Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stable Coalition Structures with Open Membership and Asymmetric Firms

I study games of coalition formation with open membership where firms form associations in order to decrease their costs before competing on the market. According to previous analyses, only the grand coalition forms at the Nash equilibrium of such games. I show that this result hinges on the assumption of symmetric firms. I therefore introduce asymmetric firms in a game where only two associations can form. I demonstrate that there exists a coalition-proof Nash equilibrium coalition structure in this game, and that when the equilibrium involves two associations, all the members of an association have a higher taste for this association than all nonmembers do. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C70, C72, L13.
Performance Analysis of an Asynchronous Web Server

Concurrency can be implemented in a Web server using synchronous and asynchronous mechanisms offered by the underlying operating system. Compared to the synchronous mechanisms, the asynchronous mechanisms are attractive because they provide the benefit of concurrency while alleviating much of the overhead and complexity of multithreading. The proactor pattern in middleware, which effectively encapsulates the asynchronous mechanisms supported by the operating system, can be used to implement a high performance Web server. In this paper, we present a queuing model of an asynchronous Web server implemented using the proactor pattern. We then describe a decomposition strategy to enable the application of the model in practical scenarios. We demonstrate the use of the model to guide configuration and provisioning decisions with several examples
Multiple Model Multi-Bernoulli Filters for Manoeuvering Targets

The cardinality balanced multitarget multi-Bernoulli (CBMeMBer) filter is a recursive, multitarget tracking mechanism based on the random finite set (RFS) theory using the finite set statistics (FISST) framework. It provides an estimate of the number of targets in a given scenario space, along with the most likely locations of those targets. It also provides this estimate without the expensive operation of multidimensional assignment between measurements and target estimates. Unlike other RFS methods, the CBMeMBer filter outputs an estimate of the actual multitarget probability density function. Current implementations include a nonlinear sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) approximation, as well as an analytical Gaussian mixture (GM) solution. A new MeMBer recursion for tracking multiple targets traveling under multiple motion models is introduced. The multiple model CBMeMBer (MM-CBMeMBer) filter presented here uses jump Markov models (JMM) to extend the standard CBMeMBer recursion to allow for multiple target motion models. This extension is implemented using both the SMC- and GM-based CBMeMBer approximations. The recursive prediction and update equations are presented for both implementations. Each multiple model implementation is validated against its respective standard CBMeMBer implementation, as well as against each other. This validation is done using a simulated scenario containing multiple manoeuvering targets. A variety of metrics, including estimate accuracy, model detection capability, and algorithm computational efficiency are used for performance evaluation. The new method is shown to improve results in several metrics with only a minor increase in computational complexity.
Electrical coupling mechanisms of excitable cells

ELECTNCAL CO'U'PLING MECHANISMS IN EXCITABLE CELLS Edward Joseph Vigmond A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 1997 Rhythrnic excitable cells can be viewed as noniinear oscillators which are coupled to neighbouring c e h through various mechanisms. Entrainment of oscillators as a result of this coupling is an important consideration, required for normal functioning of the gut but producing epilepsy in
The Résumé-Development Process and Its Impact on Job-Search Behaviour

A significant proportion of injured workers are not able to return to their original job. Employers have a responsibility as part of their disability management programs to assist this population to find a new vocation. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the résumé-development process in terms of its potential impact on job-search behaviour for injured workers who are unable to return to their previous job. Data were collected from 22 Australian rehabilitation counsellors via questionnaires, sample documents, and telephone interviews. Thematic analysis of the data reveals that the résumé-development process may be useful in promoting effective job-search behaviour in clients. However, for this to occur it is suggested that the résumé-development process must provide relevant knowledge and skills, overcome or reduce clients’ doubts, address disability but focus on ability, provide ongoing emotional and practical support, value individualisation, and increase clients’ motivation. It is speculated that the findings may be explained by the increased sense of self-efficacy that occurs through participation in the résumé-development process.
Dovepress Open Access to Scientific and Medical Research Open Access Full Text Article Intracameral Dexamethasone Reduces Inflammation on the First Postoperative Day after Cataract Surgery in Eyes with and without Glaucoma

