Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Superbowl Commercials Affect My Social Network: An Empirical Study on the Evolution of Social Ties through Revealed Preferences

Marketers use online social networks for target and promotion. Identifying influentials that disproportionately affect others is challenging due to network dynamics and social interactions. In this paper, we focus on the former by conducting a quasi-natural experiment on American Superbowl to investigate shifting tie strengths through revealed preferences and exploring the interplay between popularity and homophily on dynamic networks. We hypothesize that sociometrics such as centrality and transitivity need not change, but network evolves through strengthening or weakening social ties. Our findings highlight the importance of shared preferences or homophily in retaining social ties in dynamic networks, and show that popular users’ networks are not necessarily more robust to external events such as marketing campaigns. The unfavourable endorsement may decay the popular user’s relationship with her followers. Our study contributes to dynamic social network research by specifically targeting at shifting tie strength and provides novel insights on social media marketing.
Can We Sterilize? Theory and Evidence

This paper is a highly selective review of our knowledge about the scope for sterilized intervention in foreign exchange markets under alternative exchange-rate regimes. Section I demonstrates the potential importance of simultaneous-equations bias in single-equation econometric studies of the capital-account offset to monetary policy under fixed exchange rates. The empirical record suggests that, in the case of West Germany, sterilization was a feasible short-run monetary strategy in the 1960s. Section II notes that there is considerable recent evidence of imperfect asset substitutability under the managed float. While limited substitution between bonds of different currency denomination is a precondition for the efficacy of sterilized foreign-exchange intervention, it is no guarantee of efficacy. Whether limited substitutability can in fact be exploited in a predictable manner by central banks is a distinct, and unanswered, question.
IV Quantile Regression for Group-Level Treatments, with an Application to the Effects of Trade on the Distribution of Wages

We present a methodology for estimating the distributional effects of an endogenous treatment that varies at the group level when there are group-level unobservables, a quantile extension of Hausman and Taylor (1981). Standard quantile regression techniques are inconsistent in this setting, even if the treatment is exogenous. Using the Bahadur representation of quantile estimators, we derive weak conditions on the growth of the number of observations per group that are sufficient for consistency and asymptotic normality. Simulations confirm the superiority of this grouped instrumental variables quantile regression estimator to standard quantile regression. An empirical application finds that low-wage earners in the U.S. from 1990-2007 were significantly more affected by increased Chinese import competition than high-wage earners. We also illustrate the usefulness of the estimation approach with additional empirical examples from urban economics, labor, regulation, and empirical auctions.
The evaluability bias in charitable giving: Saving administration costs or saving lives?

We describe the “evaluability bias”: the tendency to weight the importance of an attribute in proportion to its ease of evaluation. We propose that the evaluability bias influences decision making in the context of charitable giving: people tend to have a strong preference for charities with low overhead ratios (lower administrative expenses) but not for charities with high cost-effectiveness (greater number of saved lives per dollar), because the former attribute is easier to evaluate than the latter. In line with this hypothesis, we report the results of four studies showing that, when presented with a single charity, people are willing to donate more to a charity with low overhead ratio, regardless of cost-effectiveness. However, when people are presented with two charities simultaneously—thereby enabling comparative evaluation—they base their donation behavior on cost-effectiveness (Study 1). This suggests that people primarily value cost-effectiveness but manifest the evaluability bias in cases where they find it difficult to evaluate. However, people seem also to value a low overhead ratio for its own sake (Study 2). The evaluability bias effect applies to charities of different domains (Study 3). We also show that overhead ratio is easier to evaluate when its presentation format is a ratio, suggesting an inherent reference point that allows meaningful interpretation (Study 4).
Cultural perspectives on the linguistic representation of emotion and emotion events

It is argued that the linguistic representation of emotions and events giving rise to them is influenced by the cultural regulation of the relationship between a person and others. Such cultural variations are expected to be reflected in how emotions and emotion events are represented in language. The two studies provide support for the hypothesis that in a culture where relationships and interdependence are valued emotion terms function as relationship-markers and emotion events are represented by the use of concrete linguistic terms when compared with cultures that emphasise the value of the individual. Moreover, we also found support for the argument that emotion terms function predominantly as self-markers in cultures that value individuality and that they are represented by more abstract terms (adjectives, nouns). The implications of these findings are discussed.
Metabolic Profiling Provides a System Understanding of Hypothyroidism in Rats and Its Application

