Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling Self-Protective Responses in Randomized Response

Randomized response (RR) is an interview technique developed to ask sensitive questions. Confidentiality is assured, since the answers to the questions depend partly on the respondent’s true status and partly on the outcome of a randomizing device. Despite this protection not all respondents answer by the rules of the RR method and consistently give self-protective answers instead. The basic model that takes self-protective answering into account, assumes that this behaviour is independent of the true status of the respondent. Since this model shows a lack of fit, models assuming dependence between self-protective answering and the true status are studied using empirical data from a social welfare study. The results show that the model fit does not improve by using these models. Furthermore, the results show that the models give identification problems. It is concluded that the basic model is a robust model and is therefore preferred for now.
The determinants of tax revenue in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper identifies the determinants of tax revenue in sub-Saharan Africa using an unbalanced panel dataset of 39 countries over the period 1980-2005. A set of factors that can potentially influence tax revenues such as the tax base, structural factors, foreign aid and conflict, is considered in the econometric analysis. Our contribution is that besides the analysis of the determinants of the overall tax revenue, we further conduct the analysis about how these determinants affect the tax structure by including mainly three tax types including the international trade taxes, domestic indirect taxes, and domestic direct taxes. Firstly, our results significantly suggest that the overall tax to GDP ratio is higher in more open and less agricultural dependent economies, less populous and peaceful countries. The introduction of VAT also has a significant positive impact on the total tax-GDP ratio. We find evidence of relationships between the effect of openness and per-capita GDP on the trade-tax GDP ratio. The size of the agricultural sector and foreign aid affects the direct-tax GDP ratio negatively. VAT and a peaceful environment have a significant positive impact.
Inextendible Schwarzschild black hole with a single exterior: How thermal is the Hawking radiation?

Several approaches to Hawking radiation on Schwarzschild spacetime rely in some way or another on the fact that the Kruskal manifold has two causally disconnected exterior regions. To assess the physical input implied by the presence of the second exterior region, we investigate the Hawking(-Unruh) effect for a real scalar field on the ${\mathrm{RP}}^{3}$ geon: an inextendible, globally hyperbolic, space and time orientable eternal black hole spacetime that is locally isometric to Kruskal but contains only one exterior region. The Hartle-Hawking-like vacuum $|{0}_{\mathrm{G}}〉,$ which can be characterized alternatively by the positive frequency properties along the horizons or by the complex analytic properties of the Feynman propagator, turns out to contain exterior region Boulware modes in correlated pairs, and any operator in the exterior that only couples to one member of each correlated Boulware pair has thermal expectation values in the usual Hawking temperature. Generic operators in the exterior do not have this special form; however, we use a Bogoliubov transformation, a particle detector analysis, and a particle emission-absorption analysis that invokes the analytic properties of the Feynman propagator, to argue that $|{0}_{\mathrm{G}}〉$ appears as a thermal bath with the standard Hawking temperature to any exterior observer at asymptotically early and late Schwarzschild times. A (naive) saddle-point estimate for the path-integral-approach partition function yields for the geon only half of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of a Schwarzschild black hole with the same ADM mass: possible implications of this result for the validity of path-integral methods or for the statistical interpretation of black-hole entropy are discussed. Analogous results hold for a Rindler observer in a flat spacetime whose global properties mimic those of the geon.
Breathers in inhomogeneous nonlinear lattices : an analysis via centre manifold reduction

We consider an infinite chain of particles linearly coupled to their nearest neighbors and subject to an anharmonic local potential. The chain is assumed weakly inhomogeneous, i.e. coupling constants, particle masses and on-site potentials can have small variations along the chain. We look for small amplitude and time-periodic solutions, and, in particular, spatially localized ones (discrete breathers). The problem is reformulated as a nonautonomous recurrence in a space of time-periodic functions, where the dynamics is considered along the discrete spatial coordinate. Generalizing to nonautonomous maps a center manifold theorem previously obtained for infinite-dimensional autonomous maps [44], we show that small amplitude oscillations are determined by finite-dimensional nonautonomous mappings, whose dimension depends on the solutions frequency. We consider the case of two-dimensional reduced mappings, which occur for frequencies close to the edges of the phonon band (computed for the unperturbed homogeneous chain). For an homogeneous chain, the reduced map is autonomous and reversible, and bifurcations of reversible homoclinic orbits or heteroclinic solutions are found for appropriate parameter values. These orbits correspond respectively to discrete breathers for the infinite chain, or "dark" breathers superposed on a spatially extended standing wave. Breather existence is shown in some cases for any value of the coupling constant, which generalizes (for small amplitude solutions) an existence result obtained by MacKay and Aubry at small coupling [57]. For an inhomogeneous chain, the study of the nonautonomous reduced map is in general far more involved. Here, the problem is considered when the chain presents a finite number of defects. For the principal part of the reduced recurrence, using the assumption of weak inhomogeneity, we show that homoclinics to 0 exist when the image of the unstable manifold under a linear transformation (depending on the defect sequence) intersects the stable manifold. This provides a geometrical understanding of tangent bifurcations of discrete breathers commonly observed in classes of systems with impurities as defect strengths are varied. The case of a mass impurity is studied in detail, and our geometrical analysis is successfully compared with direct numerical simulations. In addition, a class of homoclinic orbits is shown to persist for the full reduced mapping and yields a family of discrete breathers with maximal amplitude at the impurity site.
Descent Properties of Homotopy K-Theory

