models for logo retrieval. Rather than fusing original features, we focus on similarities between pairs of images from multiple features, where only an annotation of similar/dissimilar pairs of images is needed. For each pair of images, a new vector is constructed by concatenating the similarities between the image pair from multiple features. A regression model is fitted on the new set of vectors with similar/dissimilar annotations as labels. Similarities from multiple features between the query and database images can then be converted to a new similarity score using the learned regression model. Initially retrieved database images are then re-ranked using the similarities predicted by the regression model. Logo class information from the training samples can also be included in the training process by learning an ensemble of regression models for individual logo classes. Extensive experiments on public logo datasets Flickrl.ogol Z and Belga Logo demonstrate the effectiveness and superior generalization ability of our approach for fusing various features.
Social Influence and Instant Messaging Adoption

This study empirically investigated the influence of technology acceptance model factors, social influence factors and demographic factors on instant messaging adoption in the workplace. The research model addresses the need articulated by researchers to include social influence factors in the study of new technology adoption. An interesting finding is that in a factor analysis of the data, subjective norm and perceived critical mass loaded on one factor suggesting that in the workplace the distinction between the influence of subjective norm and critical mass may be blurred. Social Influence (subjective norm and perceived critical mass combined) was found to be a more important factor in determining IM adoption than perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Gender and age did not impact the adoption of IM in the study. The implications of the finding for research and practice are presented.
SSB protein controls RecBCD enzyme nuclease activity during unwinding: a new role for looped intermediates.

The RecBCD enzyme of Escherichia coli initiates homologous recombination by unwinding and simultaneously degrading DNA from a double-stranded DNA end. Single-stranded DNA loops are intermediates of this unwinding process. Here we show that SSB protein reduces the level of DNA degradation by RecBCD enzyme during unwinding, by binding to these ssDNA intermediates. Prior to interaction with the recombination hot spot chi, RecBCD enzyme has both 3'-->5' exonuclease and a weaker 5'-->3' exonuclease activity. We show that degradation of the 5'-terminal strand at the entry site is much more extensive in the absence of SSB protein. After interaction with chi, the level of 5'-->3' exonuclease activity is increased; as expected, degradation of the 5'-strand is also elevated in the absence of SSB protein. Furthermore, we show that, in the absence of SSB protein, the RecBCD enzyme is inhibited by the ssDNA products of unwinding; SSB protein alleviates this inhibition. These results provide insight into the organization of helicase and nuclease domains within the RecBCD enzyme, and also suggest a new level at which the nuclease activity of RecBCD enzyme is controlled. Hence, they offer new insight into the role of SSB protein in the initiation phase of recombination.
High-frequency radio observations of the Kühr sample and the epoch-dependent luminosity function of flat-spectrum quasars

We discuss our ATCA 18.5 and 22 GHz flux density measurements of Southern extragalactic sources in the complete 5 GHz sample of Kuhr et al. (1981, A&AS, 45, 367). The high frequency (5–18.5 GHz) spectral indices of steep-spectrum sources for which we have 18.5 GHz data (66% of the complete sample) are systematically steeper than the low frequency (2.7–5 GHz) ones, with median $\alpha^5_{2.7} = 0.76$, median $\alpha^{18.5}_{5} = 1.18$ ($S_{\nu}\propto \nu^{-\alpha}$), and median steepening $\Delta\alpha = 0.32$, and there is evidence of an anti-correlation of $\Delta\alpha^{18.5}_{5}$ with luminosity. The completeness of 18.5 GHz data is much higher (89%) for flat-spectrum sources (mostly quasars), which also exhibit a spectral steepening: median $\alpha^5_{2.7}=-0.14$, median $\alpha^{18.5}_{5}=0.16$ ($S_{\nu}\propto \nu^{-\alpha}$), and median $\Delta\alpha = 0.19$. Taking advantage of the almost complete redshift information on flat-spectrum quasars, we have estimated their 5 GHz luminosity function in several redshift bins. The results confirm that their radio luminosity density peaks at $z_{\rm peak} \simeq 2.5$ but do not provide evidence for deviations from pure luminosity evolution as hinted at by other data sets. A comparison of our 22 GHz flux densities with WMAP K -band data for flat-spectrum sources suggests that WMAP flux densities may be low by a median factor of $\simeq$1.2. The extrapolations of 5 GHz counts and luminosity functions of flat-spectrum radio quasars using the observed distribution of the 5–18.5 GHz spectral indices match those derived directly from WMAP data, indicating that the high frequency WMAP survey does not detect any large population of FSRQs with anomalous spectra.
THE INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED RISKS

