Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Development of Reversible Operations in Judgments of Ability, Effort, and Performance.

SURBER, COLLEEN F. The Development of Reversible Operations in Judgments of Ability, Effort, and Performance. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1980, 51, 1018-1029. The degree to which judgments of ability, effort, and performance conform to the predictions of Harold Kelley's theory of causal schemata was examined at 4 age levels (college, fifth grade, third grade, and kindergarten). Subjects made 3 kinds of judgments: (1) judgment of performance, given ability and effort; (2) judgment of effort, given performance and ability; and (3) judgment of ability, given performance and effort information. Kelley's causal schema concept requires that effort and ability should be judged to be inversely related (when performance is held constant), and that the pattern of judgments (i.e., whether additivity or interactions are found) should be consistent across judged dimensions. The results showed inconsistent use of inverse compensation in judging ability and effort between kindergarten and fifth grade. At the adult level inverse compensation was consistent, but there was no evidence that ability, effort, and performance are integrated into a fully reversible causal schema. 2 possible explanations of the children's inconsistent use of inverse compensation are suggested: (1) it may reflect a normal step in the development of attribution processes for both social and nonsocial events, or (2) it may reflect different interpretations of the meaning of ability and its relationship to effort. Also discussed is the issue of whether the failure of the adults to show a completely reversible causal schema should be attributed to lack of the reversible operations or to the nature of the social ecology with respect to achievement.
Channel Prediction Using Lumpable Finite-State Markov Channels in OFDMA Systems

In this paper, Rayleigh fading channel with an OFDMA system is modeled as a finite-state Markov channel (FSMC) by partitioning the received signal envelope into several intervals. With the aid of sub-band formation and property of lumpability, the size of feedback information can be reduced. This approach involves reducing an exponentially increased states of Markov channel to multiple lumpable Markov channels. The corresponding state transition probabilities and steady-state probabilities are used to predict channel states information in multiple symbol durations ahead. Some simulation examples are presented to illustrate the capability of the lumpable FSMC in channel prediction
NMDA receptor‐deficient mice display sexual dimorphism in the onset and severity of behavioural abnormalities

N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor‐deficient mice can be used to understand the role that NMDA receptors (NMDARs) play in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. Genetically modified mice with low levels of NR1 subunit (NR1 knockdown mice) have reduced receptor levels throughout development, and have robust abnormalities in behaviours that are relevant to schizophrenia. We traced the onset and severity of these behaviours at three developmental stages to understand when in development the underlying circuits depend on intact NMDAR function. We examined social behaviour, working memory, executive function, locomotor activity and stereotypy at 3, 6 and 12 weeks of age in NR1 knockdown mice and their wild‐type littermates. We discovered that each of these behaviours had a unique developmental trajectory in mutant mice, and males showed an earlier onset and severity than females in several behaviours. Hyperlocomotion was most substantial in juvenile mice and plateaued in adult mice, whereas stereotypy progressively worsened with age. Impairments in working memory and sociability were sexually dimorphic, with deficits first detected in peri‐adolescent males but only detected in adult females. Interestingly, executive function was most impaired in peri‐adolescent mice of either sex. Furthermore, while juvenile mutant mice had some ability to problem solve in the puzzle box test, the same mice lost this ability when tested 4 weeks later. Our studies highlight key developmental periods for males and females in the expression of behaviours that are relevant to psychiatric disorders.
Adaptation of the Highly Productive T7 Expression System to Streptomyces lividans

ABSTRACT Streptomyces lividans is a Gram-positive bacterium known for its remarkable secretion efficiency and low extracellular protease activity. In the present work, we adapted the highly productive T7 expression system to S. lividans. A codon-optimized T7 RNA polymerase gene was chromosomally integrated, and a bifunctional T7 expression vector was constructed.
Culex quinquefasciatus from Rio de Janeiro Is Not Competent to Transmit the Local Zika Virus

