Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Search Neutrality and Competition between First-party and Third-party Sellers on an Online Retail Platform

Many online retail platforms serve both as a bridge connecting buyers and third-party sellers and as another (first-party) seller competing with other sellers on their sites. A platform’s ability to control and personalize consumers’ search rankings has led to increasing antitrust concerns that a platform may self-preferentially boost its own products’ search rankings over the third-party competitors’. Major economies (the US, EU) have passed or been discussing search-neutrality regulations, requiring search rankings to be based purely on product relevance. Our paper provides an analytical framework to study how search neutrality affects consumer search and the competition between the platform and third-party sellers. We find that search neutrality generally weakens the price competition when the platform personalizes consumers’ search rankings. Without search neutrality, the profit-maximizing platform will make the third-party product nonprominent in search rankings to most consumers. As a result, the third-party seller needs to invite more consumer search with a lower price, triggering stronger price competition. By contrast, search neutrality guarantees both products’ prominence in search rankings for respective highvaluation consumers, so neither the first-party nor the third-party sellers is incentivized to invite search from these consumers and hence will set higher prices to extract these consumers’ surplus. Due to the alleviated competition, when many consumers prefer the third-party product to the firstparty one, search neutrality can reduce consumer surplus despite increasing the search outcome 1 University of Florida, tianxin.zou@warrington.ufl. edu 2 University of Maryland, bozhou@umd.edu
AN INVESTIGATION OF FIELD- AND LABORATORY-COMPACTED ASPHALT-RUBBER, SMA, RECYCLED, AND CONVENTIONAL ASPHALT-CONCRETE MIXES USING SHRP PROJECT A-003A EQUIPMENT (WITH DISCUSSION)

It has long been documented that different laboratory compaction methods can produce specimens with different degrees of resistance to permanent deformation as measured in laboratory testing. The task of the experiment described in this paper was to compare the performance of laboratory-compacted specimens of asphalt-aggregate mix to field-compacted specimens, with the objective of estimating which laboratory compaction method produces specimens most similar to those produced by field compaction. The laboratory methods considered were Texas gyratory, rolling wheel, kneading, SHRP gyratory, and Marshall hammer compaction.
OP-HMGJ160135 3164..3177

Huntington disease-like 2 (HDL2) and Huntington disease (HD) are adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases characterized by movement disorders, psychiatric disturbances and cognitive decline. Brain tissue from HD and HDL2 patients shows degeneration of the striatum and ubiquitinated inclusions immunoreactive for polyglutamine (polyQ) antibodies. Despite these similarities, the diseases result from different genetic mutations. HD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, while HDL2 results from an expansion at the junctophilin 3 (JPH3) locus. Recent evidence indicates that the HDL2 expansion may give rise to a toxic polyQ protein translated from an antisense mRNA derived from the JPH3 locus. To investigate this hypothesis, we generated and characterized a Drosophila HDL2 model and compared it with a previously established HD model. We find that neuronal expression of HDL2-Q15 is not toxic, while the expression of an expanded HDL2-Q138 protein is lethal. HDL2-Q138 forms large nuclear aggregates, with only smaller puncta observed in the cytoplasm. This is in contrast to what is observed in a Drosophila model of HD, where polyQ aggregates localize exclusively to the cytoplasm. Altering localization of HLD2 with the addition of a nuclear localization or nuclear export sequence demonstrates that nuclear accumulation is required for toxicity in the Drosophila HDL2 model. Directing HDL2-Q138 to the nucleus exacerbates toxicity in multiple tissue types, while confining HDL2-Q138 to the cytoplasm restores viability to control levels. We conclude that while HD and HDL2 have similar clinical profiles, distinct pathogenic mechanisms are likely to drive toxicity in Drosophila models of these disorders.
OPTIMAL PROPOSALS FOR MCMC METHODS

is unavoidable: at best, the constant σ can be improved; in many situations, especially for high dimensional problems, there is no better alternative. Any introductory text on MonteCarlo methods describes dozens of area of science where these ideas are at work, and where there is no known way to tackle these problems more efficiently: see [Dia09] for an introduction and [Liu08, RC04] for book-length treatments.
Scaling Average-Linkage via Sparse Cluster Embeddings

