Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial genetic structure in Milicia excelsa (Moraceae) indicates extensive gene dispersal in a low‐density wind‐pollinated tropical tree

In this study, we analysed spatial genetic structure (SGS) patterns and estimated dispersal distances in Milicia excelsa (Welw.) C.C. Berg (Moraceae), a threatened wind‐pollinated dioecious African tree, with typically low density (∼10 adults/km2). Eight microsatellite markers were used to type 287 individuals in four Cameroonian populations characterized by different habitats and tree densities. Differentiation among populations was very low. Two populations in more open habitat did not display any correlation between genetic relatedness and spatial distance between individuals, whereas significant SGS was detected in two populations situated under continuous forest cover. SGS was weak with a maximum Sp‐statistic of 0.006, a value in the lower quartile of SGS estimates for trees in the literature. Using a stepwise approach with Bayesian clustering methods, we demonstrated that SGS resulted from isolation by distance and not colonization by different gene pools. Indirect estimates of gene dispersal distances ranged from σg = 1 to 7.1 km, one order of magnitude higher than most estimates found in the literature for tropical tree species. This result can largely be explained by life‐history traits of the species. Milicia excelsa exhibits a potentially wide‐ranging wind‐mediated pollen dispersal mechanism as well as very efficient seed dispersal mediated by large frugivorous bats. Estimations of gene flow suggested no major risk of inbreeding because of reduction in population density by exploitation. Different strategy of seed collection may be required for reforestation programmes among populations with different extent of SGS.
Prioritization of Managed Pork Supply Movements during a FMD Outbreak in the US

In the event of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the United States, local, state, and federal authorities will implement a foreign animal disease emergency response plan restricting the pork supply chain movements and likely disrupting the continuity of the swine industry business. To minimize disruptions of the food supply while providing an effective response in an outbreak, it is necessary to have proactive measures in place to ensure minimal disease spread and maximum continuation of business. Therefore, it is critical to identify candidate movements for proactive risk assessments: those that are both most likely to contribute to disease spread and most necessary for business continuity. To do this, experts from production, harvest, retail, and allied pork industries assessed 30 common pork supply movements for risk of disease spread and industry criticality. The highest priority movements for conducting a risk assessment included the movement of weaned pigs originating from multiple sow farm sources to an off-site nursery or wean to finish facility, the movement of employees or commercial crews, the movement of vaccination crews, the movement of dedicated livestock hauling trucks, and the movement of commercial crews such as manure haulers and feed trucks onto, off, or between sites. These critical movements, along with several others identified in this study, will provide an initial guide for prioritization of risk management efforts and resources to be better prepared in the event of a FMD outbreak in the United States. By specifically and proactively targeting movements that experts agree are likely to spread the disease and are critical to the continuity of business operations, potentially catastrophic consequences in the event of an outbreak can be limited.
Modelling distributor performance in network marketing organisations

This study develops a model that predicts distributor performance in network marketing organisations. Distributor performance is conceptually linked through formal hypotheses to perceptions of marketing mix, organisational commitment, job satisfaction and customer profile. Data was gathered from 500 network marketing distributors to test two nested models, one with job satisfaction as a determinant of performance, and the other with performance as a determinant of job satisfaction. The findings revealed that there was greater model parsimony when the causal direction of the performance/job satisfaction relationship was such that performance causes job satisfaction. The results support several of the a priori hypotheses and suggest that the perceptions of the marketing mix variable are not directly linked to performance, but that the relationship between the variables is mediated by the organisational commitment variable. Implications of the study to network marketing practitioners and avenues for further research are provided.
Accelerated partial breast irradiation in an Asian population: dosimetric findings and preliminary results of a multicatheter interstitial program