Information Technology (IT) is a key productive factor in the banking and finance industry (BFI) as almost the entire production and delivery of services can in principle be digitized. Driven by cost pressure and new competitors, outsourcing IT together with the relevant business processes is a promising way to focus on core competencies and to restructure the corporate value chain. While there is a rich literature on the risks and benefits of IT outsourcing, little is known about the next step of business process outsourcing (BPO) and especially the associated risks. Our main hypothesis is that the perceived risks associated with BPO strongly influence managers' intention to outsource business processes. Based on an empirical survey of BFI managers covering 90% of the cumulated German BFI balance sheet, it is shown that perceived risk does indeed have a significant impact on managers' attitudes towards BPO and that these attitudes strongly influence the outsourcing decision. Financial risks turn out to be a major risk facet, exerting pressure on banks which decide solely in terms of potential cost savings. In addition, the high importance of performance risk requires banks to invest in sophisticated vendor management.
The Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infections among Swine, Swine Farmers and the General Population in Guangdong Province, China

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is widespread in China, but few studies have been carried out in Guangdong Province. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence of HEV infections among swine, swine farmers and the general population in Guangdong Province. We conducted an epidemiological study that included swine, swine farmers and health examination attendees in Guangdong from 2011 to 2013. The overall seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in swine was 64.7%. The results revealed that growing pigs, sows and boars (OR ranges from 3.5 to 21.5) have a higher risk than nursery pigs. HEV RNA in swine bile showed that HEV is epidemic in swine in the Pearl River Delta, with the highest prevalence of 22.73% in Foshan. Some genomes of HEV strains from each district were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of partial open reading frame 2 (ORF2) shows that they belong to genotype IV and are most closely related to isolates from China. In total, 307 participants were enrolled in the study, including 114 swine farmers and 193 attendees from hospitals. IgG anti-HEV was detected in 48.25% of swine farmers and in 38.34% of the general population. Seroprevalence rates were almost stratified by age, with a higher positive rate for males compared to females across all age groups. Women on swine farms appeared to have a lower risk of infection compared to the general population, revealing that the risk factors for HEV infection are not unique. The results suggested that there were other risk factors for HEV infection. HEV infection is prevalent in Guangdong, but due to the small sample sizes, more investigations are needed to assess the potential impact of HEV infection, and many additional risk factors should be considered.
Reconstitution of a eukaryotic replisome reveals the mechanism of asymmetric distribution of DNA polymerases

ABSTRACT Eukaryotes require 3 DNA polymerases for normal replisome operations, DNA polymerases (Pol) α, delta and epsilon. Recent biochemical and structural studies support the asymmetric use of these polymerases on the leading and lagging strands. Pol epsilon interacts with the 11-subunit CMG helicase, forming a 15-protein leading strand complex that acts processively in leading strand synthesis in vitro, but Pol epsilon is inactive on the lagging strand. The opposite results are observed for Pol delta with CMG. Pol delta is highly active on the lagging strand in vitro, but has only feeble activity with CMG on the leading strand. Pol α also functions with CMG to prime both strands, and is even capable of extending both strands with CMG present. However, extensive DNA synthesis by Pol α is sharply curtailed by the presence of either Pol epsilon or Pol delta, which limits the role of the low fidelity Pol α to the initial priming of synthesis.
Learning to Bid: The Design of Auctions Under Uncertainty and Adaptation

We examine auction design in a context where symmetrically informed adaptive agents with common valuations learn to bid for a good. Despite the absence of private valuations, asymmetric information, or risk aversion, bidder strategies do not converge to the Bertrand–Nash equilibrium strategies even in the long run. Deviations from equilibrium strategies depend on uncertainty regarding the value of the good, auction structure, the agentsʼ learning model, and the number of bidders. Although individual agents learn Nash bidding strategies in isolation, the learning of each agent, by flattening the best-reply correspondence of other agents, blocks common learning. These negative externalities are more severe in second-price auctions, auctions with many bidders, and auctions where the good has an uncertain value ex post.
Weak Form Market Efficiency During the 2008 Financial Crisis: Evidence from the Muscat Securities Market

