Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The significance of the subsurface in urban renewal

Abstract The subsurface is a technical space, the “engine room of the city,” that incorporates the vital functions of water and energy supply, communication systems, sewers and drainage. Natural systems too – crucial for stable, dry, cool and nature inclusive cities – are also largely dependent on the quality of the subsoil. The subsurface is critical in an era of climate and demographic changes, the energy transition and economic uncertainty and constraints. However, due to the domain’s current segregation and a weak urban design and planning connection, crucial design potential, benefits and innovations, remain unexploited. This paper first introduces an innovative systems approach, the System Exploration Environment and Subsurface (SEES), to recognise the subsurface as an “under-arching” domain for urban planning and design. The physical impact of the subsurface on the surface quality is described for the categories: civil constructions, water, energy and soil/ecology. After setting understanding of the surface and subsurface as one united space, the paper will go into using the SEES as knowledge brokerage tool, integrating the subsurface artefacts into the design process and how the concept of Reversed Engineering with Nature is useful to uncover synergies between subsurface technologies, new urban maintenance regimes and scripts for design.
The Short Arm of Guilt – An Experiment on Group Identity and Guilt Aversion

Abstract In a laboratory experiment, I test whether guilt aversion, i.e., a preference to fulfill the expectations of others, plays out more strongly if agents share an induced social identity. Participants play a dictator game in which they can condition their amount sent on recipients’ beliefs. Dictators either play with a recipient from their own group (ingroup treatment) or from the other group (outgroup treatment). I find that the positive influence of second-order beliefs on how much a dictator sends is stronger in the ingroup treatment. However, the way dictators react to very high expectations does not differ significantly between treatments. In contrast to previous work I do not find that amounts sent are an inversely u-shaped function of recipients’ expectations. Rather, and independently of the treatment, participants tend to ignore very high expectations.
Innovative slowdown, productivity reversal? - Estimating the impact of R&D on technological change

Motivated by the recent reversal in labor productivity growth, this paper is analyzing the relationship between R&D expenditures and productivity. Time series data of the German manufacturing industry is used to estimate a variable cost function, with the stock of knowledge being modeled as a quasifix input. The estimates show that the extracted yield is non-constant over the observation period. Current rates of return on own R&D are found to be significantly lower than during the sixties, and no signs of a significant reversal are detected. The long-term elasticity of production costs with respect to R&D reduced from –0.04 to just -0.02, the elasticity of labor demand from –0.40 to -0.15. Since the growth rates of research expenditures were also declining, the contribution of R&D to productivity growth is currently stagnating at the lowest level since 1960.
Modulation of Mycobacterium lepraemurium Growth in Murine Macrophages : Beneficial Effect of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor

Mycobacterium lepraemurium is an obligate intracellular parasite which causes murine leprosy (1). M. lepraemurium infects and replicates within cells of the mononuclear phagocyte series. Infection of mice with M. lepraemurium is done frequently to provide a model for human leprosy and other chronic mycobacterial infections. There is evidence for genetic control of resistance and susceptibility to infections with M. lepraemurium in inbred mice, with the Ity (Lsh, Bcg) gene controlling resistance to infections via the intravenous route (3) and many genetic variables controlling resistance and susceptibility to subcutaneous inoculation (4). It now appears that the Ity (Lsh, Bcg) gene is expressed at the level of the mature macrophage, although the precise mechanism responsible for preventing bacterial growth in Ityr (Lshr, Bcgr) cells is still unclear (5). Moreover, the importance of cytokines in delineating resistance to M. lepraemurium infections is still to be fully understood. In other mycobacterial infections, gamma interferon (IFN--y) endows murine macrophages with significant mycobacteriostatic activity (9). The situation is less clear with human macrophages, for which most investigators find that INF--y increases growth of mycobacteria (8) or has no beneficial effect (18). Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) is a cytokine which may increase antimycobacterial activity of human macrophages against Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (2, 7). Little is known about the importance of cytokines in M. lepraemurium infections. A recent report suggests that IFN--y may have a detrimental role in macrophage resistance to M. lepraemurium (14). In that same report, there was also no evidence that interleukin 4 could increase macrophage resistance to this pathogen, although interleukin 4 could abrogate IFN--y-induced enhancement of mycobacterial growth. Other recent data suggest that interleukin 2 inoculation may provide protection against M. lepraemurium infection in vivo (12). I set out to investigate the ability of macrophages of susceptible C57BL/6 inbred mice to harbor M. lepraemurium and to respond to macrophage-activating lymphokines.
Relationship between Teaching Experience and Teacher Effectiveness: Implications for Policy Decisions.

