Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Malleable Personality of Brands : The Winning Facets

Previous research on brand personality focuses either on building a scale or on understanding how consumers use the personality of brands to express their selves. This paper shows that brand personality should be redefined, and its measure purified. It then shows that the brand personality has a predictive value, demonstrating an impact on individuals’ behaviors towards the brand. Specifically, we analyze the three behaviors that cover the main possible interactions between an individual and a corporate brand: buying a product, buying stocks, and applying for a job. Using a new definition and a purified scale of brand personality, we show that the various facets of brand personality influence in different ways each of three above-cited behaviors, indicating that the personality of brands is and should be used as malleable.
Magazine Prices Revisited Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

This paper explores price adjustments in the magazine industry. In a frequently cited study, Cecchetti (1986) constructs a reduced-form (s,S) model for ̄rms selecting magazine cover prices. Cecchetti assumes that a ̄rm's optimal pricing rules are ̄xed for non-overlapping three-year intervals and estimates the model using a ̄xed-e®ects logit speci ̄cation from Chamberlain (1984). The estimates are inconsistent, however, due to the presence of lagged dependent variables. I illustrate the econometric problems in Cecchetti's results through a Monte Carlo exercise and then suggest a method for producing consistent estimates based upon Heckman and Singer (1984). The corrected results indicate that cumulative in°ation (since the previous price change) is the key determinant of a price change, but the speci ̄cation does not identify di®erences in the ̄xed-e®ects terms, as assumed by Cecchetti. I compare these results with estimates using alternative identi ̄cation assumptions. I ̄nd strong support for models of state-dependent rather than time-dependent pricing, but futher analysis of ¤Preliminary. This paper is a revised version of the ̄rst chapter of my Ph.D. dissertation. I would like to thank Russell Cooper for detailed discussions regarding problems of unobserved heterogeneity and state dependence and Stephen Cecchetti for providing me with the magazine data. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily re°ect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City or the Federal Reserve System. yCorrespondence to: Jonathan Willis; Economic Research Department; Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; 925 Grand Boulevard; Kansas City, MO 64198. Email: jonathan.willis@frb.kc. org.
Learning a locality preserving subspace for visual recognition

We have demonstrated that the face recognition performance can be improved significantly in low dimensional linear subspaces. Conventionally, principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are considered effective in deriving such a face subspace. However, both of them effectively see only the Euclidean structure of face space. We propose a new approach to mapping face images into a subspace obtained by locality preserving projections (LPP) for face analysis. We call this Laplacianface approach. Different from PCA and LDA, LPP finds an embedding that preserves local information, and obtains a face space that best detects the essential manifold structure. In this way, the unwanted variations resulting from changes in lighting, facial expression, and pose may be eliminated or reduced. We compare the proposed Laplacianface approach with eigenface and fisherface methods on three test datasets. Experimental results show that the proposed Laplacianface approach provides a better representation and achieves lower error rates in face recognition.
A chromatin modifying enzyme, SDG8, is involved in morphological, gene expression, and epigenetic responses to mechanical stimulation

Thigmomorphogenesis is viewed as being a response process of acclimation to short repetitive bursts of mechanical stimulation or touch. The underlying molecular mechanisms that coordinate changes in how touch signals lead to long-term morphological changes are enigmatic. Touch responsive gene expression is rapid and transient, and no transcription factor or DNA regulatory motif has been reported that could confer a genome wide mechanical stimulus. We report here on a chromatin modifying enzyme, SDG8/ASHH2, which can regulate the expression of many touch responsive genes identified in Arabidopsis. SDG8 is required for the permissive expression of touch induced genes; and the loss of function of sdg8 perturbs the maximum levels of induction on selected touch gene targets. SDG8 is required to maintain permissive H3K4 trimethylation marks surrounding the Arabidopsis touch-inducible gene TOUCH 3 (TCH3), which encodes a calmodulin-like protein (CML12). The gene neighboring was also slightly down regulated, revealing a new target for SDG8 mediated chromatin modification. Finally, sdg8 mutants show perturbed morphological response to wind-agitated mechanical stimuli, implicating an epigenetic memory-forming process in the acclimation response of thigmomorphogenesis.
Interferon-Inducible Protein 9 (CXCL11)-Induced Cell Motility in Keratinocytes Requires Calcium Flux-Dependent Activation of μ-Calpain

