Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Distributed Querying of Linked Data

The concept of Linked Data has appeared recently in order to allow publishing data on the Web in a more suitable form enabling automated processing by programs and not only by human users. Linked Data are based primarily on RDF triples, which are also modeled as graph data. Despite the research effort in recent years, several questions in the area of Linked Data indexing and querying remain open, not only since the amount of Linked Data globally available significantly increases each year. Our ongoing research effort should result in a proposal of a new querying system dealing with several disadvantages of the existing approaches identified in our previous work. They are especially related to data scaling, dynamicity and distribution.
Chromosomal breakpoint re-use in the inference of genome sequence rearrangement

In order to apply gene-order rearrangement algorithms to the comparison of genome sequences, Pevzner and Tesler [9] bypass gene finding and ortholog identification, and use the order of homologous blocks of unannotated sequence as input. The method excludes blocks shorter than a threshold length and ignores small block-internal rearrangements. Here we investigate possible biases introduced by eliminating and amalgamating short blocks, focusing on the notion of "breakpoint re-use" introduced by these authors. Analytic and simulation methods show that re-use is very sensitive to threshold size and to parameters of the rearrangement process. As is pertinent to the comparison of mammalian genomes, large thresholds in the context of high rates of small rearrangements risk randomizing the comparison completely. We suggest a number of mathematical, algorithmic and statistical lines for further developing the Pevzner-Tesler approach.
The Party's Over: The Role of Earnings Guidance in Resolving Sentiment-Driven Overvaluation

This paper shows that an important link between investor sentiment and firm overvaluation is optimistic earnings expectations, and that management earnings guidance aids in resolving sentiment-driven overvaluation. Using the firm characteristics identified by Baker and Wurgler (2006), we find that most of the negative returns to uncertain firms in months following high sentiment periods fall within the three-day window around management earnings guidance issuance. Comparisons of guidance months to non-guidance months show that guidance issuance affects the magnitude and not just the daily distribution of negative returns. There is also some evidence of negative returns around earnings announcements for firms that previously issued guidance, suggesting that guidance does not entirely correct optimistic earnings expectations. To provide additional insight into the strength of the guidance effect, we show that the market reacts more strongly to surprises and particularly negative surprises following high sentiment periods. Finally, firms with higher transient institutional ownership are less likely to guide and their guidance is less likely to contain bad news following high sentiment periods, indicating that managers with a short-term focus are hesitant to correct optimistic market expectations.
Gender Differences in Learning Styles: Nurturing a Gender and Style Sensitive Computer Science Classroom.

The gender digital divide has been widely discussed and researched over the years. Previous studies have focused on a number of factors such as computer attitude, computer anxiety, computer self-efficacy, and computer experience. This study empirically tested the sensitivity of a learning style instrument, the Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD), to gender in a sample of students who studied computer programming in Hong Kong secondary schools. Results indicated that females had higher preference for concrete sequential (CS) and abstract random (AR) compared with males. Males had higher preference for concrete random (CR) than females. From these results, we proposed learning style-based pedagogical practices to teach computer programming. In order to address the needs of female students, we further proposed that learning style-based pedagogical practices need to move from a gender neutral to gender sensitive approach. This proposal helps to improve student learning through individualisation in pedagogy in terms of gender and learning styles and contributes to a gender and style sensitive computer science classroom. Eventually, through various remedial interventions, we anticipate more female participation in computer science field and hence the gender issue is addressed.
Caspase-Dependent and -Independent Cell Death Pathways in Primary Cultures of Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons after Neurotoxin Treatment

Although the cause of neuronal death in Parkinson's disease (PD) is mainly unknown, growing evidence suggests that both apoptotic and non-apoptotic death may occur in PD. Using primary cultures of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons and the MN9D dopaminergic neuronal cell line, we attempted to evaluate specifically the existence of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, focusing on the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c to the activation of the caspases after 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) treatment. Both immunofluorescent labeling and immunoblot analysis indicated mitochondrial release of cytochrome c into the cytosol after 6-OHDA or MPP+ treatment. However, the appearance of activated caspase-3 immunoreactivity in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons was detected only after 6-OHDA. Immunoblot and biochemical analysis also confirmed that activation of both caspase-9 and caspase-3 was induced by 6-OHDA, but not by MPP+. Consequently, cotreatment with a caspase inhibitor (zVAD-fmk) or with an antioxidant (N-acetylcysteine) not only deterred 6-OHDA-induced loss of TH-positive neurons but also abolished the appearance of activated caspase-3 in TH-positive neurons. In contrast, the same treatment did not spare MPP+-treated TH-positive neurons. Interestingly, a reconstitution assay indicated that the addition of ATP to the cytosolic fraction obtained from MPP+-treated cells was sufficient to activate both caspase-9 and caspase-3. Taken together, our results indicate that distinct mechanisms underlie neurotoxin-induced cell death. They also suggest that, after mitochondrial release of cytochrome c in dopaminergic neurons after neurotoxin treatment, intracellular levels of ATP may constitute a critical factor in determining whether a neuron will die by a caspase-dependent or -independent pathway.
Fingerprint Image Enhancement: Segmentation to Thinning

