Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First-principles study of structural and elastic properties of monoclinic and orthorhombic BiMnO3

The structural and elastic properties of BiMnO3 with monoclinic (C 2/c) and orthorhombic (Pnma) ferromagnetic (FM) structures have been studied by first-principles calculations within LDA + U and GGA + U approaches. The equilibrium volumes and bulk moduli of BiMnO3 phases are evaluated by equation of state (EOS) fittings, and the bulk properties predicted by LDA + U calculations are in better agreement with experiment. The orthorhombic phase is found to be more stable than the monoclinic phase at ambient pressure. A monoclinic to monoclinic phase transition is predicted to occur at a pressure of about 10 GPa, which is ascribed to magnetism versus volume instability of monoclinic BiMnO3. The single-crystal elastic stiffness constants cijs of the monoclinic and orthorhombic phases are investigated using the stress–strain method. The c46 of the monoclinic phase is predicted to be negative. In addition, the polycrystalline elastic properties including bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, bulk modulus–shear modulus ratio, Poisson’s ratio, and elastic anisotropy ratio are determined based on the calculated elastic constants. The presently predicted phase transition and elastic properties open new directions for investigation of the phase transitions in BiMnO3, and provide helpful guidance for the future elastic constant measurements.
Disconnections and exclusions: professionalization, cosmopolitanism and (global?) civil society

In this article, we address the ways in which theories and practices of cosmopolitanism and professionalization intersect in the sphere of global civil society. We emphasize the experiences of grassroots development activists, arguing that although they have so far been pivotal to the legitimacy of these spaces and discourses, such activists are increasingly absent from the practices of global civic spaces. We explore this process of change over time using the example of grassroots health promoters in Peru, explaining it in terms of the articulation of neoliberal processes of professionalization with a particularly neoliberal version of cosmopolitanism. We argue that the two are mutually reinforcing and produce a particularly narrow, and arguably less cosmopolitan, rendition of global civil society, with implications for the possibility of building critical and transformative encounters across difference as a foundation for more equitable ideas and practices of development and democracy.
Single-incision, multicannulated, laparoscopic ovariectomy in two tigers (Panthera tigris)

Two tigers (Panthera tigris), six and seven years old, presented for laparoscopic ovariectomy. The tigers were privately owned and had never been bred. Both animals had been receiving 375 mg medroxyprogesterone acetatea intramuscularly every 6 months for contraception.
Citizenship Education without a Textbook

It has always been acknowledged that a free society is dependent on the knowledge, skills, and virtues of its citizens and those they elect to office. For this reason, civic education has always been regarded as an essential component of any education system. A new enthusiasm for citizenship education has recently seen the revision, or re-introduction of civics programmes into the schools of Western Europe, North America and Australasia. This paper suggests that while facts are undoubtedly an essential ingredient of any civic education programme, formal instruction in civics and government may not be the best way to teach effective citizenship. In a world that demands confident, informed and responsible citizens, citizenship education may be taught best through programmes which develop appropriate skills and encourage appropriate attitudes and values.
Power, wealth and common identity: access to resources and ethnic identification in a plural society

Abstract Access to resources through ethnic group membership is often presumed to affect the intensity of ethnic identification. We examine this premise using survey data on three ethnic groups in Mauritius: Creoles, Hindus, and Muslims. Two key findings emerge from our research. First, access to material resources explains only a modest proportion of total variation in ethnic identification within each group. Second, the resources that affect ethnic identification differ significantly across groups. Access to political goods through group membership affects Hindu identification but is unrelated to ethnic identification among Creoles or Muslims. Conversely, access to economic goods affects Creole and Muslim identification but has no effect on Hindu identification. Explaining these group differences leads us beyond a basic means–ends instrumentalist model to identify conditions that likely mediate the relationship between individual interests and collective identification including the divisibility of economic goods relative to political goods in Mauritius.
Is There Rent Sharing in Developing Countries? Matched-Panel Evidence from Brazil

We provide evidence about the determinants of the wage structures of developing countries by examining the case of Brazil. Our specific question is whether Brazil’s dramatic income and wage differentials can be explained by the division of rents between firms and their employees, unlike in competitive labour markets. Using detailed individual-level matched panel data, covering a large share of manufacturing firms and more than 30 million workers between 1997 and 2002, we consider the endogeneity of profits, by adopting different measures of profits and different instruments and by controlling for spell fixed effects. Our results, robust to different specifications and tests, indicate no evidence of rent sharing. This conclusion contrasts with findings for most developed countries, even those with flexible labour markets. Possible explanations for the lack of rent sharing include the weakness of labour-market institutions, the high levels of worker turnover and the macroeconomic instability faced by the country.
Ju n 20 06 Anisotropic Galactic Outflows and Enrichment of the Intergalactic Medium . I : Monte Carlo Simulations

