Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficiency, subsidies and environmental adaptation of animal farming under CAP

The purpose of this paper is to model the interaction between the targets of the current CAP: environmental adaptation, subsidies and efficiency the of animal farming. To this end we first have to identify the production frontier and relative efficiency level for each animal oriented type of farm in the sample. The production frontier and efficiency index for each type of farm (assuming no specific production functions) are identified using DEA techniques. We then address the relationship between relative efficiency, farm size and environmentally friendly behavior realizing a non parametric regression of efficiency on economic size, a proxy for the degree of environmental appropriateness, and regional dummies. Calculations of the efficiency of the farms including direct subsidies, are compared with the counterfactual exercise in the case where direct subsidies are not considered. Finally, we look for relations between subsidies and factors such as farm size, efficiency and environmentally friendly behavior. One key result shows that on average absolute direct payments generally tend to increase efficiency. However, in most of the cases the mean efficiency decreases as the percentage of direct payments rises. Direct payments are found to be positively related to environmentally friendly production, at least in Germany. However, in general, the direct payment system is not sufficient to offset the fact that the less environmentally friendly farms as well as the larger ones are more efficient.
The dg2 (for) gene confers a renal phenotype in Drosophila by modulation of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase

SUMMARY Fluid transport in Drosophila melanogaster tubules is regulated by guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) signalling. Here we compare the functional effects on tubules of different alleles of the dg2 (foraging or for) gene encoding a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGK), and show that the fors allele confers an epithelial phenotype. This manifests itself as hypersensitivity of epithelial fluid transport to the nitridergic neuropeptide, capa-1, which acts through nitric oxide and cGMP. However, there was no significant difference in tubule cGK activity between fors and forR adults. Nonetheless, fors tubules contained higher levels of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (cG-PDE) activity compared to forR. This increase in cGMP-PDE activity sufficed to decrease cGMP content in fors tubules compared to forR. Challenge of tubules with capa-1 increases cGMP content in both fors and forR tubules, although the increase from resting cGMP levels is greater in fors tubules. Capa-1 stimulation of tubules reveals a potent inhibition of cG-PDE in both lines, although this is greater in fors; and is sufficient to explain the hypersensitive transport phenotype observed. Thus, polymorphisms at the dg2 locus do indeed confer a cGMP-dependent transport phenotype, but this can best be ascribed to an indirect modulation of cG-PDE activity, and thence cGMP homeostasis, rather than a direct effect on cGK levels.
What Determines the Typical Mass of Dense Coresin Quiescent, Nonmagnetized Molecular Clouds?

By means of one-dimensional simulations, we study the collapse of a quiescent, nonmagnetized filamentary molecular cloud, taking into account the heating and cooling processes. At the initial state, the model cloud has the central density of nc=103 cm-3 and temperature of T=15 K. We follow its contraction until the central density reaches nc≃1010 cm-3. The cloud contracts mainly due to the CO line cooling and cooling by gas-dust interactions. During the contraction, the cloud temperature stays nearly constant at T~10 K because the net radiative cooling rate nearly balances with the heating by gravitational compression, which is the most efficient heating source. When the central density exceeds 104-105 cm-3, a shock wave is formed at r~0.05 pc. The shock wave separates the cloud into two parts, i.e., a dense spindle and a diffuse envelope. The spindle slowly contracts due to cooling by gas-dust interactions. During the contraction, the outer part of the spindle has a power-law density distribution of ρ∝r−2, which is different from that expected by an isothermal model,ρ∝r−4. Applying linear theory, we find that the collapsing spindle is likely to fragment into dense cores by the stage that the central density reaches nc~108-109 cm-3 if the amplitude of the perturbation is greater than A≳10−2. The masses of the dense cores depend on the initial amplitude of the perturbation. When the initial amplitude of the perturbation is small (A≲10−1), the spindle fragments into cores with mass 0.1-0.5 M☉. On the other hand, when the spindle has relatively large inhomogeneity (A~10−1), it fragments into cores with mass ~10 M☉.
Regulating Code: Good Governance and Better Regulation in the Information Age

Internet use has become ubiquitous in the past two decades, but governments, legislators, and their regulatory agencies have struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing Internet technologies and uses. In this groundbreaking collaboration, regulatory lawyer Christopher Marsden and computer scientist Ian Brown analyze the regulatory shaping of "code" -- the technological environment of the Internet -- to achieve more economically efficient and socially just regulation. They examine five "hard cases" that illustrate the regulatory crisis: privacy and data protection; copyright and creativity incentives; censorship; social networks and user-generated content; and net neutrality. The authors describe the increasing "multistakeholderization" of Internet governance, in which user groups argue for representation in the closed business-government dialogue, seeking to bring in both rights-based and technologically expert perspectives. Brown and Marsden draw out lessons for better future regulation from the regulatory and interoperability failures illustrated by the five cases. They conclude that governments, users, and better functioning markets need a smarter "prosumer law" approach. Prosumer law would be designed to enhance the competitive production of public goods, including innovation, public safety, and fundamental democratic rights.
Distinct physiological and developmental properties of hippocampal CA2 subfield revealed by using anti-Purkinje cell protein 4 (PCP4) immunostaining