Average-linkage is one of the most popular hierarchical clustering algorithms. It is well known that average-linkage does not scale to large data sets due to the slow asymptotic running time. The fastest known implementation has running time quadratic in the number of data points. This paper presents a technique that we call cluster embedding. The embedding maps each cluster into a point in slightly higher dimensions. The pairwise distances between the mapped points approximate the average distance between clusters. By utilizing this embedding we scale the task of ﬁnding close pairs of clusters, which is a key step in average-linkage clustering. We achieve an approximate, sub-quadratic time implementation of average-linkage. We show theoretically the algorithm proposed in this paper achieves a near-linear running time and scales to large data sets. Moreover, its scalability empirically dominates average-linkage and typically oﬀers 3-10x speed-up on large data sets.
Supplementary Materials for: Incorporating Learnable Membrane Time Constant to Enhance Learning of Spiking Neural Networks

Wei Fang, Zhaofei Yu1,2,3∗, Yanqi Chen, Timothée Masquelier, Tiejun Huang, Yonghong Tian* Department of Computer Science and Technology, Peking University, China Peng Cheng Laboratory, China Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, China Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CERCO), UMR5549 CNRS Univ. Toulouse 3, France {fwei, yuzf12, chyq}@pku.edu. cn, timothee.masquelier@cnrs.fr, {tjhuang, yhtian}@pku.edu. cn
Short Communication HUMAN ALVEOLAR ECHINOCOCCOSIS SEROPREVALENCE ASSESSED BY WESTERN BLOTTINGIN HOKKAIDO

To investigate the recent prevalence of human alveolar echinococcosis in Hokkaido, we took advantage of Western blotting analysis capable of classifying persons infected with Echinococcus multilocularis into two groups: the complete and incomplete types. From the geographic distribution, the residents with the complete type appeared for the first time in 1992 in the Oshima district (western Hokkaido). The age distribution indicated that persons with the complete type increased, since 1990, in the age groups younger than 30 years old.
Measuring Prevention More Broadly: An Empirical

Objective: To assess limitations of using select Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) core claims-based measures in capturing the preventive services that may occur in the clinical setting. Methods: We use claims data from ALL Kids, the Alabama Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to calculate each of four quality measures under two alternative definitions: (1) the formal claims-based guidelines outlined in the CMS Technical Specifications, and (2) a broader definition of appropriate claims for identifying preventive service use. Additionally, we examine the extent to which these two claimsbased approaches to measuring quality differ in assessments of disparities in quality of care across subgroups of children. Results: Statistically significant differences in rates were identified when comparing the two definitions for calculating each quality measure. Measure differences ranged from a 1.9 percentage point change for measure #13 (receiving preventive dental services) to a 25.5 percentage point change for measure #12 (adolescent well-care visit). We were able to identify subgroups based upon family income, rural location, and chronic disease status with differences in quality within the core measures. However, some identified disparities were sensitive to the approach used to calculate the quality measure. Conclusions: Differences in CHIP design and structure, across states and over time, may limit the usefulness of select claims-based core measures for detecting disparities accurately. Additional guidance and research may be necessary before reporting of the measures becomes mandatory.
Driving, Dropouts, and Drive-throughs: Mobility Restrictions and Teen Outcomes∗

