Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary agglomeration theory: increasing returns, diminishing returns, and the industry life cycle

According to Marshall? s agglomeration theory, Krugman? s New Economic Geography models, and Porter? s cluster policies, firms should receive increasing returns from a trinity of agglomeration economies: a local pool of skilled labour, local supplier linkages, and local knowledge spillovers. Recent evolutionary theories suggest that whether agglomeration economies generate increasing returns or diminishing returns depends on time, and especially the evolution of the industry life cycle. At the start of the 21st century, we re-examine Marshall? s trinity of agglomeration economies in the city-region where he discovered them. The econometric results from our multivariate regression models are the polar opposite of Marshall? s. During the later stages of the industry life cycle, Marshall? s agglomeration economies decrease the economic performance of firms and create widespread diminishing returns for the economic development of the city-region, which has evolved to become one of the poorest city-regions in Europe.
Gene signatures related to B‐cell proliferation predict influenza vaccine‐induced antibody response

Vaccines are very effective at preventing infectious disease but not all recipients mount a protective immune response to vaccination. Recently, gene expression profiles of PBMC samples in vaccinated individuals have been used to predict the development of protective immunity. However, the magnitude of change in gene expression that separates vaccine responders and nonresponders is likely to be small and distributed across networks of genes, making the selection of predictive and biologically relevant genes difficult. Here we apply a new approach to predicting vaccine response based on coordinated upregulation of sets of biologically informative genes in postvaccination gene expression profiles. We found that enrichment of gene sets related to proliferation and immunoglobulin genes accurately segregated high responders to influenza vaccination from low responders and achieved a prediction accuracy of 88% in an independent clinical trial. Many of the genes in these gene sets would not have been identified using conventional, single‐gene level approaches because of their subtle upregulation in vaccine responders. Our results demonstrate that gene set enrichment method can capture subtle transcriptional changes and may be a generally useful approach for developing and interpreting predictive models of the human immune response.
P0-13 Phase Velocity Control of Surface Acoustic Waves Based on Surface Shorting and Electrical Field Application Using MEMS Switches

We have investigated controlling the phase velocity of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) by a microelectromechanical switch fabricated on a high coupling piezoelectric substrate. The principle is based on the interaction of the evanescent surface potential of the SAW with the conductive switch. In theory tuning of the velocity in the range given by v0 and vm, i.e. the velocity for a SAW on a free and metallized substrate, is possible. We have achieved up to 17.6 m/s (0.44 %) velocity tuning on 128degYX LiNbO3. A maximum velocity sensitivity of Deltav/v of 15times10-3/V and phase sensitivity of 700deg/V was measured. This is five orders of magnitude larger than values obtained for electrical field tuning.
Bridging Domains in Workplace Demography Research: A Review and Reconceptualization

Research on unraveling the complex effects of workplace demography has grown exponentially in the past two decades, reflecting enduring academic interest in the topic. This research spans multiple macro and micro theoretical domains and has examined demography effects at individual, group, or firm levels of analysis. However, past research in this area has revealed equivocal and inconclusive findings. Based on a review of more than two decades of research, the authors present the argument that future developments in this research will occur not in isolation at a specific level of analysis but rather at the interstices of multiple levels. The authors offer a framework for future research that bridges macro and micro domains as a way to resolve past discrepant findings in this area of research.
The Suitability of Holland's Self-Directed Search for Non-Readers with Learning Disabilities or Mild Mental Retardation

This investigation explored the use of Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) by non-readers with learning disabilities and non-readers with mild mental retardation. A total of 43 middle and high school special education teachers were instructed in the administration of the SDS to both readers and non-readers with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation (n = 337) . Results show that, for both readers and non-readers in this study, the SDS was reliable, able to validly measure preferences, and sensitive to preferences with respect to disability group membership. Hence, the SDS appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring vocational preferences of non-readers with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation and may be used for the subsequent planning of pre-vocational and vocational training for these individuals.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): animal to human interaction

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel enzootic betacoronavirus that was first described in September 2012. The clinical spectrum of MERS-CoV infection in humans ranges from an asymptomatic or mild respiratory illness to severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure; overall mortality is around 35.7%. Bats harbour several betacoronaviruses that are closely related to MERS-CoV but more research is needed to establish the relationship between bats and MERS-CoV. The seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies is very high in dromedary camels in Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. MERS-CoV RNA and viable virus have been isolated from dromedary camels, including some with respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, near-identical strains of MERS-CoV have been isolated from epidemiologically linked humans and camels, confirming inter-transmission, most probably from camels to humans. Though inter-human spread within health care settings is responsible for the majority of reported MERS-CoV cases, the virus is incapable at present of causing sustained human-to-human transmission. Clusters can be readily controlled with implementation of appropriate infection control procedures. Phylogenetic and sequencing data strongly suggest that MERS-CoV originated from bat ancestors after undergoing a recombination event in the spike protein, possibly in dromedary camels in Africa, before its exportation to the Arabian Peninsula along the camel trading routes. MERS-CoV serosurveys are needed to investigate possible unrecognized human infections in Africa. Amongst the important measures to control MERS-CoV spread are strict regulation of camel movement, regular herd screening and isolation of infected camels, use of personal protective equipment by camel handlers and enforcing rules banning all consumption of unpasteurized camel milk and urine.
Some Like it Hoax: Automated Fake News Detection in Social Networks

