Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supplemental Appendix for \Does the Use of Imported Intermediates Increase Productivity? Plant-Level Evidence" (NOT FOR PUBLICATION)

In this section we outline how we control for endogeneous selection while using LP intermediate proxy approach. The idea is essentially the same as the one used in Olley and Pakes (1996); namely, we first identify the state variables that are relevant for endogneous exiting decisions and approximate the survival probabilities using the polynomials in the observable variables. Then, we can control for the endogenous exiting decision by including the polinomials in the survival probabilities when the moment conditions are constructed. First, the state variables that are relevant for the plant exit decision are the predetermined level of capital kit and the past import decision di,t−1. The model in section 2 implies that a plant chooses to continue to produce if the current realization of productivity term ωit is higher than the threshold value ωt(kit, di,t−1). One might think that the intermediate proxy approach is not applicable to control for the selection bias because we cannot “recover” ωit from observables given that we do not observe the current period intermediates if the plant chooses to exit. Note, however, that ωit follows the first order Markov process ωit = ξt + γdi,t−1 + ωi,t−1 + uit (equation (8) in the main text) and, thus, it is possible to approximate ωit using the observable variables (di,t−1, ωi,t−1), where ωi,t−1, in turn, can be proxied by the past value of intermediates, the past capital, and the past import decision so that ωi,t−1 = ω∗ t−1(xi,t−1, ki,t−1, di,t−1) (equation (10) in the main text). 1 ∗Department of Economics, the University of Western Ontario. E-mail: hkasahar@uwo.ca. †Department of Economics, Queen’s University. E-mail: rodrigue@qed.econ.queensu.ca. 1The linearity assumption can be relaxed. For instance, suppose that ωit follows the stochastic process ωit =
Adolescents: Involvement in Product Categories and Attitude toward Brands

The study of adolescents as consumers has been under researched in the marketing literature. The authors first describe the specificities and importance of these consumers and stress the lack of consensus on some of their characteristics. They then focus on two constructs: attitude toward the brand and enduring involvement in categories of products and services. Finally, the authors present the development of two relevant measurement scales specially adapted to research on adolescents as consumers. Surveys involving 1,397 adolescents were conducted based on seven data collections for attitude toward the brand and five data collections for enduring involvement. The results were analyzed to produce two valid and reliable measurement scales which can be used to improve our understanding of the behavior of adolescents as consumers. Managerial implications are also drawn by the authors.
Protocols for Reference Sharing in a Belief Ascription Model of Communication

The ViewGen model of belief ascription assumes that each agent involved in a conversation has a belief space which includes models of what other parties to the conversation believe. The distinctive notion is that a basic procedure, called belief ascription, allows belief spaces to be amalgamated so as to model the updating and augmentation of belief environments. In this paper we extend the ViewGen model to a more general account of reference phenomena, in particular by the notion of a reachable ascription set (RAS) that links intensional objects across belief environments so as to locate the most heuristically plausible referent at a given point in a conversation. The key notion is the location and attachment of entities that may be under different descriptions, the consequent updating of the system's beliefs about other agents by default, and the role in that process of a speaker's and hearer's protocols that ensure that the choice is the appropriate one. An important characteristic of this model is that each communicator considers nothing beyond his own belief space. A conclusion we shall draw is that traditional binary distinctions in this area ( like de dicto/de re and attributive/referential) neither classify the examples effectively nor do they assist in locating referents, whereas the single procedure we suggest does both. We also suggest ways in which this analysis can also illuminate other traditional distinctions such as referential and attributive use. The description here is not on an implemented system with results but a theoretical tool to be implemented within an established dialogue platform (such as Wilks et al. 2011).
A Skill Set Based Framework to Increase the Recruiting Efficacy for Data Science Graduates

