Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dengue Vectors and their Spatial Distribution

The distribution of dengue vectors, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, is affected by climatic factors. In addition, since their life cycles are well adapted to the human environment, environmental changes resulting from human activity such as urbanization exert a great impact on vector distribution. The different responses of Ae. aegypti and Ae albopictus to various environments result in a difference in spatial distribution along north-south and urban-rural gradients, and between the indoors and outdoors. In the north-south gradient, climate associated with survival is an important factor in spatial distribution. In the urban-rural gradient, different distribution reflects a difference in adult niches and is modified by geographic and human factors. The direct response of the two species to the environment around houses is related to different spatial distribution indoors and outdoors. Dengue viruses circulate mainly between human and vector mosquitoes, and the vector presence is a limiting factor of transmission. Therefore, spatial distribution of dengue vectors is a significant concern in the epidemiology of the disease. Current technologies such as GIS, satellite imagery and statistical models allow researchers to predict the spatial distribution of vectors in the changing environment. Although it is difficult to confirm the actual effect of environmental and climate changes on vector abundance and vector-borne diseases, environmental changes caused by humans and human behavioral changes due to climate change can be expected to exert an impact on dengue vectors. Longitudinal monitoring of dengue vectors and viruses is therefore necessary.
A Morse Complex for Lorentzian Geodesics

We prove the Morse relations for the set of all geodesics connecting two non-conjugate points on a class of globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifolds. We overcome the difficulties coming from the fact that the Morse index of every geodesic is infinite, and from the lack of the Palais-Smale condition, by using the Morse complex approach.
Uncertain Hazards, Insurance, and Consumer Choice: Evidence from Housing Markets

ent with the expected utility model when considering potential losses from earthquakes in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Shilling, et al. (1985) illustrate that the housing market in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, values single family dwellings less when they are located in an area with an enhanced probability of flooding. Thayer, et al. (1985) estimate the reductions in housing prices that resulted in Mammoth, California, when the USGS issued earthquake and volcano hazard alerts. Dunn (1986) investigates the impacts on real estate in Institute, West Virginia, following a leakage of hazardous chemicals. All of these studies use residential property values to study consumer behavior with respect to probabilistic events that cause losses in utility. In like fashion, we investigate behavioral responses to a natural hazard (flooding) by examining residential property values. This study differs from Shilling, et al. in that we examine the theoretical aspects of the location decision. Moreover, this paper complements Brookshire, et al. by including insurance considerations. This type of research is important for at least two reasons. First, the results of the investigations cited above can be used to develop benefit/cost studies which attempt to assess the economic merits of policies that change the likelihood or magnitude of an event. Policies such as special building codes for earthquake prone areas, the construction of pumping stations to divert flood waters, tighter enforcement and more stringent controls in the chemical industry, and regulating urban land use are very costly public projects. While the costs of these projects are usually available, the benefits to consumers must be estimated. What are consumers willing to pay to reduce the likelihood or magnitude of an event? The residential housing markets may provide an avenue for estimating these values since the choice of where to live often includes the choice of hazard level. To the extent that consumers realize this, differentials in property values will arise that reveal marginal willingness to pay for reductions in hazard levels. By statistically holding all other influences on property values constant, these differentials can be calculated.
ERRORS IN SURVEY REPORTS OF CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES Erich Battistin

This paper considers data quality issues for the analysis of consumption inequality exploiting two complementary datasets from the Consumer Expenditure Survey for the United States. The Interview sample follows survey households over four calendar quarters and consists of retrospectively asked information about monthly expenditures on durable and non-durable goods. The Diary sample interviews household for two consecutive weeks and includes detailed information about frequently purchased items (food, personal cares and household supplies). Each survey has its own questionnaire and sample. Information from one sample is exploited as an instrument for the other sample to derive a correction for the measurement error affecting observed measures of consumption inequality. Implications of our findings are used as a test for the permanent income hypothesis.
Mapping Polymer Heterogeneity Using Atomic Force Microscopy Phase Imaging and Nanoscale Indentation

