Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conjugacy Classes in Maximal Parabolic Subgroups of General Linear Groups

Abstract We compute conjugacy classes in maximal parabolic subgroups of the general linear group. This computation proceeds by reducing to a “matrix problem. ” Such problems involve finding normal forms for matrices under a specified set of row and column operations. We solve the relevant matrix problem in small dimensional cases. This gives us all conjugacy classes in maximal parabolic subgroups over a perfect field when one of the two blocks has dimension less than 6. In particular, this includes every maximal parabolic subgroup of GLn(k) for n
Separating the Wealth and Entrenchment Effects of Insider Ownership on Investment Performance

This article makes two important contributions to the literature on the incentive effects of insider ownership. First, it presents a clean method for separating the positive wealth effect of insider ownership from the negative entrenchment effect, which can be applied to samples of companies from the US and any other country. Second, it measures the effects of insider ownership using a measure of firm performance, namely a marginal q, which ensures that the causal relationship estimated runs from ownership to performance. The article applies this method to a large sample of publicly listed firms from the Anglo-Saxon and Civil law traditions and confirms that managerial entrenchment has an unambiguous negative effect on firm performance as measured by both Tobin's (average) q and our marginal q, and that the wealth effect of insider ownership is unambiguously positive for both measures. We also test for the effects of ownership concentration for other categories of owners and find that while institutional ownership improves the performance in the USA, financial institutions have a negative impact in other Anglo-Saxon countries and in Europe.
The Lost Generation of the Great Recession

This paper analyzes the effects of the Great Recession on different generations. While older generations suffered the largest decline in wealth due to the collapse in asset prices, younger generations suffered the largest decline in labor income. Potentially, some households may have benefited from the purchase of cheaper assets. To analyze the impact of these channels, I construct an overlapping-generations model with borrowing constraints in which households choose a portfolio of risky and risk-free assets. In response to shocks to labor income and asset markets resembling the Great Recession, young risky asset holders suffer the largest welfare losses, equivalent to a 33 percent reduction in one-period consumption. (Copyright: Elsevier)
Amperometric Enzyme-based Biosensors for Lowering the Interferences

1.1 Glucose, enzymes and mediators Glucose becomes more and more important and popular research topics for medicine and biochemistry that monitoring biomarkers of chronic diseases, such as glucose to diabetes, bilirubin to jaundice and creatinine to kidney disease. Among many biomarkers, glucose is a common and an important biological species of human blood, found out normally in the range of about 4~8 mM. According to statistical information system of World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people with diabetes is estimated more than 180 million worldwide and it is likely to more than double by 2030. Besides, it is also estimated that 9% of all deaths worldwide are due to diabetes. Most notably, diabetes deaths are projected to increase by over 80% in upper-middle income countries between 2006 and 2015. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient glucose biosensor for monitoring the glucose level of diabetics. Glucose is an attractive target, because it is not only an important biomarker for diabetes but also a kind of fuel for biofuel cells. In other words, the glucose biosensor can work for detecting the glucose level and for the anode of the biofuel cell. The biofuel cells were intended to power cardiac assist devices, such as artificial hearts or cardiac pacemakers (Rao & Richter, 1974; Rao et al., 1974). For getting a good specific property, enzymes are widely applied as recognized molecules. Two kinds of enzymes with different redox potentials and electron transfer pathways are usually used to catalyze the glucose. One is the glucose oxidase (GOD) (Franke & Deffner, 1939) from Aspergillus niger and the other is glucose dehydrogenases (GDH) from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. For GOD catalyst, the cofactor is flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) with a strong bond to apo-GOD, but the cofactor can be nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) (Boguslavsky et al., 1995), FAD (Tsujimura et al., 2006) and pyrrole quinoline quinone (PQQ) (Duine et al., 1979) for GDH. As an example, the FAD-GOD was selected in this chapter as the recognized molecule. The FAD-GOD has an apparent formal redox potential of -0.048 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) (Kulys et al., 2006) and it has a catalyzed rate of 5×103 glucose molecules per second (Willner et al., 2007a). The series catalytic mechanisms in a solution with oxygen are shown in Eqs. (1) and (2) (Warburg & Christian, 1932).
HD-tDCS of primary and higher-order motor cortex affects action word processing