Successful placement of IS students in rewarding careers has an impact on how the IS major is viewed by students. The rise of the data science field provides an opportunity to rebrand and rebuild IS departments off the career placement successes of IS graduates. This paper describes a framework that IS departments can use to coordinate between the employer demand side and the graduate supply side of the data science job market. The framework was developed based on empirical evidence over several years in successfully placing IS graduates into IS consulting firms across the U.S. The framework contains three different perspectives: the university IS department, the organizations hiring IS graduates, and the IS graduates themselves. This framework can be used by IS departments seeking to place their graduates in the data science field.
Taxonomic revision of genus Ablattaria Reitter (Coleoptera, Silphidae) using geometric morphometrics

Abstract The genus Ablattaria Reitter, 1884 (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Silphinae) is revised. Four taxa are recognized as valid species: Ablattaria arenaria (Kraatz, 1876), Ablattaria cribrata (Ménétries, 1832), Ablattaria laevigata (Fabricius, 1775) and Ablattaria subtriangula Reitter, 1905. Ablattaria laevigata var. meridionalis Ganglbauer, 1899 is newly treated as a junior subjective synonym of Ablattaria laevigata. Lectotypes are designated for Phosphuga arenaria Kraatz, 1876, Ablattaria arenaria var. punctigera Reitter, 1884, Ablattaria arenaria var. alleoni Portevin, 1926, Silpha cribrata Ménétries, 1832, Silpha laevigata Fabricius, 1775, Silpha gibba Brullé, 1832, Ablattaria gibba var. costulata Portevin, 1926, Ablattaria gibba var. distinguenda Portevin, 1926, Ablattaria gibba var. punctata Portevin, 1926 and Ablattaria subtriangula Reitter, 1905. The distribution of all taxa is mapped, based on material examined. Geometric morphometric methods were used to evaluate shape variability in Ablattaria. Results indicated sexual dimorphism in all species. Shape inconsistency was found between the sexes of all taxa when tested independently. The first two relative warp axes indicated 65.17% shape variation in males and 65.72% in females. Canonical variate analysis separated the taxa studied. There was minimal overlap between some groups in both sexes. Differences in body shape between populations of Ablattaria laevigata from Central Europe, Italy and Greece + Turkey were also examined. Relative warps implied 58.01% shape variability on both axes in males and 64.78% in females. CVA revealed noticeable overlaps between the groups, although the Italian population demonstrated a higher separation in both sexes.
Bioactivity of α-Lactalbumin Related to its Interaction with Fatty Acids: A Review

α-Lactalbumin (α-LA) is a whey protein that has been extensively studied for its folding properties and its ability to bind several cations. An interesting property of α-LA is its ability to interact with fatty acids, although this interaction requires the previous unfolding of the protein by removing the Ca2+ bound. The main function of α-LA is to participate in lactose biosynthesis. However, other biological functions have been attributed to the protein in the last decade. It has been reported that a particular form of human and bovine apo-α-LA induces apoptosis in tumoral and immature cells though spares healthy differentiated cells. The conversion of α-LA to the active apoptotic form requires the unfolding of the protein and the binding of specific fatty acids, mainly unsaturated C18 fatty acids in the cis-conformation. Likewise, it has been shown that a folding variant of α-LA and also some peptidic fragments have a bactericidal activity. The proposed functions for α-LA open new perspectives for its use as a potential ingredient to be added in functional foods or in nutraceutical products. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the subject of the interaction of α-LA with fatty acids, and the consequences of this interaction on its bioactivity.
Constant-Envelope Multi-User Precoding for Frequency-Selective Massive MIMO Systems

We consider downlink precoding in a frequency-selective multi-user Massive MIMO system with highly efficient but non-linear power amplifiers at the base station (BS). A low-complexity precoding algorithm is proposed, which generates constant-envelope (CE) signals at each BS antenna. To achieve a desired per-user information rate, the extra total transmit power required under the per-antenna CE constraint when compared to the commonly used less stringent total average transmit power constraint, is small.
Retraction for Lee et al., “The BCL11A Transcription Factor Directly Activates RAG Gene Expression and V(D)J Recombination”

