Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Order-Disorder in Atomistic Models of Structural Glass Formers

The glass transition is the freezing of a liquid into a solid state without evident structural order. Although glassy materials are well characterized experimentally, the existence of a phase transition into the glass state remains controversial. Here, we present numerical evidence for the existence of a novel first-order dynamical phase transition in atomistic models of structural glass formers. In contrast to equilibrium phase transitions, which occur in configuration space, this transition occurs in trajectory space, and it is controlled by variables that drive the system out of equilibrium. Coexistence is established between an ergodic phase with finite relaxation time and a nonergodic phase of immobile molecular configurations. Thus, we connect the glass transition to a true phase transition, offering the possibility of a unified picture of glassy phenomena.
The Chinese (Cantonese) Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Patients with Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Dementia

Background: Subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD) has been proposed as the most frequent subtype of vascular cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese (Cantonese) Montreal Cognitive Assessment (CC- MoCA) in patients with SIVD in the Guangdong Province of China. Methods: 71 SIVD patients and 60 matched controls were recruited for the CC-MoCA, Mini Mental State Examination and executive clock drawing tasks. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity of the CC-MoCA total score in differentiating mild vascular dementia (VaD) patients from moderate VaD patients and controls. Results: The mean CC-MoCA scores of the controls, and mild and moderate VaD patients were 25.2 ± 3.8, 16.4 ± 3.7, and 10.0 ± 5.1, respectively. In our study, the optimal cutoff value for the CC-MoCA to be able to differentiate patients with mild VaD from controls is 21/22, and 13/14 to differentiate mild VaD from moderate VaD. Conclusion: The CC-MoCA is a useful cognitive screening instrument in SIVD patients.
Memorable ethnic minority tourism experiences in China: a case study of Guangxi Zhuang Zu

ABSTRACT Based on the memorable tourism experience theory and previous studies on ethnic minority tourism, this study attempts to extend the memorable tourism experience to its contents of ethnic minority tourism and develop the measure scales of the Memorable Ethnic Minority Tourism Experiences (MEMTE). The Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis is performed to evaluate the influences of three MEMTE dimensions (scenery, ethnic interaction, and ethnic entertainment) on the tourist overall satisfaction, Word-of-Mouth (WOM) and intention to revisit in a sample of 248 ethnic minority tourists visiting Zhuang Zu in Guangxi Autonomous Region. The results indicate that all of the three MEMTE dimensions are positively related to tourist overall satisfaction, WOM, and intention to revisit. Moreover, tourist overall satisfaction is positively related to WOM and intention to revisit. These findings enrich our understanding of ethnic minority tourism, assist destination managers in generating MEMTE, and provide directions for future research.
Two Mechanisms of Human Contingency Learning

How do humans learn contingencies between events? Both pathway-strengthening and inference-based process models have been proposed to explain contingency learning. We propose that each of these processes is used in different conditions. Participants viewed displays that contained single or paired objects and learned which displays were usually followed by the appearance of a dot. Some participants predicted whether the dot would appear before seeing the outcome, whereas other participants were required to respond quickly if the dot appeared shortly after the display. In the prediction task, instructions guiding participants to infer which objects caused the dot to appear were necessary in order for contingencies associated with one object to influence participants’ predictions about the object with which it had been paired. In the response task, contingencies associated with one object affected responses to its pair mate irrespective of whether or not participants were given causal instructions. Our results challenge single-mechanism accounts of contingency learning and suggest that the mechanisms underlying performance in the two tasks are distinct.
The Academy, the Economy, and the Liberal Arts.

mission of many students who lacked basic quantitative and verbal skills. As a result, we inside the academy came to define basic literacy in these areas as a major goal (although with widely varying William T. Daly is professor of political science at Stockton State College of New Jersey and a visiting fellow in sociology at Princeton University. He is former chair of the New Jersey Department of Higher Education's Advisory Council on General Education.
Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Haplotypes in Hungarian Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are autoimmune diseases characterized by symmetrical proximal muscle weakness. Our aim was to identify a correlation between VDR polymorphisms or haplotypes and myositis. We studied VDR-BsmI, VDR-ApaI, VDR-TaqI, and VDR-FokI polymorphisms and haplotypes in 89 Hungarian poly-/dermatomyositis patients (69 females) and 93 controls (52 females). We did not obtain any significant differences for VDR-FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI genotypes and allele frequencies between patients with myositis and healthy individuals. There was no association of VDR polymorphisms with clinical manifestations and laboratory profiles in myositis patients. Men with myositis had a significantly different distribution of BB, Bb, and bb genotypes than female patients, control male individuals, and the entire control group. Distribution of TT, Tt, and tt genotypes was significantly different in males than in females in patient group. According to four-marker haplotype prevalence, frequencies of sixteen possible haplotypes showed significant differences between patient and control groups. The three most frequent haplotypes in patients were the fbAt, FBaT, and fbAT. Our findings may reveal that there is a significant association: Bb and Tt genotypes can be associated with myositis in the Hungarian population we studied. We underline the importance of our result in the estimated prevalence of four-marker haplotypes.
Voluntary Movement Frequencies in Submaximal One- and Two-Legged Knee Extension Exercise and Pedaling

