Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intercomparison of models representing direct shortwave radiative forcing by sulfate aerosols

The importance of aerosols as agents of climate change has recently been highlighted. However, the magnitude of aerosol forcing by scattering of shortwave radiation (direct forcing) is still very uncertain even for the relatively well characterized sulfate aerosol. A potential source of uncertainty is in the model representation of aerosol optical properties and aerosol influences on radiative transfer in the atmosphere. Although radiative transfer methods and codes have been compared in the past, these comparisons have not focused on aerosol forcing (change in net radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere). Here we report results of a project involving 12 groups using 15 models to examine radiative forcing by sulfate aerosol for a wide range of values of particle radius, aerosol optical depth, surface albedo, and solar zenith angle. Among the models that were employed were high and low spectral resolution models incorporating a variety of radiative transfer approximations as well as a line-by-line model. The normalized forcings (forcing per sulfate column burden) obtained with the several radiative transfer models were examined, and the discrepancies were characterized. All models simulate forcings of comparable amplitude and exhibit a similar dependence on input parameters. As expected for a non-light-absorbing aerosol, forcings were negative (cooling influence) except at high surface albedo combined with small solar zenith angle. The relative standard deviation of the zenith-angle-averaged normalized broadband forcing for 15 models was 8% for particle radius near the maximum in this forcing (∼0.2 μm) and at low surface albedo. Somewhat greater model-to-model discrepancies were exhibited at specific solar zenith angles. Still greater discrepancies were exhibited at small particle radii, and much greater discrepancies were exhibited at high surface albedos, at which the forcing changes sign; in these situations, however, the normalized forcing is quite small. Discrepancies among the models arise from inaccuracies in Mie calculations, differing treatment of the angular scattering phase function, differing wavelength and angular resolution, and differing treatment of multiple scattering. These results imply the need for standardized radiative transfer methods tailored to the direct aerosol forcing problem. However, the relatively small spread in these results suggests that the uncertainty in forcing arising from the treatment of radiative forcing of a well-characterized aerosol at well-specified surface albedo is smaller than some of the other sources of uncertainty in estimates of direct forcing by anthropogenic sulfate aerosols and anthropogenic aerosols generally.
A role for yeast oxysterol-binding protein homologs in endocytosis and in the maintenance of intracellular sterol-lipid distribution

The seven yeast OSH genes (OSH1-OSH7) encode a family of orthologs of the mammalian oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP). The OSH genes share at least one essential overlapping function, potentially linked to the regulation of secretory trafficking and membrane lipid composition. To investigate the essential roles of the OSH genes, we constructed conditional OSH mutants and analyzed their cellular defects. Elimination of all OSH function altered intracellular sterol-lipid distribution, caused vacuolar fragmentation, and resulted in an accumulation of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm and within vacuolar fragments. Gradual depletion of Osh proteins also caused cell budding defects and abnormal cell wall deposition. In OSH mutant cells endocytosis was severely impaired, but protein transport to the vacuole and the plasma membrane was largely unaffected. Other mutants affecting sterol-lipid function and distribution, namely erg2Δ and arv1Δ, shared similar defects. These findings suggested that OSH genes, through effects on intracellular sterol distribution, establish a plasma membrane lipid composition that promotes endocytosis.
Colocalization of GABA, glycine, and their receptors at synapses in the rat spinal cord

To determine whether GABA and glycine can act as cotransmitters at synapses in the rat spinal cord, we have compared the ultrastructural distribution of GABAA-receptor beta 3 subunit with that of the glycine receptor-associated protein gephyrin and combined this with postembedding detection of GABA and glycine. We also used a dual- immunofluorescence method to confirm that gephyrin was associated with the glycine-receptor alpha 1 subunit throughout the cord. GABAA beta 3- subunit immunoreactivity was restricted primarily to synapses, and at a majority of these synapses the presynaptic axon was GABA- immunoreactive. Many synapses showed both GABAA beta 3 and gephyrin immunoreactivity, and at most of these synapses GABA and glycine were enriched in the presynaptic axon. These results strongly support the idea that cotransmission by GABA and glycine occurs in the spinal cord.
p53 expression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a marker of disease progression and poor prognosis.