THIS DRAFT IS PRELIMINARY; PLEASE DO NOT CITE OR SHARE WITHOUT AUTHOR PERMISSION. We provide evidence that graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, originally intended to improve public safety, impact both high school completion and teen employment. Many teens use automobiles to commute to both school and to part-time employment. Thus, the effects of automobile-specific mobility restrictions are ex ante ambiguous. Combining variation in the timing of both GDL law adoption and changes in compulsory school laws into a triple-difference estimation strategy shows that restricting teen mobility significantly reduces high school dropout rates and teen employment. These findings are consistent with a model in which teens use automobiles to access educational distractions (employment or even risky behaviors). We develop a discrete choice model that decomposes these effects into a direct component generated by changing educational access and an indirect component due to decreased access to alternative activities. ∗ We thank Mike Abito, Peter Kuhn, Kyle Mangum, Dan Millimet, Amil Petrin, Tyler Ransom, and Kurt Schmidheiny, as well as participants at the UCSB Applied Micro Workshop and the CHEPS seminar at SDSU for their helpful comments. PJ Elliott and Nathan Schor provided excellent research assistance. Disclaimer: This paper represents preliminary research that is being circulated for discussion purposes. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the authors. †Kansas State University, Department of Economics ‡The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
University of Groningen Ablation of capsaicin-sensitive afferent nerves affects insulin response during an intravenous glucose tolerance test

We investigated the role of sensory nerves in glucose tolerance in conscious Wistar rats neonatally treated with neurotoxin capsaicin or vehicle. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT, 150, 300 and 450 mg in 30 min) were performed to measure glucose tolerance, and glucose, insulin and glucagon levels were measured. Higher glucose concentration resulted in a greater insulin response in both capsaicinand vehicle-treated rats. However, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was attenuated in capsaicin-treated animals, even though glucose levels did not differ. Glucagon levels did not differ between both groups. These results show that capsaicinsensitive nerves are involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, but are not directly involved in the regulation of blood glucose levels. Moreover, they suggest that capsaicin-sensitive nerves could be involved in the regulation of insulin sensitivity. We hypothesize that sensory afferents could play a role in the aetiology of pathologies where glucohomeostatic mechanisms are disturbed, as is in type 2 diabetes mellitus. D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
IN VITRO GERMINATION AND VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION THROUGH BUD DEVELOPMENT OF SACHA INCHI (Plukenetia volubilis) Germinación y propagación vegetativa in vitro a través del desarrollo de yemas de Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis)

This study describes the in vitro seed germination and micropropagation of Plukenetia volubilis (sacha inchi), an oilseed crop rich in omega-3 fatty acids, with health benefits and several industrial applications. Seed germination was evaluated in different culture media (MS and /2 MS), seed coat presence/absence and culture temperature (18 °C and 28 °C). Micropropagation was performed using axillary bud development (ABD) on nodal segments from in vitro seedlings. KIN, BAP and 2-ip were evaluated for ABD, and the effect of modified MS in 453 mg L-1 CaCl2 and 351.62 mg L -1 MgSO4 on ABD and shoot survival was assessed to improve the process. Finally, six treatments were evaluated to optimize ABD and shoot leaf formation. Seed germination of 91.6 % was achieved in MS at 28 °C when the seed coat was removed. ABD was obtained in 45 % and 40 % with 0.4 mg L-1 KIN and 0.6 mg L-1 2-ip, respectively, with the least CAL. The modification in 453 mg L-1 CaCl2 then allowed 76 % ABD and 82 % explant survival. ABD response was optimized to 95 % and 2.45 leaves with MS medium + CaCl2 modification + 10 % coconut water + 0.4 mg L -1 KIN. The same results were obtained by replacing the latter with 0.6 mg L-1 2-ip. Rooting was achieved in MS without PGR, and acclimatization was successful. The results indicate that plant production via germination and vegetative propagation is effective for commercial purposes.
Optimal Scheduling of Urban Mobile Emergency Power Sources

