Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Media roles, and ethics: perceptions of Brazilian, American and French journalist

This paper analyzes self-perceptions of media roles and ethics of a sample of Brazilian journalists and compares them with American and French journalists. French and American styles of journalism have had major inﬂ uences on Brazilian newspapers at different points in time. The study included a self-administered survey with 402 journalists working for 13 leading news organizations and personal interviews with renowned journalists of Sao Paulo- Brazil’s main media hub. The typical Brazilian journalist in this study was a young white middle-class male, politically left leaning oriented, more likely to be married and Catholic. Respondents held a pluralistic view regarding media roles and expressed higher tolerance of controversial journalistic practices compared to that of their counterparts. Findings are in line with the social-political environment in which journalists operate. They do not enjoy special rights of access to government information, tend to distrust public institutions and have still been adapting to press freedom since the country’s redemocratization.
Estimation of the Maximum Tire-Road Friction Coefficient

We develop and test a "slip-based" method to estimate the maximum available tire-road friction during braking. The method is based on the hypothesis that the low-slip, low-μ parts of the slip curve used during normal driving can indicate the maximum tire-road friction coefficient, μ m a x . We find support for this hypothesis in the literature and through experiments. The friction estimation algorithm uses data from short braking maneuvers with peak accelerations of 3.9 m/s 2 to classify the road surface as either dry (μ m a x 1) or lubricated (μ m a x 0.6). Significant measurement noise makes it difficult to detect the subtle effect being measured, leading to a misclassification rate of 20%.
Effect of suppression of arabinoxylan synthetic genes in wheat endosperm on chain length of arabinoxylan and extract viscosity

Summary Arabinoxylan (AX) is the dominant component within wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) endosperm cell walls, accounting for 70% of the polysaccharide. The viscosity of aqueous extracts from wheat grain is a key trait influencing the processing for various end uses, and this is largely determined by the properties of endosperm AX. We have previously shown dramatic effects on endosperm AX in transgenic wheat by down‐regulating either TaGT43_2 or TaGT47_2 genes (orthologues to IRX9 and IRX10 in Arabidopsis, respectively) implicated in AX chain extension and the TaXAT1 gene responsible for monosubstitution by 3‐linked arabinose. Here, we use these transgenic lines to investigate the relationship between amounts of AX in soluble and insoluble fractions, the chain‐length distribution of these measured by intrinsic viscosity and the overall effect on extract viscosity. In transgenic lines expressing either the TaGT43_2 or TaGT47_2 RNAi transgenes, the intrinsic viscosities of water‐extractable (WE‐AX) and of a water‐insoluble alkaline‐extracted fraction (AE‐AX) were decreased by between 10% and 50% compared to control lines. In TaXAT1 RNAi lines, there was a 15% decrease in intrinsic viscosity of WE‐AX but no consistent effect on that of AE‐AX. All transgenic lines showed decreases in extract viscosity with larger effects in TaGT43_2 and TaGT47_2 RNAi lines (by up to sixfold) than in TaXAT1 RNAi lines (by twofold). These effects were explained by the decreases in amount and chain length of WE‐AX, with decreases in amount having the greater influence. Extract viscosity from wheat grain can therefore be greatly decreased by suppression of single gene targets.
An Efficient Monte Carlo Algorithm for a Restricted Class of Scattering Problems in Radiation Transfer

We describe an ecien t Monte Carlo algorithm for a restricted class of scattering problems in radiation transfer. This class includes many astrophysically interesting problems, including the scattering of ultraviolet and visible light by grains. The algorithm correctly accounts for multiply-scattered light. We describe the algorithm, present a number of important optimizations, and explicity show how the algorithm can be used to estimate quantities such as the emergent and mean intensity. We present two test cases, examine the importance of the optimizations, and show that this algorithm can be usefully applied to optically-thin problems, a regime sometimes considered limited to explicit single-scattering plus attenuation approximations.
Women in Iraq: The Gender Impact of International Sanctions

Since the removal of Saddam Hussein from power, Iraq has seen an explosion of violence and intimidation against women. However, as al-Jawaheri demonstrates in this original and important book, this development should not have taken people by surprise. The deterioriation of gender relations was in fact an overlooked by-product of a decade of international sanctions.Interviewing women of all different ages and backgrounds, al-Jawaheri examines the impact of the UN economic sanctions on family relations, gender violence, domestic responsibilities and employment practices. She shows that by restricting womens' ability to participate in education and in the labour force, sanctions reinforced conservative gender roles. She shows how the 2003 war and upsurge in sectarianism intensified this problem, and assesses the future prospects for womens' rights in Iraq.
Instant field-aligned meshes

