Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Winning games for bounded geodesics in Teichmueller discs

We prove that for the flat surface defined by a holomorphic quadratic differential the set of directions such that the corresponding Teichmüller geodesic lies in a compact set in the corresponding stratum is a winning set in Schmidt game. This generalizes a classical result in the case of the torus due to Schmidt and strengthens a result of Kleinbock and Weiss. 1. Statement of theorem The purpose of this paper is to prove the following theorem. Theorem 1. Let q be a holomorphic quadratic differential on a closed Riemann surface of genus g > 1. Then the set E of directions θ in the circle S such that the Teichmüller geodesic defined by eq stays in a compact set of the corresponding stratum in the moduli space of quadratic differentials is a winning set for Schmidt game and absolute winning in the sense of McMullen. We call the directions in E bounded directions. Here is an equivalent formulation of the theorem (Proposition 1 establishes equivalence). Theorem 2. Let S = {(θ, L) : θ is the direction of a saddle connection of q of length L}. Then the set E of bounded directions ψ in the circle is the same as {ψ : inf (θ,L)∈S L|θ − ψ| > 0} and this is an absolute winning set. As an immediate corollary we get the following result which was first proved by Kleinbock and Weiss [2] using quantitative non-divergence of horocycles [4]. Corollary 1. The set of directions such that the Teichmüller geodesic stays in a compact set has Hausdorff dimension 1. It is well-known that a billiard in a polygon ∆ whose vertex angles are rational multiples of π gives rise to a translation surface by an unfolding process. We have the following corollary to Theorem 2. Corollary 2. Given any angle θ ∈ E, there is an > 0, such that no billiard path of length smaller than L starting at a vertex enters an L neighborhood of another vertex of ∆. The authors are partially supported by NSF grants DMS 1004372, 0956209, 0905907. 1 2 JONATHAN CHAIKA, YITWAH CHEUNG, HOWARD MASUR Since for any 0 < α < 2π and n ∈ Z, the set E+nα (mod 2π) as an isometric image of E, is also Schmidt winning with the same winning constant for each n Therefore the infinite intersection ∩n∈Z(E + nα) is Schmidt winning, and thus has Hausdorff dimension 1. This gives the following corollary. Corollary 3. For any α there is Hausdorff dimension 1 set of angles θ such that for any n, there is n > 0 such that a billiard path at angle θ + nα(mod(2π)) and length at most L from a vertex does not enter a neighborhood of radius n L of any vertex. Another corollary uses the absolute winning property but does not follow just from Schmidt winning. Corollary 4. Let E ′ = {θ : ∀n ∈ Z \ {0}, nθ ∈ E}. Then E ′ has Hausdorff dimension 1. 1.1. Acknowledgments. The authors would like to thank Dmitry Kleinbock and Barak Weiss for telling the first author about this delightful problem and helpful conversations.
Preferential binding of a G-quadruplex ligand to human chromosome ends

The G-overhangs of telomeres are thought to adopt particular conformations, such as T-loops or G-quadruplexes. It has been suggested that G-quadruplex structures could be stabilized by specific ligands in a new approach to cancer treatment consisting in inhibition of telomerase, an enzyme involved in telomere maintenance and cell immortality. Although the formation of G-quadruplexes was demonstrated in vitro many years ago, it has not been definitively demonstrated in living human cells. We therefore investigated the chromosomal binding of a tritiated G-quadruplex ligand, 3H-360A (2,6-N,N′-methyl-quinolinio-3-yl)-pyridine dicarboxamide [methyl-3H]. We verified the in vitro selectivity of 3H-360A for G-quadruplex structures by equilibrium dialysis. We then showed by binding experiments with human genomic DNA that 3H-360A has a very potent selectivity toward G-quadruplex structures of the telomeric 3′-overhang. Finally, we performed autoradiography of metaphase spreads from cells cultured with 3H-360A. We found that 3H-360A was preferentially bound to chromosome terminal regions of both human normal (peripheral blood lymphocytes) and tumor cells (T98G and CEM1301). In conclusion, our results provide evidence that a specific G-quadruplex ligand interacts with the terminal ends of human chromosomes. They support the hypothesis that G-quadruplex ligands induce and/or stabilize G-quadruplex structures at telomeres of human cells.
Use of Orthogonal Arrays and Design of Experiments via Taguchi methods in Software Testing

