Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Employment and Distribution Effects of the Minimum Wage

This paper analyzes the effects of the minimum wage on wage inequality, relative employment and over-education. We show that over-education can be generated endogenously and that an increase in the minimum wage can raise both total and low-skill employment, and produce a fall in inequality. Evidence from the US suggests that these theoretical results are empirically relevant. The over-education rate has been increasing and our regression analysis suggests that the decrease in the minimum wage may have led to a deterioration of the employment and relative wage of low-skill workers.
Role of Benchmarking in Total Quality Management: Case of Telecom Services Sector of Pakistan

The main purpose of this paper is to present the importance of benchmarking in TQM and organizational performance. To determine the various benefits an organization can derive from the application of total quality management practices, or the relationship between total quality management and quality outcomes/benefits in services sector of telecom industry of Pakistan. The study is based on primary and secondary data. Eight most important constructs were found through literature review for conceptual framework in this study. Primary data is collected through questionnaires. The same questionnaire was used in comparison of TQM practices in different countries such as India, USA, Mexico, China and Norway. The theoretical framework adopted is by Raghunathan et al. (1999). Findings revealed that TQM practices and implementation have positive effects on quality benefits or outcome (productivity, profitability, competitive position, reduce customer complaints, cost reduction, reduce rework level, reduces scrap level, stay in business) in services sector of telecom industry of Pakistan. Benchmarking also plays a significant role in the development of organizations. In addition to the research data, findings from different field studies and other research works have further supported conclusion drawn from this research, that TQM practices have positive effect on organizational development. The findings based on this empirical research would be useful to both decision makers and researchers.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Stem Cell Transplantations Reduced Behavioral Deficits and Ameliorated Neuropathological Changes in YAC128 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by neuronal loss and motor dysfunction. Although there is no effective treatment, stem cell transplantation offers a promising therapeutic strategy, but the safety and efficacy of this approach needs to be optimized. The purpose of this study was to test the potential of intra-striatal transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (iPS-NSCs) for treating HD. For this purpose, we developed mouse adenovirus-generated iPSCs, differentiated them into neural stem cells in vitro, labeled them with Hoechst, and transplanted them bilaterally into striata of 10-month old wild type (WT) and HD YAC128 mice. We assessed the efficiency of these transplanted iPS-NSCs to reduce motor deficits in YAC128 mice by testing them on an accelerating rotarod task at 1 day prior to transplantation, and then weekly for 10 weeks. Our results showed an amelioration of locomotor deficits in YAC128 mice that received iPS-NSC transplantations. Following testing, the mice were sacrificed, and their brains were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and Western blot (WB). The results from our histological examinations revealed no signs of tumors and evidence that many iPS-NSCs survived and differentiated into region-specific neurons (medium spiny neurons) in both WT and HD mice, as confirmed by co-labeling of Hoechst-labeled transplanted cells with NeuN and DARPP-32. Also, counts of Hoechst-labeled cells revealed that a higher proportion were co-labeled with DARPP-32 and NeuN in HD-, compared to WT- mice, suggesting a dissimilar differentiation pattern in HD mice. Whereas significant decreases were found in counts of NeuN- and DARPP-32-labeled cells, and for neuronal density measures in striata of HD vehicle controls, such decrements were not observed in the iPS-NSCs-transplanted-HD mice. WB analysis showed increase of BDNF and TrkB levels in striata of transplanted HD mice compared to HD vehicle controls. Collectively, our data suggest that iPS-NSCs may provide an effective option for neuronal replacement therapy in HD.
High utilizers of psychiatric emergency services.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of high utilizers of psychiatric emergency services. METHODS Data were collected over four years for 761 patients who were identified as high utilizers according to three definitions (two standard deviations above the mean number of visits to an urban psychiatric emergency service, six visits in a year, and four visits in a quarter) and for 1,585 nonfrequent utilizers (control group). Univariate analysis of variance and logistic regression models were used to determine group differences. RESULTS Two distinct groups of high utilizers emerged: high utilizers by quarter and high utilizers by standard deviation. Compared with the control group, the high utilizers were more likely to be homeless, to have developmental delays, to be enrolled in a mental health plan, to have a history of voluntary and involuntary hospitalizations, to be uncooperative, to have personality disorders, to have unreliable social support, and to have a lifetime history of incarceration and detoxification. Compared with the high utilizers by quarter, the high utilizers by standard deviation had more visits and were more likely to have a history of incarceration and psychiatric hospitalization, more likely to be enrolled in mental health plan, and less likely to be homeless. CONCLUSIONS High utilizers make up a small percentage of individuals who seek care in psychiatric emergency services and disproportionately use resources. It may be helpful to use two definitions of high utilizer to identify patients at different phases of their illness and to guide clinical interventions and mental health policies.
Uplink Decentralized Joint Bandwidth and Power Allocation for Energy-Efficient Operation in a Heterogeneous Wireless Medium