ABSTRACT Keratinocyte migration is critical to reepithelialization during wound repair. The motility response is promoted by growth factors, cytokines, and cytokines produced in the wound bed, including those that activate the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. The Alu-Leu-Arg-negative CXC chemokine interferon-inducible protein 9 (IP-9; also known as CXCL11, I-TAC, beta-R1, and H-174) is produced by keratinocytes in response to injury. As keratinocytes also express the receptor, CXCR3, this prompted us to examine the role and molecular mechanism by which IP-9 regulates keratinocyte motility. Unexpectedly, as CXCR3 liganding blocks growth factor-induced motility in fibroblasts, IP-9 alone promoted motility in undifferentiated keratinocytes (37 ± 6% of the level of the highly motogenic EGF) as determined in a two-dimensional in vitro wound healing assay. IP-9 even enhanced EGF-induced motility in undifferentiated keratinocytes (116 ± 5%; P< 0.05 compared to EGF alone), suggesting two separate mechanisms of action. IP-9-increased motility and -decreased adhesiveness required the intracellular protease calpain. The increases in both motility and calpain activity by IP-9 were blocked by pharmacological and molecular inhibition of phospholipase C-β3 and chelation of calcium, which prevented an intracellular calcium flux. Molecular downregulation or RNA interference-mediated depletion of μ-calpain (calpain 1) but not M-calpain (calpain 2) blocked IP-9-induced calpain activation and motility. In accord with elimination of IP-9-induced de-adhesion, RNA interference-mediated depletion of calpain 1 but not calpain 2 prevented cleavage of the focal adhesion component focal adhesion kinase and disassembly of vinculin aggregates. In comparison, EGF-induced motility of the same undifferentiated keratinocytes requires the previously described extracellular signal-regulated kinase to the M-calpain pathway. These data demonstrate that while both EGF- and IP-9-induced motility in keratinocytes requires calpain activity, the isoform of calpain triggered depends on the nature of the receptor for the particular ligand. Interestingly, physiological nonapoptotic calcium fluxes were capable of activating μ-calpain, implying that the calcium requirement of μ-calpain for activation is attained during cell signaling. This is also the first demonstration of differential activation of the two ubiquitous calpain isoforms in the same cell by different signals.
CONSTRAINTS ON ACOUSTIC SIGNALING AMONG BIRDS BREEDING IN SECONDARY CAVITIES: THE EFFECTS OF WEATHER, CAVITY MATERIAL, AND NOISE ON SOUND PROPAGATION

Increasing evidence suggests that anthropogenic noise from urbanization affects animal acoustic communication. We investigated whether the begging calls of nestling Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) varied along a disturbance gradient of ambient noise. Contrary to our prediction and the results of a previous study of nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), we found that nestling Eastern Bluebirds did not increase the amplitude or structural characteris- tics—including frequency, rate, and duration—of their vocalizations in response to ambient noise. However, we found that prevalent temperature and humidity conditions attenuated begging calls. Specifically, in warmer, more humid weather, vocalizations of nestling Eastern Bluebirds attenuated outside the nest box; this is consistent with research conducted on the propagation of sound in various mediums and temperatures. Finally, our results indicate that increased ambient noise is associated with a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio of nestling vocalizations. In other words, loud ambient noise likely masks chick begging calls, which suggests that chicks and par- ents may experience communication difficulties in noisy environments. We suggest that future studies explore the effects of ambient noise on parental behavior and aspects of parent-offspring communication and conflict that are related to raising a brood of nestlings.
Molecular Population Genetics and Phenotypic Diversification of Two Populations of the Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus

ABSTRACT We investigated the distributions of genetic and phenotypic variation for two Yellowstone National Park populations of the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Mastigocladus (Fischerella) laminosus that exhibit dramatic phenotypic differences as a result of environmental differences in nitrogen availability. One population develops heterocysts and fixes nitrogen in situ in response to a deficiency of combined nitrogen in its environment, whereas the other population does neither due to the availability of a preferred nitrogen source. Slowly evolving molecular markers, including the 16S rRNA gene and the downstream internal transcribed spacer, are identical among all laboratory isolates from both populations but belie considerable genetic and phenotypic diversity. The total nucleotide diversity at six nitrogen metabolism loci was roughly three times greater than that observed for the human global population. The two populations are genetically differentiated, although variation in performance on different nitrogen sources among genotypes could not be explained by local adaptation to available nitrogen in the respective environments. Population genetic models suggest that local adaptation is mutation limited but also that the populations are expected to continue to diverge due to low migratory gene flow.
Polynomial-time Isomorphism Test for Groups with Abelian Sylow Towers

We consider the problem of testing isomorphism of groups of order n given by Cayley tables. The trivial n^{log n} bound on the time complexity for the general case has not been improved over the past four decades. Recently, Babai et al. (following Babai et al. in SODA 2011) presented a polynomial-time algorithm for groups without abelian normal subgroups, which suggests solvable groups as the hard case for group isomorphism problem. Extending recent work by Le Gall (STACS 2009) and Qiao et al. (STACS 2011), in this paper we design a polynomial-time algorithm to test isomorphism for the largest class of solvable groups yet, namely groups with abelian Sylow towers, defined as follows. A group G is said to possess a Sylow tower, if there exists a normal series where each quotient is isomorphic to Sylow subgroup of G. A group has an abelian Sylow tower if it has a Sylow tower and all its Sylow subgroups are abelian. In fact, we are able to compute the coset of isomorphisms of groups formed as coprime extensions of an abelian group, by a group whose automorphism group is known. The mathematical tools required include representation theory, Wedderburn's theorem on semisimple algebras, and M.E. Harris's 1980 work on p'-automorphisms of abelian p-groups. We use tools from the theory of permutation group algorithms, and develop an algorithm for a parameterized versin of the graph-isomorphism-hard setwise stabilizer problem, which may be of independent interest.
A Circadian Rhythm in the Expression of PERIOD2 Protein Reveals a Novel SCN-Controlled Oscillator in the Oval Nucleus of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis

Circadian rhythms in mammals are regulated not only globally by the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), but also locally by widely distributed populations of clock cells in the brain and periphery that control tissue-specific rhythmic outputs. Here we show that the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST-OV) exhibits a robust circadian rhythm in expression of the Period2 (PER2) clock protein. PER2 expression is rhythmic in the BNST-OV in rats housed under a light/dark cycle or in constant darkness, in blind rats, and in mice, and is in perfect synchrony with the PER2 rhythm of the SCN. Constant light or bilateral SCN lesions abolish the rhythm of PER2 in the BNST-OV. Large abrupt shifts in the light schedule transiently uncouple the BNST-OV rhythm from that of the SCN. Re-entrainment of the PER2 rhythm is faster in the SCN than in the BNST-OV, and it is faster after a delay than an advance shift. Bilateral adrenalectomy blunts the PER2 rhythm in the BNST-OV. Thus, the BNST-OV contains circadian clock cells that normally oscillate in synchrony with the SCN, but these cells appear to require both input from the SCN and circulating glucocorticoids to maintain their circadian oscillation. Taken together with what is known about the functional organization of the connections of the BNST-OV with systems of the brain involved in stress and motivational processes, these findings place BNST-OV oscillators in a position to influence specific physiological and behavioral rhythms downstream from the SCN clock.
Broken Hearts and Battered Lives: Adverse and Abusive Life Histories and Externalized Responses to Anger as Pathways to Illicit Drug Use Among Incarcerated Women