This paper examines the weak-form market efficiency of the Muscat Securities Market in Oman before, during, and after the 2008 global financial crisis using daily observations from the Muscat Securities Market index. The data were divided into three different periods: pre-crisis from January 1, 2007 to June 8, 2008, crisis from June 9, 2008 to January 22, 2009 and post-crisis from January 23, 2009 to January 17, 2011. The parametric tests of serial correlation using the Ljung and Box (1978) Q-Statistics and the variance ratio test of Lo and Mackinlay (1988) were used to test weak-form market efficiency. Findings of both methodologies revealed that the Muscat Securities Market was inefficient at the weak form during all three time periods: pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis for most lags. Moreover, using adjusted returns provided more efficient lags than using the raw data. The results from this period of volatility are consistent with previous research testing weak-form market efficiency.
Growth, metabolism and lipid peroxidation in Mytilus edulis: age and size effects

The age dependence of growth, metabolic rate, the degree of lipid peroxidation and antioxidative defence was studied in 3 different size groups of White Sea (Russia) blue mussels Mytilus edulis L. : small (S, wet tissue weight = 0.23 g, length 20-25 mm), medium (M, wet tissue weight = 0.52 g, length 30-35 mm) and large (L, wet tissue weight = 1.05 g, length 40-50 mm). Sg roup mussels were 2-8 yr old, M group mussels 2-9 yr old, and L group mussels 3-10 yr old. Absolute and weight-specific growth rates were determined from the beginning of the growth sea- son (May) to the time of sampling (August). Respiration rates were measured in individuals from all size groups. Net growth efficiency coefficients were calculated. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and fluo- rescent age pigment (FAP) concentrations were determined as a measure of lipid peroxidation. The level of antioxidant defence was estimated from superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in whole body homogenates. Metabolic performance was found to be a function of both age and body size. Weight-specific growth rates and net growth efficiencies decreased with age until mussels reached a 'critical' age, beyond which growth virtually stopped. Respiration rates were size dependent, but did not show a clear correlation with age. MDA levels remained unrelated to both age and body size, whereas FAP accumulation increased exponentially with age. However, FAP levels correlated negatively with size (growth rate). At constant body size, SOD and CAT activities did not display clear age-related changes; however, CAT activity decreased significantly with increasing body size. As a corollary, size effects potentially mimic age effects on key physiological functions of continuously growing species, and this needs to be considered in physiological studies of the ageing process.
Defective interleukin 2 production and responsiveness in human pulmonary tuberculosis

Patients with newly diagnosed, pulmonary tuberculosis had a tuberculin- specific defect in IL-2 production. Mean PPD-induced IL-2 activity was 81.2% lower in patients as compared with healthy tuberculin reactors. PPD-induced expression of T cell IL-2 receptors was 5.9 times less in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with tuberculosis as compared with healthy tuberculin reactors. Furthermore, purified IL-2 failed to correct PPD-induced blastogenesis in patients. Suppression by adherent cells was operative in one group of patients; adherent cell depletion increased their T cell production of IL-2 7.2-fold. A second group of patients with low IL-2 production did not have suppressor adherent cells and were clinically distinct, with more extensive disease on chest x ray. The basis for low IL-2 production in such individuals is unknown. Disordered regulation of IL-2 metabolism may be a key feature in the depressed cellular immune response of tuberculosis.
The Bounded Rationality Bias in Managerial Valuation of Real Options: Theory and Evidence from IT Projects