Understanding of behavior and control of human voluntary rhythmic stereotyped leg movements is useful in work to improve performance, function, and rehabilitation of exercising, healthy, and injured humans. The present study aimed at adding to the existing understanding within this field. To pursue the aim, correlations between freely chosen movement frequencies in relatively simple, single-joint, one- and two-legged knee extension exercise were investigated. The same was done for more complex, multiple-joint, one- and two-legged pedaling. These particular activities were chosen because they could be considered related to some extent, as they shared a key aspect of knee extension, and because they at the same time were different. The activities were performed at submaximal intensities, by healthy individuals (n = 16, thereof eight women; 23.4 ± 2.7 years; 1.70 ± 0.11 m; 68.6 ± 11.2 kg). High and fair correlations (R-values of 0.99 and 0.75) occurred between frequencies generated with the dominant leg and the nondominant leg during knee extension exercise and pedaling, respectively. Fair to high correlations (R-values between 0.71 and 0.95) occurred between frequencies performed with each of the two legs in an activity, and the two-legged frequency performed in the same type of activity. In general, the correlations were higher for knee extension exercise than for pedaling. Correlations between knee extension and pedaling frequencies were of modest occurrence. The correlations between movement frequencies generated separately by each of the legs might be interpreted to support the following working hypothesis, which was based on existing literature. It is likely that involved central pattern generators (CPGs) of the two legs share a common frequency generator or that separate frequency generators of each leg are attuned via interneuronal connections. Further, activity type appeared to be relevant. Thus, the apparent common rhythmogenesis for the two legs appeared to be stronger for the relatively simple single-joint activity of knee extension exercise as compared to the more complex multi-joint activity of pedaling. Finally, it appeared that the shared aspect of knee extension in the related types of activities of knee extension exercise and pedaling was insufficient to cause obvious correlations between generated movement frequencies in the two types of activities.
Augmentation of M-Type (KCNQ) Potassium Channels as a Novel Strategy to Reduce Stroke-Induced Brain Injury

Cerebral ischemic stroke is a worldwide cause of mortality/morbidity and thus an important focus of research to decrease the severity of brain injury. Therapeutic options for acute stroke are still limited. In neurons throughout the brain, “M-type” K+ currents, underlain by KCNQ subunits 2–5, play dominant roles in control over excitability, and are thus implicated in myriad neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although KCNQ channel openers, such as retigabine, have emerged as anti-epilepsy drugs, their effects on ischemic injury remain unknown. Here, we investigated the protective effects of M-channel openers on stroke-induced brain injury in mouse photothrombotic and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) models. Both photothrombosis and MCAo led to rapid, predictable, and consistently sized necrotic brain lesions, inflammatory responses, and behavioral deficits. Administration of three distinct M-channel openers at 0–6 h after ischemic injury significantly decreased brain infarct size and inflammation, and prevented neurological dysfunction, although they were more effective when administered 0–3 h poststroke. Thus, we show beneficial effects against stroke-induced brain injury and neuronal death through pharmacological regulation of ion channels that control neuronal excitability.
Simulating Software Evolution with Varying Numbers of Developers and Validation Using OSS