This study examined claims that teachers’ years of teaching experience correlate to teachers’ effectiveness. The assumed experience–effectiveness relationship was used to support the Government of Ontario, Canada’s policy decisions concerning teacher hiring practices. This study critically examined sources cited in the policy report and reviewed other research on teacher effectiveness. Findings indicate that the relationship between total years of experience and teacher effectiveness, as measured by student achievement gains, is complex, nuanced, and nonlinear. The conclusion is that decisions based on assumptions that the relationship between experience and effectiveness is direct and linear are simplistic and lead to less than optimal policy.
Speaker reliability in preschoolers' inferences about the meanings of novel words*

ABSTRACT Preschoolers participated in a modified version of the disambiguation task, designed to test whether the pragmatic environment generated by a reliable or unreliable speaker affected how children interpreted novel labels. Two objects were visible to children, while a third was only visible to the speaker (a fact known by the child). Manipulating whether a novel object was visible to both interlocutors or hidden from the child tested the child's understanding of pragmatic expectations of interlocutor competence. When interacting with a speaker with a history of accurately labeling familiar objects, children responded appropriately in both cases. Whn interacting with a speaker who previously generated inaccurate labels for familiar objects, children's behavior and eye-movements reflected their belief that the speaker was not a competent communicator. These data support the hypothesis that children consider the pragmatic environment constructed by an interlocutor when that speaker asks them to make a lexical inference.
The Signalling Effect of Monetary Policy Rate on Lending Rates in Ghana

This study was undertaken to determine the pass through effect of the Central bank’s monetary policy rate on commercial banks’ lending rates. Specifically, the study sought to ascertain the short and long run relationship between these variables of interest. It employed monthly time series data spanning from 2002 to 2017 which was sourced mainly from the World Development Indicator (WDI) and Bank of Ghana (BOG). Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) was the estimation technique used for analyzing the data. Estimates from the Augmented Dicker- Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) unit root test showed that the variables were all integrated of order one (1). The findings found that there is a positive relationship between average lending rates and Monetary Policy Rate (MPR). MPR was significant in both the long and short run and had a large marginal effect on lending rates compared to all the other variables. However, in the short run the speed of adjustment was relatively slow. This implied a more rigid downward adjustment of average lending rate to changes in all the variables. Money supply in the economy denoted by M2+ was negatively related to average lending rates. Treasury bill rate was the only variable which was negatively insignificant in the short run. Based on the above findings the study recommends appropriate measures to be implemented to assist in fully developing the financial markets.
2 HOT : An improved parallel hashed oct-tree N-body algorithm for cosmological simulation 1

We report on improvements made over the past two decades to our adaptive treecode N-body method (HOT). A mathematical and computational approach to the cosmological N-body problem is described, with performance and scalability measured up to 256k (218) processors. We present error analysis and scientific application results from a series of more than ten 69 billion (40963) particle cosmological simulations, accounting for 4×1020 floating point operations. These results include the first simulations using the new constraints on the standard model of cosmology from the Planck satellite. Our simulations set a new standard for accuracy and scientific throughput, while meeting or exceeding the computational efficiency of the latest generation of hybrid TreePM N-body methods.
The challenge of evaluating freezing of gait in patients with Parkinson's disease

Freezing of gait (FOG) poses difficulties for measurement as it is highly sensitive to environmental triggers, cognitive input and medication. To ensure valid and reliable measurement of FOG, a combined methodology is recommended relying on tests of complex gait during the off-period together with a FOG-questionnaire, addressing severity and impact of freezing on daily life.
Induction of In Vitro Reprogramming by Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 Agonists in Murine Macrophages: Effects of TLR “Homotolerance” Versus “Heterotolerance” on NF-κB Signaling Pathway Components1

In this study, tolerance induction by preexposure of murine macrophages to Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 agonists was revisited, focusing on the major signaling components associated with NF-κB activation. Pretreatment of macrophages with a pure TLR4 agonist (protein-free Escherichia coli (Ec) LPS) or with TLR2 agonists (Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS or synthetic lipoprotein Pam3Cys) led to suppression of TNF-α secretion, IL-1R-associated kinase-1, and IκB kinase (IKK) kinase activities, c-jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation, and to suppression of NF-κB DNA binding and transactivation upon challenge with the same agonist (TLR4 or TLR2 “homotolerance,” respectively). Despite inhibited NF-κB DNA binding, increased levels of nuclear NF-κB were detected in agonist-pretreated macrophages. For all the intermediate signaling elements, heterotolerance was weaker than TLR4 or TLR2 homotolerance with the exception of IKK kinase activity. IKK kinase activity was unperturbed in heterotolerance. TNF-α secretion was also suppressed in P. gingivalis LPS-pretreated, Ec LPS-challenged cells, but not vice versa, while Pam3Cys and Ec LPS did not induce a state of cross-tolerance at the level of TNF-α. Experiments designed to elucidate novel mechanisms of NF-κB inhibition in tolerized cells revealed the potential contribution of IκBε and IκBξ inhibitory proteins and the necessity of TLR4 engagement for induction of tolerance to Toll receptor-IL-1R domain-containing adapter protein/MyD88-adapter-like-dependent gene expression. Collectively, these data demonstrate that induction of homotolerance affects a broader spectrum of signaling components than in heterotolerance, with selective modulation of specific elements within the NF-κB signaling pathway.
Considering Signal Constraints in Search-Based Testing of Continuous Systems