We present a novel approach to remesh a surface into an isotropic triangular or quad-dominant mesh using a unified local smoothing operator that optimizes both the edge orientations and vertex positions in the output mesh. Our algorithm produces meshes with high isotropy while naturally aligning and snapping edges to sharp features. The method is simple to implement and parallelize, and it can process a variety of input surface representations, such as point clouds, range scans and triangle meshes. Our full pipeline executes instantly (less than a second) on meshes with hundreds of thousands of faces, enabling new types of interactive workflows. Since our algorithm avoids any global optimization, and its key steps scale linearly with input size, we are able to process extremely large meshes and point clouds, with sizes exceeding several hundred million elements. To demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of our method, we apply it to hundreds of models of varying complexity and provide our cross-platform reference implementation in the supplemental material.
Frequent Pattern Compression: A Significance-Based Compression Scheme for L2 Caches

With the widening gap between processor and memory speeds, memory system designers may find cache compression beneficial to increase cache capacity and reduce off-chip bandwidth. Most hardware compression algorithms fall into the dictionary-based category, which depend on building a dictionary and using its entries to encode repeated data values. Such algorithms are effective in compressing large data blocks and files. Cache lines, however, are typically short (32-256 bytes), and a per-line dictionary places a significant overhead that limits the compressibility and increases decompression latency of such algorithms. For such short lines, significance-based compression is an appealing alternative. We propose and evaluate a simple significance-based compression scheme that has a low compression and decompression overhead. This scheme, Frequent Pattern Compression (FPC) compresses individual cache lines on a word-by-word basis by storing common word patterns in a compressed format accompanied with an appropriate prefix. For a 64-byte cache line, compression can be completed in three cycles and decompression in five cycles, assuming 12 FO4 gate delays per cycle. We propose a compressed cache design in which data is stored in a compressed form in the L2 caches, but are uncompressed in the L1 caches. L2 cache lines are compressed to predetermined sizes that never exceed their original size to reduce decompression overhead. This simple scheme provides comparable compression ratios to more complex schemes that have higher cache hit latencies.
Arx Is a Direct Target of Dlx2 and Thereby Contributes to the Tangential Migration of GABAergic Interneurons

The Arx transcription factor is expressed in the developing ventral telencephalon and subsets of its derivatives. Mutation of human ARX ortholog causes neurological disorders including epilepsy, lissencephaly, and mental retardation. We have isolated the mouse Arx endogenous enhancer modules that control its tightly compartmentalized forebrain expression. Interestingly, they are scattered downstream of its coding region and partially included within the introns of the downstream PolA1 gene. These enhancers are ultraconserved noncoding sequences that are highly conserved throughout the vertebrate phylum. Functional characterization of the Arx GABAergic enhancer element revealed its strict dependence on the activity of Dlx transcription factors. Dlx overexpression induces ectopic expression of endogenous Arx and its isolated enhancer, whereas loss of Dlx expression results in reduced Arx expression, suggesting that Arx is a key mediator of Dlx function. To further elucidate the mechanisms involved, a combination of gain-of-function studies in mutant Arx or Dlx tissues was pursued. This analysis provided evidence that, although Arx is necessary for the Dlx-dependent promotion of interneuron migration, it is not required for the GABAergic cell fate commitment mediated by Dlx factors. Although Arx has additional functions independent of the Dlx pathway, we have established a direct genetic relationship that controls critical steps in the development of telencephalic GABAergic neurons. These findings contribute elucidating the genetic hierarchy that likely underlies the etiology of a variety of human neurodevelopmental disorders.
Positive alphas and a generalized multiple-factor asset pricing model

This paper derives a generalized multiple-factor asset pricing model using only the assumptions of the existence of an equivalent martingale measure, frictionless, and competitive markets. As such, all existing multiple-factor asset pricing models, including the intertermporal CAPM and Ross’ APT, are special cases of this formulation. First, similar to the standard models, a traded asset’s expected return is linear in a finite number of traded risk-factor returns. Different from standard models, however, this model allows potentially an infinite number of distinct risk-factors in the economy. Different assets will, in general, depend on a different finite set of risk-factors. Second, positive alphas imply arbitrage opportunities or the existence of dominated securities, and not just abnormal expected returns. This generalization is consistent with many of the observed discrepancies between existing multiple-factor asset pricing models and the empirical evidence.
A Multiple Scale Model for Tumor Growth

We present a physiologically structured lattice model for vascular tumor growth which accounts for blood flow and structural adaptation of the vasculature, transport of oxygen, interaction between cancerous and normal tissue, cell division, apoptosis, vascular endothelial growth factor release, and the coupling between these processes. Simulations of the model are used to investigate the effects of nutrient heterogeneity, growth and invasion of cancerous tissue, and emergent growth laws.
Perceived social support, coping capability and gender differences among young adults

