Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dynamics of Math Anxiety as it is Transferred through Peer and Teacher Interactions

This research develops a simple dynamical system framework to study the role of social mechanisms on the prevalence of math anxiety in United States education systems. Math anxiety is the self reported discomfort when attempting mathematical problems. This feeling prevents students from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in these fields. Female students are disproportionately affected by math anxiety, leading to poor representation. Previous studies have examined how teachers, with and without math anxiety, can “transmit” math anxiety to students. However, to our knowledge no mathematical models have been developed to thoroughly study long term intervention strategies for reducing transmission. In this paper, the effects of female teachers’ math anxiety are modeled as a contagion on female students who may become the next generation of teachers. The purpose of this research is to determine intervention strategies to effectively reduce students’ math anxiety. From our sensitivity analysis we conclude that, instead of focusing on professional development, math anxiety can be drastically reduced if teachers portray more positive attitudes towards math, and colleges focus on recruiting non-anxious math teachers.
Toward automated directivity estimates in earthquake moment tensor inversion

Rapid estimates of earthquake rupture properties are useful for both scientific characterization of earthquakes and emergency response to earthquake hazards. Rupture directivity is a particularly important property to constrain since seismic waves radiated in the direction of rupture can be greatly amplified, and even moderate magnitude earthquakes can sometimes cause serious damage. Knowing the directivity of earthquakes is important for ground shaking prediction and hazard mitigation, and is also useful for discriminating which nodal plane corresponds to the actual fault plane particularly when the event lacks aftershocks or outcropped fault traces. Here, we propose a 3-D multiple-time-window directivity inversion method through direct waveform fitting, with source time functions stretched for each station according to a given directivity. By grid searching for the directivity vector in 3-D space, this method determines not only horizontal but vertical directivity components, provides uncertainty estimates, and has the potential to be automated in real time. Synthetic tests show that the method is stable with respect to noise, picking errors, and site amplification, and is less sensitive to station coverage than other methods. Horizontal directivity can be properly recovered with a minimum azimuthal station coverage of 180°, whereas vertical directivity requires better coverage to resolve. We apply the new method to the M_w 6.0 Nantou, Taiwan earthquake, M_w 7.0 Kumamoto, Japan earthquake, and M_w 4.7 San Jacinto fault trifurcation (SJFT) earthquake in southern California. For the Nantou earthquake, we corroborate previous findings that the earthquake occurred on a shallow east-dipping fault plane rather than a west-dipping one. For the Kumamoto and SJFT earthquakes, the directivity results show good agreement with previous studies and demonstrate that the method captures the general rupture characteristics of large earthquakes involving multiple fault ruptures and applies to earthquakes with magnitudes as small as M_w 4.7.
Initiation of wall assembly sites in Streptococcus faecium

In electron micrographs of replicas of Streptococcus faecium, sites of wall growth are located between pairs of raised equatorial bands. Analysis of cells taken from cultures with mass doubling times between 30 and 125 min indicates that rounds of wall synthesis are initiated at a time close to division, which is temporally unrelated to the initiation or termination of chromosome replication. Growth sites are initiated at a relatively constant volume independent of growth rate when the volume contained within the two segments of wall adjoining an equatorial band marker approaches ca. 0.26 micrometer 3.
SYNTHESES Connections between species diversity and genetic diversity

Species diversity and genetic diversity remain the nearly exclusive domains of community ecology and population genetics, respectively, despite repeated recognition in the literature over the past 30 years of close parallels between these two levels of diversity. Species diversity within communities and genetic diversity within populations are hypothesized to co-vary in space or time because of locality characteristics that influence the two levels of diversity via parallel processes, or because of direct effects of one level of diversity on the other via several different mechanisms. Here, we draw on a wide range of studies in ecology and evolution to examine the theoretical underpinnings of these hypotheses, review relevant empirical literature, and outline an agenda for future research. The plausibility of species diversity‐genetic diversity relationships is supported by a variety of theoretical and empirical studies, and several recent studies provide direct, though preliminary support. Focusing on potential connections between species diversity and genetic diversity complements other approaches to synthesis at the ecology‐ evolution interface, and should contribute to conceptual unification of biodiversity research at the levels of genes and species.
Shadow Banking: The Money View