In recent years, the reliability of information on the Internet has emerged as a crucial issue of modern society. Social network sites (SNSs) have revolutionized the way in which information is spread by allowing users to freely share content. As a consequence, SNSs are also increasingly used as vectors for the diffusion of misinformation and hoaxes. The amount of disseminated information and the rapidity of its diffusion make it practically impossible to assess reliability in a timely manner, highlighting the need for automatic hoax detection systems. As a contribution towards this objective, we show that Facebook posts can be classified with high accuracy as hoaxes or non-hoaxes on the basis of the users who "liked" them. We present two classification techniques, one based on logistic regression, the other on a novel adaptation of boolean crowdsourcing algorithms. On a dataset consisting of 15,500 Facebook posts and 909,236 users, we obtain classification accuracies exceeding 99% even when the training set contains less than 1% of the posts. We further show that our techniques are robust: they work even when we restrict our attention to the users who like both hoax and non-hoax posts. These results suggest that mapping the diffusion pattern of information can be a useful component of automatic hoax detection systems.
The Effects of Job Design on Employees' Knowledge Contribution to Electronic Repositories

Motivating employees to contribute knowledge has been a daunting challenge in knowledge management. This study examines how job design influences employees’ knowledge contribution to electronic repositories. Based on Warr’s Vitamin Model, we posit that the job autonomy, skill variety, task feedback, task identity, and task significance aspects of job design influence employees’ knowledge contribution to electronic repositories through shaping their affective commitment. Results from a survey of 163 professionals indicate that while job autonomy and task significance have positive linear effects, skill variety and task identity have curvilinear effects such that increasing their levels initially improves employees’ affective commitment but at very high levels they have negative impacts. This study contributes to theoretical development by identifying the differential effects of various aspects of job design. The findings suggest that managers should be mindful of the double-edged quality of some job characteristics in promoting employees’ knowledge contribution to electronic repositories.
The Small-Time Smile and Term Structure of Implied Volatility under the Heston Model

We characterize the asymptotic smile and term structure of implied volatility in the Heston model at small maturities. Using saddlepoint methods we derive a small-maturity expansion formula for call option prices, which we then transform into a closed-form expansion (including the leading-order and correction terms) for implied volatility. This refined expansion reveals the relationship between the small-expiry smile and all Heston parameters (including the pair in the volatility drift coefficient), sharpening the leading-order result of Forde and Jacquier [Int. J. Theor. Appl. Finance, 12 (2009), pp. 861--876], which found the relationship between the zero-expiry smile and the diffusion coefficients.
Effect of physical state and particle size distribution on dissolution enhancement of nimodipine/PEG solid dispersions prepared by melt mixing and solvent evaporation

The physical structure and polymorphism of nimodipine were studied by means of micro-Raman, WAXD, DSC, and SEM for cases of the pure drug and its solid dispersions in PEG 4000, prepared by both the hot-melt and solvent evaporation methods. The dissolution rates of nimodipine/PEG 4000 solid dispersions were also measured and discussed in terms of their physicochemical characteristics. Micro-Raman and WAXD revealed a significant amorphous portion of the drug in the samples prepared by the hot-melt method, and that saturation resulted in local crystallization of nimodipine forming, almost exclusively, modification I crystals (racemic compound). On the other hand, mainly modification II crystals (conglomerate) were observed in the solid dispersions prepared by the solvent evaporation method. However, in general, both drug forms may appear in the solid dispersions. SEM and HSM microscopy studies indicated that the drug particle size increased with drug content. The dissolution rates were substantially improved for nimodipine from its solid dispersions compared with the pure drug or physical mixtures. Among solid dispersions, those resulting from solvent coevaporation exhibited a little faster drug release at drug concentrations lower than 20 wt%. Drug amorphization is the main reason for this behavior. At higher drug content the dissolution rates became lower compared with the samples from melt, due to the drug crystallization in modification II, which results in higher crystallinity and increased particle size. Overall, the best results were found for low drug content, for which lower drug crystallinity and smaller particle size were observed.
Cooperative kinking at distant sites in mechanically stressed DNA