The hippocampal CA2 subfield was initially identified by Lorente de Nó as an anatomically distinct region based on its cytoarchitectural features. Although there is an enormous body of literature on other hippocampal subfields (CA1 and CA3), relatively little is known about the physiological and developmental properties of CA2. Here we report identification of the CA2 region in the mouse by immunostaining with a Purkinje cell protein 4 (PCP4) antibody, which effectively delineates CA3/CA2 and CA2/CA1 borders and agrees well with previous cytoarchitectural definitions of CA2. The PCP4 immunostaining–delineated CA2 neurons have distinguishable differences in cell morphology, physiology, and synaptic circuit connections compared with distal CA3 and proximal CA1 regions. The average somatic sizes of excitatory cells differ across CA1–3, with the smallest to largest somatic size being CA1
Trade Elasticity and Vertical Specialisation

This paper shows that vertical specialisation can increase the elasticity of trade to income, hence explaining dramatic events such as the great trade collapse. We argue that a change in the extent of vertical specialisation affects the elasticity of trade to income, while a mere change in global production levels for a given extent of vertical specialisation does not. In the model we show that only large demand shocks induce firms to vary the extent of vertical specialisation. Using panel data starting from the late 1990s that include the 2008-09 global crisis, we consistently find that the correlation between trade elasticity and vertical specialisation increases precisely in years of large demand shocks, such as the ICT euphoria and the great trade collapse.
Addiction and “Generation Me”: Narcissistic and Prosocial Behaviors of Adolescents with Substance Dependency Disorder in Comparison to Normative Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to explore narcissistic and prosocial behaviors as reported by adolescents with and without substance dependency disorder (SDD). This study employs a quasi-experimental design using adolescents with SDD compared with two normative samples of adolescents. In comparison to normative adolescents, adolescents with SDD were strongly distinguished by overt narcissistic behaviors and less monetary giving. Levels of narcissistic and prosocial behaviors among adolescents with SDD suggest a connection between self-centeredness and addiction. Results also suggest volunteerism as a potential option to counter narcissism in adolescents who are substance dependent.
Beyond Right and Left: New politics and the culture wars

Foreword.1. Beyond Right and Left . Part I: The Age of the Market.2. A world made by markets.3. The triumph of an idea.Part II: The End of the Old Ideas . 4. Ex-cons, neo-cons and the death of classical conservatism.5. What was socialism? Part III: The Culture War . 6. The culture war and moral politics.7. We're all in the same boat.8. Rethinking the family and care.Part IV: The Future.9. A new humanism.References. Index
CSF sulfatide distinguishes between normal pressure hydrocephalus and subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy

OBJECTIVES To examine the CSF concentrations of molecules reflecting demyelination, neuronal and axonal degeneration, gliosis, monoaminergic neuronal function, and aminergic and peptidergic neurotransmission in a large series of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) or subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy (SAE), to elucidate pathogenic, diagnostic, and prognostic features. METHODS CSF concentrations of glycosphingolipid (sulfatide), proteins (neurofilament triplet protein (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)), neuropeptides (vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA)), and monoamines (homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (HMPG)) were analysed in 43 patients with NPH and 19 patients with SAE. The diagnoses of NPH and SAE were based on strict criteria and patients with NPH were subsequently operated on. Twelve clinical variables, psychometric tests measuring perceptual speed, accuracy, learning, and memory and a psychiatric evaluation were performed in all patients and before and after a shunt operation in patients with NPH. RESULTS The CSF sulfatide concentration was markedly increased in patients with SAE (mean 766, range 300–3800 nmol/l) compared with patients with NPH (mean 206, range 50–400 nmol/l) (p<0.001). 5-HIAA, GABA, and VIP in CSF were higher in patients with SAE than in patients with NPH. The patients with NPH with cerebrovascular aetiology had higher sulfatide concentrations and a poorer outcome after shunt surgery than patients with NPH with other aetiologies. CONCLUSIONS The pathogenesis of the white matter changes in NPH and SAE is different and ischaemic white matter changes can be a part of the NPH state. The markedly increased CSF sulfatide concentrations in patients with SAE indicate ongoing demyelination as an important pathophysiological feature of SAE. The CSF sulfatide concentration distinguished between patients with SAE and those with NPH with a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 94%, making it an important diagnostic marker.
Convergence and Optimality of Adaptive Least Squares Finite Element Methods