Background Hypothyroidism is a chronic condition of endocrine disorder and its precise molecular mechanism remains obscure. In spite of certain efficacy of thyroid hormone replacement therapy in treating hypothyroidism, it often results in other side effects because of its over-replacement, so it is still urgent to discover new modes of treatment for hypothyroidism. Sini decoction (SND) is a well-known formula of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is considered as efficient agents against hypothyroidism. However, its holistic effect assessment and mechanistic understanding are still lacking due to its complex components. Methodology/Principal Findings A urinary metabonomic method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was employed to explore global metabolic characters of hypothyroidism. Three typical hypothyroidism models (methimazole-, propylthiouracil- and thyroidectomy-induced hypothyroidism) were applied to elucidate the molecular mechanism of hypothyroidism. 17, 21, 19 potential biomarkers were identified with these three hypothyroidism models respectively, primarily involved in energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and purine metabolism. In order to avert the interference of drug interaction between the antithyroid drugs and SND, the thyroidectomy-induced hypothyroidism model was further used to systematically assess the therapeutic efficacy of SND on hypothyroidism. A time-dependent recovery tendency was observed in SND-treated group from the beginning of model to the end of treatment, suggesting that SND exerted a recovery effect on hypothyroidism in a time-dependent manner through partially regulating the perturbed metabolic pathways. Conclusions/Significance Our results showed that the metabonomic approach is instrumental to understand the pathophysiology of hypothyroidism and offers a valuable tool for systematically studying the therapeutic effects of SND on hypothyroidism.
Common Sense School Reform

School re f o rm is the province of utopians, apologists, and wellintentioned practitioners who inhabit a cloistered world where conviction long ago displaced competence. For too long we have permitted this phalanx of thinkers and advocates to trample common sense beneath jarg o n , grandiose schemes, and earnest aspirations. The result is schools where success is often a happy accident, the notion of professional responsibility is attacked as anti-education, and the doors of opportunity are slammed on tens of millions of America’s childre n . Those eager to advance their intere s t s and ideologies have seized the banner of “public education” and used it to repeatedly knock aside calls for serious re f o rm. Meanwhile, those who question school perf o rmance or the pro m i s e of new educational recipes are skewe red as enemies of public education. S o m e h o w, the public nature of schooling and its centrality to our democratic way of life have fostered the notion that re f o rms must pass muster with utopian education theorists. It is time, indeed, it is long past time, to re c a pt u re our nation’s schools from the wide-eyed dreamers and to imbue education re f o rm with the simple discipline of common sense. The United States boasts the w o r l d ’s highest per capita income and one of the best-funded school systems, yet our children fall below intern a t i o nal norms in graduation rates and test p e rf o rmance. Though born with significant advantages, U.S. students lose g round during their years in school. Common Sense School Reform
An empirical investigation of the combinatorial nature of operational practices and operational capabilities: Compensatory or additive?

Purpose – Operational practices and operational capabilities are critical yet distinct elements in operations strategy. The purpose of this paper is to examine their conceptual differences and explore how they are developed in a portfolio, considering the potential for practices and capabilities to be either compensatory or additive in nature.Design/methodology/approach – The compensatory model argues that the lack of investments in certain practices or capabilities can be offset by higher level of investments in other practices or capabilities. In contrast, the additive model argues that the firm must invest in certain practices or capabilities and that trade‐offs are impossible. The authors examine evidence for these two competing models using an approach borrowed from studies of multi‐attribute consumer preference models and statistical comparisons of non‐nested models.Findings – Data for the study were collected from operations managers who were members of a large professional organization. The findin.
Definition, assessment and treatment of wheezing disorders in preschool children: an evidence-based approach

There is poor agreement on definitions of different phenotypes of preschool wheezing disorders. The present Task Force proposes to use the terms episodic (viral) wheeze to describe children who wheeze intermittently and are well between episodes, and multiple-trigger wheeze for children who wheeze both during and outside discrete episodes. Investigations are only needed when in doubt about the diagnosis. Based on the limited evidence available, inhaled short-acting β2-agonists by metered-dose inhaler/spacer combination are recommended for symptomatic relief. Educating parents regarding causative factors and treatment is useful. Exposure to tobacco smoke should be avoided; allergen avoidance may be considered when sensitisation has been established. Maintenance treatment with inhaled corticosteroids is recommended for multiple-trigger wheeze; benefits are often small. Montelukast is recommended for the treatment of episodic (viral) wheeze and can be started when symptoms of a viral cold develop. Given the large overlap in phenotypes, and the fact that patients can move from one phenotype to another, inhaled corticosteroids and montelukast may be considered on a trial basis in almost any preschool child with recurrent wheeze, but should be discontinued if there is no clear clinical benefit. Large well-designed randomised controlled trials with clear descriptions of patients are needed to improve the present recommendations on the treatment of these common syndromes.
Workplace Learning : Main Themes & Perspectives