In cells, DNA is routinely subjected to significant levels of bending and twisting. In some cases, such as under physiological levels of supercoiling, DNA can be so highly strained, that it transitions into non-canonical structural conformations that are capable of relieving mechanical stress within the template. DNA minicircles offer a robust model system to study stress-induced DNA structures. Using DNA minicircles on the order of 100 bp in size, we have been able to control the bending and torsional stresses within a looped DNA construct. Through a combination of cryo-EM image reconstructions, Bal31 sensitivity assays and Brownian dynamics simulations, we have been able to analyze the effects of biologically relevant underwinding-induced kinks in DNA on the overall shape of DNA minicircles. Our results indicate that strongly underwound DNA minicircles, which mimic the physical behavior of small regulatory DNA loops, minimize their free energy by undergoing sequential, cooperative kinking at two sites that are located about 180° apart along the periphery of the minicircle. This novel form of structural cooperativity in DNA demonstrates that bending strain can localize hyperflexible kinks within the DNA template, which in turn reduces the energetic cost to tightly loop DNA.
Serum thrombopoietin and interleukin 6 concentrations in tumour patients and response to chemotherapy‐induced thrombocytopenia

Abstract: The relation between the number of platelets in blood and the concentrations of immunoreactive thrombopoietin (TPO), interleukin 6 and interleukin 11 (IL‐6, IL‐11) was studied in the sera of 32 normal subjects, of 29 untreated tumour patients and of 6 tumour patients following chemotherapy with ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (ICE). Platelet counts, TPO and IL‐6 concentrations were higher than normal in blood of tumour patients before chemotherapy. However, no statistical relation existed between these variables. Following chemotherapy, the number of circulating platelets decreased reaching a nadir at d 10–13, while the serum concentration of TPO increased concomitantly. Circulating IL‐6 did not increase during chemotherapy‐induced thrombocytopenia. IL‐11 was not detectable in any serum. Thus, the reactive thrombocytosis in tumour patients could be related to elevated TPO and IL‐6 levels. In contrast to circulating TPO, however, neither serum IL‐6 nor IL‐11 levels increase significantly in thrombocytopenia following myelosuppressive chemotherapy.
Cognitive principles underlying children's errors in pronominal case-marking

ABSTRACT Data on children's errors in marking pronominal case are surveyed and the pattern of errors described: children substitute objective forms for nominative ones but do not commit substitution errors in the opposite direction. It is proposed that two general cognitive principles underlying language acquisition might explain the uniformities in the data: avoid exceptions, and pay attention to the ends of words. It is further suggested that the last of these should be extended in scope, to cover short-term processing of larger constituents.
The effect of food on the pharmacokinetic properties and bioequivalence of two formulations of pitavastatin calcium in healthy Chinese male subjects

Abstract 1. Pitavastatin is an effective treatment for primary hyperlipidemia and mixed dyslipidemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of food on the pharmacokinetic properties and bioequivalence of the original, branded, formulation of pitavastatin calcium and a new generic formulation in healthy Chinese male subjects under fasting and fed conditions. 2. Under fasting and fed conditions, 90% CIs of the geometric mean of generic/branded AUC0–48 h ratios were 92.2–102.4%, 93.1–104.5%, the ratios of ln(AUC0–∞) were 92.6–103.7%, 93.2–103.5%, and ln(Cmax) ratios were 90.7–110.3%, 84.7–100.8%, respectively. The generic and branded formulations were bioequivalent in terms of rate and extent of absorption under both the conditions. The average values of AUC0–48 h, AUC0–∞ and Cmax decreased noticeably following a high-fat breakfast. Values for AUC0–48 h were 87.69% and 83.7%, values for AUC0–∞ were 87.5% and 84.6%, and values for Cmax were 45.0% and 50.4% in subjects given the generic and branded preparations, respectively. The absorption of pitavastatin calcium tablets was delayed following a high-fat meal, with Tmax increasing by up to 2.43-fold. 3. Both formulations were generally well tolerated, with no serious adverse reactions reported. The newly developed generic formulation may provide a reliable alternative to the branded tablets for patients with primary hyperlipidemia or mixed dyslipidemia.
Abstract Reasoning and Big Five Personality Correlates of Creativity in a British Occupational Sample