Polymer coatings often contain degradation-susceptible regions, and corrosion of the metallic substrate can occur directly underneath these regions. In this paper, the microstructure of model coating materials is investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Specifically, AFM is used to study heterogeneity in thin film blends of polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PB) as a function of annealing time at 80 °C. PS/PB blend films with thicknesses of approximately 250 nm are prepared by spin casting from solutions onto silicon substrates. Both topographic and phase imaging in tapping mode AFM are performed on these films under ambient conditions and at different force levels using a silicon tip. For certain force levels, phase imaging provides good contrast between the phase-separated PS and PB regions, primarily because of the large compliance difference between the two materials. This contrast decreases with increasing annealing time because thermal oxidation causes cross-linking in PB, and thus, the compliance of the PB region increases toward that of PS. Nanoscale indentation measurements are then made on the observed phase-separated regions to identify these regions as PS- and PB-rich and to better understand the influence of relative surface stiffness on the phase images. Cast and free-standing films of pure PS and pure PB are also studied as a function of annealing time using AFM, contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Results from studies of the individual PS and PB films are related to the AFM results for the blend films. The use of phase imaging for cure monitoring of polymers and for studies of chemically heterogeneous polymer systems is also discussed.
Role of MYOC and OPTN sequence variations in Spanish patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Purpose To retrospectively investigate the contribution of myocilin (MYOC) and optineurin (OPTN) sequence variations to adult-onset ocular hypertension (OHT) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in Spanish patients. Methods The promoter region and the three exons of MYOC were analyzed by direct PCR DNA sequencing in 40 OHT and 110 POAG unrelated patients. We used 98 subjects in whom OHT or glaucoma had been ruled out as controls. We also screened the complete coding region of the OPTN gene (exons 4-16) in all subjects by single-stranded conformational polymorphisms (SSCPs). Results We identified six common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of MYOC (-1000C>G, -387C>T, -306G>A, -224T>C, -126T>C and -83G>A) and a polymorphic GT microsatellite (-339(GT)11-19). In addition, we detected four novel, rare DNA polymorphisms. None of these DNA sequence variations were associated with either OHT or POAG. We also found three (2.7%) POAG patients with MYOC pathogenic mutations. Two of these pathogenic mutations (Gln368Stop and Ala445Val) were previously described whereas the third (Tyr479His) was novel. Transient expression of the novel mutation in 293T cells supported its pathogenicity. Only two OPTN polymorphisms, which are not associated with the disease, were detected. Conclusions Overall, our data show that in Spain a minority of adult-onset high-pressure POAG patients carry heterozygous disease-causing mutations in the MYOC gene and that OPTN is not involved in either OHT or POAG.
Association of Inherited Variation in Toll-Like Receptor Genes with Malignant Melanoma Susceptibility and Survival

The family of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is critical in linking innate and acquired immunity. Polymorphisms in the genes encoding TLRs have been associated with autoimmune diseases and cancer. We investigated the genetic variation of TLR genes and its potential impact on melanoma susceptibility and patient survival. The study included 763 cutaneous melanoma cases recruited in Germany and 736 matched controls that were genotyped for 47 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 8 TLR genes. The relationship between genotype, disease status and survival was investigated taking into account patient and tumor characteristics, and melanoma treatment. Analysis of 7 SNPs in TLR2, 7 SNPs in TLR3 and 8 SNPs in TLR4 showed statistically significant differences in distribution of inferred haplotypes between cases and controls. No individual polymorphism was associated with disease susceptibility except for the observed tendency for TLR2-rs3804099 (odds ratio OR = 1.15, 95% CI 0.99–1.34, p = 0.07) and TLR4-rs2149356 (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.73–1.00, p = 0.06). Both polymorphisms were part of the haplotypes associated with risk modulation. An improved overall survival (Hazard ratio HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32–0.88) and survival following metastasis (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34–0.91) were observed in carriers of the variant allele (D299G) of TLR4-rs4986790. In addition various TLR2, TLR4 and TLR5 haplotypes were associated with increased overall survival. Our results point to a novel association between TLR gene variants and haplotypes with melanoma survival. Our data suggest a role for the D299G polymorphism in the TLR4 gene in overall survival and a potential link with systemic treatment at stage IV of the disease. The polymorphic amino acid residue, located in the ectodomain of TLR4, can have functional consequences.
Determining Real Exchange Rates