This paper presents a technique to consider constraints on input signals of continuous systems when applying search-based testing. The signal constraints are described using a logic based on Signal Temporal Logic. We developed a distance-oriented evaluation technique for these constraints that provides an exact rating of the amount of constraint violation, thus allowing a ranking of the generated solutions in terms of constraint violation. An adaptive penalty function is then used to incorporate the evaluation results into the optimization. Finally, the overall method is shown to be capable of considering signal constraints appropriately when experimentally applied to search-based black-box testing of a MATLAB SIMULINK model of an automatic transmission controller.
Cytochrome b 5 Augments the 17,20-Lyase Activity of Human P450c17 without Direct Electron Transfer*

In the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, P450c17 is the single enzyme that catalyzes both the 17α-hydroxylation of 21-carbon steroids and the 17,20-lyase activity that cleaves the C17-C20 bond to produce C19sex steroids. Cytochrome b 5 augments the 17,20-lyase activity of cytochrome P450c17 in vitro, but this has not been demonstrated in membranes, and the mechanism of this action is unknown. We expressed human P450c17, human P450-oxidoreductase (OR), and/or human cytochromeb 5 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and analyzed the 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase activities of the resulting yeast microsomes. Yeast expressing only P450c17 have 17α-hydroxylase and trace 17,20-lyase activities toward both Δ4 and Δ5 steroids. Coexpression of human OR with P450c17 increases the V max of both the 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase reactions 5-fold; coexpression of human b 5 with P450c17 also increases theV max of the 17,20-lyase reactions but not of the 17α-hydroxylase reactions. Simultaneous expression of humanb 5 with P450c17 and OR, or addition of purified human b 5 to microsomes from yeast coexpressing human P450c17 and OR, further increases theV max of the 17,20-lyase reaction without altering 17α-hydroxylase activity. Genetically engineered yeast and mixing experiments demonstrate that OR is both necessary and sufficient for microsomal 17,20-lyase activity. Addition of purified human holo-b 5, apo-b 5, or cytochrome c to microsomes containing both human P450c17 and OR demonstrate that the stimulatory action ofb 5 does not require electron transfer fromb 5 to P450c17. These data suggest that humanb 5 acts principally as an allosteric effector that interacts primarily with the P450c17·OR complex to stimulate 17,20-lyase activity.
Clinical Ophthalmology Dovepress

Phase III safety and efficacy study of long-term brinzolamide/timolol fixed combination in Japanese patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension Masayuki nakajima 1 naoki iwasaki 2 Masaki adachi 3 Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a long-term, twice-daily brinzolamide 1%/timolol 0.5% fixed combination ophthalmic suspension (BRINZ/ TIM-FC) in Japanese patients with open-angle glaucoma (primary open-angle, normal-tension, exfoliation, or pigmentary) or ocular hypertension. of Japanese patients aged $20 years with diagnoses of open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Patients were treated with topical BRINZ/TIM-FC twice daily for 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was mean reduction from baseline in intraocular pressure. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and t-tests. Adverse events and oph-thalmic, physiologic, and laboratory parameters were measured throughout the study as safety endpoints. A total of 126 patients (mean ± SD age, 63±12 years) were enrolled, and 125 received BRINZ/TIM-FC. Results: Mean intraocular pressure was significantly reduced from baseline at weeks 4 through 52, with changes ranging from –4.1 mmHg to –5.7 mmHg (P,0.0001, all time points). Adverse events related to BRINZ/TIM-FC treatment were observed in 22% of patients. No substantial changes from baseline were observed in ophthalmic, physiologic, or laboratory variables. Conclusion: Long-term, twice-daily BRINZ/TIM-FC therapy produced and maintained significant intraocular pressure reductions and was generally well tolerated in Japanese patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
The financial services reform act and Australian bank risk

This paper examines changes in the risk of eight Australian banks following the introduction of the Financial Services Reform Act of 2001 in Australia. This legislation introduced a new licensing regime into Australian finance and extended it to cover all financial services providers. It, among other things, required specialized staff training for specific positions of customer interaction as well as the mandatory and continuous disclosure of all fees and charges as well as the risks associated with financial products offered to the public. Using daily prices and the market model over a five-year sample period (2001 to 2006) we found different reactions between the larger and smaller banks. It provides some evidence that the larger banks may have reduced their level of systematic risk. In contrast, the smaller banks either experienced no change, or in one case perhaps a slight increase. These differences may reflect the degree of change required with their complying with the Act. The larger banks, which already had extensive staff training operations in place, were better placed to meet these new requirements, whereas the smaller banks required a greater relative investment in their initial and ongoing compliance. These results remain robust to the impact of the 2002 dot com stock market downturn.
EC2: Ensemble Clustering and Classification for Predicting Android Malware Families

