Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the Phytotoxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on Two Crop Plants, Maize (Zea mays L.) and Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

In this study, the phytotoxicity of seven metal oxide nanoparticles(NPs)—titanium dioxide (nTiO2), silicon dioxide (nSiO2), cerium dioxide (nCeO2), magnetite (nFe3O4), aluminum oxide (nAl2O3), zinc oxide (nZnO) and copper oxide (nCuO)—was assessed on two agriculturally significant crop plants (maize and rice). The results showed that seed germination was not affected by any of the seven metal oxide NPs. However, at the concentration of 2000 mg·L−1, the root elongation was significantly inhibited by nCuO (95.73% for maize and 97.28% for rice), nZnO (50.45% for maize and 66.75% for rice). On the contrary, minor phytotoxicity of nAl2O3 was only observed in maize, and no obvious toxic effects were found in the other four metal oxide NPs. By further study we found that the phytotoxic effects of nZnO, nAl2O3 and nCuO (25 to 2000 mg·L−1) were concentration dependent, and were not caused by the corresponding Cu2+, Zn2+ and Al3+ ions (0.11 mg·L−1, 1.27 mg·L−1 and 0.74 mg·L−1, respectively). Furthermore, ZnO NPs (<50 nm) showed greater toxicity than ZnO microparticles(MPs)(<5 μm) to root elongation of both maize and rice. Overall, this study provided valuable information for the application of engineered NPs in agriculture and the assessment of the potential environmental risks.
The State of the Art Ten Years After a State of the Art: Future Research in Music Information Retrieval

Abstract A decade has passed since the first review of research on a ‘flagship application’ of music information retrieval (MIR): the problem of music genre recognition (MGR). During this time, about 500 works addressing MGR have been published, and at least 10 campaigns have been run to evaluate MGR systems. This makes MGR one of the most researched areas of MIR. So, where does MGR now lie? We show that in spite of this massive amount of work, MGR does not lie far from where it began, and the paramount reason for this is that most evaluation in MGR lacks validity. We perform a case study of all published research using the most-used benchmark dataset in MGR during the past decade: GTZAN. We show that none of the evaluations in these many works is valid to produce conclusions with respect to recognizing genre, i.e. that a system is using criteria relevant for recognizing genre. In fact, the problems of validity in evaluation also affect research in music emotion recognition and autotagging. We conclude by discussing the implications of our work for MGR and MIR in the next ten years.
Objectively Measured Physical Activity Is Negatively Associated with Plasma Adiponectin Levels in Minority Female Youth

Objective. To evaluate the relationship between adiponectin and physical activity (PA) in minority female youth. Methods. Plasma adiponectin was measured in 39 females (mean age years; 30 Latina, 9 African-American; 56% overweight). PA was assessed by accelerometry. Mean minutes per day spent in daily PA (DPA) (≥3 metabolic equivalents (METs)), moderate PA (MPA)(4–7 METs), vigorous PA (VPA)(≥7 METs), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA)(≥4 METs) were calculated. The association between adiponectin and PA, controlling for age, fat weight, lean weight, and insulin sensitivity (SI) was analyzed using linear regression. Results. Adiponectin correlated with fat weight (, ) and SI (, ). Minutes spent in DPA (, ), MPA (, ), or MVPA (, ) were predictors of adiponectin in the adjusted model. Conclusions. Higher PA levels were related to lower adiponectin levels. Potential mechanisms include upregulation of adiponectin receptors or an increase in high-molecular weight adiponectin with increasing PA.
Characterizing synaptic protein development in human visual cortex enables alignment of synaptic age with rat visual cortex

Although many potential neuroplasticity based therapies have been developed in the lab, few have translated into established clinical treatments for human neurologic or neuropsychiatric diseases. Animal models, especially of the visual system, have shaped our understanding of neuroplasticity by characterizing the mechanisms that promote neural changes and defining timing of the sensitive period. The lack of knowledge about development of synaptic plasticity mechanisms in human cortex, and about alignment of synaptic age between animals and humans, has limited translation of neuroplasticity therapies. In this study, we quantified expression of a set of highly conserved pre- and post-synaptic proteins (Synapsin, Synaptophysin, PSD-95, Gephyrin) and found that synaptic development in human primary visual cortex (V1) continues into late childhood. Indeed, this is many years longer than suggested by neuroanatomical studies and points to a prolonged sensitive period for plasticity in human sensory cortex. In addition, during childhood we found waves of inter-individual variability that are different for the four proteins and include a stage during early development (<1 year) when only Gephyrin has high inter-individual variability. We also found that pre- and post-synaptic protein balances develop quickly, suggesting that maturation of certain synaptic functions happens within the 1 year or 2 of life. A multidimensional analysis (principle component analysis) showed that most of the variance was captured by the sum of the four synaptic proteins. We used that sum to compare development of human and rat visual cortex and identified a simple linear equation that provides robust alignment of synaptic age between humans and rats. Alignment of synaptic ages is important for age-appropriate targeting and effective translation of neuroplasticity therapies from the lab to the clinic.
International Public Goods and the Case for Foreign Aid

