Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activating the "Breakfast Club": Modeling Influence Spread in Natural-World Social Networks

While reigning models of diffusion have privileged the structure of a given social network as the key to informational exchange, real human interactions do not appear to take place on a single graph of connections. Using data collected from a pilot study of the spread of HIV awareness in social networks of homeless youth, we show that health information did not diffuse in the field according to the processes outlined by dominant models. Since physical network diffusion scenarios often diverge from their more well-studied counterparts on digital networks, we propose an alternative Activation Jump Model (AJM) that describes information diffusion on physical networks from a multi-agent team perspective. Our model exhibits two main differentiating features from leading cascade and threshold models of influence spread: 1) The structural composition of a seed set team impacts each individual node's influencing behavior, and 2) an influencing node may spread information to non-neighbors. We show that the AJM significantly outperforms existing models in its fit to the observed node-level influence data on the youth networks. We then prove theoretical results, showing that the AJM exhibits many well-behaved properties shared by dominant models. Our results suggest that the AJM presents a flexible and more accurate model of network diffusion that may better inform influence maximization in the field.
Are new entrants to the residential property market informationally disadvantaged

This paper sets out to test whether, as a consequence of being informationally disadvantaged, new entrants to residential property markets pay significantly higher prices for a hypothetical standardized property. The paper analyses data on house sales in Glasgow between April 1991 and March 1992. The transactions data are subdivided into mutually exclusive groups of households and the prices paid are examined. The prices paid by first time buyers are compared to the prices paid by repeat purchasers, and the prices paid by in-migrants are compared with those paid by intracity movers. Hedonic house price functions are estimated for each subgroup in order to standardize for differences in the physical, neighbourhood and locational characteristics of the dwellings purchased. The equations are then tested for parameter equality, in order to determine whether the implicit prices paid by new entrants and existing owners are different. The main conclusion is that, on the basis of the subgroups examined, there is no evidence that new entrants pay more for housing as a result of informational disadvantage. As such, it appears that new and existing actors in the market make their house purchase decisions on the basis of a common information set.
Does file-sharing reduce DVD sales?

The short-term effect of BitTorrent file-sharing on movie DVD sales is estimated using sales data on newly released DVDs and torrent file downloads during a 13-week period between March and May 2009 in the USA. To overcome endogeneity between downloads and sales, the analysis is carried out in a dynamic panel setting. After controlling for an autoregressive component and a declining time trend in sales, the file-sharing elasticity of sales is not statistically different from zero in the difference GMM estimations. The results hold when external instruments are used. Moreover, the results suggest an upper bound of −0.21 of elasticity, indicating that the short-term sales displacement effect is moderate at worst.
Genetics of ALS in Italian families

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor neurons. The majority of the patients are sporadic cases (SALS), while 10A15% of patients has a family history of ALS (familial ALS or FALS). Mutations in the gene coding for cytoplasmic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) have been identified in 20% of FALS. We found SOD1-gene mutations in 7 of 36 unrelated FALS and in 3 of 48 SALS patients. Four FALS patients carried previously described mutations, the A4V (2 cases), the L84F mutations (1 case), and the G93D (1 case), while three FALS patients carried new missense mutations: the G12R mutation, the F45C mutation and the V47F mutation, respectively. Two SALS patients carried previously reported mutations: the homozygous D90A and the heterozygous I113T mutation, respectively. In addition, in one SALS patient we identified an apparently non-pathogenic SOD1 variant: the A95T mutation. Our study contributes to expand the number of ALS-associated SOD1 gene mutations. (ALS 2001; 2 (suppl 1): S43AS46)
Success factors for biotechnology: lessons from Japan, Germany and Great Britain