An issue that has confounded the understanding of software development in the past is the role that different numbers of developers play in the construction and subsequent evolution of software. In this paper, we investigate that facet of software using a configurable simulation framework as a basis. The framework uses 'agents' to represent developers and models the costs associated with first comprehending and then applying necessary changes to a fictitious code base. It also considers agent 'memory recall' of their own code as a fundamental part of the framework and the fact that, with higher numbers of developers, maintenance of a higher proportion of other developers' code (rather than their own) is an inevitable, yet realistic aspect. Through exploration of the results and data produced by the simulation, we are able to explore 'desirable' features that are part of simulating software evolution; as a discussion of the issues raised by the framework, we provide a set of class data from four open-source systems by way of comparison and show that trends in those systems are comparable with results generated by the simulation. The paper thus provides evidence that we can use simulation tools to help model evolving systems, whether based on default settings or user-configurable settings.
Soil Nitrogen Transformations and Availability in Upland Pine and Bottomland Alder Forests

Soil nitrogen (N) processes and inorganic N availability are closely coupled with ecosystem productivity and various ecological processes. Spatio-temporal variations and environmental effects on net N transformation rates and inorganic N concentrations in bulk soil and ion exchange resin were examined in an upland pine forest (UPF) and a bottomland alder forest (BAF), which were expected to have distinguishing N properties. The annual net N mineralization rate and nitrification rate (kg N·ha−1·year−1) were within the ranges of 66.05–84.01 and 56.26–77.61 in the UPF and −17.22–72.24 and 23.98–98.74 in the BAF, respectively. In the BAF, which were assumed as N-rich conditions, the net N mineralization rate was suppressed under NH4+ accumulated soils and was independent from soil temperature. On the other hand, in the UPF, which represent moderately fertile N conditions, net N transformation rates and N availability were dependent to the generally known regulation by soil temperature and soil water content. Stand density might indirectly affect the N transformations, N availability, and ecosystem productivity through different soil moisture conditions. The differing patterns of different inorganic N indices provide useful insight into the N availability in each forest and potential applicability of ion exchange resin assay.
Funding and Effectiveness of Staff Development Programs in Three North Texas School Districts

This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: 1) funding sources, 2) types of professional learning programs, and 3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources enhanced teacher skills. Quantitative data came from 1,277 responses from teachers regarding their background and perceptions about staff development. Data from interviews with district administrators were diagrammed to depict elements of funding staff development and to reveal how resources were used to plan, implement, and evaluate staff learning. An analysis of interview data revealed that availability of grants, property tax rates, and student enrollment affected how districts funded staff development. Administrators reported that districts funded professional learning that was planned according to academic initiatives, met the needs of adult learners, and adapted to the changing needs of school communities. Both administrators and practitioners reported that time was a lacking resource critical to developing staff knowledge. Practitioners reported that sufficient opportunity to collaborate with colleagues about learning initiatives was more valuable than teaching materials. Teacher questionnaires were analyzed for possible relationships between participant variables and responses concerning knowledge about funding constraints and professional development experiences. Data revealed that practitioner experience and graduate degrees were not related to teachers' use of knowledge about financial constraints to more efficiently implement learning from staff development. Participants did not perceive professional learning differently than peers. Most teachers connected professional learning with improved teaching practices but a small percent attributed student achievement to their professional learning. The majority of teachers considered collaborative learning settings to elicit more personal professional growth than other formats. The findings of the teacher questionnaire suggest that teaching practices could be impacted if participants gained more knowledge about district financial constraints when developing staff professionally. Therefore, future research about how districts share information concerning funding for professional learning is warranted.
Empirical Evidence for State and Time Separable Preferences: Case Finland

The study investigates the implications of modified utility specifications developed on the standard power utility assumptions for Finnish representative agent while breaking the state and time separable constraints. The estimations are carried out using returns on equity and bond returns with iterated GMM procedure. The results from Epstein and Zin (1991) and Campbell and Cochrane (1999) models show Finnish risk premia is time varying across the studied samples. We conclude Campbell-Cochrane model outperforms the competing models in producing plausible model parameters while suppressing specification errors. The diagnostic checks show model is able to capture variations in stock returns over time. It also commands a significant price of risk in cross-sectional regressions and even manages to do better than unconditional CAPM.
Bin packing with items uniformly distributed over intervals [a,b]

We consider the problem of packing n items which are drawn uniformly from intervals of the form [a,b], where 0 ≪ a ≪ b ≪ 1. For a fairly large class of a and b, we determine a lower bound on the asymptotic expected number of bins used in an optimum packing. The method of proof is related to the dual of the linear programming problem corresponding to the bin packing problem. We demonstrate that these bounds are tight by providing simple packing strategies which achieve them.
The Interplay of Expansion and Scheduling in PAF