The contribution of action-perception systems of the brain to lexical semantics remains controversial. Here, we used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) in healthy adults to examine the role of primary (left hand motor area; HMA) and higher-order (left anterior inferior parietal lobe; aIPL) action areas in action-related word processing (action verbs and manipulable nouns) compared to non-action-related control words (non-action verbs and non-manipulable nouns). We investigated stimulation-related effects at three levels of semantic processing: subliminal, implicit, and explicit. Broadly, we found that stimulation of HMA and aIPL resulted in relative facilitation of action-related language processing compared to non-action. HMA stimulation facilitated action verb processing in subliminal and implicit task contexts, suggesting that HMA helps represent action verbs even in semantically shallow tasks. HMA stimulation also facilitated manipulable noun comprehension in an explicit semantic task, suggesting that HMA contributes to manipulable noun comprehension when semantic demands are high. aIPL stimulation facilitated both manipulable noun and action verb processing during an implicit task. We suggest that both HMA and aIPL play a functional role in action semantics. HMA plays a general role in the semantics of actions and manipulable objects, while aIPL is important only when visuo-motor coordination is required for the action.
KINEMATICS AND METALLICITIES IN THE BOÖTES III STELLAR OVERDENSITY: A DISRUPTED DWARF GALAXY?

We report the results of a spectroscopic study of the Boötes III (BooIII) stellar overdensity carried out with the Hectospec multifiber spectrograph on the MMT telescope. Radial velocities have been measured for 193 BooIII candidate stars selected to have magnitudes and colors consistent with its upper main sequence and lower red giant branch, as well as a number of horizontal-branch candidates. From 20 identified candidate BooIII members, we measure a systemic velocity of V☉ = 197.5 ± 3.8 km s−1 and a velocity dispersion of σo = 14.0 ± 3.2 km s−1. We use the somewhat large velocity dispersion and the implied highly radial orbit, along with morphological evidence from Grillmair and stellar abundances, to argue that BooIII is likely the first known object observed in a transitional state between being a bound dwarf galaxy and a completely unbound tidal stream.
Periodontal disease and coronary heart disease risk.

CONTEXT Research has suggested a relationship between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease (CHD), but data on the association between these 2 common conditions are inconclusive due to the possibility of confounding. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the risk of CHD in persons with periodontitis, gingivitis, or no periodontal disease. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING The First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, conducted in 1982-1984, 1986, 1987, and 1992. PARTICIPANTS A total of 8032 dentate adults aged 25 to 74 years with no reported history of cardiovascular disease, including 1859 individuals with periodontitis, 2421 with gingivitis, and 3752 with healthy periodontal tissues. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE First occurrence of death from CHD or hospitalization due to CHD, or revascularization procedures, obtained from death certificates and medical records, by baseline periodontal status. RESULTS During follow-up, 1265 individuals had at least 1 CHD event, including CHD fatality (n = 468) or at least 1 hospitalization with a diagnosis of CHD (n = 1022), including coronary revascularization procedures (n = 155). After adjustment for known cardiovascular risk factors, gingivitis was not associated with CHD (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.26), while periodontitis was associated with a nonsignificant increased risk for CHD event (hazard ratio, 1. 14; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-1.36). CONCLUSION This study did not find convincing evidence of a causal association between periodontal disease and CHD risk. JAMA. 2000;284:1406-1410.
Multi-scale studies of the relationships between cropping structure and pest and disease regulation services

Farmers need to regulate numerous pests on each of their crops, using as little pesticide as possible. Several practices can be used to reach this target, yet most of them focus on a single pest. Some control practices implemented for one pest, however, can have antagonistic effects on the development of another pest. Today, with the will to decrease pesticide use while increasing production, studies must take into account the diversity of pests and must focus on tradeoffs in their regulations. The concept of agroecology proposes to use natural ecological mechanisms in agroecosystems. Plant diversity impacts pest regulation services through biological mechanisms and physical mechanisms. Biological mechanisms typically depend on the species composition of the communities of crop and associated plant. Physical mechanisms typically depend on the spatial structure of crop and associated plant (Schroth et al., 2000). These mechanisms are both supported by empirical research and epidemiological models, yet their relative importance and independent effects are not well known. In the present study, our aim was to assess the relative importance and the independent effects of plant communities’ composition and spatial structure on pest communities in tropical and temperate areas. Here we postulate that i) crop composition, sensitive host tissue amount and crop spatial configuration impact pest presence through resource availability and accessibility, ii) associated plant composition and spatial configuration impact pest presence by providing other resources or shelters and through microclimatic variations. The scale necessary to observe such mechanisms would depend on the scale necessary to observe a given level of diversity. In tropical areas, many species can be found in association within small plots, while in simplified temperate agroecosystem a much larger scale would be needed to observe a similar diversity. We first investigate biological and physical effects of biodiversity observationally on tropical agroecosystems in cameroon and second assess through modelling if such mechanisms could be of importance in temperate agroecosystems at a much larger scale.
Residential greenness attenuated association of long-term air pollution exposure with elevated blood pressure: Findings from polluted areas in Northern China