The development of biotechnology during the past 20 years has been driven mainly by research and industrial activities in the USA. At least two key elements contributed to the success of biotechnology in the USA: a strong science push which could draw on a well-developed research base, and an early realisation of the technological and commercial potentials of this science push. It is questionable, however, whether the US situation could be transferred to other countries. Against this background, the goal of this paper is to describe and analyse the development of biotechnology in selected countries outside the USA (Japan, Germany, and Great Britain) in order to learn more about different trajectories pursued in this field. From the comparative analysis success factors are derived which are applicable for commercialisation of biotechnology not just under the peculiar circumstances of the USA.
Evaluation studies of Joint Forest Management in India: a review of analytical processes

This paper introduces a range of methods used for data gathering and the results of their analysis in the evaluation of Joint Forest Management initiatives undertaken in India. There were 200 evaluation reports collected from different states in India, of which only 99 had reported on methods used, and issues addressed, in relation to socio-economic, institutional, ecological and gender and training aspects. At the national level 17 reports are available. Many studies were conducted in states where there was support from donor agencies. There were 33 reports addressing the socio-economic issues related to JFM, while only 15 reports addressed ecological issues. There were only 4 reports that addressed training needs of different stakeholders of JFM, while 12 related to gender issues. Based on the data collected so far, it was found that there were no reports that have focused on the monitoring of JFM, and all are evaluation reports. Monitoring is needed to understand the change over time with respect to vegetation, awareness amongst the community members, participation in various JFM activities, enhanced representation of women, incentives accrued and other matters. It is also important to document how the changes have taken place over time, the factors that determine change and its impact. Many projects have conducted mid-term evaluation, in order to enhance their performance through proper corrective measures. A significant finding in this paper is that, it is not clear at this stage, how many took the mid-term evaluation reports seriously and what review process was adopted to improve their future implementation process.
Quantitative isolation of α1AT mutant Z protein polymers from human and mouse livers and the effect of heat

Alpha‐1‐antitrypsin (α1AT) deficiency in its most common form is caused by homozygosity for the α1AT mutant Z gene. This gene encodes a mutant Z secretory protein, primarily synthesized in the liver, that assumes an abnormal conformation and accumulates within hepatocytes causing liver cell injury. Studies have shown that mutant α1ATZ protein molecules form unique protein polymers. These Z protein polymers have been hypothesized to play a critical role in the pathophysiology of liver injury in this disease, although a lack of quantitative methods to isolate the polymers from whole liver has hampered further analysis. In this study, we demonstrate a quantitative α1ATZ polymer isolation technique from whole liver and show that the hepatocellular periodic acid‐Schiff–positive globular inclusions that are the histopathological hallmark of this disease are composed almost entirely of the polymerized α1ATZ protein. Furthermore, we examine the previously proposed but untested hypothesis that induction of α1ATZ polymerization by the heat of physiological fever is part of the mechanism of hepatic α1ATZ protein accumulation. The results, however, show that fever‐range temperature elevations have no detectable effect on steady‐state levels of intrahepatic Z protein polymer in a model in vivo system. In conclusion, methods to separate insoluble protein aggregates from liver can be used for quantitative isolation of α1ATZ protein polymers, and the effect of heat from physiological fever may be different in vivo compared with in vitro systems. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;41:160–167.)
Incidence of Nonneoplastic Lesions in Historical Control Male and Female Fischer-344 Rats from 90-Day Toxicity Studies