This article presents an overview of our recent research on automatic parallelization of imperative programs. It describes our researches on the extension of the polytope model to general programs, and the current status of the PAF prototype parallelizer. The main contributions are a general algorithm for single-assignment form transformation , an algorithm to compute parallel schedules, and a clean framework to simultaneously address parallelization by scheduling and expansion of data structures. We also recall general results on our array data-ow analysis technique, and advocate for its use at the core of parallelizing compilers. In addition, we discuss important design issues underlying the project, we compare our work with other compilation frameworks, and we propose several research perspectives for enhancing our parallelization scheme.
Working Paper Series Department of Economics University of Verona Legitimate Punishment , Feedback , and the Enforcement of Cooperation

In real life, punishment is often implemented only insofar as punishers are entitled to punish and punishees deserve to be punished. We provide an experimental test for this principle of legitimacy in the framework of a public goods game, by comparing it with a classic (unrestricted) punishment institution. A significant advantage of our institution is that it rules out antisocial punishment, a phenomenon which recent studies document to play a key role in undermining the scope for self-governance. Our findings show that, despite the lack of additional monetary incentives to cooperate, the introduction of legitimate punishment leads to substantial efficiency gains, in terms of both cooperation and earnings. Therefore, in businesses and other organizations, this device could successfully deal with the principal-agent problem, with the principal delegating a task to a team of agents. Further, we interestingly find that removing the information over high contributors’ choices only leads to a dramatic decline in cooperation rates and earnings. This result implies that providing feedback over virtuous behavior is necessary to make an institution based on legitimate punishment effective. JEL Classification: C73;C91; D02 ; D63.
Risk-Based COTS Systems Engineering Assesment Model: A Systems Engineering Management Tool and Assessment Methodology to Cope with the Risk of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Technology Insertion During the System Life Cycle

Abstract : Due to the rising costs of today's weapon systems, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) continues to implement strategies to reform its acquisition and procurement process. One such strategy seeks to reduce the cost of developing systems by purchasing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. The COTS technology ranges from components used to build a particular weapon system to functional pieces of gear used to support the weapon system, i.e. support equipment. The COTS technology may be instituted at the inception of the weapon system design or it may be inserted into the support of the weapon system at any point during its life cycle. The COTS technology is intended to reduce weapon system life-cycle costs by minimizing the expense of system design and testing.
Management of Corn Leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) and Corn Stunt Disease in Sweet Corn Using Reflective Mulch

Abstract Plastic reflective mulches significantly reduced populations of corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis (DeLong & Wolcott), adults and the incidence of corn stunt disease caused by Spiroplasma kunkelii (CSS) in late planted sweet corn (Zea mays L.). The reflective mulches were more effective than were either foliar or soil applied insecticides in managing both the leafhopper and the pathogen it transmits. Yields of marketable ears were 1.5 to 2 times greater in reflective mulch plots than from fallow plots. This was due to larger ears (individual ear weight and length) rather than an increase in the number of ears. The use of reflective mulches provides an alternative strategy to insecticides in the management of both D. maidis and corn stunt disease. Such a strategy may prove useful to growers in Latin America and to limited resource growers and organic growers in the United States who wish to grow corn without the use of insecticides.
Renal function and sleep-disordered breathing in older men.

BACKGROUND Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is common in severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may contribute to morbidity and mortality in this population. However, the association between mild to moderate CKD and likelihood of SDB is uncertain. METHODS We studied 2696 men >or=65 years (mean 73.0 +/- 5.5) enrolled in the Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men (MrOS Sleep) study who had serum creatinine (SCr) measured 3.4 years prior to overnight polysomnography (PSG). CKD was expressed as quartiles of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. SDB was assessed using the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) with >or=4% oxygen desaturation. RESULTS Mean SCr was 0.99 +/- 0.20 mg/dl; 14.8% had eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Median RDI was 7.4 events/hour (inter-quartile range 2.6-15.8). Lower eGFR was not associated with higher mean RDI in the unadjusted model (P for trend = 0.180). There was evidence of an interaction between eGFR and age for the prediction of RDI; an association between lower eGFR and higher RDI was evident only among men <or=72 (median) years. Among this age group, however, the association was not statistically significant after further adjustment for body mass index (BMI) (P for trend = 0.278). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of older community-dwelling men, reduced renal function was not associated with greater evidence of SDB, except among younger old men. However, this association was largely explained by higher BMI at lower eGFR. Further prospective study in younger populations is needed to clarify our findings.