Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transparency: the Key to Better Governance?

Transparency in Historical Perspective Varieties of Transparency Transparency as a Human Right Transparency as an Instrumental Value Transparency and the Ethics of Communication The More Closely We Are Watched, the Better We Behave? Dashed Expectations: Governmental Adaptation to Transparency Rules What Hope Freedom of Information in th UK Member State Bedgetary Transparency in the Economic and Monetary Union Does Transparency Make a Difference? The Example of European Council of Ministers Varieties of Software and their Implications for Effective Democratic Government Transparency and Digital Government Conclusion
Comparative Analysis of Probabilistic Models for Activity Recognition with an Instrumented Walker

Rollating walkers are popular mobility aids used by older adults to improve balance control. There is a need to automatically recognize the activities performed by walker users to better understand activity patterns, mobility issues and the context in which falls are more likely to happen. We design and compare several techniques to recognize walker related activities. A comprehensive evaluation with control subjects and walker users from a retirement community is presented.
Exploring theater experiences among Hong Kong audiences

Abstract Audience experience is a bridge between performers and the audience in the performing arts. In this study, we explore how Chinese audiences evaluate a theater performance in Hong Kong. We interviewed 45 professional theater practitioners and identified five theater experience factors. We found that the audience evaluates a theater performance from the perspectives of cognition, emotion, sensation, authenticity, and coherence. Cognition is the extent to which a performance is comprehensible yet provides cognitive challenges and inspiration. Emotion is the experience of engagement, emotional release and resonance, and surprise. Sensation concerns physiological and sensory stimulations and experiencing aesthetic pleasure. Authenticity is the extent to which performers are believed to be sincere and true in staging and performing the play. Coherence is about ensemble and integration between different theatrical elements. Similarities and differences with other audience experience models proposed are noted and discussed.
Effects of chemical reaction on the polishing rate and surface planarity in the copper CMP

Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is the polishing process enabled by both chemical and mechanical actions. CMP is used in the fabrication process of the integrated circuits to achieve adequate planarity necessary for stringent photolithography depth of focus requirements. And recently copper is preferred in the metallization process because of its low resistivity. We have studied the effects of chemical reaction on the polishing rate and surface planarity in copper CMP by means of numerical simulation solving Navier-Stokes equation and copper diffusion equation. We have performed pore-scale simulation and integrated the results over all the pores underneath the wafer surface to calculate the macroscopic material removal rate. The mechanical abrasion effect was not included in our study and we concentrated our focus on the transport phenomena occurring in a single pore. We have observed the effects of several parameters such as concentration of chemical additives, relative velocity of the wafer, slurry film thickness or aspect ratio of the pore on the copper removal rate and the surface planarity. We observed that when the chemical reaction was rate-limiting step, the results of simulation matched well with the experimental data.
Methods for Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Patterns

Table 1. RMP and pilot study sampling stations. Table 2. RMP and pilot sampling events. Table 3. Trace element data available from sampling events 7–15 for model-based clustering of sampling sites. Table 4. Definition of a stratification scheme for the MIDAS transects in San Francisco Bay. Table 5. Sample SpaceStat output from an OLS ANOVA for ln-transformed chromium (event 13). Table 6. Summary of spatial ANOVA diagnostics. Table 7. Sample SpaceStat output from a spatial lag ANOVA for lead (event 13). Table 8. Summary of spatial ANOVA results. Table 9. Stations identified from Moran scatterplots as most important positive anomaly for each trace element during sampling event 13. Table 10. Mantel tests of association between trace element totals, TSS and spatial position for sampling event 12. TE, COG and SPACE refer to the respective distance matrices for the trace element, TSS and spatial position. X·Y denotes the Mantel statistic for X and Y. (X·Y)·Z denotes the partial Mantel statistic for X and Y given Z. Statistics significant at the p=0.05 level are in bold. Table 11. Possible models of causal relationships among space, a cognate and a trace element, assuming that the trace element does not determine cognate distribution. Table 12. Value of Kendall's tau for Mann-Kendall tests of trend during the period 1991–1995. Values in bold are significant (p<0.05). Table 12. " Spatial Kendall test " statistics resulting from treating stations as seasons and sampling events as years. Stations were subdivided into four subgroups as suggested by the individual trend tests for copper (Figure 7). Table 13. Significance (p-value) of slope for linear regression of trace element total on Net Delta Outflow. Table 14. Kendall tau statistics for test of trend in total cadmium corrected for Net Delta Outflow. Table 15. Number of sampling events per calendar year quarter. Figure 4.Total trace element distributions mapped in UTM coordinates. Each map corresponds to a single element and single RMP sampling event. The area of each square is proportional to the concentration, expressed as a fraction of the largest value found in each sampling event. Figure 5.Moran scatterplots for each trace element during sampling event 13. The dashed line is the linear regression line. The solid line is the least trimmed squares regression line. Three points are designated by their station codes rather than by circles. These have the three most negative residuals with respect to the least trimmed squares line. …
Prepotential of N=2 SU(2) Yang–Mills gauge theory coupled with a massive matter multiplet