Perceived social support and coping capabilities are important predictors which give an insight into how different individuals deal with stressful situations in life. Studies have reported that different genders address the variables differently. Thus, this research aims to find out how well perceived social support predicts the coping capability of early adulthood. 300 respondents were tested with 2 scales: Perceived Social Support Scale which consists of Friend scale (PSS-Fr), Family scale (PSS-Fa), and Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (A-COPE). The age range of respondents was from 16 to 26 years old. Questionnaires were distributed to several secondary schools, colleges, and university students within the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The result indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between perceived social support and coping capability. In addition, perceived social support from family played a more important role in determining coping capability. Furthermore, it was found that perceived social support from females differed significantly from males in the analysis of t test. In addition, results also revealed that there were significant gender differences for young adult? s coping capability whereby females were generally better coping had capability, as compared with males.
Indirect Shared Control of Highly Automated Vehicles for Cooperative Driving between Driver and Automation

It is widely acknowledged that drivers should remain in the control loop of automated vehicles before they completely meet real-world operational conditions. This paper introduces an `indirect shared control' scheme for steer-by-wire vehicles, which allows the vehicle control authority to be continuously shared between the driver and automation through unphysical cooperation. This paper first balances the control objectives of the driver and automation in a weighted summation, and then models the driver's adaptive control behavior using a predictive control approach. The driver adaptation modeling enables off-line evaluations of indirect shared control systems and thus facilitates the design of the assistant controller. Unlike any conventional driver model for manual driving, this model assumes that the driver can learn and incorporate the controller strategy into his internal model for more accurate path following. To satisfy the driving demands in different scenarios, a sliding-window detector is designed to continuously monitor the driver intention and automatically switch the authority weights between the driver and automation. The simulation results illustrate the advantages of considering the driver adaptation in path-following and obstacle-avoidance tasks, and show the effectiveness of indirect shared control for cooperative driving.
–2518 A/G MCP-1 but not –403 G/A RANTES gene polymorphism is associated with enhanced risk of basal cell carcinoma

Introduction Polymorphic variants of MCP-1 and RANTES genes and their protein serum levels have been implicated in the increased risk and severity of several malignancies. However, the subject has not been explored in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) patients so far. Aim To investigate the association between monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) (–2518 A/G) and RANTES (–403 G/A) polymorphism and risk and clinical course of BCC. Material and methods The study group consisted of 150 unrelated patients with BCC and 140 healthy, unrelated, age- and sex-matched volunteers. The polymorphisms were analysed using the amplification refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction method (ARMS-PCR) and single specific primer-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR). Serum cytokine levels were measured with ELISA. Results The presence of the MCP-1 –2518 GG genotype was statistically more frequent in BCC patients and it increased the risk of BCC (OR = 2.63, p = 0.003). Genotype –330 GG was statistically more common in patients with less advanced tumours (OR = 2.8, p = 0.017). Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 serum level was statistically higher with GG genotype. In the BCC group MCP-1 serum levels were decreased. Neither polymorphic variants of RANTES nor the chemokine serum concentration differed significantly between the study groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that –2518 A/G MCP-1 polymorphism may be involved in BCC pathogenesis.
The capital-energy complementarity debate revisited

This paper argues that the empirical disagreement as to whether capital and energy are complements or substitutes is not likely to be reconciled with aggregate data. It demonstrates that price-induced changes in the composition of output can cause either outcome in the aggregate, even if no technical substitution is possible. Substitution by consumers and changes in the relative incomes of consumers and foreigners are identified as key factors in determining which outcome arises.
Enhanced effectiveness in visuo‐haptic object‐selective brain regions with increasing stimulus salience

The occipital and parietal lobes contain regions that are recruited for both visual and haptic object processing. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the underlying neural mechanisms for bimodal integration of vision and haptics in these visuo‐haptic object‐selective brain regions to find out whether these brain regions are sites of neuronal or areal convergence. Our sensory conditions consisted of visual‐only (V), haptic‐only (H), and visuo‐haptic (VH), which allowed us to evaluate integration using the superadditivity metric. We also presented each stimulus condition at two different levels of signal‐to‐noise ratio or salience. The salience manipulation allowed us to assess integration using the rule of inverse effectiveness. We were able to localize previously described visuo‐haptic object‐selective regions in the lateral occipital cortex (lateral occipital tactile‐visual area) and the intraparietal sulcus, and also localized a new region in the left anterior fusiform gyrus. There was no evidence of superadditivity with the VH stimulus at either level of salience in any of the regions. There was, however, a strong effect of salience on multisensory enhancement: the response to the VH stimulus was more enhanced at higher salience across all regions. In other words, the regions showed enhanced integration of the VH stimulus with increasing effectiveness of the unisensory stimuli. We called the effect “enhanced effectiveness. ” The presence of enhanced effectiveness in visuo‐haptic object‐selective brain regions demonstrates neuronal convergence of visual and haptic sensory inputs for the purpose of processing object shape. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effectiveness and Efficiency of Open Relation Extraction

