Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Galactic disk mass-budget : I. stellar mass-function and density

In this paper, we use the general theory worked out within the past few years for the structure and the evolution of low-mass stars to derive the stellar mass-function in the Galactic disk down to the vicinity of the hydrogen-burning limit, from the observed nearby luminosity functions. The accuracy of the mass-magnitude relationships derived from the afore-mentioned theory is examined by comparison with recent, accurate observational relationships in the M-dwarf domain. The mass function is shown to flatten out below $\sim 1 \msol$ but to keep rising down to the bottom of the main sequence. Combining the present determination below 1 $\msol$ and Scalo's (1986) mass function for larger masses, we show that the mass function is well described over the entire stellar mass range, from $\sim 100 \msol$ to $\sim 0.1 \msol$, by three functional forms, namely a two-segment power-law, a log-normal form or an exponential form, all normalized to the Hipparcos sample at 0.8 $\msol$. Integration of this mass function yields a reasonably accurate census of the entire stellar population in the Galactic disk, and its volume and surface mass-density.
Validating the Adult Playfulness Trait Scale ( APTS ) An Examination of Personality , Nomological Network of Playfulness Xiangyou

The authors discuss the Adult Playfulness Trait Scale (APTS), a measurement that they developed along with a conceptualization of playfulness based on a synthesis of personality research and play literature. They assert the research they conducted, which examined the nomological network of playfulness and involved relevant constructs of personality (self as entertainment), behavior (playing), attitude (goal attainment), and perception (leisure boredom), empirically validates the APTS. They present data from two studies to show correlations between the APTS and measures of theoretically related constructs to support their claims. In particular, they use results from known-group comparisons to illustrate that the APTS can successfully and effectively distinguish individuals with different levels of playfulness. They hope thereby not only to establish the validity of the APTS but to encourage its wider application in research on play.
Electronic Payments for State Taxes and Fees

Electronic payment (e-payment) of state taxes and fees can enhance government efficiency and improve citizen satisfaction. This article provides background on e-payment trends and discusses state government acceptance of e-payments, citizen use of e-payments, and the key challenges associated with acceptance and use of e-payments. It finds that Automated Clearing House is the most commonly accepted e-payment mode for business-related taxes, and credit cards the most commonly accepted mode for individual income taxes and fees. Debit cards are accepted by some states but are not widely utilized. Interchange and merchant fees pose the most significant challenge to e-payments; state governments must adopt policies addressing who will pay these fees and how they will be paid.
Mass, phylogeny, and temperature are sufficient to explain differences in metabolic scaling across mammalian orders?

Abstract Whether basal metabolic rate‐body mass scaling relationships have a single exponent is highly discussed, and also the correct statistical model to establish relationships. Here, we aimed (1) to identify statistically best scaling models for 17 mammalian orders, Marsupialia, Eutheria and all mammals, and (2) thereby to prove whether correcting for differences in species’ body temperature and their shared evolutionary history improves models and their biological interpretability. We used the large dataset from Sieg et al. (The American Naturalist 174, 2009, 720) providing species’ body mass (BM), basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body temperature (T). We applied different statistical approaches to identify the best scaling model for each taxon: ordinary least squares regression analysis (OLS) and phylogenetically informed analysis (PGLS), both without and with controlling for T. Under each approach, we tested linear equations (log‐log‐transformed data) estimating scaling exponents and normalization constants, and such with a variable normalization constant and a fixed exponent of either ⅔ or ¾, and also a curvature. Only under temperature correction, an additional variable coefficient modeled the influence of T on BMR. Except for Pholidata and Carnivora, in all taxa studied linear models were clearly supported over a curvature by AICc. They indicated no single exponent at the level of orders or at higher taxonomic levels. The majority of all best models corrected for phylogeny, whereas only half of them included T. When correcting for T, the mathematically expected correlation between the exponent (b) and the normalization constant (a) in the standard scaling model y = a x b was removed, but the normalization constant and temperature coefficient still correlated strongly. In six taxa, T and BM correlated positively or negatively. All this hampers a disentangling of the effect of BM, T and other factors on BMR, and an interpretation of linear BMR‐BM scaling relationships in the mammalian taxa studied.
The Impact of Education on Health Status: Evidence from Longitudinal Survey Data

Using the NLSY79 panel data set from 1979-2006 for a cross-section of 12,686 individuals, this paper investigates the effect of educational attainment on the health status of an individual as measured by “the inability to work for health reasons. ” The present study bridges the gap in the literature by using the fixed-effects model, random-effects model, between-effects, and the Arellano-Bond dynamic model to analyze the impact of education on health status. We use these alternative models to control unobserved heterogeneity. Educational attainment has a statistically significant and positive effect on the quality of an individual’s health status.
Inhibited Production of iNOS by Murine J774 Macrophages Occurs via a phoP-Regulated Differential Expression of NFκB and AP-1