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Ergodic Optimization of Super-continuous Functions in the Shift

Ergodic Optimization is the process of finding invariant probability measures that maximize the integral of a given function. It has been conjectured that "most" functions are optimized by measures supported on a periodic orbit, and it has been proved in several separable spaces that an open and dense subset of functions is optimized by measures supported on a periodic orbit. We add to these positive results by presenting a non-separable space, the class of super-continuous functions, where the set of functions optimized by periodic orbit measures contains an open subset dense in super-continuous functions.
TEST RESULTS OF A GPS/INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM USING A LOW COST MEMS IMU

Test results are presented in this paper showing the performance of the integrated MEMS GPS/inertial navigation system. Data is provided showing the position, velocity and attitude accuracy when operating with GPS aiding and also for periods where GPS dropouts occur and alternative navigation update sources are used to bound the MEMS inertial navigation error growth.
Characterization of Genes for Beef Marbling Based on Applying Gene Coexpression Network

Marbling is an important trait in characterization beef quality and a major factor for determining the price of beef in the Korean beef market. In particular, marbling is a complex trait and needs a system-level approach for identifying candidate genes related to the trait. To find the candidate gene associated with marbling, we used a weighted gene coexpression network analysis from the expression value of bovine genes. Hub genes were identified; they were topologically centered with large degree and BC values in the global network. We performed gene expression analysis to detect candidate genes in M. longissimus with divergent marbling phenotype (marbling scores 2 to 7) using qRT-PCR. The results demonstrate that transmembrane protein 60 (TMEM60) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) are associated with increasing marbling fat. We suggest that the network-based approach in livestock may be an important method for analyzing the complex effects of candidate genes associated with complex traits like marbling or tenderness.
Anxiety and depression in patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence and clinical correlates of anxiety and depression in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to examine the relationship between anxiety and depression and the quality of life (QOL). METHODS One hundred and seventeen patients with PD completed the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), the beck depression inventory second edition (BDI-II), Starkstein's apathy scale (AS) and QOL battery. Hoehn and Yahr (HY) staging, the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were administered on the same day. RESULTS Anxiety (STAI score ≥41 for men or ≥42 for women) was diagnosed in 55% of the patients and depression (BDI-II score ≥14) was diagnosed in 56% of the patients. Anxiety coexisted with depression in 41% of the patients, while depression without anxiety was observed in 15% of the patients and anxiety without depression was observed in 14% of the patients. The STAI score was found to be significantly correlated with the UPDRS (I, IV) and AS scores, whereas the BDI-II score was found to correlate with the HY stage and the UPDRS (I, III, IV) and AS scores. Both the STAI and BDI-II scores were found to negatively correlate with QOL. A multivariate analysis revealed that depression and anxiety are similarly associated with the PD specific QOL (PDQ-39), while motor severity, as judged by the HY stage and UPDRS III score, is not. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that recognizing anxiety and depression in patients with PD is important, since both conditions are commonly observed in patients with PD and are similarly associated with the QOL, independent of motor severity.
Combined use of genetic algorithms and gradient descent optmization methods for accurate inverse permittivity measurement

A novel inverse transmission-line method for the complex permittivity determination of arbitrary shaped materials is presented. Complex permittivity is inferred by using an inverse calculation procedure, which is based on a combined optimization strategy of both genetic algorithms and the gradient descent method. The optimization procedure matches the measured and simulated complex scattering parameters' frequency behavior of materials within a WR340 waveguide. High accuracy and practical suitability are validated through experimental tests. The dielectric properties of PTFE and epoxy resin mixed with iron-oxide-doped fiberglass have been measured for different shapes and positions. Dielectric multilayer structures have been used to demonstrate that this technique is able to measure the individual permittivity of each element of the structure. Both two- and three-dimensional approaches have been carried out and their advantages and drawbacks discussed.
FORMATION OF THE FIRST NUCLEAR CLUSTERS AND MASSIVE BLACK HOLES AT HIGH REDSHIFT