In the presence of international public goods, donors are faced with two instruments whereby recipient utility may be altered -contributions towards the international public good and direct transfers (conventional foreign aid). The self-interested donor's optimal choice of transfer-contributions combinations will typically depend upon the public goods technology. Some technologies call for a corner solution, with either transfers or contributions set to zero, and others are characterised by interior solutions, where the donor's optimal strategy calls for a positive transfers and positive contributions. Whether or not the presence of an international public good strengthens the case for conventional foreign liid transfers is therefore not always obvious.
Mumford-Shah on the Move : Region-based Segmentation on Deforming Manifolds with Application to 3-D Reconstruction of Shape and Appearance from Video

We address the problem of estimating the shape and appearance of a scene made of smooth Lambertian surfaces with piecewise smooth albedo. We allow the scene to have self-occlusions and multiple connected components. This class of scenes is known to approximate well man-made objects. We assume we are given a number of images taken from different vantage points. Mathematically this problem can be posed as an extension of Mumford and Shah’s approach to static image segmentation to the segmentation of a function defined on a deforming surface. We propose an iterative procedure to minimize a global cost functional that combines geometric priors on both the shape of the scene and the boundary between smooth albedo regions. We carry out the numerical implementation in the level set framework.
A Theory of Labor Market Segmentation

A growing body of empirical research has documented persistent divisions among American workers: divisions by race, sex, educational credentials, industry grouping, and so forth (F. B. Weisskoff, B. Bluestone, S. Bowles and H. Gintis, D. Gordon, 1971 and 1972, B. Harrison, M. Reich, H. Wachtel and C. Betsey, and H. Zellner). These groups seem to operate in different labor markets, with different working conditions, different promotional opportunities, different wages, and different market institutions. These continuing labor market divisions pose anomalies for neoclassical economists. Orthodox theory assumes that profitmaximizing employers evaluate workers in terms of their individual characteristics and predicts that labor market differences among groups will decline over time because of competitive mechanisms (K. Arrow). But by most measures, the labor market differences among groups have not been disappearing (R. Edwards, M. Reich, and T. Weisskopf, chs. 5, 7, 8). The continuing importance of groups in the labor market thus is neither explained nor predicted by orthodox theory. Why is the labor force in general still so fragmented? Why are group characteristics repeatedly so important in the labor market? In this paper, we sum-
Activation of μ-opioid receptors inhibits calcium-currents in the vestibular afferent neurons of the rat through a cAMP dependent mechanism

Opioid receptors are expressed in the vestibular endorgans (afferent neurons and hair cells) and are activated by the efferent system, which modulates the discharge of action potentials in vestibular afferent neurons (VANs). In mammals, VANs mainly express the μ opioid-receptor, but the function of this receptors activation and the cellular mechanisms by which they exert their actions in these neurons are poorly studied. To determine the actions of μ opioid receptor (MOR) and cell signaling mechanisms in VANs, we made perforated patch-clamp recordings of VANs that were obtained from postnatal days 7 to 10 (P7–10) rats and then maintained in primary culture. The MOR agonist [D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) inhibited the total voltage-gated outward current; this effect was prevented by the perfusion of a Ca2+-free extracellular solution. We then studied the voltage-gated calcium current (Ica) and found that DAMGO Met-enkephalin or endomorphin-1 inhibited the ICa in a dose-response fashion. The effects of DAMGO were prevented by the MOR antagonist (CTAP) or by pertussis toxin (PTX). The use of specific calcium channel blockers showed that MOR activation inhibited T-, L- and N-type ICa. The use of various enzyme activators and inhibitors and of cAMP analogs allowed us to demonstrate that the MOR acts through a cAMP dependent signaling mechanism. In current clamp experiments, MOR activation increased the duration and decreased the amplitude of the action potentials and modulated the discharge produced by current injection. Pre-incubation with PTX occluded MOR activation effect. We conclude that MOR activation inhibits the T-, L- and N-type ICa through activation of a Gαi/o protein that involves a decrease in AC-cAMP-PKA activity. The modulation of ICa may have an impact on the synaptic integration, excitability, and neurotransmitter release from VANs.
Bivariate FIGARCH and Fractional Cointegration on a Common Market - An Application to the LME Copper and Aluminium Volatility Processes