Most incarcerated women suffer from adverse and abusive life histories, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect, and intimate partner violence (IPV). In addition, many have difficulties regulating their anger expression and most participate in illicit drug use. Although many have offered explanations for these relationships, the current study is among the first to utilize an integrated feminist pathways and general strain theory (GST) approach to explain them. Using data from a stratified random sample of all incarcerated women in Oklahoma (N = 441), we explore the linkages between ACEs, IPV, the externalized expression of anger, and heavy illicit drug use. Our findings indicate that childhood physical and sexual abuse are significantly associated with externalized responses to anger. However, the effects of childhood adversities, particularly sexual abuse, on heavy illicit drug use are mediated by externalized responses to anger suggesting that anger plays a significant role in women’s pathways to illicit drug use. In contrast, and somewhat surprisingly, being a victim of IPV was negatively related to externalized responses to anger and not significantly related to illicit drug use. Implications for the importance of utilizing an integrated feminist pathways and GST approach in future research are offered.
Effective Factors of the Adoption of Mobile Banking Services by Customers

This research is proposed to detect the effective factors of using the mobile banking services in Saderat Bank by using the Technology acceptance theory, Dissuasion of innovation theory, and also advice from national banking specialists. The model divides the effective factors of the adoption of mobile banking services to the two parts: mobile banking technology characteristic and demographic characteristic, Mobile banking technology characteristic includes perceptions of M-banking, ease of use, usefulness, cost, risk, compatibility with their lifestyle, and their need for interaction with personnel. And demographic characteristics cover gender, age, marital status, the level of education, and the yearly income. In this research we used a descriptive-field study methodology, by taking a sample of 666 people, where 350 people were mobile banking services users and 316 people not using the Saderat Bank services. We employed some descriptive statistics as well as statistical inference to find out the effective factors of using mobile bank services. According to the results of this research, among different mobile banking technology characteristics, the compatibility variables, the cost of using, trial ability and profitability were ranked by customers as effective factors of using the mobile banking services. It is worth to note that the other factors such as ease of use, risk and need for interaction were not important for using mobile banking services from the customer's perspective. Moreover, the gender factor was effective factor among demographic characteristics, while the marital status was not an important factor for using these services.
Sparse boosting

We propose a boosting algorithm that seeks to minimize the AdaBoost exponential loss of a composite classifier using only a sparse set of base classifiers. The proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and in test examples produces composite classifiers that are sparser and generalize as well those produced by Adaboost. The algorithm can be viewed as a coordinate descent method for the l1-regularized Adaboost exponential loss function.
Understanding the impact of geographies and space on the possibilities of peace activism

Current peace research has provided scholars with a range of conceptualizations of what peace is. Further, there is a substantial body of literature on the processes used to build peace – the how of peacebuilding. However, there is little research that examines the question of where peace and peacebuilding occur and how these spaces shape the possibilities of non-state actors to achieve their objectives. This article makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to the emerging debate by sketching out the concept of peace spaces and applying it to the United Nations’ controlled Buffer Zone in Cyprus, the geographical home of inter-communal peacebuilding. To determine how geographies impact on the possibilities of non-state peacebuilding actors, the article focuses on three elements, specifically, on how the physical space impacts on: (a) inclusion/exclusion of participants; (b) protection/control through elite actors; and (c) its influence on the discourses and solutions that can be imagined. The article finds that local and international actors alike make a clear connection between the physical space and political viewpoints, which has both enabling and restricting implications.
HUBUNGAN ANTARA RESILIENSI DENGAN STRES PADA MAHASISWA SEKOLAH TINGGI KEDINASAN