: - To solve the problem of great number of test cases, and to force the configuration testing to be effective, combinatorial testing is proposed, using an Orthogonal Array Testing Strategy (OATS) as a systematic, statistical way of testing pair-wise interactions. This combinatorial approach to software testing uses models to generate a minimal number of test inputs so that selected combinations of input values are covered. The OAT method can simultaneously reduce testing costs, product introduction delays, and faults going to the field by generating test cases that are more efficient and thorough in finding faults. Often the result is a 50% reduction in the number of tests and detection of more faults. An advantage of the Taguchi method application in Software Testing is that it emphasizes a mean performance characteristic (Defect fixing time and cost of software Quality) value close to the target value rather than a value within certain specification limits, thus improving the product quality. Additionally, Taguchi's method for experimental design is straightforward and easy to apply as we did for defect Cost to fix [$] and Total Resolution time [Days] minimisation versus controlled factors: Severity, Complexity and engineers Experience to many engineering situations, making it a powerful yet simple tool.
Serum prohepcidin levels are potential prognostic markers in patients with multiple myeloma

Prohepcidin is the prohormone of hepcidin. Anemia is one of the main clinical features in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and hepcidin may be associated with iron homeostasis in these patients. However, the clinical significance of prohepcidin is not fully understood. In this retrospective study, we measured serum prohepcidin levels using an immunoassay technique to study its clinical significance in 39 MM patients. Serum prohepcidin levels in patients with MM were weakly correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (r=0.32, P=0.048), calculated by Spearman’s rank correlation, but not with other clinical data, including hemoglobin, serum iron or ferritin. In addition, patients with severe renal insufficiency [creatinine clearance (CCr) <50 ml/min] had significantly higher prohepcidin levels compared with patients with mild or no renal insufficiency (CCr ≥50 ml/min, P=0.047). In contrast, low serum prohepcidin levels less than 110 ng/ml were an independent predictor of poor overall survival [hazard ratio (HR), 5.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.65–17.03] in addition to serum creatinine levels of at least 2 mg/dl (HR, 5.32; CI, 1.10–25.64), serum calcium (HR, 3.53; CI, 1.01–12.33) and ECOG performance status grade 4 (HR, 4.15; CI, 1.32–13.09) in the multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model. In the subset of 31 MM patients with CCr ≥50 ml/min, low serum prohepcidin (HR, 5.65; CI, 1.60–19.95) was an indicator of poor prognosis in multivariate analysis. These results indicate that serum prohepcidin levels may be associated with ALP and renal function but not iron homeostasis, in MM patients. In addition, lower serum prohepcidin levels are potential independent indicators of poor overall survival in MM patients regardless of renal function.
Sports Journalists and Their Source of Information: A Conflict of Interests and Its Resolution

The sociocultural context of sports journalists, comprising journalism on the one hand and the sports spectacle on the other, induces a conflict of interests. Journalists must endeavor to gain and maintain a minimum of professional credibility and sustain a close relationship with the source of information. This article presents two resolutive practices used by sports journalists as a means of dealing with this conflict. The first is the sports journalises ambivalent behavior toward the source of information. The second is the sports journalises use of a sociodramatic narrative feeding a loss-of-control scenario. These practices, respectively interactive and discursive, are discussed as well as their relationship to the sports journalise’s conflict of interests.
Structure and Stimulus Familiarity: A Study of Memory in Chess-Players with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