This paper replicates the bivariate FIGARCH model used by Brunetti and Gilbert (2000) in which they look at oil price volatility on two separate markets (NYMEX and the IPE). We apply their model to consider the inter-relationship between LME copper and aluminium volatility. Our results show that aluminium and copper are both long memory processes but are not integrated of the same order. We therefore reject fractional cointegration, suggesting that there is no reason why volatilities for two separate (albeit similar) assets should display fractional cointegration, irrespective of the fact that they traded on the same market. Fundamental related factors go beyond the trading process in the determination of the volatility process.
Vascular Health and Risk Management Niacin Extended-release/simvastatin Combination Therapy Produces Larger Favorable Changes in High-density Lipoprotein Particles than Atorvastatin Monotherapy

Background: The purpose of this research was to compare the effects of niacin extended-release in combination with simvastatin (NER/S) versus atorvastatin monotherapy on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle number and size in patients with hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia from the SUPREME study. Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of patients (n = 137) who completed the SUPREME study and who had lipid particle number and size measurements at both baseline and at week 12 by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Following $4 weeks without lipid-modifying therapy (washout period), the patients received NER/S 1000/40 mg/day for 4 weeks followed by NER/S 2000/40 mg/day for 8 weeks, or atorvastatin 40 mg/day for 12 weeks. Median percent changes in HDL particle number and size from baseline to week 12 were compared between the NER/S and atorvastatin treatment groups using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Distribution of HDL particle subclasses at week 12 was compared between the treatment groups using the Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test. Results: Treatment with NER/S resulted in a significantly greater percent reduction in small HDL particle number at week 12 compared with atorvastatin monotherapy (−1.8% versus 4.2%, P = 0.014), and a numerically greater percent increase in large HDL particle number (102.4% versus 39.2%, P = 0.078) compared with atorvastatin monotherapy. A significantly greater percent increase in HDL particle size from baseline at week 12 was observed with NER/S compared with atorvastatin (6.0% versus 1.3%, P , 0.001). NER/S treatment also resulted in a significant shift in HDL particle size from small and medium at baseline to large at week 12 (P , 0.0001). Conclusion: Treatment with NER/S resulted in larger favorable changes in number and size of HDL particle subclasses compared with atorvastatin monotherapy, including a numerically greater increase in number of large HDL particles, and a significantly greater decrease in number of small HDL particles compared with atorvastatin monotherapy. In addition, NER/S treatment resulted in a significant change in HDL particle size distribution from small and medium to large.
Chernobyl’s Aftermath in Political Symbols, Monuments and Rituals: Remembering the Disaster in Belarus

In spite of the still on-going health and environmental impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, this tragic event occupies only a minor place in the present-day political life of Belarus, the former Soviet republic most affected by the radioactive fallout. To understand the apparent weakness in public memory of the disaster, this paper provides an analysis of several kinds of commemorative events that have been organized by opposition political forces and by state officials since the end of the 1990s, and of the monuments dedicated to the Chernobyl accident in Belarus. It shows how these different forms of memory contributed to the erasure of the specific meaning of the accident by framing the disaster’s past in terms of a tragedy among other national tragedies, and by reducing it merely to a tool to attack political opponents and legitimize one’s own aspirations to power or by suggesting this past should be overcome as soon as possible . Keywords: Belarus, Chernobyl accident, nuclear disaster, memory politics, political rituals
The Structure of Social Networks

Inspired by empirical studies of networked systems such as the Internet, social networks and biological networks, researchers have in recent years developed a variety of techniques and models to help us understand or predict the behaviour of these complex systems. In this chapter we will introduce some of the key concepts of complex networks and review some of the major findings from the field. Leading on from this background material we will show that analysing the patterns of interconnections between agents can be used to detect dominance relationships. Another important aspect of social order is the enforcement of social norms. By coupling network theory, game theory and evolutionary algorithms, we will examine the role that social networks (the structure of the interactions between agents) play in the emergence of social norms. Empirical and theoretical studies of networks are important stepping stones in gaining a deeper understanding of the dynamics and organisation of the complex systems that surround us. Introduction Many of the systems that surround us, such as road traffic flow, communication networks, densely populated communities, ecosystems with competing species, or the human brain (with neurons), are large, complex, dynamic, and highly nonlinear in their global behaviour. However, over the past 10 years it has been shown that many complex systems exhibit similar topological features in the way their underlying elements are arranged (Albert and Barabási 2002). Underlying much of the current research is the notion that, in some way, topology affects dynamics that take place on the network, and vice versa. In this chapter I will explore some of the properties of complex social networks. One of the most well known properties of social networks is the small-world phenomenon. This is something that most of us have experienced. Often we meet people with whom we have little in common, and unexpectedly find that we share a mutual acquaintance. The idea of '6 degrees of separation' is now firmly embedded in folklore, embracing everyone from Kevin Bacon to Monica Lewinsky (Watts 2003). Analysis of social networks has shown that the patterns of interactions that surround each of us, often determines our opportunities, level of influence, social circle, wealth, and even our mental well being.
Confidence Intervals for Autoregressive Coefficients Near One