Mahasiswa sekolah tinggi kedinasan memiliki tingkat stres lebih tinggi karena sumber stress yang berbeda dibandingkan mahasiswa perguruan tinggi lain. Stres yang terjadi mempengaruhi keberlangsungan kehidupan mahasiswa di asrama dan pendidikan. Setiap mahasiswa memiliki cara yang berbeda untuk menyikapi stresor yang ada. Individu yang mampu bertahan tentunya mempunyai sikap dalam menghadapi stress sehingga setiap mahasiswa harus bisa menjadi resilien, yaitu dapat beradaptasi, mampu untuk bertahan, dan bangkit. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan antara resiliensi dengan stres pada mahasiswa sekolah tinggi kedinasan. Subjek dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 110 orang. Penelitian ini menggunakan alat ukur RQ ( Resilience Quotient ) untuk mengukur resiliensi dan SLSI ( Student-Life Stress Inventory ) untuk mengukur stres. Resiliensi memiliki enam dimensi, yaitu emotional regulation, impulse control, optimism, empathy, self-efficacy dan reaching out. Sedangkan stress memiliki dua dimensi, yaitu stressor dan reaksi terhadap stressor. Hasilnya terdapat hubungan signifikan yang negatif antara setiap dimensi resiliensi dan setiap dimensi stress. Hubungan yang paling tinggi terjadi antara dimensi emotional regulation dengan stressor (r = -0,307; p <0,05) dan dimensi empathy dengan reaksi terhadap stressor (r = -0,235; p <0,05). Dapat disimpulkan bahwa individu yang resiliensi akan memiliki stress yang lebih rendah. Sebaliknya, individu yang menunjukkan angka stress yang tinggi adalah individu yang cenderung kurang resilien.
Strain Selection, Biomass to Biofuel Conversion, and Resource Colocation have Strong Impacts on the Economic Performance of Algae Cultivation Sites

Decisions involving strain selection, biomass to biofuel technology, and the location of cultivation facilities can strongly influence the economic viability of an algae-based biofuel enterprise. We summarize our past results in a new analysis to explore the relative economic impact of these design choices. Our growth model is used to predict average biomass production for two saline strains (Nannocloropsis salina, Arthrospira sp.), one fresh to brackish strain (Chlorella sp., DOE strain 1412), and one freshwater strain (order Sphaeropleales). Biomass to biofuel conversion is compared between lipid extraction (LE) and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technologies. National-scale models of water, CO2 (as flue gas), land acquisition, site leveling, construction of connecting roads, and transport of HTL oil to existing refineries are used in conjunction with estimates of fuel value (from HTL) to prioritize and select from 88,692 unit farms (UF, 405 ha in pond area), a number sufficient to produce 136E+9 L yr-1 of renewable diesel (36 billion gallons yr-1). Strain selection and choice of conversion technology have large economic impacts, with differences between combinations of strains and biomass to biofuel technologies being up to $10 million dollars yr-1 UF-1. Results based on the most productive strain, HTL-based fuel conversion, and resource costs show that the economic potential between geographic locations within the selection can differ by up to $4 million yr-1 UF-1, with 1.8 BGY of production possible from the most cost-effective sites. The local spatial variability in site rank is extreme, with very high and low sites within 10s of km of each other. Colocation with flue gas sources has a strong influence on rank, but the most costly resource component varies from site to site. The highest rank UFs are located predominantly in Florida and Texas, but most states south of 37°N latitude contain promising locations.
Automatic Functional Harmonic Analysis

Abstract Music scholars have been studying tonal harmony intensively for centuries, yielding numerous theories and models. Unfortunately, a large number of these theories are formulated in a rather informal fashion and lack mathematical precision. In this article we present HarmTrace, a functional model of Western tonal harmony that builds on well-known theories of tonal harmony. In contrast to other approaches that remain purely theoretical, we present an implemented system that is evaluated empirically. Given a sequence of symbolic chord labels, HarmTrace automatically derives the harmonic relations between chords. For this, we use advanced functional programming techniques that are uniquely available in the Haskell programming language. We show that our system is fast, easy to modify and maintain, robust against noisy data, and that its harmonic analyses comply with Western tonal harmony theory.