The paper re-examines the determinants of the real exchange rate equation, and suggests alternative determinants where appropriate, as well as improvements in proxies from those conventionally used. The paper emphasises the weaknesses of the multicountry approach to empirical study of the real exchange rate. While real exchange rates are determined for Pakistan, the terms-of-trade variable is found to be insignificant. Excess demand for domestic credit, capital flow, and the "opinions" variable are all found to be inversely related to the RER. Thus government expenditure on non-tradable is positively related; and better specification of the technological change variable shows support for the balance effect.
Why Sleep Matters-The Economic Costs of Insufficient Sleep: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has declared insufficient sleep a "public health problem. " Indeed, according to a recent CDC study, more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. However, insufficient sleep is not exclusively a US problem, and equally concerns other industrialised countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, or Canada. According to some evidence, the proportion of people sleeping less than the recommended hours of sleep is rising and associated with lifestyle factors related to a modern 24/7 society, such as psychosocial stress, alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of physical activity and excessive electronic media use, among others. This is alarming as insufficient sleep has been found to be associated with a range of negative health and social outcomes, including success at school and in the labour market. Over the last few decades, for example, there has been growing evidence suggesting a strong association between short sleep duration and elevated mortality risks. Given the potential adverse effects of insufficient sleep on health, well-being and productivity, the consequences of sleep-deprivation have far-reaching economic consequences. Hence, in order to raise awareness of the scale of insufficient sleep as a public-health issue, comparative quantitative figures need to be provided for policy- and decision-makers, as well as recommendations and potential solutions that can help tackling the problem.
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Recognition of Bodily Emotions from Point-Light Displays

Perceiving human motion, recognizing actions, and interpreting emotional body language are tasks we perform daily and which are supported by a network of brain areas including the human posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). Here, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with anodal (excitatory) or cathodal (inhibitory) electrodes mounted over right pSTS (target) and orbito-frontal cortex (reference) while healthy participants performed a bodily emotion recognition task using biological motion point-light displays (PLDs). Performance (accuracy and reaction times) was also assessed on a control task which was matched to the emotion recognition task in terms of cognitive and motor demands. Each subject participated in two experimental sessions, receiving either anodal or cathodal stimulation, which were separated by one week to avoid residual effects of previous stimulations. Overall, tDCS brain stimulation did not affect the recognition of emotional states from PLDs. However, when emotions with a negative or positive–neutral emotional valence were analyzed separately, effects of stimulation were shown for recognizing emotions with a negative emotional valence (sadness and anger), indicating increased recognition performance when receiving anodal (excitatory) stimulation compared to cathodal (inhibitory) stimulation over pSTS. No stimulation effects were shown for the recognition of emotions with positive–neutral emotional valences. These findings extend previous studies showing structure–function relationships between STS and biological motion processing from PLDs and provide indications that stimulation effects may be modulated by the emotional valence of the stimuli.
Contributions of Processing Ability and Knowledge to Verbal Memory Tasks across the Adult Life-Span

This study investigated the relationships of processing capacity and knowledge to memory measures that varied in retrieval difficulty and reliance on verbal knowledge in an adult life-span sample (N = 341). It was hypothesized that processing ability (speed and working memory) would have the strongest relationship to tasks requiring active retrieval and that knowledge (vocabulary ability) would be related to verbal fluency and cued recall, as participants relied upon verbal knowledge to retrieve category items (fluency) or develop associations (cued recall). Measurement and structural equation models were developed for the entire sample and separately for younger (aged 20–54 years, n = 168) and older (aged 55–92 years, n = 173) subgroups. In accordance with the hypotheses, processing ability was found to be most highly related to free recall, with additional significant relationships to cued recall, verbal fluency, and recognition. Knowledge was found to be significantly related only to verbal fluency and to cued recall. Moreover, knowledge was more important for older than for younger adults in mediating variance in cued recall, suggesting that older adults may use age-related increases in knowledge to partially compensate for processing declines when environmental support is available in memory tasks.
Who goes there?: approaches to mapping facial appearance diversity

Geotagged imagery, from satellite, aerial, and ground-level cameras, provides a rich record of how the appearance of scenes and objects differ across the globe. Modern web- based mapping software makes it easy to see how different places around the world look, both from satellite and ground-level views. Unfortunately, interfaces for exploring how the appearance of objects depend on geographic location are quite limited. In this work, we focus on a particularly common object, the human face, and propose learning generative models that relate facial appearance and geographic location. We train these models using a novel dataset of geotagged face imagery we constructed for this task. We present qualitative and quantitative results that demonstrate that these models capture meaningful trends in appearance. We also describe a framework for constructing a web-based visualization that captures the geospatial distribution of human facial appearance.
Nonlinear analysis of an AMB system using harmonic domain LTV models

Although the AMB technology has important advantages mainly due to the lack of mechanical friction, its nonlinear nature complicates the design and control of such systems. In this work, the nonlinear analysis of an AMB system, the MBC500 Rotor Dynamics from Launchpoint Technologies, is presented. This analysis is based on the harmonic domain linearization of the AMB system around a nonlinear stationary solution, leading to a LTV model for each rotating speed. The nonlinear nature of the response appears at high speeds, due to the large oscillations introduced by the shaft unbalance. Using the presented methodology, low frequency gain loss is detected when increasing the rotating speed. This phenomenon causes the instability of the system, leading to destructive crashes
Toward a Model for Capstone Experiences: Mountaintops, Magnets, and Mandates.