Baeck-seung Lee,a Joseph D. Dekker,a Bum-kyu Lee,a Vishwanath R. Iyer,a Barry P. Sleckman,b Arthur L. Shaffer III,c Gregory C. Ippolito,a Philip W. Tuckera Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USAa; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USAb; Metabolism Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USAc
The Impact of Parent–Child Interaction on Brain Structures: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Analyses

There is a vast amount of evidence from psychological studies that the amount of parent–child interaction affects the development of children's verbal skills and knowledge. However, despite the vast amount of literature, brain structural development associated with the amount of parent–child interaction has never been investigated. In the present human study, we used voxel-based morphometry to measure regional gray matter density (rGMD) and examined cross-sectional correlations between the amount of time spent with parents and rGMD among 127 boys and 135 girls. We also assessed correlations between the amount of time spent with parents and longitudinal changes that occurred a few years later among 106 boys and 102 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found negative effects of spending time with parents on rGMD in areas in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) via cross-sectional analyses as well as in the contingent areas of the right STG. We also confirmed positive effects of spending time with parents on the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. rGMD in partly overlapping or contingent areas of the right STG was negatively correlated with age and the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional analyses. Subsequent analyses revealed verbal parent–child interactions have similar effects on Verbal Comprehension scores and rGMD in the right STG in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These findings indicate that parent–child interactions affect the right STG, which may be associated with verbal skills.
The Difference in p53 Mutations between Cancers of the Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal Tract

Background:p53 gene mutations have been reported in over half of all human cancers and they appear to occur in the early stage of cancer, thus indicating the important role that such mutations may play in the carcinogenesis of the digestive tract. This study investigated the differences in p53 abnormalities between cancers of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Materials and Methods: The DNA of 354 specimens of gastrointestinal cancer (esophagus 85, stomach 112, colon 157) was extracted and then p53 gene mutations were investigated by direct sequencing; the loss of heterozygosity was also synchronously analyzed in all cases. Results: (1) p53 gene mutation: p53 gene mutations were found in 41 samples (48.2%) in the esophagus, 18 samples (16.0%) in the stomach and 36 samples (22.9%) in the colon. p53 mutations were more frequently identified in well-differentiated cancers and a close correlation was recognized between p53 mutations and loss of heterozygosity. (2) Mutation spectrum: the ratio of transversion was 43.9% in esophagus, 33.3% in stomach and 25.0% in the colon tumors. Reciprocally, the ratio of transition was 31.7, 66.7, and 72.2%, respectively. Discussion: The frequency of p53 transversion mutations was extremely high in the upper digestive tract, whereas transition mutations were more frequently observed in the lower digestive tract. The investigation of the spectrum of mutations in p53 is therefore expected to lead to a better understanding of the agents responsible for inducing cancer.
Toward editable web browser: edit-and-propagate operation for web browsing

This paper proposes a novel technique of browsing Web pages called "Edit-and-Propagate" operation based browsing, where edit operation is regarded as the third operation for interacting with the WWW after conventional clicking and scrolling towards realizing the Editable Web Browser. Our method enables users to delete/emphasize any portion of a browsed Web page at any time and modifies the page by propagating the edit operation. For example, the user can easily delete almost any uninteresting portion of a Web page merely by deleting an example of an unwanted portion. While browsing a Web search result page, the user can rerank search results by deleting an unwanted term or by emphasizing an important term. In this paper, we describe the concept of "Edit-and-Propagate" based browsing, and the implementation of our prototypes. Then we describe the results of our evaluation, which demonstrate the usefulness of our system.
Low-rank plus sparse reconstruction using dictionary learning for 3D-MRI