A grandmaster and an international chess master were compared with a group of novices in a memory task with chess and non-chess stimuli, varying the structure and familiarity of the stimuli, while functional magnetic resonance images were acquired. The pattern of brain activity in the masters was different from that of the novices. Masters showed no differences in brain activity when different degrees of structure and familiarity where compared; however, novices did show differences in brain activity in such contrasts. The most important differences were found in the contrast of stimulus familiarity with chess positions. In this contrast, there was an extended brain activity in bilateral frontal areas such as the anterior cingulate and the superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyri; furthermore, posterior areas, such as posterior cingulate and cerebellum, showed great bilateral activation. These results strengthen the hypothesis that when performing a domain-specific task, experts activate different brain systems from that of novices. The use of the experts-versus-novices paradigm in brain imaging contributes towards the search for brain systems involved in cognitive processes. Un gran maestro y un maestro internacional de ajedrez se compararon con un grupo de aficionados en una tarea de memoria con estímulos ajedrecísticos y no ajedrecísticos, variando la estructura y familiaridad de los estímulos, mientras se tomaron imágenes cerebrales usando resonancia magnética funcional. El patrón de activación cerebral difirió entre los maestros y los aficionados. Los maestros no presentaron ninguna diferencia en activación cerebral cuando se compararon distintos niveles de familiaridad y estructura de los estímulos; en cambio, los aficionados presentaron diferencias en activación cerebral en dichas comparaciones. Las diferencias más considerables se encontraron en el contraste de familiaridad del estímulo en posiciones de ajedrez. En ese contraste hubo una extensa actividad cerebral bilateral en regiones frontales como la corteza cingulada anterior y los giros frontales superior, medio e inferior; asimismo, áreas posteriores como la corteza cingulada posterior y el cerebelo también mostraron gran activación bilateral. Estos resultados fortalecen la hipótesis de que cuando los expertos realizan tareas específicas de dominio activan sistemas cerebrales diferentes a los que usan los aficionados ejecutando la misma tarea. El uso del paradigma expertos-versus- novatos en imaginería cerebral contribuye a la búsqueda de sistemas cerebrales involucrados en procesos cognoscitivos.
Civic Engagement Among Older Chinese Internet Users

424 Manuscript received: July 11, 2007; final revision received: November 21, 2007; accepted: November 25, 2007. Author’s Note: This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0431373. The author would like to thank Kim Fortun, Ken Fleischmann, two anonymous reviewers, and the editor for their constructive comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Please send correspondence to Bo Xie at boxie@umd.edu. Civic Engagement Among Older Chinese Internet Users
Response of cutaneous sensory units with unmyelinated fibers to noxious stimuli.

the concept that sense organs of the skin with unmyelinated (C) fibers have widely varying functional characteristics. In the mammal, a large proportion of such sensory units are excited by gentle mechanical stimuli (8, 16, 34) and by transient cooling (9). Others are described as responding best to small temperature changes (13, 18) and some are reported to have elevated thresholds for various or all stimuli (14, 15, 18, 32). Studies proposing large and important differences between various afferent units with C fibers have drawn conclusions from a small or highly selected population and no view has been provided of the way in which these differences fit into the spectrum presented by the sensory structures from a given skin region. Such information seems essential for the understanding of somatic sensation inasmuch as unmyelinated fibers far outnumber myelinated fibers in the afferent nerves from the skin. In particular, unmyelinated afferent fibers are generally agreed to have some causal relation to pain and its associated reactions (3, 6, 7, 25). A crucial issue in hypotheses correlating afferent activity to pain is whether the underlying mechanisms are set off by impulses from sensory structures responding only to noxious stimuli (i.e., intense enough to threaten or (cause tissue damage) or whether they are triggered by special patterns of discharge from nonspecific afferent units (25). In an attempt to learn more about the range of behavior associated with the terminals of cutaneous C fibers, we surveyed a number of randomly sele,cted units for responses to a variety of graded stimuli. The results point out that a large proportion of
Small Steps Approach to Tackling Software Quality in a Commercial Setting