Introduction Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) using the multicatheter method has excellent cosmesis and low rates of long-term toxicity. However, there are few studies looking at the feasibility of this procedure and the outcomes in an Asian population. This study aims to look at outcomes at our hospital. Methods We identified 121 patients treated with APBI at our center between 2008 and 2014. The median follow-up for our patient group was 30 months (range 3.7–66.5). The prescribed dose per fraction was 3.4 Gy in 10 fractions. In this study population, 71% of the patients were Chinese while 15% (n=19) were of other Asian ethnicity. Results In this study, the median breast volume was 850 cc (range 216–2,108) with 59.5% (n=72) patients with a breast volume of <1,000 cc. The average planning target volume was 134 cc (range 28–324). The number of catheters used ranged from 8 to 25 with an average of 18 catheters used per patient. We achieved an average dose homogeneity index of 0.76 in our patients. The average D90(%) was 105% and the average D90(Gy) was 3.6 Gy per fraction. The median volume receiving 100% of the prescribed dose (V100) was 161.7 cc (range 33.9–330.1), 150% of the prescribed dose (V150) and 200% of the prescribed dose (V200) was 39.4 cc (range 14.6–69.6) and 14.72 cc (range 6.48–22.25), respectively. Our dosimetric outcomes were excellent even in patients with breast volume under 1,000 cc. There were no cases of grade 3 skin toxicity or acute pneumonitis. Two patients had a postoperative infection and two patients had fat necrosis postprocedure. Conclusion Multicatheter high dose rate APBI is a safe and feasible procedure that can be carried out with minimal toxicity in Asian patients with breast volumes under 1,000 cc.
Family migration and labor market outcomes

Job search and migration behavior of married couples differ markedly from that of singles, which suggests that marriage, migration and labor market decisions are interrelated. Interregional moves are associated with higher wages for married men, single men, and single women, but married women do not realize much wage growth through migration and, in fact, are less likely to be employed following a move. The goal of this paper is to assess the implications of joint geographic location constraints on the migration patterns, labor market outcomes and marital stability of men and women. I develop a model of household migration decisions in a dynamic framework with intra-household bargaining and estimate it using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The results show that marriage involves compromises for both spouses in terms of foregone job opportunities. However, migration decisions occur more often in response to men’s opportunities, in part because women have lower wage offers, a lower arrival rate of offers, and a lower variance in offers. Married women expect migration-induced interruptions in their employment spells, which makes them willing to accept lower wages. When acting as single agents or when there are no geographic location constraints, the accepted wages of both men and women increase considerably. I also find that the possibility of divorce is an important factor in household mobility, as spouses are less willing to make compromises when faced with the possibility of future separation. JEL Classification Code: J12, J16, J31, J61
Essays in Financial Economics

This thesis consists of three essays. The first essay develops a tractable, dynamic equilibrium model, to understand how the zero lower bound constraint on deposit rates (ZLB) affects (optimal) banking regulation and risk-taking incentives. The model shows that the ZLB can make capital requirements less effective, and delivers a novel rationale for cyclically adjusting regulation. The second- and third- chapters center around the question how recent technological advances affect firm financial policies and the wider macro-economy as a whole. Advances in ICT technology since the 1980s have had a major effect on the kind of products firms produce, and the inputs they use. In the past, production largely required tangible inputs such as factories and machinery, whereas digital technologies, R&D, organizational structure, high-skill human capital and other intangible assets dominate the production process of modern firms. The second chapter studies this topic at the micro level, and explores implications for financial-, payout- and compensation-policies, using firm-level data. The third chapter focuses on macroeconomic consequences, and develops a growth model that relates technological change to recent long-term trends, including falling interest rates and a shift of finance away from corporations, towards mortgage finance.
Home Advantage in Turkish Professional Soccer

Home advantage is known to play an important role in the outcome of professional soccer games and to vary considerably worldwide. In the Turkish Super League over the last 12 years, 61.5% of the total points gained have been won by the home team, a figure similar to the worldwide average and to the Premier League in England. It is lower (57.7%) for games played between teams from Istanbul and especially high for games involving teams from cities in the more remote and ethnically distinct parts of Turkey (Van and Diyarbakir). Match performance data show that although home teams in Turkey take 26% more shots at goal than away teams, the success rates for shots do not differ. For fouls and disciplinary cards, home and away teams do not differ significantly in Turkey, a finding that differs from games in England, perhaps due to less referee bias.
Effects of anticipated human-robot interaction and predictability of robot behavior on perceptions of anthropomorphism

Recent research has shown that anthropomorphism represents a means to facilitate HRI. Under which conditions do people anthropomorphize robots and other nonhuman agents? This research question was investigated in an experiment that manipulated participants' anticipation of a prospective human-robot interaction (HRI) with a robot whose behavior was characterized by either low or high predictability. We examined effects of these factors on perceptions of anthropomorphism and acceptance of the robot. Innovatively, the present research demonstrates that anticipation of HRI with an unpredictable agent increased anthropomorphic inferences and acceptance of the robot. Implications for future research on psychological determinants of anthropomorphism are discussed.
Determinants and consequences of fiscal procyclicality and sustainability