Background. There are no reported data to explain how Salmonella suppress nitrite ion production in macrophages or whether this phenomenon is unique to typhoidal or non-typhoidal serovars. The aims of this study were, therefore, to investigate these phenomena. Methods. We measured survival of S. typhimurium 14028 and its phoP mutant in murine J774 macrophages, cultured with or without interferon gamma. We compared expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein, and nitrite ion production and also examined binding of nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) to macrophage DNA. Results. S. typhimurium 14028 inhibited binding of NFκB and AP-1 to DNA in murine J774. A macrophages via an intact phoP regulon. This correlated with increased survival and reduced iNOS expression. Suppression of NFκB activity was ameliorated in macrophages cultured with IFN-γ and this correlated with increased expression of iNOS mRNA and nitrite ion production, although IFN-γ had no effect on AP-1/DNA interaction. We show, that with one exception, suppression of iNOS is unique to typhoidal serovars. Conclusion. S. typhimurium inhibit NFκB and AP-1 interaction with macrophage DNA via the PhoP regulon, this reduces nitrite ion production and is principally associated with typhoidal serovars.
Difficulty leading interpersonal coordination: towards an embodied signature of social anxiety disorder

Defined by a persistent fear of embarrassment or negative evaluation while engaged in social interaction or public performance, social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common psychiatric syndromes. Previous research has made a considerable effort to better understand and assess this mental disorder. However, little attention has been paid to social motor behavior of patients with SAD despite its crucial importance in daily social interactions. Previous research has shown that the coordination of arm, head or postural movements of interacting people can reflect their mental states or feelings such as social connectedness and social motives, suggesting that interpersonal movement coordination may be impaired in patients suffering from SAD. The current study was specifically aimed at determining whether SAD affects the dynamics of social motor coordination. We compared the unintentional and intentional rhythmic coordination of a SAD group (19 patients paired with control participants) with the rhythmic coordination of a control group (19 control pairs) in an interpersonal pendulum coordination task. The results demonstrated that unintentional social motor coordination was preserved with SAD while intentional coordination was impaired. More specifically, intentional coordination became impaired when patients with SAD had to lead the coordination as indicated by poorer (i.e., more variable) coordination. These differences between intentional and unintentional coordination as well as between follower and leader roles reveal an impaired coordination dynamics that is specific to SAD, and thus, opens promising research directions to better understand, assess and treat this mental disorder.
An efficient MPI_allgather for grids

Allgather is an important MPI collective communication. Most of the algorithms for allgather have been designed for homogeneous and tightly coupled systems. The existing algorithms for allgather on Gridsystems do not efficiently utilize the bandwidths available on slow wide-area links of the grid. In this paper, we present an algorithm for allgather on grids that efficiently utilizes wide-area bandwidths and is also wide-area optimal. Our algorithm is also adaptive to gridload dynamics since it considers transient network characteristics for dividing the nodes into clusters. Our experiments on a real-grid setup consisting of 3 sites show that our algorithm gives an average performance improvement of 52% over existing strategies.
Peer Effects in Dutch Primary Schools

The paper researches the peer effects in the primary education system of the Netherlands. This will be accomplished by evaluating data from a cohort study in Dutch primary education 20072013. This data provides among other things; the social economic status, test scores and advices regarding secondary education given by teachers. The main finding regarding peer effects show that peer effects mainly work in a negative way. The findings of advices given by teachers reveals that teachers tend to give relatively higher advices to students in poor classrooms.
Identification of the Special Configurations of the Octahedral Manipulator using the Pure Condition

This paper presents a technique, known as the Pure Condition, which has found use in analysing the rigidity of truss-like structures. The analysis is applied to the Stewart Platform where it can be used to identify special configurations. The conditions that produce special configurations in the octahedral manipulator are compared to previously known conditions and the associated geometry is seen to be more revealing with this method than was the case previously. The results lead to a simple and clear method for identifying special configurations in the octahedral manipulator and other specializations of the Stewart Platform.
Estrogens Induce Expression of Membrane-Associated Estrogen Receptor α Isoforms in Lactotropes