Background Evidence on the hypertensive effects of long-term air pollutants exposure are mixed, and the joint hypertensive effects of air pollutants are also unclear. Sparse evidence exists regarding the modifying role of residential greenness in such effects. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in typically air-polluted areas in northern China. Particulate matter with diameter < 1 μm (PM1), particulate matter with diameter < 2.5 μm (PM2.5), particulate matter with diameter < 10 μm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) were predicted by space–time extremely randomized trees model. We used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to reflect residential green space. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were examined. We also calculated the pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Generalized additive model and quantile g-computation were, respectively, conducted to investigate individual and joint effects of air pollutants on blood pressure. Furthermore, beneficial effect of NDVI and its modification effect were explored. Results Long-term air pollutants exposure was associated with elevated DBP and MAP. Specifically, we found a 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 were associated with 2.36% (95% CI: 0.97, 3.76), 1.51% (95% CI: 0.70, 2.34), and 3.54% (95% CI: 1.55, 5.56) increase in DBP; a 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 were associated with 1.84% (95% CI: 0.74, 2.96), 1.17% (95% CI: 0.52, 1.83), and 2.43% (95% CI: 0.71, 4.18) increase in MAP. Air pollutants mixture (one quantile increase) was positively associated with increased values of DBP (8.22%, 95% CI: 5.49, 11.02) and MAP (4.15%, 95% CI: 2.05, 6.30), respectively. These identified harmful effect of air pollutants mainly occurred among these lived with low NDVI values. And participants aged ≥50 years were more susceptible to the harmful effect of PM2.5 and PM10 compared to younger adults. Conclusions Our study indicated the harmful effect of long-term exposure to air pollutants and these effects may be modified by living within higher green space place. These evidence suggest increasing residential greenness and air pollution control may have simultaneous effect on decreasing the risk of hypertension.
Reversible Lamellar Thickening Induced by Crystal Transition in Poly(butylene succinate)

The structural evolution of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) during tensile deformation was investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering. Crystal transition during stretching was identified at 30–90 °C. An increase of long period was observed during the α–β crystal transition, which was attributed to the increase of both amorphous layer thickness and crystalline layer thickness (lamellar thickness). The reversibility of crystal transition and correlation of lamellar thickening with crystal transition were confirmed by a “step-cycle” deformation measurement. The variation of the amorphous layer was partially recoverable, while the variation of lamellar thickness was nearly fully recoverable. The different repeating length in unit cell along the chain axis in different crystal forms resulted in the variation of the lamellar thickness. The different recoverability of structural parameters was interpreted by the different dynamics of the amorphous and crystalline phase.
(2016)

Μέχρι σήμερα, οι εν λόγω προτεραιότητες άλλαζαν κάθε χρόνο. Από το 2016 οι προτεραιότητες γίνονται πολυετείς μέχρι τη λήξη του προγράμματος (2016-2020) προκειμένου οι αιτούντες να διαθέτουν περισσότερο χρόνο για τον σχεδιασμό και την προετοιμασία των έργων τους. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή διατηρεί, ωστόσο, το δικαίωμα να επανεξετάζει, να προσαρμόζει και/ή να τροποποιεί τον κατάλογο προτεραιοτήτων ανά πάσα στιγμή, εάν χρειαστεί, μετά από διαβούλευση με τα ενδιαφερόμενα μέρη του προγράμματος που εκπροσωπούνται στην ομάδα διαλόγου της κοινωνίας των πολιτών, και την επιτροπή του προγράμματος.
Opinion Expression as a Rational Behavior.

This study looks at individuals' opinion expressions as a rational behavior based on a conscious calculus of expected benefits and costs (economic analysis). The influences of "issue benefit," "opinion congruence," and "issue knowledge," as sources of benefits and costs on opinion expression were hypothesized and tested. The study also examined the interaction effects of those factors and the types of opinion expression. For the tests, 171 university students were surveyed in 1997 regarding their willingness to express opinions on the issue of "doctor-assisted suicide. " Results indicated that the amount of issue benefit expected by students was related to their willingness to express opinions; the level of students' perception of their own issue knowledge was influential on their opinion expressions; and students' own judgments about the possible consequences of a given issue might function, against fear of isolation, as a motivating factor of opinion expression. (Contains 34 references and a table of data.) (RS) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** OPINION EXPRESSION AS A RATIONAL BEHAVIOR
A global hydrological simulation to specify the sources of water used by humans