We discuss the N=2 SU(2) Yang–Mills theory coupled with a massive matter in the weak coupling. In particular, we obtain the instanton expansion of its prepotential. Instanton contributions in the mass‐less limit are completely reproduced. We study also the double scaling limit of this massive theory and find that the prepotential with instanton corrections in the double scaling limit coincides with that of N=2 SU(2) Yang–Mills theory without matter.
The science of complexity: An alternative perspective for strategic change processes

The two perspectives of strategy process most firmly established in the literature—strategic choice and ecology—assume the same about system dynamics: negative feedback processes driving successful systems (individual organizations or populations of organizations) toward predictable equilibrium states of adaptation to the environment. This paper proposes a third perspective, that of complex adaptive systems. The framework is provided by the modern science of complexity: the study of nonlinear and network feedback systems, incorporating theories of chaos, artificial life, self‐organization and emergent order. Here system dynamics are characterized by positive and negative feedback as systems coevolve far from equilibrium, in a self‐organizing manner, toward unpredictable long‐term outcomes.
Common DNA Markers Can Account for More Than Half of the Genetic Influence on Cognitive Abilities

For nearly a century, twin and adoption studies have yielded substantial estimates of heritability for cognitive abilities, although it has proved difficult for genomewide-association studies to identify the genetic variants that account for this heritability (i.e., the missing-heritability problem). However, a new approach, genomewide complex-trait analysis (GCTA), forgoes the identification of individual variants to estimate the total heritability captured by common DNA markers on genotyping arrays. In the same sample of 3,154 pairs of 12-year-old twins, we directly compared twin-study heritability estimates for cognitive abilities (language, verbal, nonverbal, and general) with GCTA estimates captured by 1.7 million DNA markers. We found that DNA markers tagged by the array accounted for . 66 of the estimated heritability, reaffirming that cognitive abilities are heritable. Larger sample sizes alone will be sufficient to identify many of the genetic variants that influence cognitive abilities.
Bioinformatics characterization of differential proteins in serum of mothers carrying Down syndrome fetuses: combining bioinformatics and ELISA

Introduction Characterization of novel proteins in maternal serum derived from mothers carrying Down syndrome (DS) fetuses. Material and methods Based on last comparative proteomic analysis, five significant differences of expressed proteins in serum from four groups have been confirmed by ELISA. DAVID and GeneGo MetaCore were used to bioinformatically analyze candidate protein markers. Results The serum levels of ceruloplasmin (CP) and complement factor B (CFB) were significantly increased in mother carried DS fetuses (346.5 ng/ml and 466.8 ng/ml vs. 248.6 ng/ml and 293.5 ng/ml, p< 0.05). Twenty-nine proteins were mainly categorized into binding, catalytic activity and enzyme regulator activity proteins, and their biological roles were involved in biological regulation, metabolic processes, cellular processes, and response to stimuli. The immune response alternative complement pathway was the most significant GeneGo Pathway related to DS. Conclusions These 29 proteins have relations with the development of Down syndrome, especially CP and CFB play more important roles.
Movement Patterns in a Partial Migrant: A Multi-Event Capture-Recapture Approach

Partial migration is a pervasive albeit poorly studied phenomenon by which some individuals of a population migrate while others are residents. It has tremendous consequences on seasonal variations of population size/structure and therefore management. Using a multi-event capture-mark-recapture/recovery (CMR) approach, we assessed seasonal site occupancy, survival and site fidelity of a partially migratory diving duck, the Common pochard (Aythya ferina), in an area potentially including both local breeders and winter visitors. The modelling exercise indeed discriminated two different categories of individuals. First, locally breeding females which had a probability of being present in our study area during winter of 0.41. Females of this category were found to be more faithful to their breeding site than males (breeding site fidelity probabilities of 1 and 0.11, respectively). The second category of birds were winter visitors, which included adults of both sexes, whose probability of being present in the study area during the breeding season was nil, and young of both sexes with a 0.11 probability of being present in the area during the breeding season. All wintering individuals, among which there was virtually no locally breeding male, displayed a high fidelity to our study area from one winter to the next (0.41–0.43). Estimated annual survival rates differed according to age (adults 0.69, young 0.56). For both age classes mortality was higher during late winter/early spring than during summer/early winter. Our study is among the first to show how and under which conditions the multi-event approach can be employed for investigating complex movement patterns encountered in partial migrants, providing a convenient tool for overcoming state uncertainty. It also shows why studying patterns of probability of individual presence/movements in partial migrants is a key towards understanding seasonal variations in numbers.
LORETA EEG PHASE RESET OF THE HUMAN DEFAULT MODE NETWORK : EVIDENCE OF TEMPORAL