We have analyzed by immunocytochemistry (ICC) the frequency of p53 protein expression in 181 cases of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) followed at a single institution to assess the relationship between p53 and the clinical and morphological features of the disease, as well as the possible involvement of this protein in the pathogenesis of the more aggressive forms of CLL. The overall frequency of p53 protein positivity in CLL was 15% (27 of 181 cases). There were no significant differences in age, sex, absolute lymphocyte count, or lymphocyte doubling time between p53-positive and -negative patients. By contrast, p53-positive patients had a significantly higher percentage of prolymphocytes (P = .002) and a significantly lower percentage of residual CD3-positive T lymphocytes (P = .0001). No correlation was found between the percentage of p53-positive cells and the percentage of cells in cycle assessed by the monoclonal antibody Ki-67. When the percentage of p53 positivity was correlated with the clinical stage of the disease, the proportion of p53-positive cases increased significantly from Binet's stage A (8 of 108; 7.4%), to stage B (12 of 49; 24.4%) and C (7 of 24; 29.2%) (P = .002). p53 positivity correlated also with the phase of the disease, showing a low expression at diagnosis (8 of 112; 7.1%) and a significantly higher expression in patients studied during the course of the disease (7 of 35; 20%) and, to a further extent, with disease progression (12 of 34; 35.3%) (P = .0001). The association of p53 protein expression with mutations in the gene was confirmed by direct sequence of the entire cDNA in 15 of the 17 ICC positive cases tested (88%). A significantly shorter treatment-free interval from diagnosis (P = .003) and a poorer response to therapy (P = .007) was observed in p53-positive compared with p53-negative patients. Overall survival from the time of diagnosis, as well as from the time of p53 protein analysis, was significantly shorter in patients with p53 protein expression (P = .03 and .0001, respectively). Moreover, in multivariate analysis, p53 expression and stage C were independently associated with a short survival. The results of this study indicate that in CLL the expression of the p53 protein, analyzed by a simple and reliable immunocytochemical method, is strongly associated with p53 gene mutations, a morphological variant (CLL with >10% prolymphocytes), advanced clinical stage, progressive disease, poor response to therapy, and short survival.
Longitudinal Analysis of Labor Market Data: Interpreting empirical models of labor supply in an intertemporal framework with uncertainty

Introduction Much of the empirical work on labor supply ignores life cycle theory, and practically none of it admits the possibility that consumers are uncertain about future events. A natural question that arises concerns the implications of these factors when evaluating and interpreting estimates of wage and income effects found in the existing literature. This study provides an answer to this question. While the discussion here concentrates on hours of work behavior, it fully applies to the analysis of consumption behavior as well. The chapter begins with the development of an economic model of consumption and labor supply behavior in an intertemporal environment in which the consumer is uncertain about his future income, the future relative prices of consumption and leisure, and variables influencing his future preferences. A consumer making decisions in this model reacts differently to changes in variables than he would in a deterministic setting. In response to a change in the current wage rate, for example, the adjustment the consumer makes in his consumption and in hours of work depends on how much of this change was anticipated and how it alters expectations concerning future wages. Because the economic model considered here explicitly addresses such issues, it provides some direction on how to account for the various aspects of uncertainty when specifying empirical relations.
Psychological ownership and feelings of possession: three field studies predicting employee attitudes and organizational citizenship behavior

Summary An increasing number of scholars and practitioners have emphasized the importance of ‘feelings of ownership’ for the organization (even when employees are not legal owners). In this exploratory study, we examine the relationships of psychological ownership with work attitudes and work behaviors. We start by developing hypotheses based on the psychology of possession and psychological ownership literatures. We then test these hypotheses with data from three field samples, using responses from over 800 employees, as well as manager and peer observations of employee behavior. Results demonstrate positive links between psychological ownership for the organization and employee attitudes (organizational commitment, job satisfaction, organization-based self-esteem), and work behavior (performance and organizational citizenship). More important, psychological ownership increased explained variance in organization-based self-esteem and organizational citizenship behavior (both peer and supervisor observations of citizenship), over and above the effects of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Contrary to prior theoretical work on psychological ownership, results, however, fail to show an incremental value of psychological ownership in predicting employee performance. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Issues in the design of shape memory alloy actuators

This thesis considers the application of shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators for shape control of the undertray of a sports car. By deforming the shape of the structure that provides aerodynamic stability to the car, we expect to improve the overall performance of the vehicle by adapting its aerodynamics according to the vehicle speed. We then develop a methodology for designing SMA actuators in this application. The methodology is based on the integration of the different models involved: mechanical, thermal, and electrical. The constraints imposed on the device are also incorporated. Unfortunately, the analysis predicts an actuation time that is too slow for this particular application. Still, we use our assembled model to sketch the expected characteristics of SMA actuators. A significant result is that the actuation time is a function of the amount of energy the active material has to provide, and that there is a necessary trade-off between the mass of actuators and the actuation time. In particular, the expected energy density may have to be decreased to achieve acceptable actuation times. Finally, we propose a way to estimate a priori the suitability of SMA actuators for a particular application. Thesis Supervisor: Steven R. Hall Title: Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Investigating University Students' Attitudes towards Physics Lesson, Their Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Burnout Levels for the Prediction of Their Academic Success in Physics Lessons.