Fingerprint has remained a very vital index for human recognition. In the field of security, series of Automatic Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) have been developed. One of the indices for evaluating the contributions of these systems to the enforcement of security is the degree with which they appropriately verify or identify input fingerprints. This degree is generally determined by the quality of the fingerprint images and the efficiency of the algorithm. In this paper, some of the sub-models of an existing mathematical algorithm for the fingerprint image enhancement were modified to obtain new and improved versions. The new versions consist of different mathematical models for fingerprint image segmentation, normalization, ridge orientation estimation, ridge frequency estimation, Gabor filtering, binarization and thinning. The implementation was carried out in an environment characterized by Window Vista Home Basic operating system as platform and Matrix Laboratory (MatLab) as frontend engine. Synthetic images as well as real fingerprints obtained from the FVC2004 fingerprint database DB3 set A were used to test the adequacy of the modified sub-models and the resulting algorithm. The results show that the modified sub-models perform well with significant improvement over the original versions. The results also show the necessity of each level of the enhancement. Keyword- AFIS; Pattern recognition; pattern matching; fingerprint; minutiae; image enhancement.
Agronomic and Seed Quality Traits Dissected by Genome-Wide Association Mapping in Brassica napus

In Brassica napus breeding, traits related to commercial success are of highest importance for plant breeders. However, such traits can only be assessed in an advanced developmental stage. Molecular markers genetically linked to such traits have the potential to accelerate the breeding process of B. napus by marker-assisted selection. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identify (i) genome regions associated with the examined agronomic and seed quality traits, (ii) the interrelationship of population structure and the detected associations, and (iii) candidate genes for the revealed associations. The diversity set used in this study consisted of 405 B. napus inbred lines which were genotyped using a 6K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and phenotyped for agronomic and seed quality traits in field trials. In a genome-wide association study, we detected a total of 112 associations between SNPs and the seed quality traits as well as 46 SNP-trait associations for the agronomic traits with a P < 1.28e-05 (Bonferroni correction of α = 0.05) for the inbreds of the spring and winter trial. For the seed quality traits, a single SNP-sulfur concentration in seeds (SUL) association explained up to 67.3% of the phenotypic variance, whereas for the agronomic traits, a single SNP-blossom color (BLC) association explained up to 30.2% of the phenotypic variance. In a basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) search within a distance of 2.5 Mbp around these SNP-trait associations, 62 hits of potential candidate genes with a BLAST-score of ≥100 and a sequence identity of ≥70% to A. thaliana or B. rapa could be found for the agronomic SNP-trait associations and 187 hits of potential candidate genes for the seed quality SNP-trait associations.
After the fall: Regulatory focus, trust and negotiators’ responses to a crisis

ABSTRACT In two experiments, we evaluated how negotiators’ intra- and interpersonal risk preferences influenced their actions following a crisis during their negotiation. To establish differences in risk preferences, we manipulated negotiators’ regulatory focus (intrapersonal risk) and trust in their opponent (interpersonal risk). In Experiments 1 and 2, we showed that negotiators who were in fit (promotion focus, affect-based trust; prevention focus, cognition-based trust) were more likely to favor the more risky option of continuing to negotiate with a new strategy than negotiators who were not in fit (promotion focus, cognition-based trust; prevention focus, affect-based trust). In E2, we also compared benign and adversarial environments by manipulating trust level (low vs high). Trust level, rather than influencing strategy following a crisis, influenced negotiators’ willingness to take risks to reach agreement: Distance from agreement did not influence negotiators’ willingness to take risks when trust was low but, when trust was high, willingness to take risks increased as distance from agreement increased. Finally, we showed that the importance of reaching a favorable agreement was influenced by both trust level and distance from agreement when negotiators had a promotion focus but not when they had a prevention focus. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Penal reform, anti-carceral feminist campaigns and the politics of change in women’s prisons, Victoria, Australia