In this paper, energy efficient uplink communications are investigated for battery-constrained mobile terminals (MTs) with service quality requirements and multi-homing capabilities. A heterogeneous wireless medium is considered, where MTs communicate with base stations (BSs) and access points (APs) of different networks with overlapped coverage. Different from the existing works, we develop a quality of service (QoS)-based optimization framework for joint uplink bandwidth and power allocation to maximize energy efficiency for a set of MTs with multi-homing capabilities. The proposed framework is implemented in a decentralized architecture, through coordination among BSs/APs of different networks and MTs, which is a desirable feature when different networks are operated by different service providers. A suboptimal framework is presented with a reduced computational complexity as compared with the optimal framework. Simulation results demonstrate the improved performance of both the optimal and suboptimal frameworks over a state-of-the-art benchmark.
Degeneracy of decadent dyons

A quarter-BPS dyon in = 4 super Yang-Mills theory is generically `decadent' in that it is stable only in some regions of the moduli space and decays on submanifolds in the moduli space. Using this fact, and from the degeneracy of the system close to the decay, a new derivation for the degeneracy of such dyons is given. The degeneracy obtained from these very simple physical considerations is in precise agreement with the results obtained from index computations in all known cases. Similar considerations apply to dyons in = 2 gauge theories. The relation between the = 4 field theory dyons and those counted by the Igusa cusp form in toroidally compactified heterotic string is elucidated.
On managed services lanes and their use in home networks

Home networks show an increasing level of heterogeneity regarding the devices connected, network technologies used, and services supported. Heterogeneity inhibits quality assurance for new services, such as online gaming, energy management, and health care. This paper focuses on the role that the concept of Managed Services Lanes (MSLs) plays in Dutch smart-city initiatives to solve these issues. MSLs provide third-party service providers quality guarantees without infringing network neutrality. Our preliminary experiments with extending MSLs into the home network indicate that end users indeed have a better quality of experience for the supported Neighborhood TV service than without MSLs. We also show that extension of MSLs into the home network requires advanced home networking monitoring technologies including dynamic home network traffic models. Our research provides evidence that such models will be very different from the standard Internet models.
Aldosterone Predicts Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolic Disease in the General Community: A 4‐Year Follow‐Up

Background We recently reported that normal aldosterone levels are associated with cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic disease in a sample of the US general community (Visit 1). For the current analyses we used the same cohort in a new 4‐year follow‐up study (Visit 2). Methods and Results We measured aldosterone at Visit 1 and analyzed its predictive role for new diseases at Visit 2 (n=1140). We measured aldosterone at Visit 2 and investigated its associations with disease at Visit 2 (n=1368). We analyzed aldosterone continuously and we also dichotomized the variable as whether subjects were in the third tertile versus second and first tertiles. As continuous variable at Visit 1, aldosterone predicted new onset hypertension (HTN) (OR=1.36, CI=1.13–1.63, P=0.001), central obesity (OR=1.36, CI=1.07–1.73, P=0.011), and use of lipid‐lowering drugs (OR=1.25, CI=1.05–1.48, P=0.012) at Visit 2, after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. When in the third tertile (8.5–88.6 ng/dL), aldosterone predicted type 2 diabetes (T2DM, OR=1.96, CI=1.03–3.70, P=0.039). At Visit 2, aldosterone remained associated with HTN, obesity, and chronic kidney disease (CKD), as reported for Visit 1. However, aldosterone was not associated with heart failure (HF) at Visit 1 and 2, nor was aldosterone a predictor of HF between visits. Conclusions Aldosterone predicts new HTN, central obesity, T2DM, and use of lipid‐lowering drugs in the general community and remains associated with HTN, obesity, and CKD over 4 years. Aldosterone is not associated nor predicts HF. Further studies are warranted to evaluate aldosterone as therapeutic target in the general community.
IRF6 is a risk factor for nonsyndromic cleft lip in the Brazilian population