This paper presents an accounting framework for measuring the sources and uses of short-term funding in the global financial ecosystem. We introduce a dynamic map of global funding flows to show how dealer banks emerged as intermediaries between two types of asset managers: cash pools searching for safety via collateralized cash investments and levered portfolio managers searching for yield via funded securities portfolios and derivatives. We argue that the monetary aggregates (M0, M1, M2, etc.) and the Financial Accounts of the United States (formerly the Flow of Funds) do not adequately reflect the institutional realities of the modern financial ecosystem, and should be updated to allow policymakers to better analyze and monitor the shadow banking system and its potential contributions to financial instability. The monetary aggregates, used mainly to inform the aggregate demand management aspects of monetary policy, do not include the instruments that asset managers use as money, particularly repos. Asset managers' money demand is not driven by transaction needs in the real economy but in the financial economy: in this sense, repo-based money dealing activities in the shadow banking system are about the provision of working capital for asset managers, much like real bills provided working capital for merchants and manufacturers in Bagehot's world over 150 years ago. These developments should be systematically captured in a new set of Flow of Collateral, Flow of Risk and Flow of Eurodollar satellite accounts to supplement the Financial Accounts. The accounting framework presented with this paper also explains how the Federal Reserve's reverse repo facility helps reduce interconnections within the financial system and how they could evolve into minimum liquidity requirements for shadow banks and a tool to control market-based credit cycles. The global macro drivers behind the secular rise of cash pools and leveraged portfolio managers in the asset management complex are identical with the real economy drivers behind the idea of secular stagnation. As such, one way to interpret shadow banking is as the financial economy reflection of real economy imbalances caused by excess global savings, slowing potential growth, and the rising share of corporate profits relative to wages in national income.
Animal Welfare and Meat Production

* Animal Welfare and the Meat Market * Animal Welfare in Developing Countries * Genetics and Animal Welfare * Cattle * Sheep * Pigs * Poultry and Rabbits * Aquaculture * Other species * Livestock Presentation and Welfare before Slaughter * Stunning and Slaughter * Meat Quality * Implementing Effective Animal Welfare Auditing Programs by Temple Gandin * The Future.
Do Auditors Allow Earnings Management When Audit Fees are Low?

Much of the extant audit research focuses on the impact of excess audit fees paid to the auditors on earnings management. However, there is limited empirical evidence on whether auditors tolerate earnings management when audit fees are low, i.e., below the level of normal fees. Using a large sample representing post-SOX years 2004-2008, we first estimate abnormal (unexpected) audit fees as a residual from a regression of audit fees on several determinants of audit fees. Next, we run a regression of abnormal accruals and other measures of earnings management on abnormal audit fees and control variables. Our results consistently indicate that earnings management is significantly associated with negative abnormal audit fees. In other words, auditors appear to allow earnings management when audit fees are less than the expected fees. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to examine the relation between abnormal audit fees and the likelihood of fraudulent financial statements. Our findings have important implications for regulators, members of the audit committee, investors, and others.
How Does the Market Value Accrual and Cash Flow Surprises?

This paper investigates the return implications of the cash flows and accruals components of unexpected earnings. We find that unexpected cash flows have greater persistence than unexpected accruals, and that this difference is driven primarily by loss firms. We also find that markets appear to react more (less) strongly to the unexpected cash flow (accrual) component of total unexpected earnings, but that only firms that beat both earnings expectations and cash flow expectations are rewarded with higher returns. These results are consistent with at least some fixation on the total earnings number, to the exclusion of more economically important cash flow surprises. Finally, we find that the mispricing of accruals and cash flows is concentrated in loss firms. Since these firms frequently have negative unexpected earnings components, the "overpricing" of these components implies that these firms may be punished too much for disappointing earnings, causing the firms to be underpriced.
Repeated preamble based carrier frequency offset estimation in the presence of I/Q imbalance

The paper proposes a novel estimation of carrier frequency offset (CFO) and I/Q imbalance, based on the popular repeated preamble. By investigating the nonlinear least squares cost function of CFO estimation, we discover a general relation among three arbitrary pilot symbols and derive several useful linear equations. Then, we propose a corresponding linear least squares estimation of unsigned CFO with explicit closed-form solution. Using the tentative CFO estimate, the I/Q imbalance can be estimated with sign ambiguity. Notice that the taps of the FIR filter representing frequency-dependent imbalance in practical frond-ends are constrained, we also propose a novel computation-free detection method to solve the sign ambiguity.
Postoperative angiography and the "slipped" clip.