Often we are interested in the largest root of an autoregressive process. Available methods rely on inverting t-tests to obtain confidence intervals. However, for large autoregressive roots, t-tests do not approximate asymptotically uniformly most powerful tests and do not have optimality properties when inverted for confidence intervals. We exploit the relationship between the power of tests and accuracy of confidence intervals, and suggest methods which are asymptotically more accurate than available interval construction methods. One interval, based on inverting the P(T) or Q(T) statistic, has good asymptotic accuracy and is easy to compute.
The human capital that matters: expected returns and the income of affluent households

We implement the human capital CAPM (HCAPM) using the income growth of high income households, rather than aggregate income growth, to proxy the return to human capital (HCRT). We find that identifying the HCRT with the income growth of affluent households, those who are most likely to hold stocks, substantially improves the performance of the HCAPM. Specifically, the pricing errors, R-square’s, average returns on factor mimicking portfolios, and performance relative to other macro-finance models uniformly improve as the HCRT is identified with the income growth of successively more affluent households.
A New Light from Old Wisdoms: Alternative Estimation Methods of Simultaneous Equations with Possibly Many Instruments

We compare four dffierent estimation methods for a coefficient of a linear structural equation with instrumental variables. As the classical methods we consider the limited information maximum likelihood (LIML) estimator and the two-stage least squares (TSLS) estimator, and as the semi-parametric estimation methods we consider the maximum emirical likelihood (MEL) estimator and the generalized method of moments (GMM) (or the estimating equation) estimator. We prove several theorems on the asymptotic optimality of the LIML estimator when the number of instruments is large, which are new as well as old, and we relate them to the results in some recent studies. Tables and figures of the distribution functions of four estimators are given for enough values of the parameters to cover most of interest. We have found that the LIML estimator has good performance when the number of instruments is large, that is, the micro-econometric models with many instruments in the terminology of recent econometric literature.
International Migrations: Some Comparisons and Lessons for the European Union

The revival of international migration in the last fifteen years has spurred economists to more systematically study their determinants and consequences. This contribution expands the existing literature in two directions. First we focus on the European Union as a whole and compare it to the US and other countries with net immigration (Canada, Australia and Switzerland). In so doing we establish some important facts about their capacity to attract migrant, and to foster internal migration across countries. Second, we analyze more systematically the causes and consequences of international migration of workers with different educational levels. We use a recent data set based on census information on natives and foreign born in 28 OECD countries for the year 2000. Four important facts emerge: 1) The European Union, far from acting like an integrated labor market (such as the US), exhibits low levels of cross-country internal mobility (for all skill levels) even compared to other OECD countries. 2) The European Union lags far behind the US and other immigration countries (Canada, Australia, Switzerland) in its ability to attract immigrants from outside (for all skills levels). 3) While typical immigration economies attract international migrants whose schooling achievements are complementary to those of natives, thus increasing wages for a majority of their natives, the EU attracts immigrants whose education levels mirror those of its natives and may depress wage for a majority of them. 4) Within the EU, Great Britain is the most similar to the immigration economies in terms of its ability to attract skilled migrants and in the composition of immigrants across schooling groups.
Portuguese Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Economic Growth: A Time Series Analysis

This paper examines the relationships between economic growth , energy consumption, trade openness and carbon dioxide emissions for the period 1970-2009 in case of Portugal. In doing so, we use a time series (OLS estimator, the regression with Newey -West standard errors, and ARMA model). We also apply the test of unit root (the Argument Dickey-Fuller test, ADF). The empirical results show that economic growth is directly linked with carbon dioxide emissions. The energy consumption and international trade have positive impact on carbon dioxide emissions. Our results are according to the existence of environmental Kuznets Curve.
1 Supporting Information : Convergent evolution of mechanically optimal locomotion in aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates

Supporting Information: Convergent evolution of mechanically optimal locomotion in aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates Rahul Bale, Izaak D. Neveln, Amneet Pal Singh Bhalla, Malcolm A. MacIver1,2,3,∗, Neelesh A. Patankar1,∗ 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA 3 Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA ∗ E-mails: n-patankar@northwestern.edu, maciver@northwestern.edu
Non-Parametric Direct Multi-Step Estimation for Forecasting Economic Processes

We evaluate the asymptotic and finite-sample properties of direct multi-step estimation (DMS) for forecasting at several horizons. For forecast accuracy gains from DMS in finite samples, mis-specification and non-stationarity of the DGP are necessary, but when a model is well-specified, iterating the one-step ahead forecasts may not be asymptotically preferable. If a model is mis-specified for a non-stationary DGP, omitting either negative residual serial correlation or regime shifts, DMS can forecast more accurately. Monte Carlo simulations clarify the non-linear dependence of the estimation and forecast biases on the parameters of the DGP, and explain existing results.