This paper emphasises the importance of locating contemporary abolitionist social movements within a continuum of broader struggles against structural injustice. Previous decades have seen the re-emergence of women’s penal reform programmes framed as progressive solutions for alleviating the structural disadvantages and harms associated with imprisonment. Abolitionists have provided fierce critiques of the risks these pose in reinforcing the legitimacy and scale of imprisonment. However, we have yet to articulate a clear vision regarding the utility of reform in relation to decarceration strategies. In presenting a critical exploration of anti-carceral feminist campaign work in Victoria, Australia, this paper advocates the need to move beyond the simplistically conceived dualism of reform and abolition. The analysis explores how anti-carceral feminists have used reform as a resistance strategy within Victorian anti-discrimination campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s. Placed in historical context, these campaigns demonstrate the transformative possibilities and risks associated with the necessary navigation and pursuit of reformist strategies that is fundamental to a politics and practice of abolition.
THE IMPACT OF THE 1986 TAX REFORM ON EX-DIVIDEND DAY VOLUME AND PRICE BEHAVIOR

This paper examines the impact of the 1986 Tax Reform Act (TRA) on trading volume and stock price behavior around the ex-dividend day. The paper shows that changes in capital gain taxes exert a differential effect on the trading volume and ex-day premiums of stocks with different yields and transaction costs. Results show that the trading volume around the ex-dividend day declines añer the implementation of the tax law. There is evidence that short-term traders continue to focus on high-yield stocks añer the 1986 tax reform and the magnitude of exdividend day premiums is directly related to their short-term trading activity. Ex-dividend day premiums and abnormal trading volume around the ex-dividend day are significantly affected by transaction costs, and these effects appear to be stronger after 1986.
Sunk Costs , Market Structure And Welfare : A General Equilibrium Interpretation

This paper develops a general equilibrium model with the purpose of identifying fundamental determinants of market structure and their welfare impact. The main effects are derived from the interaction between horizontal and vertical differentiation, induced by different sets of exogenous and endogenous sunk costs. The former are found to be positively correlated with market concentration and market power, but their relation to welfare approaches an inverted U-shaped curve. On the other hand, endogenous sunk costs parameters are found to be positively correlated with market concentration, but negatively with market power, as long as no price coordination takes place. Their relation to welfare approaches a U-shaped curve. These results carry important policy implications, detailing new reasons why simple concentration indicators are not a sufficient statistic for welfare evaluations. The model also suggests new tools in order to improve these assessments. , making use of observable variables to proxy for unobservable determinants.
Effects of Light With Reduced Short Wavelength Components on Parameters of Circadian Rhythm and Performance in an Experimental Night Shift Model

Shift work is associated with alterations in physiological circadian patterns resulting in chronic diseases, e.g. cardiovascular disorders or major depression. The intensity and spectral composition of light is known to affect the 24 h- rhythm of our body. We investigated the effects of two different lighting environments on parameters of circadian rhythm and performance in healthy volunteers during an experimental night shift. Test light with a low color temperature was compared to normal light with a higher color temperature. Melatonin synthesis, red and white blood count, blood pressure, heart rate and indicators of performance were analyzed. Nocturnal increases in melatonin were more pronounced under low color temperature lighting conditions. This was not associated with limited degrees of arousal or vigilance. Mainte- nance of a normal nocturnal rhythm of melatonin with adapted illumination may provide a benefit for employees well- being without affecting their productivity.
COLLOID-FACILITATED TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES IN NATURAL GROUNDWATER SYSTEMS—LITERATURE REVIEW

iii TABLES . vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . ix
Silent myocardial ischaemia and long-term coronary artery disease outcomes in apparently healthy people from families with early-onset ischaemic heart disease.

AIMS A family history of premature coronary artery disease (CAD) in an apparently healthy individual conveys an increased risk of future CAD. The extent to which inducible myocardial ischaemia exists and is associated with long-term incident CAD in apparently healthy siblings of early-onset CAD patients is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Asymptomatic siblings (n = 1287, aged 30-59 years) of patients with onset of CAD <60 years of age underwent risk factor screening and maximal graded treadmill testing with nuclear perfusion imaging, and were followed for incident CAD events for up to 25 years. Incident CAD occurred in 15.2% of siblings (68% acute coronary syndromes); mean time to first CAD event was 8.2 ± 5.2 years. Inducible ischaemia was highly prevalent in male siblings (26.9%), and was independently associated with incident CAD. Male siblings ≥ 40 years of age who were low or intermediate risk by traditional risk assessment, had a prevalence of inducible ischaemia and a 10-year risk of incident CAD that were near or ≥ 20%. In female siblings ≥ 40 years of age, the presence of inducible ischaemia was also independently associated with incident CAD, but the prevalence of inducible ischaemia was markedly lower, as was the risk of incident CAD. CONCLUSION Inducible ischaemia is highly prevalent in male siblings, suggesting a previously unknown long quiescent period before the occurrence of a clinical event. While inducible ischaemia is associated with a worse prognosis, male siblings with negative tests still bear a high risk of incident disease, such that we propose that in male siblings over 40 years of age, aggressive primary prevention interventions be instituted without nuclear testing. For women, the prevalence of ischaemia was so low as to not warrant screening, but the incidence of CAD was high enough to at least warrant lifestyle interventions.
Algorithms and Bounds for Sampling-based Approximate Policy Iteration