The purpose of this study is to find out whether university students' attitudes towards physics lesson, their self-efficacy beliefs and burnout levels predict their academic success in physics lessons. The research group consists of 641 university students of which 307 are girls (47.1%) and 334 boys (52.9%). The research data were collected using "Physics Attitude Scale" developed by Ozyurek and Eryilmaz, "Physics Self-Efficacy Scale" developed by Caliskan et al., "Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey" developed by Schaufeli et al., which was adapted to Turkish by Capri et al. and “Personal Information Form” developed by the researcher. "Multiple Regression Analysis" and "Stepwise Regression Analysis" were used for the analysis of the data. The analysis indicated statistically significant findings that predicted the academic success in physics lessons of the university students. The findings are discussed in accordance with the literature. Key words: University student, attitudes towards physics, physics self-efficacy beliefs, academic success in physics, students’ burnout
ENDOGENEITY OF SCHOOLING IN THE WAGE FUNCTION: EVIDENCE FROM THE RURAL PHILIPPINES

This paper evaluates the effect (in terms of private returns) of investment in education on wages in the rural Philippines. Statistical endogeneity of education in the wage function may result from (1) unobserved determinants of education that also influence wages and/or (2) measurement error. Panel data are used that provide relevant instruments, particularly distance to schools and measures of household resources, at the time of schooling, to endogenize investments in education while estimating wage functions. The estimated return to education increases more than 60 percent when education is endogenized. This increase is robust to the inclusion of a measure of health, models of selection into the sample, and measurement error. The paper suggests how heterogeneous returns to education might account for the magnitude of the downward bias in returns to schooling. CONTENTS Acknowledgments . v
Questionable Raters + Low Agreement + Inadequate Sampling + Aggregation Bias = ( a ) Validity , ( b ) Reliability , ( c ) Utility , or ( d ) None of the Above ?

Several studies have made positive claims regarding the validity, reliability, and utility of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). In this first of three studies questioning such claims, I focused on the root cause of many problems regarding O*NET: i.e., the practice of rating overly abstract and heterogeneous occupational units (OUs), collecting ratings on OUs that exhibit substantial interrater disagreement, computing aggregate profiles that eliminate true within-OU variance, then viewing correlations involving the aggregates as proof of reliability and validity. I used actual O*NET data and Monte Carlo simulated raters to demonstrate how aggregation bias (James, 1982) can produce the illusory appearance of high correlations at the OU-aggregate level, even when little or no true agreement exists among raters. Because the cross-group convergence studies cited as proof of O*NET's reliability and validity reported correlations that were comparable to (and in some cases, far lower than) results produced from totally random ratings, O*NET's standing with respect to reliability and validity is questionable. I conclude that when evaluating occupational data quality, a necessary (but not sufficient) condition is that interrater agreement levels must exceed results seen in benchmark comparisons using data of known-unacceptable quality (e.g., when random ratings are combined with a few does-not-apply agreements). However, when vague, unverifiable, hypothetical constructs are directly rated using single-item tests (as in O*NET), even perfect interrater agreement is not sufficient to justify inferences of reliability and validity (although the failure to exceed random-rater benchmarks makes a strong statement regarding the lack of quality). Because O*NET’s aggregation bias problems are caused by its overly abstract title taxonomy, the only solution is to start over, and re-populate the database using occupational titles that exhibit far less true withintitle disagreement. Revising the data collection process to rate observable, verifiable job characteristics (and collect data from objective, job-knowledgeable raters) would also help considerably with respect to being able to cite interrater agreement indices in support of an inference of data quality.
Secreted Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Glycoprotein G Modifies NGF-TrkA Signaling to Attract Free Nerve Endings to the Site of Infection

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 are highly prevalent viruses that cause a variety of diseases, from cold sores to encephalitis. Both viruses establish latency in peripheral neurons but the molecular mechanisms facilitating the infection of neurons are not fully understood. Using surface plasmon resonance and crosslinking assays, we show that glycoprotein G (gG) from HSV-2, known to modulate immune mediators (chemokines), also interacts with neurotrophic factors, with high affinity. In our experimental model, HSV-2 secreted gG (SgG2) increases nerve growth factor (NGF)-dependent axonal growth of sympathetic neurons ex vivo, and modifies tropomyosin related kinase (Trk)A-mediated signaling. SgG2 alters TrkA recruitment to lipid rafts and decreases TrkA internalization. We could show, with microfluidic devices, that SgG2 reduced NGF-induced TrkA retrograde transport. In vivo, both HSV-2 infection and SgG2 expression in mouse hindpaw epidermis enhance axonal growth modifying the termination zone of the NGF-dependent peptidergic free nerve endings. This constitutes, to our knowledge, the discovery of the first viral protein that modulates neurotrophins, an activity that may facilitate HSV-2 infection of neurons. This dual function of the chemokine-binding protein SgG2 uncovers a novel strategy developed by HSV-2 to modulate factors from both the immune and nervous systems.
Word sense disambiguation for statistical machine translation