In this paper, we show that the widely held expectation that Weibel's homotopy K-theory satisfies cdh-descent is indeed fulfilled for schemes over a field of characteristic zero. The main ingredient in the proof is a certain factorization of the resolution of hypersurface singularities. Some consequences are derived. Finally, some evidence for a conjecture of Weibel concerning negative K-theory is given. 1. Introduction The behavior of K-theory under blow-ups has been studied for a long time, starting with Grothendieck and his coworkers [2] for K 0 and continued for higher (and lower) K-theory by Thomason [18]. These results concern blow-ups with regularly embedded centers, in which case it is shown that K-theory satisfies descent. It is also known that negative K-theory satisfies a descent condition for finite blow-ups (i.e., essentially , normalization or closed covers), a property that is implied by excision for ideals and invariance under infinitesimal extensions. It is easy to see that algebraic K-theory as defined in [19] cannot satisfy descent for arbitrary blow-ups since it is not homo-topy invariant in characteristic zero—as would be implied by homotopy invariance for smooth varieties and resolution of singularities. However, there is a variant of K-theory introduced by Weibel [24] that is homotopy invariant and widely expected to satisfy descent with respect to arbitrary abstract blow-ups. In this paper, we show that that is in fact the case for schemes over a field of characteristic zero; more precisely, we prove the following.
microRNAs in Circulation Are Altered in Response to Influenza A Virus Infection in Humans

Changes in microRNA expression have been detected in vitro in influenza infected cells, yet little is known about them in patients. microRNA profiling was performed on whole blood of H1N1 patients to identify signature microRNAs to better understand the gene regulation involved and possibly improve diagnosis. Total RNA extracted from blood samples of influenza infected patients and healthy controls were subjected to microRNA microarray. Expression profiles of circulating microRNAs were altered and distinctly different in influenza patients. Expression of highly dysregulated microRNAs were validated using quantitative PCR. Fourteen highly dysregulated miRNAs, identified from the blood of influenza infected patients, provided a clear distinction between infected and healthy individuals. Of these, expression of miR-1260, -26a, -335*, -576-3p, -628-3p and -664 were consistently dysregulated in both whole blood and H1N1 infected cells. Potential host and viral gene targets were identified and the impact of microRNA dysregulation on the host proteome was studied. Consequences of their altered expression were extrapolated to changes in the host proteome expression. These highly dysregulated microRNAs may have crucial roles in influenza pathogenesis and are potential biomarkers of influenza.
Legislation as a complex network: Modelling and analysis of European Union legal sources

Legislators, designers of legal information systems, as well as citizens face often problems due to the interdependence of the laws and the growing number of references needed to interpret them. Quantifying this complexity is not an easy task. In this paper, we introduce the ”Legislation Network” as a novel approach to address related problems. We have collected an extensive data set of a more than 60-year old legislation corpus, as published in the Official Journal of the European Union, and we further analysed it as a complex network, thus gaining insight into its topological structure. Results are quite promising, showing that our approach can lead towards an enhanced explanation in respect to the structure and evolution of legislation properties.
Situating psychology's multiple involvements in disaster research, mitigation, and intervention: The need for a reflective and strategic disaster response.

The recent and tragic natural disasters in south east Asia and South Australia are a stark reminder that we live in a world and era wherein a dramatically increasing number of communities are at substantial risk from natural and human caused disasters. This new millennium dawns with the realisation of dramatic global climate change, world-wide terrorism, and possible international pandemics a very real part of our social and environmental reality. Psychology as a discipline and professional practice has made a very substantial contribution to better understanding the nature of human response to impending threat, emergency response, and longer term coping in the aftermath of 'disaster'. But this contribution, and the broader disaster fronts in which psychology is operating, are not well known or profiled in Australia.
Variation in gene expression patterns in follicular lymphoma and the response to rituximab

