Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Which wage distributions are consistent with statistical discrimination?

In this paper, we propose a general non-parametric model of statistical discrimination in the labor market, and derive a test for statistical discrimination that only requires cross-sectional data on wages. There are two groups whose productivity distributions have identical means, but can otherwise be different. The group identity is observable to employers, but productivities are not. Instead, there are group-dependent statistical experiments that generate signals about the underlying productivity. Signals induce posterior productivity distributions (via Bayes' rule) and, in particular, these can be used to compute posterior estimates (the mean of the productivity conditional on the signal) of the unobserved productivity. Therefore, each group's statistical experiment generates a distribution over posterior productivity estimates. Wages are then determined via a strictly increasing, continuous function of the posterior productivity estimate that, importantly, does not depend on the group. We say that two wage distributions - one for each of the two groups - are consistent with statistical discrimination if they can be rationalized by this model.
Evaluation of Physical and Chemical Properties of Soils at Bichi Local Government Area, Kano State, Nigeria

- The research was aimed to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of soil at Bichi Local Government Kano State, Nigeria. A soil profile was dug at the Eastern and Western parts of the area under study, georeferenced using Global Positioning System (GPS). Site characteristics such as gradient, erosion, natural drainage, natural vegetation and land use were recorded. Soil profile morphological characteristics were studied including soil texture, structure, porosity and bulk density. From the soil profile, disturbed soil samples were taken from designated genetic horizons for physical and chemical analysis in the laboratory. Undisturbed cores samples were taken for the determination of bulk density. For soil fertility evaluation composite soil samples from the 0-30cm depth were collected from the sites. The results of the particle size distribution, bulk density and total porosity revealed that the textural class of the study area is dominantly sandy clay loam in the lower horizons whereas sandy loam in the upper horizons. The highest bulk density and total porosity values were recorded in horizon AP and the lowest values were recorded in horizon BC respectively. The maximum numerical values of Soil pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, available phosphorous, total nitrogen, and organic carbon contents of the soil were obtained from horizon AP while the minimum numerical values were obtained from horizon BC. It, therefore, concluded that the soil of the study area has poor physical conditions and low levels of chemical fertility status. Organic amendment should be applied to the soils for improvement of the physical and chemical conditions of the soils.
Sources and Bioactivities of Astaxanthin

: Astaxanthin is a pinkish-orange carotenoid, and mainly produced by microalgae. Astaxanthin is also found in shrimp, lobster, salmon and feathers of some birds including flamingos and quail, which accumulate astaxanthin from the food chain. Astaxanthin has attracted wide attention because of its considerable bioactivities, such as antioxidant and free radical scavenging, anti-inflammation, cardiovascular health protection, anticancer, and neuroprotection activities, and protective effects on diabetes and ultraviolet radiation damages. In this review, we provide an up-to-date coverage of astaxanthin with reference to source, separation and analytical methods, and bioactivities, and special attention is paid to its bioactivities.
A Hot Spot in Coma

We study the temperature structure of the central part (r≤18′≃0.7 h−150 Mpc) of the Coma Cluster of galaxies using ASCA data. Two different analysis methods produce results in good agreement with each other and reveal the presence of interesting structures in the gas temperature distribution. Globally, the average temperature in the center of the cluster is 9.0±0.6 keV, which is in good agreement with previous results. Superimposed on this we find a cool area with temperatures of 4-6 keV associated with a filament of X-ray emission extending southeast from the cluster center and detected by Vikhlinin and coworkers. We also find a hot spot with a temperature of around 13 keV displaced north from the central peak of emission. The distribution of the gas temperatures and relative specific entropies suggests that the cool features are most likely gas stripped from a galaxy group centered on NGC 4874 and falling toward the core from outside, while the hot spot located "ahead" of this infalling gas is due to shock heating. Thus our results suggest that we are observing Coma during a minor merger with a small group of galaxies associated with NGC 4874 shortly before the initial core passage.
Application of dexamethasone combined with tranexamic acid in perioperative period of total hip arthroplasty