Purpose: To evaluate whether dexamethasone injected intracamerally at the conclusion of surgery can safely and effectively reduce postoperative inflammation and improve surgical outcomes in eyes with and without glaucoma. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 176 consecutive eyes from 146 patients receiving uncomplicated phacoemulsification (PE) (n = 118 total, 82 with glaucoma), glaucoma drainage device (GDD) (n = 35), combined PE/GDD (n = 11) and combined PE/endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (n = 12). Ninety-one eyes from 76 patients were injected with 0.4 mg dexamethasone intracamerally at the conclusion of surgery. All eyes received standard postoperative prednisolone and ketorolac eyedrops. Outcomes were measured for four to eight weeks by subjective complaints, visual acuity (VA), slit-lamp biomicroscopy, intraocular pressure (IOP) and postoperative complications. Results: Dexamethasone significantly reduced the odds of having an increased anterior chamber (AC) cell score after PE (p = 0.0013). Mean AC cell score ± SD in nonglaucomatous eyes was 1.3 ± 0.8 in control and 0.8 ± 0.7 with dexamethasone; scores in glaucomatous eyes were 1.3 ± 0.7 in control and 0.9 ± 0.8 with dexamethasone. Treated nonglaucomatous eyes had significantly fewer subjective complaints after PE (22.2% vs 64.7% in control; p = 0.0083). Dexamethasone had no significant effects on VA, corneal changes, IOP one day and one month after surgery, or long-term complications. Conclusions: Intracameral dexamethasone given at the end of cataract surgery significantly reduces postoperative AC cells in eyes with and without glaucoma, and improves subjective reports of recovery in nonglaucomatous eyes. There were no statistically significant risks of IOP elevation or other complications in glaucomatous eyes.
Mitochondrial Cholesterol Loading Exacerbates Amyloid β Peptide-Induced Inflammation and Neurotoxicity

The role of cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been linked to the generation of toxic amyloid β peptides (Aβ). Using genetic mouse models of cholesterol loading, we examined whether mitochondrial cholesterol regulates Aβ neurotoxicity and AD pathology. Isolated mitochondria from brain or cortical neurons of transgenic mice overexpressing SREBP-2 (sterol regulatory element binding protein 2) or NPC1 (Niemann-Pick type C1) knock-out mice exhibited mitochondrial cholesterol accumulation, mitochondrial glutathione (mGSH) depletion and increased susceptibility to Aβ1–42-induced oxidative stress and release of apoptogenic proteins. Similar findings were observed in pharmacologically GSH-restricted rat brain mitochondria, while selective mGSH depletion sensitized human neuronal and glial cell lines to Aβ1–42-mediated cell death. Intracerebroventricular human Aβ delivery colocalized with mitochondria resulting in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neuronal damage that were enhanced in Tg-SREBP-2 mice and prevented upon mGSH recovery by GSH ethyl ester coinfusion, with a similar protection observed by intraperitoneal administration of GSH ethyl ester. Finally, APP/PS1 (amyloid precursor protein/presenilin 1) mice, a transgenic AD mouse model, exhibited mitochondrial cholesterol loading and mGSH depletion. Thus, mitochondrial cholesterol accumulation emerges as a novel pathogenic factor in AD by modulating Aβ toxicity via mGSH regulation; strategies boosting the particular pool of mGSH may be of relevance to slow down disease progression.
A controlled trial of a killed Haemophilus influenzae vaccine for prevention of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis

Abstract Sixty‐four patients with chronic bronchitis with a history of recurrent respiratory tract infections were admitted to a double‐blind randomised controlled study in which the efficacy of an oral vaccine containing killed Haemophilus influenzae in preventing acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis was compared with placebo. Patients given vaccine developed fewer acute infective episodes. Although the numbers of patients who required antibiotic therapy in the two groups were not significantly different, the number of antibiotic prescriptions given to the vaccinated group of patients was significantly less than that required by the control group. A reduction in colonisation with Haemophilus influenzae occurred in the active group, which was maximal 14 weeks after the onset of the study. (Aust NZ J Med 1991; 21: 427–432.)
Reductions in HIV/STI Incidence and Sharing of Injection Equipment among Female Sex Workers Who Inject Drugs: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background We evaluated brief combination interventions to simultaneously reduce sexual and injection risks among female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico during 2008–2010, when harm reduction coverage was expanding rapidly in Tijuana, but less so in Juarez. Methods FSW-IDUs ≥18 years reporting sharing injection equipment and unprotected sex with clients within the last month participated in a randomized factorial trial comparing four brief, single-session conditions combining either an interactive or didactic version of a sexual risk intervention to promote safer sex in the context of drug use, and an injection risk intervention to reduce sharing of needles/injection paraphernalia. Women underwent quarterly interviews and testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Trichomonas, blinding interviewers and assessors to assignment. Poisson regression with robust variance estimation and repeated measures ordinal logistic regression examined effects on combined HIV/STI incidence and receptive needle sharing frequency. Findings Of 584 initially HIV-negative FSW-IDUs, retention was ≥90%. After 12 months, HIV/STI incidence decreased >50% in the interactive vs. didactic sex intervention (Tijuana:AdjRR:0.38,95% CI:0.16–0.89; Juarez: AdjRR:0.44,95% CI:0.19–0.99). In Juarez, women receiving interactive vs. didactic injection risk interventions decreased receptive needle-sharing by 85% vs. 71%, respectively (p = 0.04); in Tijuana, receptive needle sharing declined by 95%, but was similar in active versus didactic groups. Tijuana women reported significant increases in access to syringes and condoms, but Juarez women did not. Interpretation After 12 months in both cities, the interactive sexual risk intervention significantly reduced HIV/STI incidence. Expanding free access to sterile syringes coupled with brief, didactic education on safer injection was necessary and sufficient for achieving robust, sustained injection risk reductions in Tijuana. In the absence of expanding syringe access in Juarez, the injection risk intervention achieved significant, albeit more modest reductions, suggesting that community-level interventions incorporating harm reduction are more powerful than individual-level interventions. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT00840658
Demography and management of the invasive plant species Hypericum perforatum. II. Construction and use of an individual‐based model to predict population dynamics and the effects of management strategies