Several approximate policy iteration schemes without value functions, which focus on policy representation using classifiers and address policy learning as a supervised learning problem, have been proposed recently. Finding good policies with such methods requires not only an appropriate classifier, but also reliable examples for the best actions, covering all of the state space. One major question is how to find a good covering efficiently. However, up to this time, little work has been done to reduce the sample complexity of such methods, especially in continuous state spaces. This paper focuses on the simplest possible classification strategy / policy representation for such spaces (a discretised grid) and performs a samplecomplexity comparison between previously the simplest (and commonly) sample allocation strategy, which allocates samples equally at each state under consideration, and an almost as simple method, which is shown to require significantly fewer samples.
Ownership Structure, Corporate Status and Corporate Performance in Chinese Business Groups

Business groups show significant influence on economy area in emerging markets. This paper examines a core problem of corporate governance in business groups, say relationship between ownership structure and firm performance, especially how corporate status influence this relation. A total sample of business group, including headquarters and subsidiaries, in Chinese stock market is analyzed. It is found that tradable shares is positively related to corporate market value in all business groups and ownership concentration show a significant relationship with firm financial performance only in subsidiaries. In addition, managerial ownership shows no effect on firm performance in neither headquarters nor subsidiaries.
A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity

This paper presents a parameter covariance matrix estimator which is consistent even when the disturbances of a linear regression model are heteroskedastic. This estimator does not depend on a formal model of the structure of the heteroskedasticity. By comparing the elements of the new estimator to those of the usual covariance estimator, one obtains a direct test for heteroskedasticity, since in the absence of heteroskedasticity, the two estimators will be approximately equal, but will generally diverge otherwise. The test has an appealing least squares interpretation.
Seeing mathematics: Perceptual experience and brain activity in acquired synesthesia

We studied the patient JP who has exceptional abilities to draw complex geometrical images by hand and a form of acquired synesthesia for mathematical formulas and objects, which he perceives as geometrical figures. JP sees all smooth curvatures as discrete lines, similarly regardless of scale. We carried out two preliminary investigations to establish the perceptual nature of synesthetic experience and to investigate the neural basis of this phenomenon. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, image-inducing formulas produced larger fMRI responses than non-image inducing formulas in the left temporal, parietal and frontal lobes. Thus our main finding is that the activation associated with his experience of complex geometrical images emerging from mathematical formulas is restricted to the left hemisphere.
Theoretical analysis and performance limits of noncoherent sequence detection of coded PSK

A theoretical performance analysis of noncoherent sequence detection schemes previously proposed by the authors for combined detection and decoding of coded M-ary phase-shift keying (M-PSK) is presented. A method for the numerical evaluation of the pairwise error probability-for which no closed-form expressions exist-is described, the classical union bound is computed, and results are compared with computer simulations. An upper bound on this pairwise error probability is also presented. This upper bound may be effectively used for the definition of an equivalent distance, which may be useful in exhaustive searches for optimal codes. Using this bound, it is proven that, in the general coded case, the considered noncoherent decoding schemes perform as close as desired to an optimal coherent receiver when a phase memory parameter is sufficiently large. In the case of differentially encoded M-PSK, a simple expression of the asymptotic bit-error probability is derived, which is in agreement with simulations for high as well as low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Relation Between Aggression Exposure During Youth and Later Resting Skin Conductance Levels

ABSTRACT Recent research efforts have focused on examining the relationship between environmental and physiological factors to better understand the effect that childhood chronic stress might have on adult health outcomes. This study examines the relation between childhood parental aggression exposure and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), as measured by resting skin conductance levels (SCLs). Participants (N = 155) completed retrospective self-report measures of childhood exposure to interparental aggression and physically aggressive parenting. The 2-way interaction between exposure to physically aggressive parenting and interparental aggression accounted for unique variance in adulthood SCL. Sex differences emerged in this relationship. Results suggest that the type of aggression exposure might play an important role in the relationship between stressors in youth and resting SNS activity in adulthood. Future research areas are identified, including the need to examine plasticity in the SNS depending on the age of experienced aggression and the age of intervention.