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone (DEXA) combined with tranexamic acid (TXA) in the perioperative period of total hip arthroplasty. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 cases were randomly divided into 2 groups (50 cases per group). All patients were given 15 mg/kg TXA before skin incision and 3 hours later. Patients in the intervention group (TXA + DEXA group) were given 20 mg dexamethasone intravenously after the onset of anesthesia, and the same dose of DEXA was administered again 24 hours later. Patients in the placebo group (TXA group) were only given the same dose of normal saline. Postoperative c-reactive protein and interleukin-6, postoperative nausea and vomiting, fatigue visual analogue scale score, postoperative length of stay, range of motion, and consumption of analgesic and antiemetics were statistically analyzed in the 2 groups. Results: The levels of c-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in the TXA + DEXA group were lower than those in the TXA group at 24, 48, 72 hours post-operatively (P < .001). Walking pain scores in the TXA + DEXA group were also significantly lower than those in the TXA group at 24 and 48 hours (P < .001); rest pain scores were lower at 24 hours (P < .001). Compared with the TXA group, the incidence of nausea VAS, postoperative nausea and vomiting, fatigue, analgesia and antiemetics consumption, postoperative length of stay, and range of motion were lower in the TXA + DEXA group (all P < .05), while there were no significant differences in postoperative hematocrit, total blood loss, and complications (P > .05). Conclusion: The combination of TXA (15 mg/kg; before skin incision and 3 hours later) and DEX (20 mg dexamethasone intravenously after the onset of anesthesia, and again 24 hours later) is an effective and safe strategy for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty.
Kinesio taping for ankle sprain in youth athlete: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Ankle sprain is considered a major problem that may hinder youth athletes’ athletic development because it will lead to ongoing dysfunction, reoccurrence of ankle sprain, chronic ankle instability, and posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Kinesio taping (KT) is a therapeutic taping technique that has been widely used in the treatment of various ankle issues including sprained ankles and in the prevention of ankle sprains. It can not only provide the injured ankle with support during the rehabilitation phase, but also enhance the ankle stability during activity. However, the available evidence regarding its effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of ankle sprain is inconsistent. Therefore, a systematic review will help clinicians and coaches better understand the application of KT in clinical and training practices. This study is to systematically review the literature on the use of KT to improve outcomes including ankle function, proprioception, and pain and to evaluate the effectiveness of KT in the treatment and prevention of ankle sprain injuries. Methods: A comprehensive electronic search of the literature will be undertaken in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane library, Web of Science and Scopus from 1979 to August 2022. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale will be used to assess the methodological quality of all included studies and RevMan 5.3 (Copenhagen, The Nordic Cochrane Centre) for the data analysis. Results: This study will provide a standardized evaluation and comparison for effects of KT on the treatment and prevention of ankle sprains in youth athletes. Conclusion: This review will provide the evidence of the effectiveness of KT used in the treatment and prevention of ankle sprain in youth athletes. This review will also provide directions and recommendations for future research and clinical practices targeting treatment and prevention of ankle sprains in youth athletes.
Spectrum of a linear fourth‐order differential operator and its applications

In this paper, we apply the disconjugacy theory and Elias's spectrum theory to study the positivity and the spectrum structure of the linear operator u(4)+Mu coupled with the clamped beam boundary conditions (1.2). We also study the positivity and the spectrum structure of the more general operator u(4)+p(t)u coupled with (1.2). As the applications of our results on positivity and spectrum of fourth‐order linear differential operators, we show the existence of nodal solutions for the corresponding nonlinear problems via Rabinowitz's global bifurcation theorem.
Observations of the planetary nebula RWT 152 with OSIRIS/GTC

RWT 152 is one of the few known planetary nebulae with an sdO central star. We present subarcsecond red tunable filter Halpha imaging and intermediate-resolution, long-slit spectroscopy of RWT 152 obtained with OSIRIS/GTC with the goal of analyzing its properties. The Halpha image reveals a bipolar nebula with a bright equatorial region and multiple bubbles in the main lobes. A faint circular halo surrounds the main nebula. The nebular spectra reveal a very low-excitation nebula with weak emission lines from H^+, He^+, and double-ionized metals, and absence of emission lines from neutral and single-ionized metals, except for an extremely faint [NII]6584 emission line. These spectra may be explained if RWT 152 is a density-bounded planetary nebula. Low nebular chemical abundances of S, O, Ar, N, and Ne are obtained in RWT 152, which, together with the derived high peculiar velocity ($\sim$ 92-131 km s$^{-1}$), indicate that this object is a halo planetary nebula. The available data are consistent with RWT 152 evolving from a low-mass progenitor ($\sim$ 1 M$_{\odot}$) formed in a metal-poor environment.
Magnetoencephalographic spectral ﬁngerprints differentiate evidence accumulation from saccadic motor preparation in perceptual decision-making