As the most widely used mobile platform, Android is also the biggest target for mobile malware. Given the increasing number of Android malware variants, detecting <italic>malware families</italic> is crucial so that security analysts can identify situations where signatures of a known malware family can be adapted as opposed to manually inspecting behavior of all samples. We present <monospace>EC2</monospace> (<bold>E</bold>nsemble <bold>C</bold>lustering and <bold>C</bold>lassification), a novel algorithm for discovering Android malware families of <italic>varying sizes</italic>—ranging from very large to very small families (even if previously unseen). We present a performance comparison of several traditional classification and clustering algorithms for Android malware family identification on DREBIN, the largest public Android malware dataset with labeled families. We use the output of both supervised classifiers and unsupervised clustering to design <monospace>EC2</monospace>. Experimental results on both the DREBIN and the more recent Koodous malware datasets show that <monospace>EC2</monospace> accurately detects both small and large families, outperforming several comparative baselines. Furthermore, we show how to automatically characterize and explain unique behaviors of specific malware families, such as <monospace>FakeInstaller</monospace>, <monospace>MobileTx</monospace>, <monospace>Geinimi</monospace>. In short, <monospace>EC2</monospace> presents an early warning system for emerging new malware families, as well as a robust predictor of the family (when it is not new) to which a new malware sample belongs, and the design of novel strategies for data-driven understanding of malware behaviors.
Preconditioning Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulations Using Coarse-Scale Models

We study the preconditioning of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods using coarse-scale models with applications to subsurface characterization. The purpose of preconditioning is to reduce the fine-scale computational cost and increase the acceptance rate in the MCMC sampling. This goal is achieved by generating Markov chains based on two-stage computations. In the first stage, a new proposal is first tested by the coarse-scale model based on multiscale finite volume methods. The full fine-scale computation will be conducted only if the proposal passes the coarse-scale screening. For more efficient simulations, an approximation of the full fine-scale computation using precomputed multiscale basis functions can also be used. Comparing with the regular MCMC method, the preconditioned MCMC method generates a modified Markov chain by incorporating the coarse-scale information of the problem. The conditions under which the modified Markov chain will converge to the correct posterior distribution are stated in the paper. The validity of these assumptions for our application and the conditions which would guarantee a high acceptance rate are also discussed. We would like to note that coarse-scale models used in the simulations need to be inexpensive but not necessarily very accurate, as our analysis and numerical simulations demonstrate. We present numerical examples for sampling permeability fields using two-point geostatistics. The Karhunen--Loeve expansion is used to represent the realizations of the permeability field conditioned to the dynamic data, such as production data, as well as some static data. Our numerical examples show that the acceptance rate can be increased by more than 10 times if MCMC simulations are preconditioned using coarse-scale models.
Amniotic fibronectin fragmentation and expression of its domains, sialyl and fucosyl glycotopes associated with pregnancy complicated by intrauterine infection

Abstract Background: The presence of fibronectin fragments has been observed in some inflammatory diseases and is believed to reflect tissue breakdown. In this study, possible fibronectin fragmentation and alterations in its domain and sialyl and fucosyl glycotope expressions were analyzed in amniotic fluids in relation to intrauterine infection. Methods: Samples of amniotic fluid were taken from normal pregnancies and pregnancies (28 and 42 weeks) complicated by intrauterine infection. Fibronectin fragmentation was analyzed by immunoblotting. The expression of cellular, fibrin, C-terminal and EDA fibronectin domains, as well as α2,3- and α2,6-linked sialic acids, and α1,6-, α1,3- and α1,2-linked fucoses, was determined by ELISA, using domain-specific monoclonal antibodies and specific lectins, respectively. Results: Amniotic fibronectin immunoblots from pregnancies with intrauterine infection revealed three groups of results. In group 1, with the native fibronectin band, and in group 2 with bands of native fibronectin and several fibronectin fragments, only higher α1,6-linked fucose expression was observed. In the infection group 3, characterized by profound fragmentation of fibronectin, lower expression of all fibronectin domains analyzed and of α1,6-linked sialic acid and α1,2-linked fucose was found. Conclusions: Amniotic fibronectin status was found to be associated with pregnancy complicated by intrauterine infection. Such alterations could have a potential diagnostic value in the prevention of or intervention in fetal intrauterine infection. Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:208–14.