We have designed an analytical model to describe the evolution of anisotropic galactic outflows. With this we investigate the impact of varying opening angle on galaxy formation and the evolution of the intergalactic medium. We have implemented this model in a Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate galaxy formation and outflows in a cosmological context. Using this algorithm, we have simulated the evolution of a comoving volume of size (12hMpc) in the ΛCDM universe. Starting from a Gaussian density field at redshift z = 24, we follow the formation of ∼ 20, 000 galaxies, and simulate the galactic outflows produced by these galaxies. When these outflows collide with density peaks, 80% of the time this results in ram pressure stripping of the gas inside the peak, preventing the formation of a galaxy. Anisotropic outflows follow the path of least resistance, and thus travel preferentially into low-density regions, away from cosmological structures (filaments and pancakes) where galaxies form. As a result, the number of collisions is reduced, leading to the formation of a larger number of galaxies. Anisotropic outflows can significantly enrich low-density systems with metals. Conversely, the cross-pollution in metals of objects located in a common cosmological structure, like a filament, is significantly reduced. Highly anisotropic outflows can travel across cosmological voids, and deposit metals in other, unrelated cosmological structures. Subject headings: cosmology — galaxies: formation — intergalactic medium — methods: analytical
Nanofiber-mediated inhibition of focal adhesion kinase sensitizes glioma stemlike cells to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition.

BACKGROUND Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common glioma in adults and carries a poor prognosis, due to tumor recurrence despite aggressive treatment. Such relapse has been attributed to the persistence of glioma stemlike cells (GSCs), a subpopulation of glioma cells with stem cell properties. Thus, targeting these cells will be critical to achieving meaningful improvement in glioblastoma multiforme survival. We investigated the role of β1-integrin signaling as one such potential target. METHODS We used GSCs isolated from primary human gliomas and maintained in stem cell conditions. We manipulated β1-integrin signaling using a self-assembling peptide amphiphile (PA) displaying the IKVAV (isoleucine-lysine-valine-alanine-valine) epitope as well as lentiviral overexpression, and we assayed the effects on downstream effectors and apoptosis using immunofluorescence. RESULTS We show that β1-integrin expression correlates with decreased survival in glioma patients and that β1-integrin is highly expressed by GSCs. The IKVAV PA potently increases immobilized β1-integrin at the GSC membrane, activating integrin-linked kinase while inhibiting focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The IKVAV PA induces striking apoptosis in GSCs via this FAK inhibition, which is enhanced in combination with inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Conversely, lentiviral overexpression of β1-integrin renders GSCs resistant to EGFR inhibition, which was overcome by FAK inhibition. CONCLUSIONS These observations reveal a role for β1-integrin signaling through FAK in GSC treatment resistance and introduce self-assembling PAs as a novel new therapeutic approach for overcoming this resistance.
Literature Survey on the Prediction of Secondary Structure of Proteins Using Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBFNN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM)

The Protein structure prediction has been an active research area for the last 40 years or so. The technical progress in computational Molecular Biology during the last decades has contributed significantly to the progress we see today. The major goal of predicting Protein structures underpins the correct assumption that three dimensional structures confer protein function. The linear Amino Acid sequences must transform to nonlinear Secondary Structures and then to Tertiary and Quaternary Structures that are responsible for biological functions. Biological functions may remain similar or change in the related organisms through the evolutionary process. By considering the importance of the prediction of secondary structure of protein a detailed literature study of the same using Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBFNN) AND Support Vector Machines (SVM) has been reviewed in this paper.
The Combination of Evidence in the Transferable Belief Model

A description of the transferable belief model, which is used to quantify degrees of belief based on belief functions, is given. The impact of open- and closed-world assumption on conditioning is discussed. The nature of the frame of discernment on which a degree of belief will be established is discussed. A set of axioms justifying Dempster's rule for the combination of belief functions induced by two distinct evidences is presented. >
The influence of nonconscious processes on perceptions of downsizing and terminations