A countercyclical fiscal policy combined with sustainable fiscal finances is considered to be one of the most important objectives in modern economic policy. However, procyclical fiscal policy is widely observed in practice, especially in emerging market countries. The main purposes of this thesis are to examine the determinants of fiscal procyclicality and sustainability with special reference to the role of fiscal rules, and to assess the impact of both fiscal procyclicality and sustainability on economic growth. This thesis deals with several new issues on fiscal procyclicality and sustainability which have been ignored in the existing literature. We explore the role of the time coverage of fiscal rules in determining fiscal procyclicality and assess the effect of fiscal procyclicality on economic growth across spending categories and country groups. We also attempt to answer the determinants of fiscal sustainability and the effect of fiscal sustainability on economic growth for the first time. Our empirical analyses yield a number of novel and interesting findings. First, we find that government consumption and investment appear to be procyclical while current transfers appear to be countercyclical in a large number of OECD countries. Second, we find that most OECD countries seem to maintain sustainable fiscal finances and several factors such as the growth rate, the level of development, and aging populations could play a role in determining fiscal sustainability. Third, we find that procyclical current expenditure, especially government consumption and current transfers, could have a negative effect on economic growth, and this negative effect is prominent in emerging market countries. We also find that fiscal sustainability does not seem to play any role in economic growth in tranquil times. Finally, we find that the introduction of fiscal rules not only help achieve both countercyclical and sustainable fiscal policy, but also boost economic growth indirectly by stimulating countercyclical fiscal policy. Multi-year fiscal rules contribute more toward mitigating the level of fiscal procyclicality than annual fiscal rules, and fiscal rules with enforceability, such as the Stability and Growth Pact rules, appear to help maintain sustainable fiscal finances.
Systemic and immunotoxicity of pristine and PEGylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes in an intravenous 28 days repeated dose toxicity study

The numerous increasing use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) derived from nanotechnology has raised concerns about their biosafety and potential toxicity. CNTs cause immunologic dysfunction and limit the application of CNTs in biomedicine. The immunological responses induced by pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (p-MWCNTs) and PEGylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-PEG) on BALB/c mice via an intravenous administration were investigated. The results reflect that the p-MWCNTs induced significant increases in spleen, thymus, and lung weight. Mice treated with p-MWCNTs showed altered lymphocyte populations (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+) in peripheral blood and increased serum IgM and IgG levels, and splenic macrophage ultrastructure indicated mitochondria swelling. p-MWCNTs inhibited humoral and cellular immunity function and were associated with decreased immune responses against sheep erythrocytes and serum hemolysis level. Natural killer (NK) activity was not modified by two types of MWCNTs. In comparison with two types of MWCNTs, for a same dose, p-MWCNTs caused higher levels of inflammation and immunosuppression than MWCNTs-PEG. The results of immunological function suggested that after intravenous administration with p-MWCNTs caused more damage to systemic immunity than MWCNTs-PEG. Here, we demonstrated that a surface functional modification on MWCNTs reduces their immune perturbations in vivo. The chemistry-modified MWCNTs change their preferred immune response in vivo and reduce the immunotoxicity of p-MWCNTs.
Treatment of social phobia through pure self-help and therapist-augmented self-help

Background Self-help for social phobia has not received controlled empirical evaluation. Aims To evaluate the efficacy of pure self-help through written materials for severe social phobia and self-help augmented by five group sessions with a therapist. These conditions were compared with a waiting-list control and standard, therapist-led group therapy. Method Participants with severe generalised social phobia (n=224) were randomised to one of four conditions. Assessment included diagnoses, symptoms and life interference at pretreatment, 12 weeks and at 24 weeks. Results A larger percentage of patients no longer had a diagnosis of social phobia at post-intervention in the pure self-help group than in the waiting-list group, although this percentage decreased slightly over the next 3 months. Symptoms of social anxiety and life interference did not differ significantly between these groups. Augmented self-help was better than waiting list on all measures and did not differ significantly from group treatment. Conclusions Self-help augmented by therapist assistance shows promise as a less resource-intensive method for the management of social phobia. Pure self-help shows limited efficacy for this disorder.
Synchronisation and Staggering of Deposit Account Interest Rate Changes