SUMMARY The understanding of the neurobiological basis of perceptual decision-making has been profoundly shaped by studies in the monkey brain in tandem with mathe-matical models, providing the basis for the formulation of an intentional account of decision-making. Although much progress has been made in human studies, a characterization of the neural underpinnings of an integrative mechanism, where evidence accumulation and the selection and execution of responses are carried out by the same system, remains challenging. Here, by employing magnetoencephalographic recording in combination with an experimental protocol that measures saccadic response and leverages a system-atic modulation of evidence levels, we obtained a spectral dissociation between evidence accumulation mechanisms and motor preparation within the same brain region. Speciﬁcally, we show that within the dorsomedial parietal cortex alpha power modulation reﬂects the amount of sensory evidence available while beta power modulations reﬂect motor preparation, putatively representing the human ho-molog of the saccadic-related LIP region. analysis at the neural level investigated power modulations of the MEG signal as a function of sensory evidence. and one data segment from the pre-stimulus interval (baseline, from 500 ms to 0 ms; locked to the stimulus onset) were considered for the intermediate condition level. Sensor-level cross-spectral density matrices were computed using Slepian tapers with a 19 Hz center frequency to produce 6 Hz frequency smoothing. Beta-band cortical power was computed from these matrices by using the eLORETA method. The comparison of cortical power in the baseline, ERD and ERS intervals was performed by using a permutation test based on a one-way repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA), with cluster-based multiple comparison correction. Time-varying modulations of cortical beta power for easy and hard conditions were assessed using a 350-ms-length sliding window approach. A baseline correction was performed by subtracting the average (logarithmically transformed) power in the pre-stimulus interval. The contrast between time-varying modulations in the two conditions was performed by using a permutation test based on a paired-sample t-statistics (10,000 random permutations) with cluster-based multiple comparison correction.
Context-Aware Destination and Time-To-Destination Prediction Using Machine learning

The rapid adoption of Internet-connected devices (i.e., smart phones, smart cars, etc.) in today's society has given rise to a massive amount of data that can be harnessed by intelligent systems to learn and model the behavior of people. One useful set of such data is movement data, which can readily be obtained via GPS or motion-detection sensors, and which can be used to create models of user movement. One relevant application task based on this type of data is destination prediction, where movement data are used to form highly customized models that can forecast intended user destinations based on partially observed trajectories. In this work, we present a two-stage predictive model for destination prediction and Time-To-Destination (TTD) estimation using movement trajectories and contextual information. Our two-stage approach uses a Transformer-based architecture to predict an intended destination and a regression model to estimate how many steps must be traversed before a destination is reached. We showcase experimental results on various trajectory datasets and show that our proposed approach is able to yield significant destination prediction improvements over previous state-of-the-art methods and can also produce accurate TTD estimates.
General Brane Geometries from Scalar Potentials: Gauged Supergravities and Accelerating Universes

We find broad classes of solutions to the field equations for d-dimensional gravity coupled to an antisymmetric tensor of arbitrary rank and a scalar field with nonvanishing potential. For an exponential potential we find solutions corresponding to brane geometries, generalizing the black p-branes and S-branes known for the case of vanishing potential. These geometries are singular at the origin with up to two horizons. When the singularity has negative tension or the cosmological constant is positive we find timedependent configurations describing accelerating universes. Special cases give explicit brane geometries for gauged supergravities in various dimensions, and we discuss their interrelation. Some examples lift to give new solutions to 10D supergravity. Limiting cases preserve a fraction of the supersymmetries of the vacuum. We also consider more general potentials, including sums of exponentials. Exact solutions are found for these with up to three horizons, with potentially interesting cosmological interpretation. Further examples are provided.
173-190 GAE18488C.fm

With recent growing interests in the Performance-Based Seismic Design and Assessment Methodology, more realistic modeling of a structural system is deemed essential in analyzing, designing, and evaluating both newly constructed and existing buildings under seismic events. Consequently, a shallow foundation element becomes an essential constituent in the implementation of this seismic design and assessment methodology. In this paper, a contact interface fiber section element is presented for use in modeling soil-shallow foundation systems. The assumption of a rigid footing on a Winkler-based soil rests simply on the Euler-Bernoulli’s hypothesis on sectional kinematics. Fiber section discretization is employed to represent the contact interface sectional response. The hyperbolic function provides an adequate means of representing the stress-deformation behavior of each soil fiber. The element is simple but efficient in representing salient features of the soil-shallow foundation system (sliding, settling, and rocking). Two experimental results from centrifuge-scale and full-scale cyclic loading tests on shallow foundations are used to illustrate the model characteristics and verify the accuracy of the model. Based on this comprehensive model validation, it is observed that the model performs quite satisfactorily. It resembles reasonably well the experimental results in terms of moment, shear, settlement, and rotation demands. The hysteretic behavior of moment-rotation responses and the rotation-settlement feature are also captured well by the model.
Spectroscopic Studies of Very Metal-poor Stars with the Subaru High Dispersion Spectrograph. III. Light Neutron-Capture Elements