The incidence of all spontaneously occurring histologic lesions was determined for control Fischer-344 (F-344) rats from 90-day (13-wk) prechronic National Toxicology Program (NTP) toxicity studies. A total of 319 rats, represented by control groups of 10 males and 10 females each from dosed feed (n = 8), inhalation (n = 4), and gavage (n = 4) studies were included in the review. All protocol required tissues routinely collected for evaluation were reexamined for potential nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Histopathologic findings in tissues included a spectrum of degenerative and inflammatory lesions. The most common lesions in male rats were nephropathy [145/160 (90.6%)] and cardiomyopathy [125/158 (79.1%)]. These changes were also present in the female rats, however, at much lower incidence rates [nephropathy = 30/157 (19.1%); cardiomyopathy = 36/158 (22.8%)]. Other less frequently occurring lesions included inflammation of the preputial [36/152 (23.7%)] and clitoral [34/155 (21.9%)] glands and inflammation of the liver consisting of either foci of mononuclear inflammatory cells [19/159 (11.9%) in males and 33/159 (20.8%) in females] or focal granulomatous inflammation [1/159 (0.6%) in males and 14/159 (8.8%) in females]. Pancreatic acinar cell atrophy occurred in both males [11/160 (6.9%)] and females [8/159 (5.0%)]. A variety of other less common nonneoplastic lesions were identified in both sexes of rats. Also recorded in this review are histologic changes generally considered to be components of the normal morphology of a particular tissue or organ for the F-344 rat (i.e., extramedullary hematopoiesis and hemosiderin deposition in the spleen, renal mineralization, uterine dilation, etc.). These findings were included and discussed due to potential treatment effects that may result in an increase or decrease in these changes compared to controls. Neoplasms were not observed in rats from the prechronic studies evaluated.
Economic Modelling and Incentive Mechanisms for Ecient Resource Provision in Peer-to-Peer Systems

Personal computers and mobile devices have today significant capabilities, they are connected through high-speed Internet connections or directly, forming ad-hoc networks, and thus provide the potential for the deployment of sophisticated distributed applications which seek to exploit the vast amount of aggregated underutilized resources available; the so-called peer-to-peer (p2p) applications. File sharing, which was the application responsible for the p2p hype started around the year 2000, is still the most popular and the only one widely deployed. But many more are being proposed and designed so as to exploit different types of resources such as computing power, storage, access bandwidth, and more. A fundamental difference of p2p applications compared to traditional distributed systems is the fact that decisions of the individual peers are based on their own self-interest and this in principle leads to inefficient system operation. In particular, a rational peer would participate in the system without contributing any resources following the so-called ‘free riding’ strategy, which could in many cases have a detrimental effect on system’s efficiency. So, suitable incentives should be given to peers in order to behave towards maximizing the overall efficiency. But there are very challenging research questions to be addressed in this context both in terms of economic modelling and implementation which have attracted lately many researchers from all the relevant research fields of computer science and economics. In this dissertation we identified and categorized the most important related concepts due to current practice and research activity, and we chose to focus on the issue of content provision in p2p file sharing systems as our main case study. Content availability is a non-rivalrous resource since files are not consumed by downloading them, and thus it has the main property of what is called in economics a ‘public good’. Hence, we model content provision in p2p systems as a problem of private provision of a public good. Three characteristics of p2p systems that play important role in our analysis are the following: the very large number of participants, the high degree of heterogeneity, and the very challenging implementation issues due to the fully distributed and untrusted environment. Notably, the latter is the one that gives new interest to this classic, and very challenging, problem in the economics literature. The large system size reduces, in general, the incentives to peers to contribute the efficient amount of resources for the provision of the public good because they feel less pivotal for its con-
A simple and robust self-reset CMOS image sensor

A simple and robust self-reset pixel-level CMOS image sensor (CIS) has been designed and tested to verify the improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compare to the conventional asynchronous self-reset pixel-level CISs. It significantly reduces noise accumulation from multiple self-resets by replacing a comparator and redundant regenerative modules with a simple Schmitt trigger circuit.
TNF-α and TGF-β1 regulate Syndecan-4 expression in nucleus pulposus cells: role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase and NF-κB pathways