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore self-organization at the level of phase reset of 3-dimensional current sources located in the human default mode network (DMN) using Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) of the human electroencephalogram. Methods: The electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 19 scalp locations from 70 healthy normal subjects ranging in age from 13 to 20 years. A time point by time point computation of LORETA current sources were computed for 14 Brodman areas (BA) comprising the default mode network (DMN). The Hilbert transform of the LORETA time series was used to compute the instantaneous phase differences between all pairs of Brodmann areas. The 1 st & 2nd derivatives of the time series of phase differences were used to detect the onset and offset times of phase shift followed by an extended period of phase locking. Varimax factor analyses were computed in the x, y & z directions in the eyes open vs eyes closed conditions in the 1 – 4 Hz frequency range. Analyses of variance with Bonferroni corrections were computed with main effects of Brodmann areas, hemisphere and eyes closed vs open conditions. Results: Phase shift duration was more spatial-temporal complex than phase lock duration (twice the number of factors) and exhibited three discrete durations called ‘temporal quanta’: 1approx. 30 msec, duration, 2approx. 55 msec and, 3approx. 65 msec. Phase lock duration exhibited primarily two ‘temporal quanta’: 1approx. 300 to 350 msec and, 2350 msec to 450 msec. Phase shift and lock durations while discontinuous with ‘temporal quanta’ also exhibited exponential changes with distance and were inversely related. Conclusions: The results are explained by local neural packing density of network hubs and an exponential decrease in connections with distance from a hub. The results are consistent with a temporal ‘quanta’ model of brain function where anatomical hubs behave like a ‘shutter’ of an aperture that opens and closes at specific durations giving rise to temporarily phase locked clusters of neurons for specific durations. Phase shift is related to recruitment of neurons and phase lock is related to a temporary ‘binding’ of neurons that collectively and simultaneously mediate different functions during integrated frames of time.
On the dynamic persistence of cooperation: how lower individual fitness induces higher survivability.

We study a model in which cooperation and defection coexist in a dynamical steady state. In our model, subpopulations of cooperators and defectors inhabit sites on a lattice. The interactions among the individuals at a site, in the form of a prisoner's dilemma (PD) game, determine their fitnesses. The chosen PD payoff allows cooperators, but not defectors, to maintain a homogeneous population. Individuals mutate between types and migrate to neighboring sites with low probabilities. We consider both density-dependent and density-independent versions of the model. The persistence of cooperation in this model can be explained in terms of the life cycle of a population at a site. This life cycle starts when one cooperator establishes a population. Then defectors invade and eventually take over, resulting finally in the death of the population. During this life cycle, single cooperators migrate to empty neighboring sites to found new cooperator populations. The system can reach a steady state where cooperation prevails if the global "birth" rate of populations is equal to their global "death" rate. The dynamic persistence of cooperation ranges over a large section of the model's parameter space. We compare these dynamics to those from other models for the persistence of altruism and to predator-prey models.
An asset theory of social preferences

We present a theory of social policy preferences that emphasizes the composition of peopleOs skills. The key to our argument is that individuals who have made risky investments in skills will demand insurance against the possible future loss of income from those investments. Because the transferability of skills is inversely related to their specificity, workers with specific skills face a potentially long spell of unemployment or a significant decline in income in the event of job loss. Workers deriving most of their income from specific skills therefore have strong incentives to support social policies that protect them against such uncertainty. This is not the case for general skills workers, for whom the costs of social protection weigh more prominently. We test the theory on public opinion data for eleven advanced democracies and suggest how differences in educational systems can help explain cross-national differences in the level of social protection.
Integrated Sequence-Structure Motifs Suffice to Identify microRNA Precursors