Developing apower emergency service management platform,and establishing as well as perfecting the power emergency mechanism is of great significance to enhancing the emergency supporting capability of a power system.A rational scheduling of existing mobile emergency power sources plays an important role in minimizing the outage costs of important customers and improving the capability of handling unforeseen power outage.Most of the existing research work on power emergency service focuses on the establishment of an emergency evaluation index system and the development of an emergency management platform.Up to now,the optimal scheduling problem of urban mobile emergency power sources has not yet been systematically addressed.Given this background,a bi-objective optimal scheduling model of urban mobile emergency power sources is developed for the first time.First,the scheduling model is mainly formulated as one with two objectives,the minimization of the total outage costs of all important consumers concerned and the minimization of the surplus of mobile emergency power sources.In this optimization model,the maximum function and sign function are respectively included in the objective function and the constraint set,which make the optimization problem very difficult to solve.In order to efficiently solve this problem,two 0-1 variables are introduced to transform this optimization model into a mixed integer linear programming problem which is easier to solve.Then,a solving method based on the delamination sequence method is proposed.Finally,a sample example is taken for demonstrating the feasibility and efficiency of the optimization model and solving algorithm developed.
Common Fixed Point Theorems for Weakly Contractions in Rectangular 
 b
 -Metric Spaces with Supportive Applications

In this manuscript, two new classes of generalized weakly contractions are introduced and common fixed point results concerning the new contractions are proved in the context of rectangular b -metric spaces. Also, some examples are included to present the validity of our theorems. As an application, we provide the existence and uniqueness of solution of an integral equation.
Why Are Returns to Private Business Wealth

We use firm-level data from Orbis to document that average returns to private business wealth are dispersed, persistent, and negatively correlated with equity. We also show that firms experience large and fat-tailed changes in output that are not fully accompanied by changes in their capital stock and wage bill, and therefore generate large changes in firm profits. We interpret this evidence using a model of entrepreneurial dynamics in which return heterogeneity arises from both limited span of control, as well as from financial frictions which generate differences in marginal returns to wealth. The model matches the evidence on average returns and predicts that marginal returns are three fourths as dispersed as average returns, mostly reflecting risk as opposed to collateral constraints. Though financial frictions greatly depress individual firms’ production choices and cash flows, they generate relatively modest productivity and output losses in the aggregate.
Production and Optimization of Bio-Based Silica Nanoparticle from Teff Straw (Eragrostis tef) Using RSM-Based Modeling, Characterization Aspects, and Adsorption Efficacy of Methyl Orange Dye

,e brown teff straw was utilized in this study to produce silica using the sol-gel technique. After pretreatment, the rawmaterial of brown teff straw was characterized. ,e data were analyzed using the central composite design and response surface technique, and four independent parameters, namely, temperature, NaOH concentration, rotational speed, and extraction time, were evaluated for process optimization. Before extracting silica with an alkaline solution, the silica content in the ash was determined using an AAS spectrometer. ,e silica content of teff straw ash is around 92.89%. ,e ash was treated with NaOH solution in the concentrations range of 1M to 3M (0.5M interval). ,e extraction time varied at intervals of 55, 70, 85, 100, and 115 minutes. Temperatures were changed using magnetic stirrer equipment in the range of 80°C to 100°C (5°C interval). At 350 rpm, 400 rpm, 450 rpm, 500 rpm, and 550 rpm, the rotating speed was adjusted. ,e best extraction conditions for amorphous silica were 1.50M NaOH, 109.99min, 94.98°C, and a rotating speed of 499.57 rpm, with a maximum yield of 85.85%. XRD and FTIR analyses were used to assess the physicochemical characteristics of the extracted silica. ,e aqueous solutions of methyl orange were used to test the adsorption efficiency of silica. ,e percent of removal efficiency for methyl orange was 90.48%.
Data-Driven Decision-Making in Sales: Can Marketing Analytics Enhance Sales Performance?