ABSTRACT Although social and cognitive psychologists have developed a large body of research on priming and other nonconscious processes, relatively little research has focused on how these issues influence organizationally relevant phenomena. The current research sought to partially fill this void by examining the influence of nonconscious processes on perceptions of organizational downsizing. In three studies, individuals were primed with traits of self-reliance or employer-reliance either supraliminally (Study 1) or subliminally (Studies 2 and 3). Studies 1 and 2 found that individuals primed with self-reliance had less negative views of downsizing. Experiment 3 found that those primed with self-reliance reported greater perceptions of fair treatment, respect for their boss, and decreased levels of anger in response to a termination scenario. Implications and future directions are discussed.
A Multisite Validity Study of Self-Reported Anesthesia Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of a multisite anesthesia voluntary adverse event reporting process. A data validation methodology was used through medical chart review on live records at 3 facilities (N = 600). The per-item aggregated error rate among all 42 data items was 0.3%: 0.1% for quality indicators, 1.3% for demographic/status variables, and 1.7% for administrative items. The per-patient error rate among all 42 data items was 6.3%: 3.0% for quality indicators, 1.7% for demographic/status variables, and 3.0% for administrative items. Trends such as better accuracy for more serious events continue, but observed error rates were lower than those found in previous surveys—an indication that, while further study is needed, nonpunitive voluntary reporting may reduce errors in anesthesia care.
Pragmatic Transfer in Thai EFL Refusals

Communication breakdowns can occur during cross-cultural communication due to different perceptions and interpretations of appropriateness and politeness. This study investigates similarities and differences between refusals in American English and Thai and incidences of pragmatic transfer by Thai EFL learners when making refusals. The participants of the study include Thai and American native speakers and EFL learners. All of them are graduate students. The data were collected by means of a discourse completion test (DCT) which was designed on the basis of interviews carried out with a view to possible situations for refusals. EFL data for refusals were compared with similar data elicited from native speakers of American English and Thai. Results indicate that overall all three groups share most of the refusal strategies and that pragmatic transfer exists in the choice and content of refusal strategies. Awareness of a person of a higher status and the characteristics of being modest in L1 culture motivate pragmatic transfer. Language proficiency is also an important factor in pragmatic transfer. In making refusals, EFL learners with lower English proficiency translate from L1 to L2 because of their lack of L2 pragmatic knowledge.
Age estimation and gender classification of facial images based on Local Directional Pattern

In order to improve shortage of Local Binary Pattern (LBP) algorithm in the field of facial feature extraction, this paper uses Local Directional Pattern (LDP) algorithm to extract the facial features about age estimation and gender classification. Because gradient information is more stable than gray information, LDP algorithm is not affected easily by noise. After preprocessing images, we use block strategy to represent facial features more fully. And then, we extract features of each block with LDP algorithm, storing the LDP histogram. Finally, we obtain age and gender identification results by Support Vector Machine (SVM). Experimental results on FG-NET face database show that this method has a good effect on age estimation and gender classification.
Clinical and Translational Assessment of VEGFR1 as a Mediator of the Premetastatic Niche in High-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer

Preclinical studies have suggested that VEGFR1-positive cells potentially foster the development of metastases by establishing a “premetastatic niche. ” We sought to test this hypothesis in high-risk localized prostate cancer and assess potential niche modulation by the VEGFR1-targeting drug axitinib. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue derived from benign lymph nodes was collected and VEGFR1-positive cell clustering was assessed in benign lymph nodes via IHC. Recursive partitioning was used to define a threshold for VEGFR1 clustering that could segregate patients based on time to biochemical recurrence (TTBR). Multivariate analyses were used to determine whether VEGFR1 clustering, age, pathologic T-stage, Gleason score, or baseline PSA could independently predict TTBR. A randomized, phase II clinical trial comparing axitinib for 28 days followed by radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection (RP/PLND) to RP/LND alone was then conducted, with the primary endpoint of demonstrating downregulation of VEGFR1-positve cell clustering in benign lymph nodes. Our retrospective analysis assessed a cohort of 46 patients. A threshold of 1.65 VEGFR1-positive cells per high power field was identified, below which TTBR was delayed. VEGFR1 clustering was an independent predictor of TTBR in a multivariate analysis. Only 11 out of the planned 44 patients were accrued to the phase II trial. While preoperative axitinib was safe and well tolerated, there was no sign of clinical activity or VEGFR1 downregulation. Our results validate previous findings that suggest VEGFR1-positive cells in benign lymph nodes can predict clinical outcome. Further work is needed to develop a viable clinical strategy for modulating VEGFR1 in these tissues. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(12); 2896–900. ©2015 AACR.
TDV Cache: Organizing Off-Chip DRAM Cache of NVMM from a Fusion Perspective