Analysis of the patterns of gene expression in follicular lymphomas from 24 patients suggested that two groups of tumors might be distinguished. All patients, whose biopsies were obtained before any treatment, were treated with rituximab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the B cell antigen, CD20. Gene expression patterns in the tumors that subsequently failed to respond to rituximab appeared more similar to those of normal lymphoid tissues than to gene expression patterns of tumors from rituximab responders. These findings suggest the possibility that the response of follicular lymphoma to rituximab treatment may be predicted from the gene expression pattern of tumors.
Cloning and Characterization of Murine Glial Cell-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Inducible Transcription Factor (MGIF)

The potent neurotrophic factor glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a distant member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of proteins. We report a transcription factor that is the first nuclear protein known to be induced by GDNF, thus designated murine GDNF inducible factor (mGIF). The cDNA was cloned in the course of investigating transcription factors that bind to Sp1 consensus sequences, using the in situ filter detection method, and it was found to encode a protein having the same C2–H2 zinc finger motif as Sp1. Sequence analysis indicated that mGIF is homologous to the human TGF-β inducible early gene (TIEG) and human early growth response gene-α (EGR-α). mGIF is widely distributed in the adult mouse with high mRNA levels in kidney, lung, brain, liver, heart, and testis. In the adult brain, mGIF is abundantly expressed in hippocampus, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and amygdala with lower amounts in striatum, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, thalamus, and substantia nigra. During development, mGIF mRNA also has a wide distribution, including in cerebral cortex, cerebellar primordium, kidney, intestine, liver, and lung. GDNF induces the expression of mGIF rapidly and transiently both in a neuroblastoma cell line and in primary cultures of rat embryonic cortical neurons. Co-transfection of the Drosophila SL2 cells using mGIF expression plasmid and reporter constructs having Sp1 binding sites indicated that mGIF represses transcription from a TATA-containing as well as from a TATA-less promoter. These observations suggest that the zinc finger transcription factor mGIF could be important in mediating some of the biological effects of GDNF.
Increased extraocular muscle strength with direct injection of insulin-like growth factor-I.

PURPOSE Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II in increasing force generation in extraocular muscle (EOM). Studies in the literature have suggested that IGF-I would be even more effective than IGF-II. This study was performed to assess the effects on muscle mass and force generation of IGF-I injection in adult rabbit superior rectus muscle. METHODS Adult rabbits received a single injection of IGF-I at one of several doses into one superior rectus muscle. One week after treatment, the rabbits were euthanatized, and the superior rectus muscle from each orbit was removed. Force generation was measured using an in vitro apparatus, and injected muscles were compared with the contralateral control. A second group of animals were injected similarly, and the muscles were examined at 1 week for changes in cross-sectional area of individual myofibers. RESULTS EOMs demonstrate significant numbers of cells expressing the IGF receptor. After the EOMs were injected with IGF-I, there were significant increases both in muscle force generation and cross-sectional area at all doses tested in this study. Doses of 10 and 25 microg IGF-I were most effective. CONCLUSIONS Direct muscular injection of IGF-I effectively increases EOM force generation without the potential biomechanical hazards of surgery such as permanently altered muscle length or insertional position on the globe.
Interactions between Food-Borne Pathogens and Protozoa Isolated from Lettuce and Spinach

ABSTRACT The survival of Salmonella enterica was recently shown to increase when the bacteria were sequestered in expelled food vacuoles (vesicles) of Tetrahymena. Because fresh produce is increasingly linked to outbreaks of enteric illness, the present investigation aimed to determine the prevalence of protozoa on spinach and lettuce and to examine their interactions with S. enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes. Glaucoma sp. , Colpoda steinii, and Acanthamoeba palestinensis were cultured from store-bought spinach and lettuce and used in our study. A strain of Tetrahymena pyriformis previously isolated from spinach and a soil-borne Tetrahymena sp. were also used. Washed protozoa were allowed to graze on green fluorescent protein- or red fluorescent protein-labeled enteric pathogens. Significant differences in interactions among the various protist-enteric pathogen combinations were observed. Vesicles were produced by Glaucoma with all of the bacterial strains, although L. monocytogenes resulted in the smallest number per ciliate. Vesicle production was observed also during grazing of Tetrahymena on E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica but not during grazing on L. monocytogenes, in vitro and on leaves. All vesicles contained intact fluorescing bacteria. In contrast, C. steinii and the amoeba did not produce vesicles from any of the enteric pathogens, nor were pathogens trapped within their cysts. Studies of the fate of E. coli O157:H7 in expelled vesicles revealed that by 4 h after addition of spinach extract, the bacteria multiplied and escaped the vesicles. The presence of protozoa on leafy vegetables and their sequestration of enteric bacteria in vesicles indicate that they may play an important role in the ecology of human pathogens on produce.
Cerebral correlates of autonomic cardiovascular arousal: a functional neuroimaging investigation in humans