Marketing analytics is increasingly used to aid sales force decision making. However, there is little empirical understanding of how the adoption of marketing analytics tools can affect sales performance. Using data from a global B2B information technology company, we find that on average the adoption of a new marketing analytics tool improved sales quota attainment rate by 14%. The reasons behind this increased attainment rate vary by type of sales agents. High performers using marketing analytics won more sales opportunities and performed better relative to quota with inactive customers (customers with no recent transactions). These high performers, however, reduced sales to active accounts. In contrast, compared to high performers, low performers using marketing analytics worked with more marketing-initiated leads and achieved more sales to active accounts. Overall, we interpret this to suggest that marketing analytics can empower the more-skilled sales agents to reach a more balanced account portfolio and help the less-skilled sales agents to seize opportunities that might have been missed.
Journal of the Midwest Association for Information Systems

A This study examines the role of a website user’s motivation in forming her assessment of the website’s credibility. We applied a dual processing model of website credibility assessment, which posits that motivation determines the extent to which users will critically evaluate website information and later form their credibility impressions of the website. In this paper we examine the relationship between motivation and cognitive processes and how those influence assessments of website credibility. We conducted an experiment using eye tracking technology to gauge the gaze behaviors of website users. We found that motivated users examined information content of the website more tentatively, while non-motivated users evaluated design features of the website more closely. Non-motivated users were inclined to assess the website as more credible. Findings from our study offer strong support for the dual processing model of website credibility.
SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR A PATIENT WITH MARFAN SYNDROME BY POSTERIOR STABILIZATION: A CASE REPORT

Scoliosis in Marfan syndrome is a common occurrence, constituting up to 63% prevalence. Correction is not always easy as the structural anatomy differs from the general population. We present a female 23 years old with chief complain of curved back since 10 years before admission. The patient had high stature and positive Marfan syndrome’s criteria. The patient also complained of shortness of breath. The curvature was progressive becoming more severe over time. In radiographs we found that the main thoracic curve Cobb’s angle of 92 and main lumbar curve Cobb’s angle 76. We performed scoliosis correction with pedicle screws and rod by posterior approach. Intra-operative blood loss was 1900 cc. Postoperatively, the patient had weakness at the lower limbs but resolved after several days and gained full motoric function after one week. Severe scoliosis is an indication for surgery to correct the spinal deformity that causes several complications such as pulmonary and cardiac complications. The result was satisfying proving that the procedure is safe and with proper peri-operative preparation, we may achieve a good functional outcome.
DB120562 9..17

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the immune system’s misguided attack on insulin-producing pancreatic b-cells, leading to lifelong insulin replacement therapy as well as to the risk for developing disease-associated complications (1–3). Over the past 2–3 decades, the field of clinical research in T1D has seen tremendous growth, including evaluation of a variety of promising immunotherapy approaches for the prevention or reversal of the disorder (4–6). In just the past 2 years, data from . 10 trials have been reported, some revealing promising phase II results. However, phase III trials have failed to demonstrate efficacy. In light of these results, an anxiety-provoked question has arisen: Where does the field go from here? To this end, this article presents and elaborates on key emerging questions and recommendations for future immunotherapy trials in T1D. If implemented successfully, such strategies could accelerate the development of therapies with tangible clinical benefit in T1D because they perhaps more appropriately address the complex nature of the disease.
A VOIDING R OBUST M ISCLASSIFICATIONS FOR I MPROVED R OBUSTNESS WITHOUT A CCURACY L OSS

While current methods for training robust deep learning models optimize robust accuracy, in practice, the resulting models are often both robust and inaccurate on numerous samples, providing a false sense of safety for those. Further, they significantly reduce natural accuracy, which hinders the adoption in practice. In this work, we address both of these challenges by extending prior works in three main directions. First, we propose a new training method that jointly maximizes robust accuracy and minimizes robust inaccuracy. Second, since the resulting models are trained to be robust only if they are accurate, we leverage robustness as a principled abstain mechanism. Finally, this abstain mechanism allows us to combine models in a compositional architecture that significantly boosts overall robustness without sacrificing accuracy. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach to both empirical and certified robustness on six recent state-of-the-art models and using several datasets. For example, on CIFAR-10 with ε∞ = 1/255, it successfully enhanced the robust accuracy of a state-of-the-art standard trained model from 26% to 86% while only marginally reducing its natural accuracy from 97.8% to 97.6%.