Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: the transition to large-scale cosmic homogeneity

We have made the largest volume measurement to date of the transition to large-scale homogeneity in the distribution of galaxies. We use the WiggleZ survey, a spectroscopic survey of over 200 000 blue galaxies in a cosmic volume of ∼1 h^(−3) Gpc^3. A new method of defining the ‘homogeneity scale' is presented, which is more robust than methods previously used in the literature, and which can be easily compared between different surveys. Due to the large cosmic depth of WiggleZ (up to z = 1), we are able to make the first measurement of the transition to homogeneity over a range of cosmic epochs. The mean number of galaxies N(< r) in spheres of comoving radius r is proportional to r^3 within 1 per cent, or equivalently the fractal dimension of the sample is within 1 per cent of D_2 = 3, at radii larger than 71 ± 8 h^(−1) Mpc at z ∼ 0.2, 70 ± 5 h^(−1) Mpc at z ∼ 0.4, 81 ± 5 h^(−1) Mpc at z ∼ 0.6 and 75 ± 4 h^(−1) Mpc at z ∼ 0.8. We demonstrate the robustness of our results against selection function effects, using a Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) N-body simulation and a suite of inhomogeneous fractal distributions. The results are in excellent agreement with both the ΛCDM N-body simulation and an analytical ΛCDM prediction. We can exclude a fractal distribution with fractal dimension below D_2 = 2.97 on scales from ∼80 h^(−1) Mpc up to the largest scales probed by our measurement, ∼300 h^(−1) Mpc, at 99.99 per cent confidence.
The genotypes of hepatitis C virus in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection in southern Taiwan.

To investigate the genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in southern Taiwan, the sera from 56 patients with chronic HCV infection were studied. Twenty-nine patients were men and 27 were women. Age ranged from 22 to 65 years (mean, 47.3 +/- 11.4). Eighteen of them had chronic persistent hepatitis, 27 had chronic active hepatitis, and 11 had liver cirrhosis. HCV RNA was detected by reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction using primers derived from the 5'-noncoding region. The genotypes of HCV were determined by amplification of the core region with the type-specific primers as described by Okamoto et al. All sera were positive for HCV RNA. The prevalence rates of genotypes were as follows: 1b/II, 44.6%(25/56); 2a/III, 41.1%(23/56); 2b/IV, 3.6%(2/56); mixed 1b/I + 2a/III, 5.4%(3/56): mixed 1b/II + 2b/IV, 1.8%(1/56) and type unclassified 3.6%(2/56). The distribution of genotypes was not related to the patients' age, sex, and histological changes. Nevertheless, patients having past history of blood transfusion had a significantly higher rate of HCV type 2a/III infection (72.2% versus 34.2%, p < .05, chi-square test). We concluded that both of the HCV genotypes 1 b/II and 2a/III are predominant types in southern Taiwan and regional HCV genotype distribution may differ even within this island. Selective transmission of specific genotypes may pass along different infectious routes.
Never mind the gap: towards an institutional perspective on management accounting practice

Abstract The message of this paper is that researchers should not become unduly concerned about comparisons of management accounting practice against theoretical 'ideals'. Rather, they should focus more closely on the study of management accounting practice per se . The paper outlines some of the challenges to mainstream economics, and particularly to neoclassical theory which forms the basis of management accounting's conventional wisdom. It then outlines alternative institutional economic approaches, distinguishing between 'new' institutional economics which has developed as an extension of neoclassical theory and 'old' institutional economics which developed in opposition to neoclassical analysis. It is argued that the latter, old institutional economics, is a potentially useful framework for the study of management accounting practice. The institutional framework sketched out in the paper views accounting practices as institutionalized routines which enable organizations to reproduce and legitimate behaviour, and to achieve organizational cohesion. It is argued that accounting as institutionalized routine creates understandings of activities according to particular sets of accounting rules and procedures which enable decisions to be made and activities undertaken in a complex and uncertain world. This institutional framework is offered as a possible starting point for management accounting case studies. It encourages researchers to look seriously at the nature of all management accounting practices, and not to dismiss those practices which do not conform to some theoretical ideal.
Liver-directed gene therapy corrects cardiovascular lesions in feline mucopolysaccharidosis type I