Elemental abundance measurements have been obtained for a sample of 18 very metal-poor stars using spectra obtained with the Subaru Telescope High Dispersion Spectrograph. Seventeen stars, among which 16 are newly analyzed in the present work, were selected from candidate metal-poor stars identified in the HK survey of Beers and colleagues. The metallicity range covered by our sample is -3.1 ≲ [Fe/H] ≲ -2.4. The abundances of carbon, α-elements, and iron-peak elements determined for these stars confirm the trends found by previous work. One exception is the large overabundance of Mg, Al, and Sc found in BS 16934-002, a giant with [Fe/H] = -2.8. Interestingly, this is the most metal-rich star (by about 1 dex in [Fe/H]) known with such large overabundances in these elements. Furthermore, BS 16934-002 does not share the large overabundances of carbon that are associated with the two other, otherwise similar, extremely metal-poor stars CS 22949-037 and CS 29498-043. By combining our new results with those of previous studies, we investigate the distribution of neutron-capture elements in very metal-poor stars, focusing on the production of the light neutron-capture elements (e.g., Sr, Y, and Zr). Large scatter is found in the abundance ratios between the light and heavy neutron-capture elements (e.g., Sr/Ba, Y/Eu) for stars with low abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements. Most of these stars have extremely low metallicity ([Fe/H] ≲ -3). By contrast, the observed scatter in these ratios is much smaller in stars with excesses of heavy neutron-capture elements and with higher metallicity. These results can be naturally explained by assuming that two processes independently enriched the neutron-capture elements in the early Galaxy. One process increases both light and heavy neutron-capture elements and affects stars with [Fe/H] ≳ -3, while the other process contributes only to the light neutron-capture elements and affects most stars with [Fe/H] ≳ -3.5. Interestingly, the Y/Zr ratio is similar in stars with high and low abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements. These results provide constraints on modeling of neutron-capture processes, in particular, those responsible for the nucleosynthesis of light neutron-capture elements at very low metallicity.
Resilience of Public Transit Systems Under Short Random Service Suspensions: A Bulk-Service Queue Model

This paper proposes a stochastic framework to model the resilience of public transit systems under short random service suspensions. Two aspects regarding resilience are evaluated: 1) system’s stability and 2) system performance changes (queue length and waiting time) under random service suspensions. We adopt a bulk-service queue model to formulate the queuing behavior at a station. A Markov chain model is used to model passenger ﬂow dynamics across stations. We model the random service suspension as a two-state (failure and normal) Markov process, where vehicles are assumed to stop in the failure state. With speciﬁc assumptions, the distribution of headway and the number of arrival passengers within a headway is derived, which are then used to calculate the mean and variance of queue length and waiting time at each station with analytical formulations. These analytical formulations allow eﬃcient calculation of system performance and quantify the impact of random service suspensions. We also derive the stability condition of the system. The closed-form formula implies that the system is more likely to be unstable with high incident rates, high incident duration, high demand, low service frequency, and low vehicle capacity. The proposed model is implemented on a bus network with sensitivity analysis of diﬀerent parameters (such as incident rate, incident duration, vehicle capacity, etc.). Results show that the congested stations (i.e., stations with high demand rates) are more vulnerable to random service suspensions. We also validate the theoretical results with a simulation model, showing consistency between two outcomes.
Gravitationally coupled scale-free discs

In a composite fluid system of two gravitationally coupled barotropic scale-free discs bearing a rotation curve v ∝ r −β and a power-law surface mass density � 0 ∝ r −α with α = 1 + 2β ,w econstruct classes of coplanar stationary aligned and logarithmic spiral perturbation configurations in the two discs. Owing to the mutual gravitational interaction, there are two independent classes of perturbation modes, with surface mass density disturbances in the two coupled discs being either in phase or out of phase. We derive analytical criteria for such perturbation modes to exist and show numerical examples. We compute the aligned and spiral perturbation modes systematically to explore the entire parameter regime. For the axisymmetric m = 0 case with radial oscillations, there are two unstable regimes of ring fragmentation and Jeans collapse corresponding to short and long radial wavelengths, respectively. Only within a certain range of the rotation parameter D 2 (square of the effective rotational Mach number for the stellar disc) can a composite disc system be stable against all axisymmetric perturbations. Compared with a single-disc system, the coupled two-disc system becomes less stable against such axisymmetric instabilities. Our investigation generalizes the previous work of Syer & Tremaine on the single-disc case and of Lou & Shen on two coupled singular isothermal discs. Non-axisymmetric instabilities are briefly discussed. These stationary models for various largescale patterns and morphologies may be useful in the context of disc galaxies with bars and spirals or barred spirals. Ke yw ords: wave s‐ stars: formation ‐ ISM: general ‐ galaxies: kinematics and dynamics ‐ galaxies: spiral ‐ galaxies: structure.