✓ After intracranial surgery for an aneurysm, postoperative angiography should be routine. This may demonstrate lesions such as arterial spasm and hematoma, and may also show, sometimes quite unexpectedly, that the sac has not been completely obliterated. A clip or ligature may be merely misplaced, not be closed tightly enough, slip, or include the parent artery. In our series of 329 patients who underwent postoperative angiography, contrast filling of a significant part of the sac still occurred in 43 (13%); at least 12 of these rebled. Further intracranial surgery was carried out in 18, with satisfactory obliteration of the sac in 16. An incompletely obliterated aneurysm should be reoperated on as soon as possible. The risk involved at this time is minimal and far less than the possibility of another catastrophic hemorrhage.
Why Has IPO Underpricing Increased Over Time

In the 1980s, the average first-day return on initial public offerings (IPOs) was 7%. The average first-day return doubled to almost 15% during 1990-1998, before jumping to 65% during the internet bubble years of 1999-2000. Part of the increase can be attributed to changes in the composition of the companies going public. We attribute much of the increase in underpricing, however, to previously latent agency problems between underwriters and issuing firms. We argue that the increase in valuations over time has caused issuers to be more complacent about leaving money on the table.
Adenovirus‐mediated overexpression of cardiac troponin I‐interacting kinase promotes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

1. Cardiac troponin I‐interacting kinase (TNNI3K) is a novel cardiac‐specific kinase gene. Quantitative real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis showed a significant increase in TNNI3K mRNA expression in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes induced by endothelin‐1 (ET‐1). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of TNNI3K on neonate rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by ET‐1.
The Information Content of Options Around Seasoned Equity Offerings

This paper explores the information content of option implied volatility around the announcements and issue dates of Seasoned Equity Offerings (SEOs). The literature on SEOs indicates that announcements and issue dates contain important information about firms and therefore provide profitable opportunities for traders with private information. While prior research has focused on the information content of short sales around SEOs, this study focuses on the information content of options which can act as an alternative for short selling. The empirical analysis provides evidence of informed trading in the options market around SEO announcements. Around SEO issue dates, I find that higher demand for put options is significantly related to larger issue discounts which is consistent with the manipulative trading hypothesis. The results in this study indicate that regulators should consider extending the short-sale restrictions of Rule 105 to restrict trading in related securities.
Guanxi-Based Strategy and Competitive Advantage: An Exploratory Study

The influence of guanxi on business performance in Chinese market attracts increasing attentions from the literature. Many empirical evidences proved that guanxi as important business implementation deliver unique impacts to achieve successful business conducts. However, the strategic positioning of guanxi as an impetus to generate competitive advantage is lack of theoretical study from the existing literature field. Moreover, the theoretical boundaries and background for guanxi-based business competence are at an explorative stage. Due to the research situation in this area, the author is motivated to conduct this empirical study with the purpose of theory building in order to portrait a theoretical outlook for guanxi-based competence and its related strategy forms. This study adopts grounded theory approach as a methodological foundation to investigate the real social process of guanxi-based business strategic implementations in Chinese market. Followed with the procedure of grounded theory, the research objectives were gradually achieved to complete the identified general research direction which is focused on exploring the strategic positioning of ? guanxi-based competitive advantage? Firstly, this study explored the fact that guanxi is interdependent with firm? s core competence development. The supporting role of guanxi in business strategic implementations can be identified as a source of generating ? quasi-competitive advantage? which assists the firm to enhance its market-based core competence. Secondly, guanxi is critically in a position of generating indirect impetus on improving firm? s business performance due to three major business realities, namely ? cultural embeddedness? , ? business necessity? and ? institutional influence? Thus, guanxi-based business strategic paradigm is as important as market-based strategic paradigm in Chinese market. The author propose that the functionality of guanxi-based business strategy should be clearly defined as exploiting guanxi advantage to cope with the development of firm? s market-based competitive advantage. Thirdly, the interdependent nature of guanxi and core competence is summarised into an evolving process of firm? s ? co-development of guanxi-based and market-based competence? In a word, the firm enhances its controlling power on guanxi management from ? reliant guanxi? to ? dominant guanxi? along with the development of its market-based competence and market bargaining power. The new developed insight of ? quasi-competitive advantage? is originated from this grounded theory study. This theoretical outcome provides a breakthrough perspective for other researchers to extend the understanding of guanxi in business phenomena. Further development of academic and business knowledge on this theory may also contribute to the relevant studies on investigating strategic management issues in a transitional economic market.
Condensation-based routing in mobile ad-hoc networks

The provision of efficient broadcast containment schemes that can dynamically cope with frequent topology changes and limited shared channel bandwidth, is one of the most challenging research topics in MANETs, and is crucial to the basic operations of networks serving fully mobile devices within areas having no fixed communication infrastructure. This problem particularly impacts the design of dynamic routing protocol that can efficiently establish routes to deliver data packets among mobile nodes with minimum communication overhead, and at the same time, ensure high throughput and low end-to-end delay. Accordingly, this work exploits and analyzes an adaptive probabilistic broadcast containment technique based on a particular condensation phenomenon borrowed from Quantum Mechanics and transposed in self-organizing random networks, that has the potential to effectively drive the on-demand route discovery process. Simulation-based performance analysis has shown that the proposed technique can introduce significant benefits on the general performance of broadcast-based reactive routing protocols in MANETs.
Sensitivity to reward and punishment in major depressive disorder: Effects of rumination and of single versus multiple experiences