Significance Treatment of the lysosomal storage disease mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is currently based on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or weekly infusions of the deficient enzyme. To circumvent the morbidity and mortality associated with HSCT and the economic and quality of life costs of lifelong enzyme replacement therapy, we tested liver-directed gene therapy as a means of achieving endogenous enzyme expression in a feline model of MPS I. We found that hepatic gene transfer not only generated therapeutic levels of circulating enzyme, but in most cases also resulted in complete resolution of storage lesions in the cardiac valves, a tissue that is refractory to currently available therapies and responsible for much of the residual morbidity and mortality in treated patients. Patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), a genetic deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-l-iduronidase (IDUA), exhibit accumulation of glycosaminoglycans in tissues, with resulting diverse clinical manifestations including neurological, ocular, skeletal, and cardiac disease. MPS I is currently treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or weekly enzyme infusions, but these therapies have significant drawbacks for patient safety and quality of life and do not effectively address some of the most critical clinical sequelae, such as life-threatening cardiac valve involvement. Using the naturally occurring feline model of MPS I, we tested liver-directed gene therapy as a means of achieving long-term systemic IDUA reconstitution. We treated four MPS I cats at 3–5 mo of age with an adeno-associated virus serotype 8 vector expressing feline IDUA from a liver-specific promoter. We observed sustained serum enzyme activity for 6 mo at ∼30% of normal levels in one animal, and in excess of normal levels in three animals. Remarkably, treated animals not only demonstrated reductions in glycosaminoglycan storage in most tissues, but most also exhibited complete resolution of aortic valve lesions, an effect that has not been previously observed in this animal model or in MPS I patients treated with current therapies. These data point to clinically meaningful benefits of the robust enzyme expression achieved with hepatic gene transfer that extend beyond the economic and quality of life advantages over lifelong enzyme infusions.
Efros and Freeman Image Quilting Algorithm for Texture Synthesis

Exemplar-based texture synthesis is defined as the process of generating, from an input texture sample, new texture images that are perceptually equivalent to the input. Efros and Freeman's method is a non-parametric patch-based method which computes an output texture image by quilting together patches taken from the input sample. The main innovation of their work relies in the stitching technique which significantly reduces the transition effect between patches. In this paper, we propose a detailed analysis and implementation of their work. We provide a complete mathematical description of the linear programing problem used for the quilting step as well as implementation details. Additionally we propose a partially parallel version of the quilting technique. https://doi.org/10.5201/ipol.2017. 171
Container-as-a-Service at the Edge: Trade-off between Energy Efficiency and Service Availability at Fog Nano Data Centers

In the last few years, we have witnessed the huge popularity of one of the most promising technologies of the modern era: the Internet of Things. In IoT, various smart objects (smart sensors, embedded devices, PDAs, and smartphones) share their data with one another irrespective of their geographical locations using the Internet. The amount of data generated by these connected smart objects will be on the order of zettabytes in the coming years. This huge amount of data creates challenges with respect to storage and analytics given the resource constraints of these smart devices. Additionally, to process the large volume of information generated, the traditional cloud-based infrastructure may lead to long response time and higher bandwidth consumption. To cope up with these challenges, a new powerful technology, edge computing, promises to support data processing and service availability to end users at the edge of the network. However, the integration of IoT and edge computing is still in its infancy. Task scheduling will play a pivotal role in this integrated architecture. To handle all the above mentioned issues, we present a novel architecture for task selection and scheduling at the edge of the network using container-as-a-service (CoaaS). We solve the problem of task selection and scheduling by using cooperative game theory. For this purpose, we developed a multi-objective function in order to reduce the energy consumption and makespan by considering different constraints such as memory, CPU, and the user's budget. We also present a real-time internal and external container migration technique for minimizing the energy consumption. For task selection and scheduling, we have used lightweight containers instead of the conventional virtual machines to reduce the overhead and response time as well as the overall energy consumption of fog devices, that is, nano data centers (nDCs). Our empirical results demonstrate that the proposed scheme reduces the energy consumption and the average number of SLA violations by 21.75 and 11.82 percent, respectively.
Do the OECD 24 month horizon growth forecasts for the G7–countries contain information?

The OECD produces two–year–ahead growth forecasts for the G7–countries since 1987; these forecasts have never been evaluated. A regression is developed that tests for the information content of the forecasts. The idea is that this content is the added value forecasters incorporate in their forecasts. The information content is defined relative to the forecast for the previous year. In the end, the added value contained in the current year forecast is calculated relative to the last observation. The test consists in checking whether the information content reduces the forecasts error. 1 The authors of the present study refer to Mincer and Zarnowitz (1969), McNees (1988), Stekler (1991) and Fildes and Stekler (2002) for a discussion of the evaluation techniques of forecasts. The study begins with a calculation of the usual accuracy statistics. These indicate an extreme low quality for the forecasts. The regression tests support this conclusion although the forecasts for Japan do possess some information. Alarming for users of forecasts is that there are no obvious alternatives.
ADOLESCENT GENDER IDEOLOGY SOCIALIZATION: DIRECT AND MODERATING EFFECTS OF FATHERS' BELIEFS