In this thesis, we show for the first time that lexical semantics modelling is useful in Statistical Machine Translation (SMT). Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD), the task of resolving sense ambiguity to identify the right translation of a word is one of the major challenges faced by language translation systems. If the English word "drug" translates into French as either "drogue" (used as a narcotic) or "medicament" (used as a medicine), then an English-French machine translation system needs to disambiguate every use of "drug" in order to make the correct translations. Heavy effort has been put in designing and evaluating dedicated WSD models, in particular with the Senseval series of workshops. This is partly motivated by the often unstated assumption that any full translation system, to achieve full performance, will sooner or later have to incorporate individual WSD components. However, in most machine translation architectures, in particular SMT, the WSD problem is typically not explicitly addressed. This paradoxical situation encouraged speculation that recent progress in SMT shows that SMT models are already very good at WSD and that current WSD systems have nothing to offer to state-of-the-art SMT. Going beyond these untested assumptions and speculative claims, we conduct the first direct extensive empirical study of the strengths and weaknesses of WSD and SMT. Using the state-of-the-art HKUST WSD system, we surprisingly show that incorporating WSD predictions in SMT does not help translation quality. Puzzlingly, we also report results suggesting that typical SMT models cannot disambiguate word translations as well as dedicated WSD systems. These seemingly contradictory results lead us to generalize conventional WSD models to incorporate assumptions at least as strong as in state-of-the-art SMT. Specifically, (1) WSD targets are generalized from words to phrases, (2) WSD sense inventories and annotation are learned automatically in the same way as conventional SMT translation lexicons, and (3) WSD models are fully integrated in SMT decoding. Remarkably, the resulting generalized Phrase Sense Disambiguation (PSD) models improve translation quality across four different Chinese-to-English translation tasks, as measured by eight common automatic evaluation metrics. Further analysis reveals that generalization from conventional WSD to PSD is necessary in order to obtain consistent improvements in translation quality.
Skill requirements in retail work: the case of high-end fashion retailing

This article considers skill requirements in retail work, drawing on the example of high-end fashion retailing. It considers debates about the required ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ elements of skill for such work. Drawing on Cockburn’s typology – skill residing in the worker; in what is required to perform a job; and as a socially constructed political concept – it seeks to offer a more nuanced discussion of the nature of skills in retail work beyond the usual characterization of such work as being inherently low skilled. Data are reported from 37 interviews with managers, supervisors and employees in a range of high-end fashion retailing outlets. The article recognizes how this work was seen as skilled by the interviewees, particularly with regard to the desired product knowledge and selling ability required for such work. Lastly, it seeks to refine Cockburn’s typology in understanding skill requirements in retail work.
Relationship between Cefquinome PK/PD Parameters and Emergence of Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in Rabbit Tissue-Cage Infection Model

In order to explore the relationship between different antibiotic dosing regimens and selective enrichment of resistant strains, tissue-cage infection model was established in rabbits to study relationship between cefquinome pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters and the change of susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). In this model, above 108 CFU/mL of S. aureus culture were exposed to cefquinome concentrations below the MIC99 (the minimal concentration that inhibits colony formation by 99% in vitro, 0.3 μg/mL), between the MIC99 and the MPC (the mutant prevent concentration in vitro, 1.6 μg/mL), and above the MPC after intramuscular injection with cefquinome at doses of 4, 8, 16, and 32 mg/kg of body weight (bw) once daily for 5 days or 4, 8, 16, and 24 mg/kg of bw twice daily for 2.5 days. Samples of tissue-cage fluid were collected from the tissue-cage at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24 h after each dosing (one dosing daily) or at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 h (two dosing daily). Cefquinome concentration, susceptibility of S. aureus to cefquinome, and bacterial numbers at the infected site were monitored. The MICs of S. aureus and the fraction of resistant bacteria both increased when cefquinome concentrations fluctuated between the MIC99 and MPC. Resistant bacteria were selected in vivo when %T > MPC was < 58% of administration interval or %T > MIC99 was ≥70% of administration interval. These findings demonstrate that low-level, cefquinome-resistant S. aureus were selected predominantly when drug concentrations fell inside a concentration window in in vivo model, which was evidenced by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The selection of resistant bacteria arose from both susceptible bacteria being killed and resistant bacteria re-growth. Keeping drug concentrations above the MPC for ≥58% of administration interval provides a strategy to achieve effective antibacterial activity and minimize the emergence of resistance to cefquinome.