1. Hypericum perforatum , St John's wort, is an invasive weed of natural and agro-ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. In previous work we used a long-term data set to determine which plant traits and environmental factors influence population growth and persistence in this species. These results were then used to parameterize an individual-based model of the population dynamics of H. perforatum , and this model was used to make predictions about what control strategies will be most effective for populations in open and shaded sites. 2. The model was constructed using multi-level, mixed-effects statistical models of growth, survival, fecundity and damage, incorporating intrinsic plant variables, environmental variables, herbivory and spatial and temporal stochasticity. 3. We found that populations in shaded and open sites had different dynamics and responses to control strategies. Shaded populations took longer to reach infestation densities and were less affected by herbivory and reductions in survival than open populations. Open populations increased faster in response to increases in rainfall, but this was not so for shaded populations. 4. We used sensitivity testing and management simulations to predict that the most successful control strategies will involve a reduction in vegetative size in both open and shaded sites. Reductions in flowering stem size and survival in shaded and open sites, respectively, are predicted to be the next most successful strategies. Dry conditions in the austral autumn/winter adversely affect populations in both open and shaded sites. 5. Synthesis and applications . These models have enabled us to rank management strategies based on quantitative analysis of their potential effects on population size. This is an important tool not only for ecologists concerned with control of invasive species but for conservation biologists trying to understand the factors limiting a rare or endangered species.
ST-segment elevation: Differential diagnosis, caveats

The differential diagnosis of ST-segment elevation includes four major processes: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); early repolarization; pericarditis; and ST elevation secondary to an abnormality of the QRS complex (left bundle branch block, left ventricular hypertrophy, or preexcitation). Other processes that may be associated with ST elevation include hyperkalemia, pulmonary embolism, and Brugada syndrome. The clinical setting and specific electrocardiographic criteria often allow identification of the cause. This article reviews ST-T and QRS configurations specific to each diagnosis. Our first concern is myocardial infarction. However, several other conditions can also cause ST elevation.
Gauss-Newton Deformable Part Models for Face Alignment In-the-Wild

Arguably, Deformable Part Models (DPMs) are one of the most prominent approaches for face alignment with impressive results being recently reported for both controlled lab and unconstrained settings. Fitting in most DPM methods is typically formulated as a two-step process during which discriminatively trained part templates are first correlated with the image to yield a filter response for each landmark and then shape optimization is performed over these filter responses. This process, although computationally efficient, is based on fixed part templates which are assumed to be independent, and has been shown to result in imperfect filter responses and detection ambiguities. To address this limitation, in this paper, we propose to jointly optimize a part-based, trained in-the-wild, flexible appearance model along with a global shape model which results in a joint translational motion model for the model parts via Gauss-Newton (GN) optimization. We show how significant computational reductions can be achieved by building a full model during training but then efficiently optimizing the proposed cost function on a sparse grid using weighted least-squares during fitting. We coin the proposed formulation Gauss-Newton Deformable Part Model (GN-DPM). Finally, we compare its performance against the state-of-the-art and show that the proposed GN-DPM outperforms it, in some cases, by a large margin. Code for our method is available from http://ibug.doc. ic.ac. uk/resources.
Transposed letter effects in prefixed words: Implications for morphological decomposition