Previous research examining the intergenerational transmission of gender ideology focuses generally on the influence of mothers' beliefs. This article extends the understanding of gender ideology construction and transmission in two important ways. Utilizing data from the child sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N = 206), we examine the construction of adolescent gender ideology via mothers' and fathers' gender beliefs. Further, we consider the interaction between maternal and paternal ideologies as they influence adolescent ideology. Findings suggest that paternal ideology plays a strong role in adolescent ideology formation, both directly and as a moderator of maternal influence.
Determinants of price elasticities for private labels and national brands of cheese

An Almost Ideal Demand System model is developed and used to estimate price elasticities for US cheese sold at retail. Growing consumption of cheese coupled with fierce competition between private labels and national brands serves as motivating factors for this study. Per capita consumption of cheese grew by 75% during 1980–2004 and private labels captured a rising share of this growth. Private labels today account for 35% of market share; national brands, for the remaining 65%. Kraft accounts for 45% of national brands, but price increases for Kraft brands led to a sizeable price gap between its brands and private labels. This gap helped to stimulate growth of private labels. Marketing managers seek to capitalize on both growing cheese sales and price gaps for brands. Relevant information for marketing managers is consumer sensitivity to price changes. This study uses 69 weeks of scanner data, with consumers segmented by income levels to derive price elasticities for both lower-and higher-income consumers. Results show lower-income consumers to be more price sensitive. If large price gaps are maintained, the results suggest continued growth of private labels. Yet, meta-analyses for this study suggest that Kraft could lower the price gap and regain market share.
A Simple State-Contingent Pricing Rule for Complex Intertemporal Externalities

Some externalities, such as global warming, involve complex relationships between emissions and an environmental state variable, with effects over lags of uncertain length. Coming up with theoretically-motivated and practical policy options in such cases has proven difficult. Deterministic intertemporal general equilibrium models yield what appear to be feasible optimal price paths, but only by assuming away many key uncertainties, nor do they specify how the possibility of new information should affect the policy path. Bayesian models allow limited uncertainty and optimal learning based on observed effects of policy changes, but suggest a discouraging delay before optimal policy can be identified. A full insurance model suggests that risk aversion and 'fat-tailed' probabilities of catastrophe imply an implausibly (or at least impractically) large risk premium, implying that practical policy decisions depend so critically on uncertain parameters as to be unavoidably arbitrary. This paper proposes an entirely new approach based on the observation that the situation giving rise to a complex intertemporal externality also yields an observable state variable that contains information relevant to the identification of the optimal policy path. I derive a simple transformation by which the state variable can yield a good approximation to the optimal externality price. I outline assumptions sufficient to yield the transformation, and present numerical examples that illustrate its ability to follow linear and nonlinear first-best price paths. A specific application to greenhouse gases is proposed.
Diversifying Mergers and Risk: A Comment

In his article “Diversifying Mergers and Risk: Some Empirical Tests”, Thompson (1983) modelled the change in the systematic risk of the acquiring firm before and after merger. We propose a modification to this method which considers the difference between the systematic risk of the merged firm and that predicted by capital market theory on the basis of the constituent firms' betas. Furthermore merger will probably lead to a change in the structure of the acquiring firm, both intrinsically and financially. Thus in order to remove any complications caused by debt restructuring of the combined firm after merger, we suggest that the analysis is carried out using ungeared or intrinsic betas. An empirical study which follows that of Thompson but implements the above modifications is performed, and conclusions are drawn which have implications for studies that have considered the benefits of merger to the acquiring and target firms.
The Database and Information Retrieval Research Group at UFAM

We present in this article a summary of the main research efforts and results produced by the Database and Information Retrieval group of the Universidade Federal do Amazonas in the last years. The main focus of the research carried out by the group is on the areas of Data Management, Information Retrieval and Data Mining applied to the context of the World-Wide Web. The ultimate goal is developing cutting-edge technologies for a number of important Web applications. The complementary expertise of the researchers in the group allows the development of interdisciplinary work related to these three areas and gives the group a singular profile and a solid basis for providing high impact solutions to practical problems in several research topics.
Bus Rapid Transit Projects in Indian Cities: A Status Report