Abstract. Humans abstract water from various sources to sustain their livelihood and society. Some global hydrological models (GHMs) include explicit schemes of human water abstraction, but the representation and performance of these schemes remain limited. We substantially enhanced the water abstraction schemes of the H08 GHM. This enabled us to estimate water abstraction from six major water sources, namely, river flow regulated by global reservoirs (i.e., reservoirs regulating the flow of the world's major rivers), aqueduct water transfer, local reservoirs, seawater desalination, renewable groundwater, and nonrenewable groundwater. In its standard setup, the model covers the whole globe at a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°, and the calculation interval is 1 day. All the interactions were simulated in a single computer program, and all water fluxes and storage were strictly traceable at any place and time during the simulation period. A global hydrological simulation was conducted to validate the performance of the model for the period of 1979–2013 (land use was fixed for the year 2000). The simulated water fluxes for water abstraction were validated against those reported in earlier publications and showed a reasonable agreement at the global and country level. The simulated monthly river discharge and terrestrial water storage (TWS) for six of the world's most significantly human-affected river basins were compared with gauge observations and the data derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission. It is found that the simulation including the newly added schemes outperformed the simulation without human activities. The simulated results indicated that, in 2000, of the 3628±75 km3 yr−1 global freshwater requirement, 2839±50 km3 yr−1 was taken from surface water and 789±30 km3 yr−1 from groundwater. Streamflow, aqueduct water transfer, local reservoirs, and seawater desalination accounted for 1786±23, 199±10, 106±5, and 1.8±0 km3 yr−1 of the surface water, respectively. The remaining 747±45 km3 yr−1 freshwater requirement was unmet, or surface water was not available when and where it was needed in our simulation. Renewable and nonrenewable groundwater accounted for 607±11 and 182±26 km3 yr−1 of the groundwater total, respectively. Each source differed in its renewability, economic costs for development, and environmental consequences of usage. The model is useful for performing global water resource assessments by considering the aspects of sustainability, economy, and environment.
UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL DE CAMPINAS FACULDADE DE ODONTOLOGIA DE PIRACICABA

The aim of this research was to perform the phytochemical screening, secondary metabolites quantification and determine the antioxidant activity of crude extract of the leaves of Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam . (sweet potato) (EBHBD). The crude toxicity, antimicrobial activity and anti-inflammatory properties were also determined. A gel pharmaceutical formulation containing EBHBD was developed and evaluated the clinical effect on dental biofilm and gingivitis in humans. Phytochemical tests were conducted to determine the components and quantify secondary metabolites. The antioxidant activity was determined by the phosphomolybdenum method. Toxicological bioassays were carried out on brine shrimp ( Artemia salina ) and cell viability test. The Antimicrobial activity was performed on aerobic microorganisms. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed in fibroblast cell culture and on the ear (mouse) and paw (rats) edema tests. The EBHBD hidroxietilicelulose gel formulation was developed and control quality tests were conducted (pH, absolute density, consistence and microbiological analysis). The effect of EBHBD gel on plaque and gingivitis was studied using an experimental model of partial gingivitis in humans. Twenty-five individuals were selected to participate in this double-blind crossover study, with three experimental periods of 15 days each with an interval of 10 days. The patients underwent three treatments (T): T1- Placebo gel, T2- 10% EBHBD gel T3- 2% chlorhexidine gel (positive control). The parameters evaluated were: plaque index, modified marginal bleeding index, gingival fluid and microbiological analysis of supragingival biofilm. Teeth evaluated: 15, 16, 35 and 36. The results demonstrated the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, anthraquinones, tannins and saponins. The secondary metabolites quantification showed in 100 g of dried plant material: phenolic: 662.02 ± 28.91 mg; alkaloids: 345.65 ± 15.52 mg and anthraquinones: 328.44 ± 8.17 differences (p> 0.05) among the parameters (plaque index, marginal gingival bleeding, gingival fluid and colony-forming unit of supragingival biofilm). Within the limits of this study, it was possible suggest that the EBHBD showed moderate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro, but showed no clinical effect on plaque and gingivitis.
Apriori Rate Allocation in Wavelet-Based Image Compression

We present a rate allocation scheme that pre-computes optimal quantisation bucket sizes based on a mathematical model of wavelet transformed natural images prior entropy encoding. We combine the proposed scheme with the JPEG2000 embedded rate-allocator and find in our experiments that it is able to increase JPEG2000 encoding speed by a factor of two without loosing image quality