This work proposes a low-rank plus sparse model using dictionary learning for 3D-MRI reconstruction from downsampling k-space data. The scheme decomposes the dynamic image signal into two parts: low-rank part L and sparse part S and then, constructing it as a constrained optimization problem. In the optimization process,a nonconvex penalty function is used to optimize the low rank part L. The sparse part S is expressed by a over-complete dictionary using blind compressed sensing and we formulate the sparsity of coffecient matrix using l1 norm. To avoid the ill-posed of the problem, the Frobenius norm is used in dictionary. We adopt an alternate optimization algorithm to solve the problem, which cycles through the minimization of five subproblems. Finally, we prove the effectiveness of proposed method in two cardiac cine data sets. Experimental results were compared with exsiting L+S, L&S and BCS schemes, which demonstrate that the proposed method behaves better in removal of artifacts and maintaining the image details.
Insights into Actinobacillus succinogenes Fermentative Metabolism in a Chemically Defined Growth Medium

ABSTRACT Chemically defined media allow for a variety of metabolic studies that are not possible with undefined media. A defined medium, AM3, was created to expand the experimental opportunities for investigating the fermentative metabolism of succinate-producing Actinobacillus succinogenes. AM3 is a phosphate-buffered medium containing vitamins, minerals, NH4Cl as the main nitrogen source, and glutamate, cysteine, and methionine as required amino acids. A. succinogenes growth trends and end product distributions in AM3 and rich medium fermentations were compared. The effects of NaHCO3 concentration in AM3 on end product distribution, growth rate, and metabolic rates were also examined. The A. succinogenes growth rate was 1.3 to 1.4 times higher at an NaHCO3 concentration of 25 mM than at any other NaHCO3 concentration, likely because both energy-producing metabolic branches (i.e., the succinate-producing branch and the formate-, acetate-, and ethanol-producing branch) were functioning at relatively high rates in the presence of 25 mM bicarbonate. To improve the accuracy of the A. succinogenes metabolic map, the reasons for A. succinogenes glutamate auxotrophy were examined by enzyme assays and by testing the ability of glutamate precursors to support growth. Enzyme activities were detected for glutamate synthesis that required glutamine or α-ketoglutarate. The inability to synthesize α-ketoglutarate from glucose indicates that at least two tricarboxylic acid cycle-associated enzyme activities are absent in A. succinogenes.
On Finding Compromise Solutions in Multiobjective Markov Decision Processes

A Markov Decision Process (MDP) is a general model for solving planning problems under uncertainty. It has been extended to multiobjective MDP to address multicriteria or multiagent problems in which the value of a decision must be evaluated according to several viewpoints, sometimes conflicting. Although most of the studies concentrate on the determination of the set of Pareto-optimal policies, we focus here on a more specialized problem that concerns the direct determination of policies achieving well-balanced tradeoffs. We first explain why this problem cannot simply be solved by optimizing a linear combination of criteria. This leads us to use an alternative optimality concept which formalizes the notion of best compromise solution, i.e. a policy yielding an expected-utility vector as close as possible (w.r.t. Tchebycheff norm) to a reference point. We show that this notion of optimality depends on the initial state. Moreover, it appears that the best compromise policy cannot be found by a direct adaptation of value iteration. In addition, we observe that in some (if not most) situations, the optimal solution can only be obtained with a randomized policy. To overcome all these problems, we propose a solution method based on linear programming and give some experimental results.
Rapid Identification of Coumarins from Micromelum falcatum by UPLC-HRMS/MS and Targeted Isolation of Three New Derivatives