Managers are often faced with the cognitively challenging task of assessing the value of prospective project opportunities in highly uncertain business and technological contexts. Recent developments in real options theory provide a powerful aid to help managers integrate information about not only the easily quantifiable benefits (such as those that can be computed in a traditional net present value analysis) but also the less easily quantifiable real options that may be embedded in a prospective project. Although real options theory normatively suggests that managers should associate such real options with project value, little field research has examined whether they suffer from systematic biases in doing so. We draw on the notion of bounded rationality in managerial decision-making to explore this understudied phenomenon. Using data collected from managers in 88 firms, we show that managers exhibit what we label the bounded rationality bias in their assessments: They associate real options with value only when the project's easily quantifiable benefits are low, but fail to do so when they are high. The primary contribution of the study lies in showing how managers' valuation of real options are systematically biased by their bounded rationality. The study also contributes the first set of empirical measures for all key types of real options. The theoretical and normative implications of our findings are also discussed.
Quantitative assessment of brain iron by R2* relaxometry in patients with clinically isolated syndrome and relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Background Increased iron deposition has been implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS), based on visual analysis of signal reduction on T2-weighted images. R2* relaxometry allows to assess brain iron accumulation quantitatively. Objective To investigate regional brain iron deposition in patients with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) and its associations with demographical, clinical, and conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters. Methods We studied 69 patients (CIS, n = 32; RRMS, n = 37) with 3T MRI and analyzed regional R2* relaxation rates and their correlations with age, disease duration, disability, T2 lesion load, and normalized brain volumes. Results Basal ganglia R2* relaxation rates increased in parallel with age (r = 0.3–0.6; P < 0.01) and were significantly higher in RRMS than in CIS (P < 0.05). Using multivariate linear regression analysis, the rate of putaminal iron deposition was independently predicted by the patients’ age, disease duration, and gray matter atrophy. Conclusions Quantitative assessment by R2* relaxometry suggests increased iron deposition in the basal ganglia of MS patients, which is associated with disease duration and brain atrophy. This technique together with long-term follow-up thus appears suited to clarify whether regional iron accumulation contributes to MS morbidity or merely reflects an epiphenomenon.
Monetary Policy and Exchange Rate Pass-Through

Recent research suggests that the pass-through of exchange rate changes into domestic inflation has declined in many countries since the 1980s. We develop a theoretical model that attributes the change in pass-through (defined as the correlation of inflation with exchange rate changes) to increased emphasis on inflation stabilization by many central banks. This hypothesis is tested on eleven industrial countries between 1971 and 2000. We find widespread evidence of both a decline in pass-through and a decline in the variability of inflation in the 1990s. We also find a statistically significant link between measured pass-through and inflation variability. However, our efforts to correlate the decline in pass-through with estimated changes in monetary policy behavior are inconclusive due to poor estimates of policy behavior.
Enhancing Mastery of Earth Science Concept of Prospective Physics Teachers through Interactive Conceptual Instruction Supported by Visualization and GrADS

Most all of earth and space science concepts are unobservable and require reasoning. Unobservable concepts have made prospective physics teachers found it hard to understand the concepts correctly. It needs visualization to help understand the concepts easily. The aim of this study was to enhance the mastery concept of earth science topic especially the earth atmosphere using interactive conceptual with visualizations and authentic data analysis with GrADS (Grid Analysis Display System). There were 23 prospective physics teachers in Bengkulu, Indonesia participated in this study. A convenience sampling technique was employed in this study. This study used pre-experimental, one group pretest-posttest design. The data were collected using pretest and posttest, questionnaires, and observation sheets. The pretest and posttest were analyzed quantitatively, while the questionnaires were analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that the prospective physics teachers’ concept mastery improved from no mastery to compete with the average normalized gain of 0.64 (medium category). 30.44% of the prospective physics teachers obtained the N-gain score in the high category and 69.56% obtained the N-gain score in the moderate category. This compilation gave them experience about the real condition of solar radiation in Indonesian atmosphere during their learning activity. It concluded that the earth science learning using interactive conceptual instruction supported by visualization and GrADS could enhance the students’ concept mastery.
Maternal high-fat diet alters expression of pathways of growth, blood supply and arachidonic acid in rat placenta

Abstract The high fat content in Western diets probably affects placental function during pregnancy with potential consequences for the offspring in the short and long term. The aim of the present study was to compare genome-wide placental gene expression between rat dams fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and those fed a control diet for 3 weeks before conception and during gestation. Gene expression was measured by microarray and pathway analysis was performed. Gene expression differences were replicated by real-time PCR and protein expression was assessed by Western blot analysis. Placental and fetal weights at E17.25 were not altered by exposure to the maternal HFD. Gene pathways targeting placental growth, blood supply and chemokine signalling were up-regulated in the placentae of dams fed the HFD. The up-regulation in messenger RNA expression for five genes Ptgs2 (fatty acid cyclo-oxidase 2; COX2), Limk1 (LIM domain kinase 1), Pla2g2a (phospholipase A2), Itga1 (integrin α-1) and Serpine1 was confirmed by real-time PCR. Placental protein expression for COX2 and LIMK was also increased in HFD-fed dams. In conclusion, maternal HFD feeding alters placental gene expression patterns of placental growth and blood supply and specifically increases the expression of genes involved in arachidonic acid and PG metabolism. These changes indicate a placental response to the altered maternal metabolic environment.