The status of bus rapid transit (BRT) projects at different stages of implementation in 10 Indian cities, is reviewed. BRT was first proposed for Delhi in 1996 and detailed designs produced in 2003-4. Nine other cities have also begun planning and parts of systems are now operational in Delhi, Pune and Ahmedabad. The design of bus lanes, bus stops, fare collection systems, pedestrian access, tracks for cycles and rickshaws, and parking for rickshaws and motorcycles in the different cities is outlined. Apart from the Delhi system forecast demand exceeds the capacity of the systems proposed
Clinical picture of community-acquired Chlamydia pneumoniae pneumonia requiring hospital treatment: a comparison between chlamydial and pneumococcal pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: The importance of Chlamydia pneumoniae as a cause of pneumonia has remained controversial. The clinical picture of C pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in patients admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia was compared during a C pneumoniae epidemic in Finland. METHODS: Group I consisted of 24 patients in whom serological testing and bacterial culture indicated an association with C pneumoniae only, group II comprised nine patients with both C pneumoniae and S pneumoniae, and group III consisted of 13 patients with S pneumoniae only. RESULTS: The patients with C pneumoniae suffered from headache more frequently than the other patients (group I, 46%; group II, 11%; and group III, 15%) and had received antimicrobial treatment more often before admission to hospital (group I, 54%; groups II and III, 0%). The patients with C pneumoniae produced few good sputum samples and had suffered from respiratory symptoms longer than those with S pneumoniae (group I, 10 days; groups II and III, 4 days). C reactive protein values on admission were lowest in group I and highest in group II. The antimicrobial treatment provided in hospital covered C pneumoniae in 36% of cases in group I and 0% in group II, while S pneumoniae was covered in all patients. C pneumoniae and S pneumoniae together were associated with more severe disease and a longer stay in hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumonia caused by C pneumoniae was milder but clinically resembled that caused by S pneumoniae, and required hospital treatment even among young patients. Mixed infections were common and should be taken into account when planning antimicrobial treatment for community-acquired pneumonia. Further studies with more patients are needed to evaluate the severity of C pneumoniae pneumonia.
Charge translocation coupled to electron injection into oxidized cytochrome c oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans.

Electrons were discretely injected into oxidized cytochrome c oxidase in liposomes by laser flash excitation of bound ruthenium [II] bispyridyl, and the membrane potential was recorded by time-resolved electrometry. Membrane potential is generated in a fast phase when an electron is transferred from the excited dye, via the CuA center, to heme a at a relative dielectric depth d inside the membrane [Zaslavsky, D. , Kaulen, A. D. , Smirnova, I. A. , Vygodina, T. , and Konstantinov, A. A. (1993) FEBS Lett. 336, 389-393]. Subsequently, membrane potential may develop further in a slower event, which is due to proton transfer into the enzyme from the opposite side of the membrane [Ruitenberg, M. , Kannt, A. , Bamberg, E. , Ludwig, B. , Michel, H. , and Fendler, K. (2000) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 4632-4636]. Here, we confirm that injection of the first electron into the fully oxidized cytochrome c oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans is associated with a fast electrogenic 11 micros phase, but there is no further electrogenic phase up to 100 milliseconds when special care is taken to ensure that only fully oxidized enzyme is present initially. A slower electrogenic 135 micros phase only becomes apparent and grows in amplitude upon increasing the number of light flashes. This occurs in parallel with a decrease in amplitude of the 11 micros phase and correlates with the number of enzyme molecules that are already reduced by one electron before the flash. The electrogenic 135 micros phase does not appear with increasing flash number in the K354M mutant enzyme, where electron and proton transfer into the binuclear center is delayed. We conclude that the 135 micros phase, and its associated proton uptake, take place on electron injection into enzyme molecules where the binuclear heme a3-CuB site is already reduced by one electron, and that it is accompanied by oxidation of heme a with a similar time constant. Reduction of heme a is not associated with electrogenic proton uptake into the enzyme, neither in the fully oxidized nor in the one-electron-reduced enzyme. The extent of the electrogenic 135 micrcos phase also rules out the possibility that reduction of the binuclear center by the second electron would be coupled to proton translocation in addition to the electrogenic uptake of a proton.
Examining Accountability Dimensions in State-Owned Enterprises

This paper examines accountability in the context of New Zealand's state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and considers an accountability framework which extends beyond traditional (upward and outward) dimensions. While traditional accountability dimensions are clearly detailed in the legislation, less clear are the dilemmas and contradictions faced by SOEs, balancing multiple interests, and at times, conflicting objectives. These issues are explored through interviews conducted in two phases over a two year period with senior executives from 12 of the then 17 SOEs operating in New Zealand. Findings reveal a number of dimensions of accountability that extend beyond current conceptualisations of accountability in the public sector, often including multiple directions of accountability. Implications suggest the need for a more explicit framework of accountability relevant to the SOE context, which may serve useful in identifying potential pathways to conflict mitigation.
Disability and Citizenship in Post-Soviet Ukraine: An Anthropological Critique

In this paper I examine Ukraine’s burgeoning disability rights movement through the lens of citizenship to illustrate the complex processes through which certain categories of people (here, persons with disabilities) are transforming themselves—and being transformed—into particular types of citizens in a changing welfare state. I take an institutional and relational approach to understanding “citizenship,” a tack that has recently been suggested by scholars such as Margaret Somers (1994, 1995) and Allison Carey (2003), to suggest approaches to understanding citizen-state relations that shed light on the complex intersections of agency, power, and personhood that post-socialist social justice struggles entail.