In the current study, we examined the postulation that rumination makes it difficult for depressed individuals to learn the exact probability that different stimuli will be associated with punishment. To do so, we induced rumination or distraction in depressed and never-depressed participants and then measured punishment and reward sensitivity with a probabilistic selection task. In this task, participants first learn the probability that different stimuli will be associated with reward and punishment. During a subsequent test phase in which novel combinations of stimuli are presented, participants’ sensitivity to reward is tested by measuring their tendency to select the stimuli that were most highly rewarded during training, and their sensitivity to punishment is tested by measuring their tendency to not select the stimuli that were most highly punished during training. Compared with distraction, rumination led depressed participants to be less sensitive to the probability that stimuli will be associated with punishment and relatively less sensitive to punishment than reward. Never-depressed participants and depressed participants who were distracted from rumination were as sensitive to reward as they were to punishment. The effects of rumination on sensitivity to punishment may be a mechanism by which rumination can lead to maladaptive consequences.
Resistance to Mutant Group 2 Influenza Virus Neuraminidases of an Oseltamivir-Zanamivir Hybrid Inhibitor

ABSTRACT Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) drug resistance is one of the challenges to preparedness against epidemic and pandemic influenza virus infections. NA N1- and N2-containing influenza viruses are the primary cause of seasonal epidemics and past pandemics. The structural and functional basis underlying drug resistance of the influenza virus N1 NA is well characterized. Yet drug resistance of the N2 strain is not well understood. Here, we confirm that replacement of N2 E119 or I222 results in multidrug resistance, and when the replacements occur together, the sensitivity to NA inhibitors (NAI) is reduced severely. Using crystallographic studies, we showed that E119 replacement results in a loss of hydrogen bonding to oseltamivir and zanamivir, whereas I222 replacement results in a change in the hydrophobic environment that is critical for oseltamivir binding. Moreover, we found that MS-257, a zanamivir-oseltamivir hybrid inhibitor, is less susceptible to drug resistance. The binding mode of MS-257 shows that increased hydrogen bonding interactions between the inhibitor and NA active site anchor the inhibitor within the active site and allow adjustments in response to active-site modifications. Such stability is likely responsible for the observed reduced susceptibility to drug resistance. MS-257 serves as a next-generation anti-influenza virus drug candidate and serves also as a scaffold for further design of NAIs. IMPORTANCE Oseltamivir and zanamivir are the two major antiviral drugs available for the treatment of influenza virus infections. However, multidrug-resistant viruses have emerged in clinical cases, which pose a challenge for the development of new drugs. N1 and N2 subtypes exist in the viruses which cause seasonal epidemics and past pandemics. Although N1 drug resistance is well characterized, the molecular mechanisms underlying N2 drug resistance are unknown. A previous report showed that an N2 E119V/I222L dual mutant conferred drug resistance to seasonal influenza virus. Here, we confirm that these substitutions result in multidrug resistance and dramatically reduced sensitivity to NAI. We further elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying N2 drug resistance by solving crystal structures of the N2 E119V and I222L mutants and the dual mutant. Most importantly, we found that a novel oseltamivir-zanamivir hybrid inhibitor, MS-257, remains more effective against drug-resistant N2 and is a promising candidate as a next-generation anti-influenza virus drug.
Simple calculator to estimate the medical cost of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa.

AIM To design a medical cost calculator and show that diabetes care is beyond reach of the majority particularly patients with complications. METHODS Out-of-pocket expenditures of patients for medical treatment of type-2 diabetes were estimated based on price data collected in Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali. A detailed protocol for realistic medical care of diabetes and its complications in the African context was defined. Care components were based on existing guidelines, published data and clinical experience. Prices were obtained in public and private health facilities. The cost calculator used Excel. The cost for basic management of uncomplicated diabetes was calculated per person and per year. Incremental costs were also computed per annum for chronic complications and per episode for acute complications. RESULTS Wide variations of estimated care costs were observed among countries and between the public and private healthcare system. The minimum estimated cost for the treatment of uncomplicated diabetes (in the public sector) would amount to 21%-34% of the country's gross national income per capita, 26%-47% in the presence of retinopathy, and above 70% for nephropathy, the most expensive complication. CONCLUSION The study provided objective evidence for the exorbitant medical cost of diabetes considering that no medical insurance is available in the study countries. Although the calculator only estimates the cost of inaction, it is innovative and of interest for several stakeholders.