In this work we summarise our approaches to improve software quality in a commercial organisation. We present different aspects of software quality that span across the organisation and which are not limited only to the software development. We present the approaches at design, tool, and process levels. We also present the future directions of our research. All the presented approaches add up to a small-step way of tackling software quality issues in a company.
Survey Evidence on Wage Rigidity: Sweden in the 1990s*

We present the results from a repeat survey on wage rigidity in a sample of 159 Swedish firms, conducted during a prolonged period of very high unemployment and very low inflation. We document the virtual absence of wage cuts, and trace this pervasive nominal rigidity to a set of interacting factors, including the legal status of the wage contract, the structure of bargaining institutions, and the design of social insurance. But employees’ concerns about fairness and relative wages also appear to play an important role. In addition, we report new results on underbidding, efficiency wage mechanisms, and unemployment persistence.
Novel Seed Adaptations of a Monocotyledon Seagrass in the Wavy Sea

Returning to the sea, just like invasion of land, has occurred in many groups of animals and plants. For flowering plants, traits adapted to the terrestrial environments have to change or adopt a new function to allow the plants to survive and prosper in the sea where water motion tends to rotate and move seeds. In this investigation, how seeds of the seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Hydrocharitaceae), a common monocotyledon in the Indo-Pacific, adapt to the wavy environment was studied. Mature seeds were collected from Dongsha Atoll in South China Sea. The effects of light qualities on seed germination, the seed morphology, the unipolar distribution of starch granules in the endosperms and growth of root hair-like filamentous cells from basal surface of the seeds were all found to differ from those of terrestrial monocotyledons. Physiologically, germination of the seeds was stimulated by blue light rather than red light. Morphologically, the bell-shaped seeds coupled with the unipolar distribution of starch granules in the enlarged bases helped maintain their upright posture on the tidal seafloor. Growth of root hair-like filamentous cells from the basal surface of the seeds prior to primary root growth served to attach onto sediments, providing leverage and attachment required by the primary roots to insert into sediments. These filamentous cells grasped coral sand but not silicate sand, demonstrating a habitat preference of this species.
Evaluation of asthma control, parents’ quality of life and preference between AeroChamber Plus and AeroChamber Plus Flow-Vu spacers in young children with asthma

Abstract Objective: The AeroChamber Plus (AC) valved holding chamber has been enhanced to include the Flow-Vu (FV) inspiratory flow indicator that provides visual inhalation feedback during use. We have investigated if FV alters asthma control and whether parents accept it. Methods: At visit 1, children with asthma, age 1–5 years, used an AC with their pressurised metered dose inhaler and 2 weeks later (visit 2) they were randomised to use either AC or FV. Subjects returned 6 (visit 3) and 12 (visit 4) weeks later. The Asthma Control (ACQ) and Paediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life (PACQLQ) questionnaires were scored at each visit, and their peak inhalation flow (PIF) when they used their spacer was measured. Results: Forty participants in each group completed the study. There was no difference in the ACQ scores from visits 2 to 4 between the two groups. The improvements in the PACQLQ scores were greater in the FV group (p = 0.029). The mean difference (95% confidence interval) for the change from visits 2 to 4 between FV and AC groups was 0.05 (−0.33, 0.43) and 0.39 (0.035, 0.737) for the ACQ and PACQLQ, respectively. Most parents preferred the FV (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the PIF rates at each visit and between the two spacers. Conclusions: There was no change in asthma control of the young children but that of their parents improved. Parents preferred the FV and this could be related to their improved perception of their children’s asthma control by better PACQLQ scores.
Splash-3: A properly synchronized benchmark suite for contemporary research