We present a model for the formation of massive black holes (∼1000 M☉) due to stellar-dynamical processes in the first stellar clusters formed at early cosmic times (z ∼ 10–20). These black holes are likely candidates as seeds for the supermassive black holes detected in quasars and nearby quiescent galaxies. The high redshift black hole seeds form as a result of multiple successive instabilities that occur in low metallicity (Z ∼ 10−5 Z☉) protogalaxies. We focus on relatively massive halos at high redshift (Tvir > 104 K, z ≳ 10) after the very first stars in the universe have completed their evolution. This set of assumptions ensures that (1) atomic hydrogen cooling can contribute to the gas cooling process, (2) a UV field has been created by the first stars, and (3) the gas inside the halo has been mildly polluted by the first metals. The second condition implies that at low density H2 is dissociated and does not contribute to cooling. The third condition sets a minimum threshold density for fragmentation, so that stars form efficiently only in the very inner core of the protogalaxy. Within this core, very compact stellar clusters form. The typical star cluster masses are of order 105 M☉ and the typical half mass radii ∼1 pc. A large fraction of these very dense clusters undergoes core collapse before stars are able to complete stellar evolution. Runaway star–star collisions eventually lead to the formation of a very massive star, leaving behind a massive black hole remnant. Clusters unstable to runaway collisions are always the first, less massive ones that form. As the metallicity of the universe increases, the critical density for fragmentation decreases and stars start to form in the entire protogalactic disk so that (1) accretion of gas in the center is no longer efficient and (2) the core collapse timescale increases. Typically, a fraction ∼0.05 of protogalaxies at z ∼ 10–20 form black hole seeds, with masses ∼1000–2000 M☉, leading to a mass density in seeds of a few ≃102 M☉/Mpc−3. This density allows enough room for black hole growth by accretion during the quasar epoch.
Generalized belief propagation for estimating the partition function of the 2D Ising model

Recent empirical results have demonstrated that generalized belief propagation (GBP) can be used to closely estimate the capacity of certain 2D runlength-limited constraints. We provide a partial analytical validation of these observations by showing that GBP yields a lower bound on the partition function of 2D Ising models with restricted grid size. While previous papers have proved that belief propagation (BP) can be used to obtain a lower bound on the partition function of 2D Ising models, this paper is the first work that analyzes GBP-based partition function approximations of 2D Ising models.
Dramatic effect of single-base mutation on the conformational dynamics of human telomeric G-quadruplex

Guanine-rich DNA sequences can form G-quadruplexes. These four-stranded structures are known to form in several genomic regions and to influence certain biological activities. Sometimes, the instability of G-quadruplexes causes the abnormal biological processes. Mutation is a culprit for the destabilization of G-quadruplexes, but the details of mutated G-quadruplexes are poorly understood. In this article, we investigated the conformational dynamics of single-base mutated human telomeric G-quadruplexes in the presence of K+ with single-molecule FRET spectroscopy. We observed that the replacement of single guanine by thymine in a G-track induces various folded structures, i.e. structural polymorphism. Moreover, direct observation of their dynamics revealed that a single-base mutation causes fast unfolding of folded states under physiological conditions. Furthermore, we found that the degree of destabilization varies according to mutation positions. When the central guanine of a G-track is replaced, the G-quadruplexes unfold quickly at any K+ concentrations and temperature. Meanwhile, outer-quartet mutated G-quadruplexes have heterogeneous dynamics at intermediate K+ concentrations and longstanding folded states at high K+ concentrations. Several factors such as base-stacking interaction and K+ coordination are responsible for the different dynamics according to the mutation position.
Cross-Sectoral Variation in Firm-Level Idiosyncratic Risk

In this paper we use data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Research Database in order to assess the extent of the cross-sectoral variation in firm-level idiosyncratic risk and shed light on its determinants. We find that firms producing investment goods exhibit greater volatility in sales and TFP growth than firms producing consumption goods. Our data suggests that this may be the case because winner–takes–all competition is more common for the former than for the latter.
Democracy and New Media in the European Union: Communication or Participation Deficit?

At the heart of most academic and political debates regarding the future of the European Union lie three key ideas: openness and transparency; citizens’ participation in the decision-making process; and democratic legitimacy. Scholars and EU policy-makers have advocated the use of new media, particularly the Internet, in the democratising process of the EU. T his article focuses on the top-down aspect of the online European public dialogue and the opportunities that the EU’s public communication strategy offers to citizens for involvement in shaping the Union’s political nature. Following a ‘multi-method’ approach for the gathering of empirical data, the Internet’s role in the EU’s public communication strategy is examined here from four aspects: the European Commission’s public communication policies (document analysis); the Commission’s implementation of its online policies (website analysis); their impact on key Internet audiences (user survey); and the views of policy-makers (semi-structured interviews with senior Commission officials).