In the present study, 585 British adults attending an assessment center completed a series of tests that included measures of personality (the Revised NEO Personality Inventory), abstract reasoning (the Graduate and Managerial Assessment), and divergent thinking (DT; the Consequences Test). Correlation analyses showed that DT was significantly and positively correlated with abstract reasoning and the Big Five personality factors of Openness to Experience and Extraversion. A multivariate forward stepwise regression showed that DT was significantly predicted by “Openness,” Abstract Reasoning, Extraversion, and Agreeableness. Further analyses showed that DT was significantly correlated with 5 of the 6 Openness facets and 4 of the 6 Extraversion facets (as well as with several facets from Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness). Overall, however, abstract reasoning and personality accounted for only 7% of the variance in DT, suggesting that these variables are only modestly associated wtih DT in a British occupational sample.
Lecturer self-efficacy: Its related dimensions and the influence of gender and qualifications

In this study, a sample of Australian academics from two institutions, was used to investigate factors which relate to lecturer self-efficacy. A questionnaire was utilised to obtain responses in three separate areas, namely, research, teaching, and service (i.e., administration/professional engagement). Subsequent factor analysis resulted in the identification of four research self-efficacy factors, two teaching self-efficacy factors, and two service self-efficacy factors. The relationships among these factors were then explored and consideration was given to the influence of gender and level of qualifications. Significant multivariate differences were found for gender, level of qualifications, and their interaction on the set of the self-efficacy factors. An examination of the univariate test results revealed a number of significant findings, including that males and those holding doctoral qualifications tended to report higher levels of research self-efficacy. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for university managers, lecturers, and other researchers.
Achievement and Self-Concept of Minority Students in Elementary School Gifted Programs

Despite considerable interest in the identification of minority students for gifted programs, few studies have investigated minority students actually selected for gifted programs. The present study reports on the standardized achievement scores and self-concept levels of African-American (N = 299), Hispanic (N = 52), and white (N = 595) elementary school students placed in gifted or regular school programs. Results indicate that minority students identified for gifted programs scored significantly higher on achievement measures than minority students placed in regular classrooms, although white gifted-program students scored significantly higher than both African-American and Hispanic gifted-program students. There were no minority-group differences in academic or social self-concept. Additional analyses suggested that the distinction between academic and social self-concept used with white students may not be applicable to minority students. This article challenges gifted education to address the conceptual problems and methodological difficulties in interpreting the meaning of standardized achievement test scores for minority students in gifted programs.
Stress sensitivity and reading performance in Spanish: A study with children

This paper investigates the relationship between ability to detect changes in prosody and reading performance in Spanish. Participants were children aged 7–8 years. Their tasks consisted of reading words, reading non-words, stressing non-words and reproducing sequences of two, three or four non-words by pressing the corresponding keys on the computer keyboard. Non-word sequences were constructed with minimal non-word pairs differing in a single phoneme (/kupi/ - /kuti/) or in the stress pattern (/mipa/ - /mipa/). Results showed that performance on phoneme contrast sequences (e.g. /kupi/ - /kuti/) predicted word reading. In contrast, performance on stress contrast sequences (e.g. /mipa/ - /mipa/) predicted non-word reading, but only when two-non-word sequences were analysed. This suggests that stress sensitivity may be one of the factors related to reading fluency as most errors at reading non-words consisted of false starts and pauses between syllables. Results also showed that stress sensitivity (scored in two non-word sequences) predicted stress assignment, and that knowledge of stress rules predicted both word and non-word reading. This suggests that stress sensitivity may help in learning stress rules, and that knowledge of stress rules is relevant for reading.
EXACT SOLVABILITY OF SOME SPDES

These lecture notes are based on Ivan Corwin’s summer 2014 MSRI summer school on SPDEs, as well as Jeffrey Kuan’s TA sessions accompanying these lectures. Please email ivan.corwin@gmail.com if you have questions or find mistakes. 1. Mild solution to the stochastic heat equation The stochastic heat equation (SHE) with multiplicative noise looks (in differential form) like { ∂tz = 1 2∂xxz + zξ z(0, x) = z0(x) where z : R+×R → R and z0 is (possibly random) initial data which is independent of the white noise ξ. Recall that formally ξ has covariance E [ ξ(t, x)ξ(s, y) ] “ = ”δt=sδx=y, though this is only true in a weak, or integrated sense. See Section 10 for background on ξ. The noise ξ is constructed on a probability space L2(Ω,F ,P). We would like to ultimately consider z0(x) = δx=0 initial data. We will start, however, with L2(Ω,F ,P) bounded initial data and prove uniqueness and existence (and state regularity / positivity results without proofs). We will also state (without proof) a more general class of solutions considered by Bertini-Cancrini [5]. In the next section we will explain a different way to construct a solution for δx=0 initial data via chaos series. Definition 1.1. A mild solution to the SHE satisfies for all t > 0, x ∈ R the Duhamel form equation z(t, x) = ∫ R p(t, x− y)z0(y)dy + ∫ t