Abstract Syndecan-4 is emerging as an important player in cell interaction with the extracellular environment and has been shown to be involved in the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration. However, the mechanism of syndecan-4 regulation by TNF-α and the role of TGF-β1 in regulating syndecan-4 expression remain poorly understood in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. The aim of this study was to investigate these mechanisms. We exposed NP cells to TNF-α and the gene, protein expression, and promoter activity levels of syndecan-4 were measured by qPCR, western blotting, and the luciferase reporter assay, respectively. The activation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways was detected using western blot analysis. Syndecan-4 expression in rat NP cells was increased by TNF-α, but this was neither time nor dose dependent in response to TNF-α. ERK1/2, JNK, and NF-κB pathways were activated following TNF-α treatment. Treatment with ERK1/2 and NF-κB inhibitors decreased the up-regulation of syndecan-4 by TNF-α. However, JNK inhibition showed no effect on syndecan-4 expression induced by TNF-α. TNF-α mediated up-regulation of syndecan-4 was antagonized by TGF-β1. This study provided evidence for the differential regulation by MAPK and NF-κB pathways in the over-expression of syndecan-4 promoted by TNF-α in NP cells. Our results demonstrate that TGF-β1 exerts anabolic effects on intervertebral discs by inhibiting the expression of syndecan-4.
Investor Diversification and International Equity Markets

The benefits of international diversification have been recognized for decades. In spite of this, most investors hold nearly all of their wealth in domestic assets. In this paper, we construct new estimates of the international equity portfolio holdings of investors in the U.S., Japan, and Britain. More than 98% of the equity portfolio of Japanese investors is held domestically; the analogous percentages are 94% for the U.S., and 82% for Britain. We use a simple model of investor preferences and behavior to show that current portfolio patterns imply that investors in each nation expect returns in their domestic equity market to be several hundred basis points higher than returns in other markets. This lack of diversification appears to be the result of investor choices, rather than institutional constraints.
Gaming in Targetworld: The Targets Approach to Managing British Public Services

To what extent did the extensive system of managing public services by targets, introduced by Tony Blair’s New Labour government in the United Kingdom in 1998, reproduce the classic gaming responses associated with the Soviet Union and other centralized performance-setting systems? Combining evidence from documentary sources and interviews with high-level officials in the Whitehall bureaucracy, the author suggests that the three classic types of target gaming can be identified in this public management regime. However, the central managers of the target regime did not put substantial resources into checking performance data, took reported performance gains at face value, and had no coherent antigaming strategy.
Cities by Contract: The Politics of Municipal Incorporation

The battle line in the urban conflict lies between the central city and the affluent suburb. The city, needing to broaden its tax base in order to provide increasingly necessary social services, has sought to annex the suburb. The latter, in order to hold down property taxes, has sought independence through incorporation. "Cities by Contract" documents and dissects this process through case studies of communities located in Los Angeles County. The book traces the incorporation of "Lakewood Plan" cities, municipalities which contract with the county for the provision of basic--which is to say minimal--services.The Lakewood plan is shown in this book to be a precursor of the full-scale tax revolt that was to break out a generation later. Miller points out that the settlers of these communities "voted with their feet" for lower taxes, lower levels of government spending on welfare and other social services, and a lower degree of bureaucratic intrusion into their affairs, much as in 1978 Californians statewide were to express the same desires and objectives at the ballot box by overwhelmingly backing the Jarvas-Gann initiative, Proposition 13.The book is one of the first on urban politics to combine the modeling techniques of microeconomics with the statistical analysis of data taken from interviews and documents. Still, the essential messages of the book are fully carried by its prose arguments and by the case studies.
Historical Legacy and Institutions Across Countries

Several recent theories postulate why some countries were able to devise institutions conducive to long-run economic growth whereas others were not. Most of these consider various historical factors or geographic characteristics as important predeterminants. But which of these theories comes closest to the truth? This paper simultaneously considers several competing theories and empirically examines which ones provide the strongest explanations for contemporary institutions. I find that settler mortality rates are strongly associated with contemporary institutions even when controlling for other important historical factors, including ones from theories that do not emphasize geographic characteristics. However, Englebert's concept of state legitimacy does best at explaining institutional outcomes within sub-Saharan Africa.
The Effects of Nitric Oxide Supplementation and Inhibition on Bacterial Translocation in Bile Duct Ligated Rats