A large number of Open Relation Extraction approaches have been proposed recently, covering a wide range of NLP machinery, from “shallow” (e.g., part-of-speech tagging) to “deep” (e.g., semantic role labeling‐SRL). A natural question then is what is the tradeoff between NLP depth (and associated computational cost) versus effectiveness. This paper presents a fair and objective experimental comparison of 8 state-of-the-art approaches over 5 different datasets, and sheds some light on the issue. The paper also describes a novel method, EXEMPLAR, which adapts ideas from SRL to less costly NLP machinery, resulting in substantial gains both in efficiency and effectiveness, over binary and n-ary relation extraction tasks.
Student Aid Design, Academic Achievement, and Labor Market Behavior: Grants or Loans?

Does it matter whether study aid is provided as grants or loans? We provide a framework for quantifying the impacts of financial aid on student debt, academic capital, and labor market outcomes. We specify and estimate a dynamic discrete choice model of simultaneous education, work, and student loan take-up decisions. We use administrative panel data and exploit exogenous variation from the 2001 Swedish Study Aid reform for identification of the model parameters. This enables ex-ante evaluation of various changes to financial aid schemes. We find that additional years of aid and more generous means testing on student income substantially reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates with more advanced degrees, but at the cost of students staying enrolled longer and accumulating more debt. Moving from an income-contingent to an annuity-based loan repayment scheme decreases student debt accumulation and improves the effectiveness of academic capital accumulation. If study aid consists mostly of grants, a reduction in loans and increase in grants reduces graduation rates. However, once loans are larger than grants, further changes have little impact on dropout and graduation rates. This means that in some cases, the government can decide who bears the college cost without affecting human capital accumulation.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is an X-linked recessive disease affecting mainly boys at a rate of 1 in every 3500 live births. The most common and severe form of the disease is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The disease is characterized by a relatively rapid wasting of skeletal muscle tissue to a point that leads to paralysis in all patients that suffer from the disease. Unfortunately, due to respiratory or cardiac muscle failure, death occurs in most patients around the age of 30. Currently, the lack of the protein dystrophin is thought to be the chief cause of disease in DMD patients. In addition to a lack of dystrophin, studies are emerging that are painting a picture of a more intricate connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and DMD where increased intracellular and inter-mitochondrial calcium has been shown to cause mitochondrial swelling, loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity, cell death and muscle atrophy. In this article, we will discuss the evidence that places the mitochondrion as a central participant in the etiology of DMD and describe how the relationship between increased intracellular calcium, mitochondrial permeability and dysfunction culminates in muscle loss.
A Functional Null Mutation of SCN1B in a Patient with Dravet Syndrome

Dravet syndrome (also called severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy) is one of the most severe forms of childhood epilepsy. Most patients have heterozygous mutations in SCN1A, encoding voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.1 α subunits. Sodium channels are modulated by β1 subunits, encoded by SCN1B, a gene also linked to epilepsy. Here we report the first patient with Dravet syndrome associated with a recessive mutation in SCN1B (p.R125C). Biochemical characterization of p.R125C in a heterologous system demonstrated little to no cell surface expression despite normal total cellular expression. This occurred regardless of coexpression of Nav1.1 α subunits. Because the patient was homozygous for the mutation, these data suggest a functional SCN1B null phenotype. To understand the consequences of the lack of β1 cell surface expression in vivo, hippocampal slice recordings were performed in Scn1b−/− versus Scn1b+/+ mice. Scn1b−/− CA3 neurons fired evoked action potentials with a significantly higher peak voltage and significantly greater amplitude compared with wild type. However, in contrast to the Scn1a+/− model of Dravet syndrome, we found no measurable differences in sodium current density in acutely dissociated CA3 hippocampal neurons. Whereas Scn1b−/− mice seize spontaneously, the seizure susceptibility of Scn1b+/− mice was similar to wild type, suggesting that, like the parents of this patient, one functional SCN1B allele is sufficient for normal control of electrical excitability. We conclude that SCN1B p.R125C is an autosomal recessive cause of Dravet syndrome through functional gene inactivation.