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a complex disorder with a worldwide incidence estimated at 1:700. Among the putative susceptibility loci, the IRF6 gene and a region at 8q24.21 have been corroborated in different populations. To test the role of IRF6 in NSCL/P predisposition in the Brazilian population, we conducted a structured association study with the SNPs rs642961 and rs590223, respectively, located at 5′ and 3′ of the IRF6 gene and not in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD), in patients from five different Brazilian locations. We also evaluated the effect of these SNPs in IRF6 expression in mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). We observed association between rs642961 and cleft lip only (CLO) (P = 0.009; odds ratio (OR) for AA genotype = 1.83 [95% Confidence interval (CI), 0.64–5.31]; OR for AG genotype = 1.72 [95% CI, 1.03–2.84]). This association seems to be driven by the affected patients from Barbalha, a location which presents the highest heritability estimate (H2 = 0.85), and the A allele at rs642961 is acting through a dominant model. No association was detected for the SNP rs590223. We did not find any correlation between expression levels and genotypes of the two loci, and it is possible that these SNPs have a functional role in some specific period of embryogenesis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular Origin of Polyglutamine Aggregation in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts in proteins results in protein aggregation and is associated with cell death in at least nine neurodegenerative diseases. Disease age of onset is correlated with the polyQ insert length above a critical value of 35–40 glutamines. The aggregation kinetics of isolated polyQ peptides in vitro also shows a similar critical-length dependence. While recent experimental work has provided considerable insights into polyQ aggregation, the molecular mechanism of aggregation is not well understood. Here, using computer simulations of isolated polyQ peptides, we show that a mechanism of aggregation is the conformational transition in a single polyQ peptide chain from random coil to a parallel β-helix. This transition occurs selectively in peptides longer than 37 glutamines. In the β-helices observed in simulations, all residues adopt β-strand backbone dihedral angles, and the polypeptide chain coils around a central helical axis with 18.5 ± 2 residues per turn. We also find that mutant polyQ peptides with proline-glycine inserts show formation of antiparallel β-hairpins in their ground state, in agreement with experiments. The lower stability of mutant β-helices explains their lower aggregation rates compared to wild type. Our results provide a molecular mechanism for polyQ-mediated aggregation.
Research on the surface water quality in mining influenced area in north-western part of Romania

The paper highlights the current situation of the quality of surface water in the areas influenced by mining activities in the north-western part of Romania. In this respect a series of investigations have been conducted regarding the contamination with heavy metals of the water of the Someş and Tisa hydrographic Basins, which cover the northern part of Maramures County and the south-western area of Maramures County, respectively. The results of the comparative research refer to the period between 1999 and 2011 and reveal the specific heavy metal ions of mining activity: Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb Cd and Ni, as well as the water pH. The presented values as annual average values reveal an increase in several heavy metals after the closure of mines, which is due to the lack of effectiveness of the closure and of the conservation of the mine galleries, as well as of the impaired functioning of the mining wastewater treatment plants.
Iridophores and their interactions with other chromatophores are required for stripe formation in zebrafish

Colour patterns of adult fish are produced by several types of pigment cells that distribute in the dermis during juvenile development. The zebrafish, Danio rerio, displays a striking pattern of dark stripes of melanophores interspersed by light stripes of xanthophores. Mutants lacking either cell type do not form proper stripes, indicating that interactions between these two chromatophore types are required for stripe formation. A third cell type, silvery iridophores, participates to render a shiny appearance to the pattern, but its role in stripe formation has been unclear. Mutations in rose (rse) or shady (shd) cause a lack or strong reduction of iridophores in adult fish; in addition, the melanophore number is drastically reduced and stripes are broken up into spots. We show that rse and shd are autonomously required in iridophores, as mutant melanophores form normal sized stripes when confronted with wild-type iridophores in chimeric animals. We describe stripe formation in mutants missing one or two of the three chromatophore types. None of the chromatophore types alone is able to create a pattern but residual stripe formation occurs with two cell types. Our analysis shows that iridophores promote and sustain melanophores. Furthermore, iridophores attract xanthophores, whereas xanthophores repel melanophores. We present a model for the interactions between the three chromatophore types underlying stripe formation. Stripe formation is initiated by iridophores appearing at the horizontal myoseptum, which serves as a morphological landmark for stripe orientation, but is subsequently a self-organising process.
Multipolar Migration: The Third Mode of Radial Neuronal Migration in the Developing Cerebral Cortex

Two distinct modes of radial neuronal migration, locomotion and somal translocation, have been reported in the developing cerebral cortex. Although these two modes of migration have been well documented, the cortical intermediate zone contains abundant multipolar cells, and they do not resemble the cells migrating by locomotion or somal translocation. Here, we report that these multipolar cells express neuronal markers and extend multiple thin processes in various directions independently of the radial glial fibers. Time-lapse analysis of living slices revealed that the multipolar cells do not have any fixed cell polarity, and that they very dynamically extend and retract multiple processes as their cell bodies slowly move. They do not usually move straight toward the pial surface during their radial migration, but instead frequently change migration direction and rate; sometimes they even remain in almost the same position, especially when they are in the subventricular zone. Occasionally, the multipolar cells jump tangentially during their radial migration. Because the migration modality of these cells clearly differs from locomotion or somal translocation, we refer to their novel type of migration as “multipolar migration. ” In view of the high proportion of cells exhibiting multipolar migration, this third mode of radial migration must be an important type of migration in the developing cortex.
Energy-Efficient Small Cell With Spectrum-Power Trading