Abstract Obstructive jaundice promotes bacterial translocation from the gut, but the role of nitric oxide is controversial in this process. We studied the effects of nitric oxide synthase substrate, L-arginine, and nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-¿-arginine methyl ester, on bacterial translocation in bile duct ligated rats. The animals were randomized into five groups; control, sham, common bile duct ligation alone, nitric oxide inhibition, and nitric oxide supplementation. Obstructive jaundice was performed with common bile duct ligation. ¿-arginine or NG-nitro-¿-arginine methyl ester was injected once daily for 14 days. Blood bilirubin level, liver histology, and bacterial translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes as well as to the liver were assessed. The ¿-arginine supplemented group had the lowest bacterial translocation rate, but the most prominent hepatic fibrosis. Nitric oxide inhibition increased bacterial translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes. Therefore, the administration of nitric oxide donor or inhibitor acts as a significant regulatory factor for bacterial translocation in obstructive jaundice.
Nafamostat mesilate, a kallikrein inhibitor, prevents pain on injection with propofol.

We have examined the preventative effect of nafamostat mesilate, a kallikrein inhibitor, on pain on injection with propofol in a randomized, double-blind study. A control group (n = 110) and a nafamostat (n = 103) group received 5% glucose 0.02 ml kg-1 and nafamostat 0.02 mg kg-1 diluted with 5% glucose, respectively, followed 1 min later by 1% propofol injected at a rate of 200 mg min-1. Pain scores recorded during injection of propofol were significantly less in the nafamostat than in the control group. In another 10 patients, blood concentrations of nafamostat were measured after administration of nafamostat 0.02 mg kg-1 i.v. Mean nafamostat concentration 1 min after injection was 0.1 (SD 0.05) mumol litre-1, which is sufficient to inhibit plasma kallikrein activity. We conclude that pretreatment with nafamostat 0.02 mg kg-1 significantly reduced pain on propofol injection and this effect may be caused by a reduction in kallikrein activity.
Low-Grade Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Breast: A Clinocopathologic Study of 32 Cases with Ultrastructural Analysis

Low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast is an uncommon neoplasm of uncertain pathogenesis, clinical behavior, and malignant potential. This report describes the clinical and pathologic features of 32 cases of lowgrade adenosquamous carcinoma. All patients presented with palpable tumors ranging from 0.6 to 8.6 cm (mean, 2.8 cm). Origin from an intraductal papillary tumor was found in 12 cases, including three with adenomyoepitheliomatous features. Electron microscopy disclosed glandular and squamous differentiation; the squamous cells often lined ducts that were structurally analogous to the acrosyringium of the eccrine sweat gland. Treatment consisted of mastectomy (13 patients) or excisional biopsy (19 patients). A single lymph node in one patient with a 3.5-cm primary carcinoma harbored metastatic adenocarcinoma. Axillary dissection revealed no metastases in 11 other patients. Another patient with an 8.0-cm breast tumor had metastatic adenosquamous carcinoma in the lung at initial diagnosis. After follow-up of 12 to 124 months, 20 of 25 patients had no recurrence. Five women treated by excisional biopsy had local recurrences in the breast. In one patient, the local recurrence was ultimately fatal due to invasion of the hemithorax. Estrogen and progesterone receptor studies were negative in 13 of 15 cases studied by biochemical analysis. The two tumors that were hormone-receptor positive were histologically associated with a papilloma and an adenomyoepithelioma, respectively. In the latter case, immunohistochemical studies showed the carcinoma to be hormone-receptor negative. Hormone receptor activity was limited to the adenomyoepitheliomatous component. This study confirms the largely indolent, but locally aggressive, clinical course of low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast. Although complete limited excision of small lesions may be curative, tumors greater than 3.0 cm may require more aggressive therapy