Benchmarks are indispensable in evaluating the performance implications of new research ideas. However, their usefulness is compromised if they do not work correctly on a system under evaluation or, in general, if they cannot be used consistently to compare different systems. A well-known benchmark suite of parallel applications is the Splash-2 suite. Since its creation in the context of the DASH project, Splash-2 benchmarks have been widely used in research. However, Splash-2 was released over two decades ago and does not adhere to the recent C memory consistency model. This leads to unexpected and often incorrect behavior when some Splash-2 benchmarks are used in conjunction with contemporary compilers and hardware (simulated or real). Most importantly, we discovered critical performance bugs that may question some of the reported benchmark results. In this work, we analyze the Splash-2 benchmarks and expose data races and related performance bugs. We rectify the problematic benchmarks and evaluate the resulting performance. Our work contributes to the community a new sanitized version of the Splash-2 benchmarks, called the Splash-3 benchmark suite.
Technical Note: Determination of the SCS initial abstraction ratio in an experimental watershed in Greece

Abstract. The present study was conducted in an experimental watershed in Attica, Greece, using observed rainfall/runoff events. The objective of the study was the determination of the initial abstraction ratio of the watershed. The average ratio (Ia/S) of the entire watershed was equal to 0.014. The corresponding ratio at a subwatershed was 0.037. The difference was attributed to the different spatial distribution of landuses and geological formations at the extent of the watershed. Both of the determined ratios are close to the ratio value of 0.05 that has been suggested from many studies for the improvement of the SCS-CN method.
Changes in the Anatomic and Microscopic Structure and the Expression of HIF-1α and VEGF of the Yak Heart with Aging and Hypoxia

The study aimed to identify the changes of anatomic and microscopic structure and the expression and localization of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the myocardium and coronary artery of the yak heart adapted to chronic hypoxia with aging. Thirty-two yaks (1 day, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 5 year old) were included, and immunoelectronmicroscopy, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used. Right ventricular hypertrophy was not present in yaks with aging. There was no intima thickening phenomenon in the coronary artery. The ultrastructure of myofibrils, mitochondria, and collagen fibers and the diameter and quantity of collagen changed significantly with aging. The enzymatic activity of complexes I, II, and V increased with age. Immunogold labeling showed the localization of HIF-1α protein in the cytoplasm and nuclei of endothelial cells and cytoplasm of cardiac muscle cells, and VEGF protein in the nuclei and perinuclei areas of smooth muscle cells of coronary artery, and in the cytoplasm and nuclei of endothelial cells. ELISA results showed that HIF-1α secretion significantly increased in the myocardium and coronary artery from an age of 1 day to 2 years of yaks and decreased in old yaks. However, VEGF protein always increased with aging. The findings of this study suggest that 6 months is a key age of yak before which there are some adaptive changes to deal with low-oxygen environment, and there is a maturation of the yak heart from the age of 6 months to 2 years.
Understanding attitude towards help seeking in predicting preference for psychotherapuetic orientation

This research examined the extent to which people’s dispositional qualities predict their psychotherapy preferences. Additionally, this study examined the extent to which people’s attitude toward seeking professional psychological help would predict their psychotherapy preferences above and beyond their dispositional characteristics. An online survey was administered to participants (N = 312) for remuneration. Personality traits were measured using the HEXACO-60, attachment styles were measured using the Relationships Questionnaire (RQ) and Experiences in Close Relationships ScaleShort Form (ECR-S), attitude toward help seeking was measured with the Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale – Short Form (ATSPPHS-SF), and psychotherapy preferences were measured by the Preferences for Psychotherapy Approaches Scale – Revised (PPAS-R) and the Counseling Approach Evaluation Form (CAEF). Hierarchical regression results revealed that certain personality traits and attachment styles were significant predictors of psychotherapy preferences. In particular, results showed that those who scored higher in agreeableness tended to prefer psychodynamic psychotherapy, where as those who with higher levels of education as well as individuals identifying as gay or lesbian demonstrated a stronger dislike of psychodynamic psychotherapy. No predictive associations were found for person-centered therapy preference. Finally, with regard to people’s attitude toward help seeking, it was found that participants who endorsed being more open to seeking psychotherapy demonstrated a stronger preference for CBT. These findings are discussed relative to other studies in this line of inquiry and implications for further research are presented.