Emerging Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) provides both larger memory capacity and higher energy efficiency, but has much longer access latency than traditional DRAM, thus DRAM can be used as an efficient cache to hide the long latency of Non-Volatile Main Memory (NVMM) system. Transparent Off-chip DRAM cache (TOD cache) is a new DRAM cache structure where off-chip DRAM module is used as L4 cache and managed by hardware. The capacity and latency ratio of TOD cache over NVM are both quite different from those of traditional on-chip SRAM or die-stacked DRAM cache over off-chip DRAM memory. All the factors including hit latency, miss latency and hit rate need to be re-considered for TOD cache design. In this study, we first point out that three types of traditional cache schemes cannot be used directly for TOD cache, since set-associative cache suffers from extra tag lookup latency, direct-mapped cache has low hit rate and tag cache is too small to efficiently hold the working sets of tags for DRAM cache. Based on these observations, we propose a novel cache scheme, TDV, that fuses these three different types of cache together to take their advantages. In TDV, a direct-mapped cache is used as the first-level cache to achieve short access latency, a set-associative victim cache is taken as the second-level cache to obtain extra high hit rate, and a SRAM tag cache only serves for the victim cache rather than the whole DRAM cache and thus improves the hit rate of tag cache significantly. The simulation results show that, TDV cache has a performance improvement of 6.3% and 8.3% on average than state-of-the-art direct-mapped (Alloy cache) and set-associative cache (ATCache) with same DRAM and SRAM capacity.
ZmSOC1, an MADS-Box Transcription Factor from Zea mays, Promotes Flowering in Arabidopsis

Zea mays is an economically important crop, but its molecular mechanism of flowering remains largely uncharacterized. The gene, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1), integrates multiple flowering signals to regulate floral transition in Arabidopsis. In this study, ZmSOC1 was isolated from Zea mays. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the ZmSOC1 protein contained a highly conserved MADS domain and a typical SOC1 motif. ZmSOC1 protein was localized in the nucleus in protoplasts and showed no transcriptional activation activity in yeast cells. ZmSOC1 was highly expressed in maize reproductive organs, including filaments, ear and endosperm, but expression was very low in embryos; on the other hand, the abiotic stresses could repress ZmSOC1 expression. Overexpression of ZmSOC1 resulted in early flowering in Arabidopsis through increasing the expression of AtLFY and AtAP1. Overall, these results suggest that ZmSOC1 is a flowering promoter in Arabidopsis.
The Curse of the Self: Self-Awareness, Egotism, and the Quality of Human Life

Human beings have the ability to be self reflective, or to think consciously about themselves, which allows them, among other things, to imagine themselves in the future, anticipate the consequences of their behaviour, plan ahead, and take steps to improve themselves. Despite these obvious advantages, self-reflection comes at a high price. Most people occasionally realize that it causes problems, such as when they cannot stop dwelling on some past failure or future worry, when their ego fuels conflicts with other people, or when their mental chatter keeps them awake at night. Yet few people realize neither how profoundly their lives are affected by their self-reflection, nor how frequently this inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their relationships with others, and undermines their happiness. The mental apparatus that enables us to be self-reflective is the same one responsible for most of the personal and social difficulties we face as individuals and as a species. The egocentric, egotistical self blinds people to their own shortcomings, undermines their relationships with others, and leads to social conflict.Self-reflection distorts peoples perceptions of the world, leading them to make bad decisions based on faulty information. By allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might happen in the future, it also conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions. A great deal of unhappiness, in the form of addictions, overeating, and domestic violence, is due to peoples inability to exert control over their thoughts and behaviour. This lack of control has led visionaries throughout history to proclaim that the egoic self stymies our quest for spiritual fulfilment and leads to immoral behaviour. Is it possible to direct our self reflection in a way that will minimize the disadvantages and maximize the advantages? Is there a way to affect the egotistical self through self-reflection? In this volume Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by the capacity for self-reflection, and by drawing upon psychology and other behavioural sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimized.
Improved Canny Algorithm for Edge Detection of Core Image

Aiming at the disadvantages of edge detail loss and false edges in conventional Canny algorithm, this paper proposes an optimized Canny edge detection algorithm for edge detection of core image by combining self-adaption smooth filtering and self-adaptive threshold value. The algorithm, which retains the advantages of high signal to noise ra- tio, accurate positioning, single edge single response and etc in conventional Canny algorithm, has stronger de-noising ca- pability and better edge-detection effect. The experiment results indicate that the improved algorithm can perform self- adaptive edge-detection on the core image and create a clear coherent detected edge of image which can display the edge feature better.