Background Upwards of 1200 miRNA loci have hitherto been annotated in the human genome. The specific features defining a miRNA precursor and deciding its recognition and subsequent processing are not yet exhaustively described and miRNA loci can thus not be computationally identified with sufficient confidence. Results We rendered pre-miRNA and non-pre-miRNA hairpins as strings of integrated sequence-structure information, and used the software Teiresias to identify sequence-structure motifs (ss-motifs) of variable length in these data sets. Using only ss-motifs as features in a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm for pre-miRNA identification achieved 99.2% specificity and 97.6% sensitivity on a human test data set, which is comparable to previously published algorithms employing combinations of sequence-structure and additional features. Further analysis of the ss-motif information contents revealed strongly significant deviations from those of the respective training sets, revealing important potential clues as to how the sequence and structural information of RNA hairpins are utilized by the miRNA processing apparatus. Conclusion Integrated sequence-structure motifs of variable length apparently capture nearly all information required to distinguish miRNA precursors from other stem-loop structures.
Alteration of Rat Fetal Cerebral Cortex Development after Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental contaminants that persist in environment and human tissues. Perinatal exposure to these endocrine disruptors causes cognitive deficits and learning disabilities in children. These effects may involve their ability to interfere with thyroid hormone (TH) action. We tested the hypothesis that developmental exposure to PCBs can concomitantly alter TH levels and TH-regulated events during cerebral cortex development: progenitor proliferation, cell cycle exit and neuron migration. Pregnant rats exposed to the commercial PCB mixture Aroclor 1254 ended gestation with reduced total and free serum thyroxine levels. Exposure to Aroclor 1254 increased cell cycle exit of the neuronal progenitors and delayed radial neuronal migration in the fetal cortex. Progenitor cell proliferation, cell death and differentiation rate were not altered by prenatal exposure to PCBs. Given that PCBs remain ubiquitous, though diminishing, contaminants in human systems, it is important that we further understand their deleterious effects in the brain.
Efficacy and safety of the hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in human tumor xenograft models of pancreatic cancer

Tumors often contain hypoxic regions resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy. TH-302 (T) is an investigational hypoxia-activated prodrug that selectively releases the DNA cross-linker bromo-isophosphoramide mustard under hypoxic conditions. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety profile of combining T with gemcitabine (G) and nab-paclitaxel (nP) in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) xenograft models in mice. Antitumor activity of the G + nP + T triplet was assessed and compared with T-alone or the G + nP doublet in the Hs766t, MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, and BxPC-3 PDAC xenograft models. Efficacy was assessed by tumor growth kinetic analysis. Body weight, blood cell counts, blood chemistry, and the von Frey neuropathy assay were analyzed to evaluate safety profiles. Pharmacodynamic changes after the treatment were determined by immunohistochemistry of cell proliferation, DNA damage, apoptosis, hypoxia, and tumor stroma density. The G + nP + T triplet exhibited enhanced efficacy compared with T-alone or the G + nP doublet. Compared with vehicle (V), G + nP induced body weight loss, reduced neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, increased the levels of liver function parameters, and induced neurotoxicity. However, when T was added to G + nP, there was no statistically increased impairment compared to G + nP. The triplet significantly increased DNA damage, apoptosis, and tumor necrosis. Furthermore, the triplet further inhibited cell proliferation and reduced stroma density and intratumoral hypoxia. The triplet combination of G + nP + T exhibited superior efficacy but additive toxicity was not evident compared to the G + nP doublet in this study. This study provides a translational rationale for combining G, nP, and T in the clinical setting to assess efficacy and safety. A Phase I clinical trial of the triplet combination is currently underway (NCT02047500).
On a Comparison Result for Markov Processes

A comparison theorem is stated for Markov processes in Polish state spaces. We consider a generalclass of stochastic orderings induced by a cone of real functions. The main result states that stochastic monotonicity of one process and comparability of the infinitesimal generators imply ordering of the processes. Several applications to convex type and to dependence orderings are given. In particular, Liggett's theorem on the association of Markov processes is a consequence of this comparison result.
Bupleurum Polysaccharides Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation via Modulating Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signaling

Background Bupleurum polysaccharides (BPs), isolated from Bupleurum smithii var. parvifolium, possesses immunomodulatory activity, particularly on inflammation. Bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers innate immune responses through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on host cell membrane. The present study was performed to evaluate whether the therapeutic efficacy of BPs on suppression of LPS’s pathogenecity could be associated with the modulating of TLR4 signaling pathway. Methodology/Principal Findings LPS stimulated expression and activation of factors in the TLR4 signaling system, including TLR4, CD14, IRAK4, TRAF6, NF-κB, and JNK, determined using immunocytochemical and/or Western blot assays. BPs significantly inhibited these effects of LPS. LPS increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12p40, and IFN-β) and NO production, evaluated using ELISA and Griess reaction assays, respectively. BPs antagonized these effects of LPS. Interestingly, BPs alone augmented secretion of some pro-inflammatory cytokines of non-LPS stimulated macrophages and enhanced phagocytic activity towards fluorescent E.coli bioparticles. In a rat model of acute lung injury (ALI) with pulmonary hemorrhage and inflammation, BPs ameliorated lung injuries and suppressed TLR4 expression. Significance The therapeutic properties of BPs in alleviating inflammatory diseases could be attributed to its inhibitory effect on LPS-mediated TLR4 signaling.