Estrogens are key to anterior pituitary function, stimulating hormone release and controlling cell fate to achieve pituitary dynamic adaptation to changing physiological conditions. In addition to their classical mechanism of action through intracellular estrogen receptors (ERs), estrogens exert rapid actions via cell membrane-localized ERs (mERs). We previously showed that E2 exerts a rapid pro-apoptotic action in anterior pituitary cells, especially in lactotropes and somatotropes, through activation of mERs. In the present study, we examined the involvement of mERα in the rapid pro-apoptotic action of estradiol by TUNEL in primary cultures of anterior pituitary cells from ovariectomized rats using a cell-impermeable E2 conjugate (E2-BSA) and an ERα selective antagonist (MPP dihydrochloride). We studied mERα expression during the estrous cycle and its regulation by gonadal steroids in vivo by flow cytometry. We identified ERα variants in the plasma membrane of anterior pituitary cells during the estrous cycle and studied E2 regulation of these mERα variants in vitro by surface biotinylation and Western Blot. E2-BSA-induced apoptosis was abrogated by MPP in total anterior pituitary cells and lactotropes. In cycling rats, we detected a higher number of lactotropes and a lower number of somatotropes expressing mERα at proestrus than at diestrus. Acute E2 treatment increased the percentage of mERα-expressing lactotropes whereas it decreased the percentage of mERα-expressing somatotropes. We detected three mERα isoforms of 66, 39 and 22 kDa. Expression of mERα66 and mERα39 was higher at proestrus than at diestrus, and short-term E2 incubation increased expression of these two mERα variants. Our results indicate that the rapid apoptotic action exerted by E2 in lactotropes depends on mERα, probably full-length ERα and/or a 39 kDa ERα variant. Expression and activation of mERα variants in lactotropes could be one of the mechanisms through which E2 participates in anterior pituitary cell renewal during the estrous cycle.
Combating child obesity: impact of HENRY on parenting and family lifestyle

The rise in child obesity poses a serious public health challenge. It has been argued that efforts may be best targeted towards prevention, but there is a relative dearth of initiatives targeting infants. Earlier evaluation of the impact of HENRY (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young) has shown an improvement in the way practitioners work with families and a positive impact upon their work setting and personal life.
Towards a Common Comparison Framework for Global-to-Local Programming of Self-Assembling Robotic Systems

Self-assembling robotic systems are a class of modular robotic systems composed of many identical modules that, when mixed randomly, can bind together to assemble into complex shapes [1, 2, 5, 6, 14]. Modules in these systems have dynamic state and local binding rules that drive the overall self-assembly process. A key question is how to generate module rules such that the system assembles to form a particular prespecified global shape. Recently, several groups have demonstrated decentralized, local agent rules for shape formation, not only in the context of self-assembly but also for self-reconfigurable robots and collective construction by mobile robots [3, 4, 7–11]. An important feature of these particular examples is that they achieve globalto-local programming: there is a principled way to derive local rules to achieve a prespecified global shape from a given class. In some cases, it has also been shown that the derived local rules are provably correct regardless of variations in the order and timing of agent movements and actions. It may be possible to apply many of these algorithmic approaches in the context of self-assembling modular robots. However, it is often difficult to understand and compare the theoretical properties of these global-to-local compilers because of the different settings—both the assumptions about agents (shape, computation and communication capability, self-propelling or not, homogeneous or bipartite, physical movement constraints, etc.) and the global shape descriptions can differ significantly between frameworks. For example, the MakeGraphGrammar algorithm by Klavins et al. [7] operates on homogeneous point agents that are randomly mixed, and generates agent rules that provably will terminate only at the completion of arbitrary desired topological graphs. By contrast, the family of CollectiveConstruction algorithms by Werfel et al. [11, 13] operates on bipartite agents (self-propelled robots and passive square blocks) with potentially restrictive movement assumptions, and provably produces arbitrary desired geometric structures in 2D without holes. Given such different settings, it is often difficult to see whether these algorithms can solve the same problems, and if so how they would compare in measures such as complexity, correctness, and parallelism. In this workshop talk, we will present some initial steps toward comparing the theoretical properties of different global-to-local programming approaches in the context of self-assembling robotic systems. We do so by adapting the approaches to work in a common and generic framework. We will present three aspects of this problem:
Progressive CD4+ central–memory T cell decline results in CD4+ effector–memory insufficiency and overt disease in chronic SIV infection

Primary simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections of rhesus macaques result in the dramatic depletion of CD4+ CCR5+ effector–memory T (TEM) cells from extra-lymphoid effector sites, but in most infections, an increased rate of CD4+ memory T cell proliferation appears to prevent collapse of effector site CD4+ TEM cell populations and acute-phase AIDS. Eventually, persistent SIV replication results in chronic-phase AIDS, but the responsible mechanisms remain controversial. Here, we demonstrate that in the chronic phase of progressive SIV infection, effector site CD4+ TEM cell populations manifest a slow, continuous decline, and that the degree of this depletion remains a highly significant correlate of late-onset AIDS. We further show that due to persistent immune activation, effector site CD4+ TEM cells are predominantly short-lived, and that their homeostasis is strikingly dependent on the production of new CD4+ TEM cells from central–memory T (TCM) cell precursors. The instability of effector site CD4+ TEM cell populations over time was not explained by increasing destruction of these cells, but rather was attributable to progressive reduction in their production, secondary to decreasing numbers of CCR5− CD4+ TCM cells. These data suggest that although CD4+ TEM cell depletion is a proximate mechanism of immunodeficiency, the tempo of this depletion and the timing of disease onset are largely determined by destruction, failing production, and gradual decline of CD4+ TCM cells.
Object-oriented cohesion as a surrogate of software comprehension: an empirical study