In this paper, we investigate spectrum-power trading between a small cell (SC) and a macro cell (MC), where the SC consumes power to serve the MC users (MUs) in exchange for some bandwidth from the MC. Our goal is to maximize the system energy efficiency (EE) of the SC while guaranteeing the quality of service of each MU as well as SC users (SUs). Specifically, given the minimum data rate requirement and the bandwidth provided by the MC, the SC jointly optimizes MU selection, bandwidth allocation, and power allocation while guaranteeing its own minimum required system data rate. The problem is challenging due to the binary MU selection variables and the fractional-form objective function. We first show that the bandwidth of an MU is shared with at most one SU in the SC. Then, for a given MU selection, the optimal bandwidth and power allocation are obtained by exploiting the fractional programming. To perform MU selection, we first introduce the concept of the trading EE to characterize the data rate obtained as well as the power consumed for serving an MU. We then reveal a sufficient and necessary condition for serving an MU without considering the total power constraint and the minimum data rate constraint: the trading EE of the MU should be higher than the system EE of the SC. Based on this insight, we propose a low complexity MU selection method and also investigate the optimality condition. Simulation results verify our theoretical findings and demonstrate that the proposed resource allocation achieves near-optimal performance.
Minimization of Automata

This chapter is concerned with the design and analysis of algorithms for minimizing finite automata. Getting a minimal automaton is a fundamental issue in the use and implementation of finite automata tools in frameworks like text processing, image analysis, linguistic computer science, and many other applications. There are two main families of minimization algorithms. The first by a sequence of refinements of a partition of the set of states, the second by a sequence of fusions or merges of states. Hopcroft's and Moore's algorithms belong to the first family, the linear-time minimization of acyclic automata of Revuz belongs to the second family. One of our studies is upon the comparison of the nature of Moore's and Hopcroft's algorithms. This gives some new insight in both algorithms. As we shall see, these algorithms are quite different both in behavior and in complexity. In particular, we show that it is not possible to simulate the computations of one of the algorithm by the other. We describe the minimization algorithm by fusion for so-called local automata. A special case of minimization is the construction o minimal automata for finite sets. We consider briefly this case, and in particular describe incremental algorithms. Finally, we consider the case of updating a minimal automaton when a word is added or removed from the set it recognizes.
The Search for "Optimal" Cutoff Properties: Fit Index Criteria in Structural Equation Modeling

ABSTRACT. This study is a partial replication of L. Hu and P. M. Bentler's (1999) fit criteria work. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine whether cut-off values vary according to which model is the true population model for a dataset and (b) to identify which of 13 fit indexes behave optimally by retaining all of the correct models while simultaneously rejecting all of the misspecified models in a manner invariant across sample size and data distribution. The authors found that for most indexes the results do not vary depending on which model serves as the correct model. Furthermore, the search for an optimal cut-off value led to a new discovery about the nature of McDonald's measure of centrality and the root mean square error of approximation. Unlike all other indexes considered in this study, the cut-off value of both indexes actually decreases for incorrect models as sample size increases. This may suggest that power calculations are more likely to be optimal when based on those indices.
Axonal transport of the cytoplasmic matrix

The cytoplasmic matrix is often highly specialized, making it possible to clearly relate particularaspects ofthe cytoplasmic matrix to the specialized functions of cells . For example, in striated muscle cells the contractile components of the cytoplasmic matrix dominate the cell structurally and functionally. Neurons are another example of cells in which specializations of structure and function can be clearly related to particular aspects of the cytoplasmic matrix (36, 37) . The primary function of neurons is to convey information from one location in the organism to another. Pathways for information transfer in the nervous system are provided by specialized neuronal extensions, the axons and the dendrites . Axons, in particular, are specialized to convey information over very long distances, meters in some cases . Accordingly, in the axon the cytoplasmic matrix is specialized to generate and support the extremely elongate shape ofthe axon during development, regeneration, and maturity. To generate and maintain the great volume of cytoplasm within the axon, neurons must produce tremendous amounts of protein (32) . Essentially all axonal proteins are synthesized in the neuron cell body and then conveyed into the axon by axonal transport, which provides a lifeline for the axon and its terminus (25, 36) . Axonal transport is a process that is initiated when the axon first develops and that continues throughout the life of the neuron . To meet the needs of large animals, which require long axons, axonal transport has become one of the most highly developed mechanisms for the intracellular transport of materials in metazoan cells .