States of peripheral autonomic arousal accompany emotional behaviour, physical exercise and cognitive effort, and their central representation may influence decision making and the regulation of social and emotional behaviours. However, the cerebral functional neuroanatomy representing and mediating peripheral autonomic responses in humans is poorly understood. Six healthy volunteer subjects underwent H215O positron emission tomography (PET) scanning while performing isometric exercise and mental arithmetic stressor tasks, and during corresponding control tasks. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored during scanning. Data were analysed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM99). Conjunction analyses were used to determine significant changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during states of cardiovascular arousal common to both exercise and mental stressor tasks. Exercise and mental stressor tasks, relative to their control tasks, were associated with significantly (P < 0.001) increased MAP and HR. Significant common activations (increased rCBF) were observed in cerebellar vermis, brainstem and right anterior cingulate. In both exercise and mental stress tasks, increased rCBF in cerebellar vermis, right anterior cingulate and right insula covaried with MAP; rCBF in pons, cerebellum and right insula covaried with HR. Cardiovascular arousal in both categorical and covariance analyses was associated with decreased rCBF in prefrontal and medial temporal regions. Neural responses in discrete brain regions accompany peripheral cardiovascular arousal. We provide evidence for the involvement of areas previously implicated in cognitive and emotional behaviours in the representation of peripheral autonomic states, consistent with a functional organization that produces integrated cardiovascular response patterns in the service of volitional and emotional behaviours.
An approach to eliminating high-frequency shaft voltage and ground leakage current from an inverter-driven motor

This paper proposes a small-sized passive electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter for the purpose of eliminating high-frequency shaft voltage and ground leakage current from an ac motor driven by a voltage-source pulsewidth-modulation inverter. The filter requires access to the neutral point of the motor. A common-mode inductor is connected between the inverter and the motor. The neutral point of the motor is connected to the dc-bus midpoint via a resistor. The dc-bus midpoint is created by using two capacitors in series across the dc positive and negative buses. This unique circuit configuration makes the common-mode inductor effective in reducing the common-mode voltage appearing at the motor terminals. The validity and effectiveness of the EMI filter is verified by experimental results obtained from a 5-kVA laboratory system.
Research on Online Knowledge Sharing Behavior of College Students

Knowledge is the prerequisite for college students to obtain employment abilities and opportunities. At present, most of the research on students' knowledge sharing is conducted from the perspective of academic achievement, but seldom from the perspective of vocational education and vocational development knowledge. This paper explores the college students' understanding of vocational knowledge sharing behavior and the antecedents of online knowledge sharing behavior. This paper uses qualitative research through inviting 30 people (including 7 teachers and 23 students) to interview based on semi-structure interview (31 questions for students and 16 questions for teachers) using mobile phone record software. In view of our research, this study has obtained the factors affecting college students' online vocational knowledge sharing. This study also puts forward suggestions and suggestions on how to improve students' knowledge sharing from the perspective of students, schools and society.
THE MOTIVATIONS AND SATISFACTIONS OF HUNTING WITH NON-TYPICAL OUTFITTERS

This study examined the definition of adventure tourism, theories of place attachment, and conducted a satisfaction and motivation survey for Non-Typical Outfitters (NTO). The purpose of this study was to determine the motivations, satisfactions, and place attachment factors when hunting with NTO. Zoomerang, an online survey company, was used to conduct the survey and further calculations were conducted through Microsoft Excel. Overall, NTO clients were all male, satisfied, had experienced other outfitters, and would return to hunt with NTO again. Major conclusions included that all place attachment factors (use-oriented and emotional) were considered neutral and top areas of satisfaction were: lodging accommodations, ease of planning the trip, knowledge of guides, and safety of hunt. Finally, a major recommendation for NTO was to continue to survey their clients in order to maintain and improve their business.
The composition of public expenditure and growth: Different models of government expenditure distribution by functions.

This paper provides a brief survey of the influence on economic growth of the composition of public expenditure by functions, concluding that countries tend towards a similar distribution in the steady state. In this light, we explore the existence of convergence in the structure of government spending in the OECD countries for the period 1970-1997 and the prospects of this process persisting in the future. The results obtained through the dissimilarity index, using the usual convergence indicators, and by means of cluster analysis point to the existence of a convergence process in the structure of government expenditure by functions. Nevertheless, we find that countries are approaching different equilibrium states in which two main models can be differentiated: one for some of the State members of the European Union (EU), and the other for almost the rest of the OECD countries. This suggests that there exist individual factors that impede convergence to a single distribution in the long run.