Micromelum falcatum, a medicinal plant of the Rutaceae family, has been used in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) mainly against colds and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite its traditional use the association of its constituents with possible anti-inflammatory activity has not been explored. During this study, a rapid UPLC-ESI(+)-HRMS method was developed for the profiling of M. falcatum leave extracts and the targeted isolation of coumarin constituents. Based on chromatographic, spectroscopic and spectrometric features several 7-oxygenated coumarin derivatives were detected. After targeted isolation, eight coumarins, among them three new natural products, namely microfalcrin, microcoumaririn and micromelosidester, were purified using semi-preparative HPLC and unambiguously identified by 1 and 2D NMR. Furthermore, important spectrometric characteristics were revealed based on the HRMS and HRMS/MS spectra of the isolated 7-oxygenated coumarins facilitating their identification in complex mixtures. Finally, the anti-inflammatory properties of the extracts and representative compounds were evaluated by measuring the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory mediator NF-κB induction and nitric oxide (NO) production.
Aorta Measurements are Heritable and Influenced by Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Objectives: To determine whether the contributions of genetics and bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) independently influence aortic (Ao) dimensions. Background: Ao dilation is a risk factor for aneurysm, dissection, and sudden cardiac death. Frequent association of BAV with Ao dilation implicates a common underlying defect possibly due to genetic factors. Methods: Families enriched for BAV underwent standardized transthoracic echocardiography. In addition to BAV status, echocardiographic measures of Ao (annulus to descending Ao), pulmonary artery, and mitral valve annulus (MVA) diameters were obtained. Using variance components analysis, heritability was estimated with and without BAV status. Additionally, bivariate genetic analyses between Ao dimensions and BAV were performed. Results: Our cohort was obtained from 209 families enriched for BAV. After adjusting for age, body surface area, and sex, individuals with BAV had a statistically significant increase in all echocardiographic measurements (p < 0.006) except descending Ao and MVA. Individuals with BAV were at greater odds of having Ao dilation (OR = 4.44, 95% CI 2.93–6.72) than family members without BAV. All echocardiographic measurements exhibited moderate to strong heritability (0.25–0.53), and these estimates were not influenced by inclusion of BAV as a covariate. Bivariate genetic analyses supported that the genetic correlation between BAV and echo measures were not significantly different from zero. Conclusion: We show for the first time that echocardiographic measurements of Ao, pulmonary artery and MVA diameters are quantitative traits that exhibit significant heritability. In addition, our results suggest the presence of BAV independently influences the proximal Ao and pulmonary artery measures but not those in the descending Ao or MVA.
Association of protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 +1858C→T polymorphism and susceptibility to vitiligo: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 gene, which translates to lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase, is considered to be a susceptibility gene marker associated with several autoimmune diseases. Several studies have demonstrated the association of protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 +1858C→T polymorphism with vitiligo. However, these studies showed conflicting results. Meta-analysis of the same was conducted earlier that included fewer number of publications in their study. Aim: We performed a meta-analysis of a total of seven studies consisting of 2094 cases and 3613 controls to evaluate the possible association of protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 +1858C>T polymorphism with vitiligo susceptibility. Methods: We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Google Scholar and Dogpile for all published paper on protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 +1858C→T polymorphism and vitiligo risk till June 2016. Data analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3 and comprehensive meta-analysis v3.0 software. Results: Meta-analysis showed an overall significant association of protein tyrosine phosphatase, non- receptor type 22 +1858C→T polymorphism with vitiligo in all models (allelic model [T vs. C]: odds ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [1.32–1.71], P< 0.001; dominant model [TT + CT vs. CC]: odds ratio = 1.61, 95% confidence interval [1.16–2.24], P = 0.004; recessive model [TT vs. CT + CC]: odds ratio = 4.82, 95% confidence interval [1.11–20.92], P = 0.04; homozygous model [TT vs. CC]: odds ratio = 5.34, 95% confidence interval [1.23–23.24], P = 0.03; co-dominant model [CT vs. CC]: odds ratio = 1.52, 95% confidence interval [1.09–2.13], P = 0.01). No publication bias was detected in the funnel plot study. Limitations: Limited ethnic-based studies, unable to satisfy data by gender or vitiligo-type are some limitations of the present meta-analysis. Conclusion: Stratifying data by ethnicity showed an association of protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 +1858C→T with vitiligo in European population (odds ratio = 1.53, 95% confidence interval [1.34–1.75], P< 0.001) but not in Asian population (odds ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [0.26–1.32], P = 0.2). In conclusion, protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 +1858 T allele predisposes European individuals to vitiligo.