The first-order div least squares finite element methods (LSFEMs) allow for an immediate a posteriori error control by the computable residual of the least squares functional. This paper establishes an adaptive refinement strategy based on some equivalent refinement indicators. Since the first-order div LSFEM measures the flux errors in $H$(div), the data resolution error measures the $L^2$ norm of the right-hand side $f$ minus the piecewise polynomial approximation $\Pi f$ without a mesh-size factor. Hence the data resolution term is neither an oscillation nor of higher order and consequently requires a particular treatment, e.g., by the thresholding second algorithm due to Binev and DeVore. The resulting novel adaptive LSFEM with separate marking converges with optimal rates relative to the notion of a nonlinear approximation class.
The University of Massachusetts TIPSTER project

The TIPSTER project in the Information Retrieval Laboratory of the Computer Science Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (which includes MCC and David Lewis of the University of Chicago as subcontractors), is focusing on the following goals:&bull; Improving the effectiveness of information retrieval techniques for large, full-text databases,&bull; Improving the effectiveness of routing techniques appropriate for long-term information needs, and&bull; Demonstrating the effectiveness of these retrieval and routing techniques for Japanese full-text databases.
The complete genome sequence of the murine respiratory pathogen Mycoplasma pulmonis.

Mycoplasma pulmonis is a wall-less eubacterium belonging to the Mollicutes (trivial name, mycoplasmas) and responsible for murine respiratory diseases. The genome of strain UAB CTIP is composed of a single circular 963 879 bp chromosome with a G + C content of 26.6 mol%, i.e. the lowest reported among bacteria, Ureaplasma urealyticum apart. This genome contains 782 putative coding sequences (CDSs) covering 91.4% of its length and a function could be assigned to 486 CDSs whilst 92 matched the gene sequences of hypothetical proteins, leaving 204 CDSs without significant database match. The genome contains a single set of rRNA genes and only 29 tRNAs genes. The replication origin oriC was localized by sequence analysis and by using the G + C skew method. Sequence polymorphisms within stretches of repeated nucleotides generate phase-variable protein antigens whilst a recombinase gene is likely to catalyse the site-specific DNA inversions in major M.pulmonis surface antigens. Furthermore, a hemolysin, secreted nucleases and a glyco-protease are predicted virulence factors. Surprisingly, several of the genes previously reported to be essential for a self-replicating minimal cell are missing in the M.pulmonis genome although this one is larger than the other mycoplasma genomes fully sequenced until now.
Galaxy luminosity function and its cosmological evolution: testing a new feedback model depending on galaxy-scale dust opacity

We present a new version of a semi-analytic model of cosmological galaxy formation, incorporating a star formation law with a feedback depending on the galaxy-scale mean dust opacity and metallicity, motivated by recent observations of star formation in nearby galaxies and theoretical considerations. This new model is used to investigate the effect of such a feedback on shaping the galaxy luminosity function and its evolution. Star formation activity is significantly suppressed in dwarf galaxies by the new feedback effect, and the faint-end slope of local luminosity functions can be reproduced with a reasonable strength of supernova feedback, which is in contrast to the previous models that require a rather extreme strength of supernova feedback. Our model can also reproduce the early appearance of massive galaxies manifested in the bright-end of high-redshift K-band luminosity functions. Though some of the previous models also succeeded in reproducing this, they assumed a star formation law depending on the galaxy-scale dynamical time, which is not supported by observations. We argue that the feedback depending on dust opacity (or metal column density) is essential, rather than that simply depending on gas column density, to get these results.
Beyond Object Recognition: Visual Sentiment Analysis with Deep Coupled Adjective and Noun Neural Networks

Visual sentiment analysis aims to automatically recognize positive and negative emotions from images. There are three main challenges, including large intra-class variance, fine-grained image categories, and scalability. Most existing methods predominantly focus on one or two challenges, which has limited their performance. In this paper, we propose a novel visual sentiment analysis approach with deep coupled adjective and noun neural networks. Specifically, to reduce the large intra-class variance, we first learn a shared middle-level sentiment representation by jointly learning an adjective and a noun deep neural network with weak label supervision. Second, based on the learned sentiment representation, a prediction network is further optimized to deal with the subtle differences which often exist in the fine-grained image categories. The three networks are trained in an end-to-end manner, where the middle-level representations learned in previous two networks can guide the sentiment network to achieve high performance and fast convergence. Third, we generalize the training with mutual supervision between the learned adjective and noun networks by a Rectified Kullback-Leibler loss (ReKL), when the adjective and noun labels are not available. Extensive experiments on two widely-used datasets show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art on SentiBank dataset with 10.2% accuracy gain and surpasses the previous best approach on Twitter dataset with clear margins.
Robust collaboration and interaction in a multi-agent system basing on hierarchical networks