CAPSTONE EXPERIENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION ARE NOT A NEW PHENOMENON. Indeed, for several decades, graduating seniors in a variety of disciplines from a wide range of institutions have participated in a course, program, or activity designed to facilitate their transition to the real world beyond the academy. Students often view capstones as a rite of passage, a metaphorical ticket to be punched, a requirement to be met, or that last hoop through which to jump, while faculty and administrators may view capstone experiences as a final opportunity to instill the values, knowledge, and skills that are expected of graduates of the institution. In recent years, capstones have grown in scope, importance, and necessity, as the result of institutions’ heightened sense of accountability for documenting student learning outcomes and their recognition that thoughtful reflection on lessons learned is part of the foundation of lifelong learning. As such, capstone experiences are typically organized around one of two broad emphases in higher education: student development or assessment. When student development is emphasized, capstone experiences are designed to provide culminating experiences at the baccalaureate level. Such courses are often used to facilitate transition from the undergraduate student role to the postbaccalaureate roles of employee, graduate student, civic-minded community member, and/or lifelong learner. With this approach, capstones place a high degree of importance on the opportunity for students to engage in meaningful reflection, synthesize learning from personal, academic, and professional contexts, and plan for the future. When assessment is emphasized, capstones are used in assessing program-level student learning outcomes. Essentially, capstones seek to answer the central questions: What does the student know? What can the student do? What evidence suggests what students know and can do? Results from capstones are aimed at improving instructional practices, and capstones are frequently used to provide accountability and documentation for a variety of audiences, including employers, accreditation officials, parents, and polARTICLES
Measuring Organization Capital in Japan: An Empirical Assessment Using Firm-Level Data

Globalization and the ICT revolution of the 1990s have forced many firms to reorganize in order to survive in a more competitive market. There are several approaches that can be used to assess the measurement of organization capital since it is unobservable. Using an optimizing firm model and assuming that a firm holds multiple assets as suggested by Yang and Brynjolfsson (2001) and Cummins (2005), we examined whether organization capital is accumulated with investment in several types of assets. In contrast to Cummins’s (2005) results, we found that the accumulation of organization capital is associated with investment in R&D assets and marketing assets. Using these results and following Basu, Fernald, Oulton, and Srinivasan (2003), we measured the contribution of organization capital to the conventional TFP growth. The estimation results implied that the growth of organization capital did not have significant effects on productivity growth.
Trade and Profitability: Is there an export premium? Evidence from Italian manufacturing firms

Using firm level data this study investigates the relation between export activity and firm's profitability. The paper shows that, contrary to other performance indicators such as productivity, exporting activity is not systematically associated to higher firm's profitability. This is shown both by means of non-parametric methods and, with an approach that is more standard within the empirical trade literature, by regression techniques that try to identify an "export premium".
Predicting Consumer Repurchase Intentions to Shop Online

The World Wide Web (WWW) has rapidly evolved since its inception in 1990. The total value of purchased goods and online services reached 327 billion US dollars in 2002. Such exponential growth has influenced the establishment of electronic commerce. Understanding online consumers is important in today’s economy. However, online sales remain relatively low compared to traditional retailing. It is also important to understand buyer motivation and the satisfaction of online customers after making a purchase. We test this with a questionnaire-based empirical study. The practical and theoretical implications discussed may help Web designers, developers, and managers understand consumer online shopping habits.
The effect of short and long duration of restraint stress on neurodegeneration of cingulate cortex and substantia nigra in adult albino mice- histomorphological study

Any stimulus which displaces the state of normal physiological function can cause stress and it has been shown to produce deleterious effect on the brain just as it does in other body organs. This study was conducted to observe the effect of short and long duration of restraint stress on neurons of cingulate gyrus and substantia nigra . Experiments were conducted to observe the effect of restraint stress applied at different duration i.e. short duration of 5 days and longer durations of 21 and 60 days. BALB/C strain of adult mice were restrained for 6 hours daily for 5/21/60 day in separate group in wire mesh restrainer which consisted of a wooden platform to which a wire mesh was attached. Age matched normal mice served as control group. Numbers of surviving (healthy) neuronal cell bodies were counted in both control and experimental groups. Recorded parameters were subjected to statistical analysis between the groups. The results of the study showed neurodegenerative changes in the stressed group than control and as the stress duration increased severe neurodegenerative changes were observed. Significant neurodegenerative changes are seen in 60 day stressed cingulate gyrus sections compared to others.