The concept of software cohesion in both the procedural and object-oriented paradigm is well known and documented. What is not so well known or documented is the perception of what empirically constitutes a cohesive 'unit' by software engineers. In this paper, we describe an empirical investigation using object-oriented (OO) classes as a basis. Twenty-four subjects (drawn from IT experienced and IT inexperienced groups) were asked to rate ten classes sampled from two industrial systems in terms of their overall cohesiveness; a class environment was used to carry out the study. Four key results were observed. Firstly, class size (when expressed in terms of number of methods) did not tend to influence the perception of cohesion by any subjects. Secondly, well-commented classes were rated most highly amongst both IT experienced and inexperienced subjects. Thirdly, the empirical study suggests that cohesion comprises a combination of various class factors including low coupling, small numbers of attributes and well-commented methods, rather than any single, individual class feature per se. Finally, the research supports the view that cohesion is a subjective concept reflecting a cognitive combination of class features; as such it is a surrogate for class comprehension.
The 1929 Stock Market: Irving Fisher Was Right

Many stock market analysts think that in 1929, at the time of the crash, stocks were overvalued. Irving Fisher argued just before the crash that fundamentals were strong and the stock market was undervalued. In this paper, we use growth theory to estimate the fundamental value of corporate equity and compare it to actual stock valuations. Our estimate is based on values of productive corporate capital, both tangible and intangible, and tax rates on corporate income and distributions. The evidence strongly suggests that Fisher was right. Even at the 1929 peak, stocks were undervalued relative to the prediction of theory.
Activity of purified hepatitis C virus protease NS3 on peptide substrates

The protease domain of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protein NS3 was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity, and shown to be active on peptides derived from the sequence of the NS4A-NS4B junction. Experiments were carried out to optimize protease activity. Buffer requirements included the presence of detergent, glycerol, and dithiothreitol, pH between 7.5 and 8.5, and low ionic strength. C- and N-terminal deletion experiments defined a peptide spanning from the P6 to the P4' residue as a suitable substrate. Cleavage kinetics were subsequently measured by using decamer P6-P4' peptides corresponding to all intermolecular cleavage sites of the HCV polyprotein. The following order of cleavage efficiency, in terms of kcat/Km, was determined: NS5A-NS5B > NS4A-NS4B > NS4B-NS5A. A 14-mer peptide containing residues 21 to 34 of the protease cofactor NS4A (Pep4A 21-34), when added in stoichiometric amounts, was shown to increase cleavage rates of all peptides, the largest effect (100-fold) being observed on the hydrolysis of the NS4B-NS5A decamer. From the kinetic analysis of cleavage data, we conclude that (i) primary structure is an important determinant of the efficiency with which each site is cleaved during polyprotein processing, (ii) slow cleavage of the NS4B-NS5A site in the absence of NS4A is due to low binding affinity of the enzyme for this site, and (iii) formation of a 1:1 complex between the protease and Pep4A 21-34 is sufficient and required for maximum activation.
Testing for Persistence in Stock Returns with Garch-Stable Shocks

We investigate persistence in CRSP monthly excess stock returns, using a state space model with stable disturbances. The non-Gaussian state space model with volatility persistence is estimated by maximum likelihood, using the optimal filtering algorithm given by Sorenson and Alspach (1971 Automatica 7 465-79). The conditional distribution has a stable α of 1.89, and normality is strongly rejected even after accounting for GARCH. However, stock returns do not contain a significant mean-reverting component. The optimal predictor is the unconditional expectation of the series, which we estimate to be 9.8% per annum.
Chartists, Fundamentalists and the Demand for Dollars

The careening path of the dollar in recent years has shattered more than historical records and the financial health of some speculators. It has also helped to shatter faith in economists' models of the determination of exchange rates. We have understood for some time that under conditions of high international capital mobility, currency values will move sharply and unexpectedly in response to new information. Even so, actual movements of exchange rates have been puzzling in two major respects. First, the proportion of exchange rate changes that we are able to predict seems to be, not just low, but zero. According to rational expectations theory we should be able to use our models to predict that proportion of exchange rate changes that is correctly predicted by exchange market participants. Yet neither models based on economic fundamentals, nor simple time series models, nor the forecasts of market participants as reflected in the forward discount or in survey data, seem able to predict better than the lagged spot rate. Second the proportion of exchange rate movements that can be explained even after the fact, using contemporaneous macroeconomic variables, is disturbingly low.