A crucial issue in word encoding is whether morphemes are involved in early stages. One paradigm that tests for this employs the transposed letter (TL) effect—the difference in the times to process a word (misfile) when it is preceded by a transposed letter (TL) prime (mifsile) and when it is preceded by a substitute letter (SL) prime (mintile)—and examines whether the TL effect is smaller when the two adjacent letters cross a morpheme boundary. The evidence from prior studies is not consistent. Experiments 1 and 2 employed a parafoveal preview paradigm in which the transposed letters either crossed the prefix-stem boundary or did not, and found a clear TL effect regardless of whether the two letters crossed the morpheme boundary. Experiment 3 replicated this finding employing a masked priming lexical-decision paradigm. It thus appears that morphemes are not involved in early processes in English that are sensitive to letter order. There is some evidence for morphemic modulation of the TL effect in other languages; thus, the properties of the language may modulate when morphemes influence early letter position encoding.
Embedded Bandits for Large-Scale Black-Box Optimization

Random embedding has been applied with empirical success to large-scale black-box optimization problems with low effective dimensions. This paper proposes the EmbeddedHunter algorithm, which incorporates the technique in a hierarchical stochastic bandit setting, following the optimism in the face of uncertainty principle and breaking away from the multiple-run framework in which random embedding has been conventionally applied similar to stochastic black-box optimization solvers. Our proposition is motivated by the bounded mean variation in the objective value for a low-dimensional point projected randomly into the decision space of Lipschitz-continuous problems. In essence, the EmbeddedHunter algorithm expands optimistically a partitioning tree over a low-dimensional — equal to the effective dimension of the problem —search space based on a bounded number of random embeddings of sampled points from the low-dimensional space. In contrast to the probabilistic theoretical guarantees of multiple-run random-embedding algorithms, the finite-time analysis of the proposed algorithm presents a theoretical upper bound on the regret as a function of the algorithm's number of iterations. Furthermore, numerical experiments were conducted to validate its performance. The results show a clear performance gain over recently proposed random embedding methods for large-scale problems, provided the intrinsic dimensionality is low.
Perinatal Outcomes in Cephalic Compared With Noncephalic Singleton Presentation in the Setting of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes Before 32 Weeks of Gestation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between fetal presentation at the time of admission for preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and perinatal outcomes, including gestational latency, among women in a large and well-characterized population with preterm PROM at less than 32 weeks of gestation. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of data from women randomized to receive magnesium sulfate compared with placebo in the previously reported Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate (1997–2004) trial. Women with a singleton gestation and preterm PROM were included. Fetal presentation at the time of randomization was recorded. Associations of fetal position (cephalic compared with noncephalic) with perinatal outcomes were compared using &khgr;2, Fisher exact, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Perinatal outcomes included gestational latency, abruption, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Multivariable regression (logistic, linear, and Cox) analyses were used to adjust for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Of the 1,767 eligible women, 439 (24.5%) had a noncephalic presentation. Noncephalic presentation was associated with an earlier median gestational age at the time of preterm PROM (26.6 compared with 28.4 weeks of gestation, P<.001), but no difference in gestational latency (7.5 compared with 7.7 days, P=.7, adjusted hazard ratio 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97–1.23). There were no differences in odds of abruption or neonatal morbidity in multivariable analyses. However, even after controlling for potential confounding factors including gestational age at delivery and mode of delivery, odds of neonatal death before discharge was greater for noncephalic gestations (11.5% compared with 3.4%, P<.001; adjusted odds ratio 2.24, 95% CI 1.12–4.48). CONCLUSION: Even after controlling for gestational age and route of delivery, noncephalic fetuses in the setting of preterm PROM are at greater risk of neonatal death.
Improving Rejection Performance on Handwritten Digits by Training with Rubbish

Very good performance for the classification of handwritten digits has been achieved using feedforward backpropagation networks (LeCun et al. 1990; Martin and Pittman 1990). These initial networks were trained and tested on clean, well-segmented images. In the real world, however, images are rarely perfect, which causes problems. For example, at one time one of our best performing digit classifiers interpreted a horizontal bar as a 2; in this example the most useful response would be to reject the image as unclassifiable. The aim of the work reported here was to train a network to reject the type of unclassifiable images (“rubbish”) typically produced by an automatic segmenter for strings of digits (e.g., zip codes), while maintaining its performance level at classifying digits, by adding images of rubbish to the training set.