This study examines the frequency and form of deposit account interest rate change. Specifically, the question of whether depost rate change is synchronised with other banks or staggered at periodic intervals is addressed. Overall, evidence consistent with individual banks changing deposit interest rates in a staggered manner is recorded. Further, larger banks are seen to change interest rates in a more synchronised manner than smaller banks. Lastly, when banks offer multiple deposit accounts, these products' interest rates are generally changes simultaneously by individual banks. These findings extend the current understanding of deposit interest rate change, and indicate that UK deposit interest rate setting is relatively rigid.
Controlling TCP Incast congestion in data centre networks

The rapid increase in data centre communication in recent years has led to a wave of interest in the problems that affect communications in the data centre environment. Many data centre applications rely on TCP/IP protocols for reliable data transport, which while successful for many Internet applications, does not integrate with and perform seamlessly in the data centre environment. One of these problems arises in data centre setups where many servers communicate simultaneously, and effectively in parallel, with one client through a single switch. In this scenario, the servers could experience a large drop in throughput due to severe packet loss, a phenomenon known as Incast congestion. In this paper, we investigate the Incast problem and introduce a variant of TCP, namely M21TCP-A, which is developed with the idea that the switch can be used to inform each parallel sender (server) of how many other senders are communicating simultaneously. Each sender can then limit its congestion window based on this feedback from the switch. M21TCP-A is evaluated against RED, ECN and DCTCP, which are the most successful congestion control proposals for mitigating Incast. Performance results show that M21TCP-A mitigates Incast thoroughly and outperforms previous proposals.
Working Papers in Educational Linguistics (WPEL)

One important motivation for the study of rules and patterns of interaction in a given speech community is that it provides empirical evidence of cultural norms and values. For applied linguists concerned with language acquisition and with intercultur al communicati on, the insights gained through analysis of the social aspects of language use are of particular importance. Recent studies of such speech acts as implication s. It has been demonstrated again and again that beneath the surface structure of the linguistic forms and the social etiquette in-valved in their use, lies a gold mine of information about the value systems of speakers. In studying apologies, for example, we learn what constitutes an offense, and in studying compliments we learn about what speakers value. In earlier work on the analysis of complimentin g behavior among middle-clas s Americans (Manes and Wolfson 1980, Wolfson and Manes 1980), it was demonstrate d that there exists a considerabl e (and previously unsuspected) amount of patterning both at the syntactic and the semantic levels. Examination of a corpus of approximate ly seven hundred examples of compliments uttered"in day-today interaction s and collected ethno-graphically , revealed that the spontaneity with which they are often associated is linked more to their freedom of occurrence within an <inter-action than to any originality in structure or lexicon. -2-With respect to lexicon, we found that eighty percent of all the compliments in the corpus depended upon an adjective to carry the positive semantic load. While the number of positive adjectives which may be used is virtually unlimited, and there were, in fact, a considerable variety within the corpus, it is nevertheless true that two-thirds of all adjectival compliments in the corpus made use of only five adjectives: nice, good, beautiful, pretty and great. Qf. these five adjectives, the most commonly used are nice {23%) and 99~~ (20%). Since neither nice nor good have much meaning beyond positive evaluation, they may be used to describe nearly anything, and we find one or the other of them in compliments which refer to people, objects and activities of all sorts. The fact that pretty occurred in 9.7 per cent, and beautiful in 9.2 percent of adjectival compliments has very interesting implications which require further discussion. The last of the five adjectives, great, which occurred in 6.2 percent of the data, appears to have little more meaning than nice or good although its privilege of …
A Case Study on Formal Verification of Self-Adaptive Behaviors in a Decentralized System

Self-adaptation is a promising approach to manage the complexity of modern software systems. A self-adaptive system is able to adapt autonomously to internal dynamics and changing conditions in the environment to achieve particular quality goals. Our particular interest is in decentralized selfadaptive systems, in which central control of adaptation is not an option. One important challenge in self-adaptive systems, in particular those with decentralized control of adaptation, is to provide guarantees about the intended runtime qualities. In this paper, we present a case study in which we use model checking to verify behavioral properties of a decentralized self-adaptive system. Concretely, we contribute with a formalized architecture model of a decentralized traffic monitoring system and prove a number of self-adaptation properties for flexibility and robustness. To model the main processes in the system we use timed automata, and for the specification of the required properties we use timed computation tree logic. We use the Uppaal tool to specify the system and verify the flexibility and robustness properties.