This paper considers the capability of collaboration and interaction between agents in a new architecture of multi-agent systems (MAS) basing on the thought of network behavior and co-evolution. Actually, current development of MAS nearly synchronously accompanies with the development of communication networks ever increasingly because the approaches of information exchange are mainly depended on the modes of data transmission and the spectacular of advanced communication technologies. The real detailed complexity inside the media transmission platform is masked in the proposed architecture of MAS so that the complex processes of data dissemination can be coped with reasonably and simply by way of decentralized intelligent agents. According to the simulation result and the comparison with other typical models of MAS, the presented architecture of MAS and its running mechanism exhibit better advantages such as flexibility, robustness and expansibility suited to the collaboration and interaction among decentralized agents in MAS. Toward the future research, some related optimal algorithms and running mechanisms concerning the integrated performance and the complexity of the MAS's architecture will be investigated and developed.
Trends in vegetation activity and their climatic correlates: China 1982 to 1998

We combined a satellite-derived Leaf Area Index (LAI) dataset and a gridded climate dataset to analyse trends in vegetation activity and their correlation with climate variability in China between 1982 and 1998. Vegetation activity over the growing season increased 11.03% in China during the 17-year period, which is broadly consistent with the greening trend in the northern high latitudes in Eurasia and North America shown in previous studies. Approximately 99×106 ha of croplands and 35×106 ha of forest exhibited significant upward trends in growing season LAI, and accounted for 53% and 19% of the total vegetated area with greening trends, respectively. Temperature was the leading climatic factor controlling greening patterns. However, trends in agricultural practices, such as increased use of high-yield crops and application of chemical fertilizers, along with land-use changes such as afforestation and reforestation probably made a greater contribution to the greening trend than temperature. Increased vegetation activity in forests suggests an increasing carbon stock in forest biomass in China, which supports previous studies based on satellite sensor data and forest inventory data.
Factors affecting orthodontists' management of the retention phase.

OBJECTIVE To test the null hypothesis that orthodontist characteristics and factors related to retainer choice do not influence the management of the retention phase with regard to frequency and duration of follow-up care provided. MATERIALS AND METHODS Orthodontists (n = 1000) were randomly selected to participate in an online survey divided into three categories: background, retainer choice, and time management. RESULTS Of the 1000 selected participants, 894 responded. When deciding the type of retainer to use, the following were considered most frequently: pretreatment malocclusion (91%), patient compliance (87%), patient oral hygiene (84%), and patients' desires (81%). Orthodontists who considered the presence of third molars (P = .03) or "special needs" patients (P = .02) had significantly more follow-up visits than those who did not. When vacuum-formed retainers (VFRs) were prescribed, there were significantly fewer visits (P = .02) compared to when other types of retainers were used. As practitioner experience increased, so did the number of visits (P < .0001). Orthodontists who considered the primary responsibility of retention to fall on the patient had significantly fewer follow-up visits (P < .0001) than those who considered it either a joint or orthodontist-only responsibility. CONCLUSIONS The null hypothesis was rejected because the number of follow-up visits during the retention phase was affected by practitioner experience, whether VFRs were used, whether the orthodontist considered the presence of third molars or special-needs patients when choosing the type of retainer, and to whom the orthodontist attributed responsibility during the retention phase.
Classification of compact ancient solutions to the curve shortening flow

We consider an embedded convex ancient solution $\Gamma_t$ to the curve shortening flow in $\mathbb{R}^2$. We prove that there are only two possibilities: the family $\Gamma_t$ is either the family of contracting circles, which is a type I ancient solution, or the family of evolving Angenent ovals, which correspond to a type II ancient solution to the curve shortening flow. We also give a necessary and sufficient curvature condition for an embedded, closed ancient solution to the curve shortening flow to be convex.
Strategic orientations , marketing capabilities and innovation : an empirical investigation

Interest in the strategic orientations of firms and their impact on performance has increased in recent years. Customer orientation with a view to satisfying customers? needs is often contrasted to more product or technology-related orientations that rely on research for new product development ideas. Our study links these orientations directly to innovation by examining their relationship with the ability of firms to develop and commercialize innovative products. Our empirical analysis is based on survey data from a sample of 1645 French firms. Our results show that, different from previous studies, high levels of both customer orientation and technology orientation are able to influence the innovativeness of firms. Further, our analysis shows that firms with lower levels of customer orientation benefit more from marketing capabilities than firms whose strategic orientation is towards the which are strategically oriented to understanding of the needs and wants of customers.