Background The Americas have suffered a dramatic epidemic of Zika since May in 2015, when Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Brazil. Mosquitoes belonging to subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes, particularly Aedes aegypti, are considered the primary vectors of ZIKV. However, the rapid spread of the virus across the continent raised several concerns about the transmission dynamics, especially about potential mosquito vectors. The purpose of this work was to assess the vector competence of the house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus from an epidemic Zika area, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for local circulating ZIKV isolates. Methodology/Principal Findings Culex quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti (positive control of ZIKV infection) from Rio de Janeiro were orally exposed to two ZIKV strains isolated from human cases from Rio de Janeiro (Rio-U1 and Rio-S1). Fully engorged mosquitoes were held in incubators at 26 ± 1°C, 12 h:12 h light:dark cycle and 70 ± 10% humidity. For each combination mosquito population—ZIKV strain, 30 specimens were examined for infection, dissemination and transmission rates, at 7, 14 and 21 days after virus exposure by analyzing body (thorax plus abdomen), head and saliva respectively. Infection rates were minimal to completely absent in all Cx. quinquefasciatus-virus combinations and were significantly high for Ae. aegypti. Moreover, dissemination and transmission were not detected in any Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes whatever the incubation period and the ZIKV isolate. In contrast, Ae. aegypti ensured high viral dissemination and moderate to very high transmission. Conclusions/Significance The southern house mosquito Cx. quinquefasciatus from Rio de Janeiro was not competent to transmit local strains of ZIKV. Thus, there is no experimental evidence that Cx. quinquefasciatus likely plays a role in the ZIKV transmission. Consequently, at least in Rio, mosquito control to reduce ZIKV transmission should remain focused on Ae. aegypti.
Object-oriented video coding employing dense motion fields

This paper focuses on object-oriented motion estimation and motion field encoding for video compression. A dense motion field and its segmentation are estimated jointly by a MAP estimator. The a priori distribution of the estimates is modelled by a coupled Markov random field accounting for both spatial smoothness and temporal continuity along motion trajectories of the estimates. A lossy contour/content code is proposed for motion field transmission. For each object, a region-oriented linear transform is applied to the motion vectors. It minimizes a distortion measure which approximates the square error of motion compensated prediction. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the scheme for video encoding with high compression ratio. <<ETX>>
Comparative Arterial Antithrombotic Activity of Clopidogrel and Acetyl Salicylic Acid in the Pig

Summary We investigated the comparative antithrombotic properties of clopidogrel, an analogue of ticlopidine, and aspirin, using the Folts' model on femoral arteries in 22 pigs. On each animal, clopidogrel or aspirin were used to treat the thrombotic process on the left femoral artery and to prevent this process on the right femoral artery. Sequentially: an injury and stenosis were carried out on the left femoral artery; the thrombotic process was monitored with a Doppler during a 30-min observation period for cyclic flow reductions or permanent cessation of flow; after the first cyclic flow reduction occurred, clopidogrel (5 mg kg-1) or aspirin (2.5, 5, 100 mg kg-1) were injected intravenously; if cyclic flow reductions were abolished, epinephrine (0.4 µg kg-1 min-1) was injected to try to restore cyclic flow reductions and/or permanent cessation of flow; then injury and stenosis were applied on the right femoral artery. Before and after injection of clopidogrel or aspirin, ear immersion bleeding times and ex-vivo platelet aggregation were performed. Clopidogrel (n = 7) abolished cyclic flow reductions in all animals and epinephrine did not restore any cyclic flow reduction. On the right femoral artery, cyclic flow reductions were efficiently prevented, even for two injuries. Basal bleeding time (5 min 28) was lengthened (>15 min, 30 min after clopidogrel and remained prolonged even after 24 h). ADP-induced platelet aggregation was inhibited (more than 78%). Comparatively, aspirin had a moderate and no dose-dependent effect. Aspirin 2.5 mg kg-1 (n = 6) abolished cyclic flow reductions in 2 animals, CFR reoccurred spontaneously in one animal and epinephrine restored it in a second animal. Aspirin 5 mg kg-1 (n = 6) abolished cyclic flow reductions in only 3 animals and epinephrine always restored it. Aspirin 100 mg kg-1 (n = 3) was unable to abolish cyclic flow reductions. On the right femoral artery, aspirin did not significantly prevent cyclic flow reductions which occurred in all animals after one (n = 14) or two injuries (n = 1), except for one animal. Basal bleeding time was lengthened but it shortened rapidly, reaching its basal value after 24 h. ADP-induced aggregation was not significantly inhibited, whereas arachidonic acid induced aggregation was always inhibited. Clopidogrel appears as a more potent antithrombotic drug than aspirin in this model, in treating and preventing spontaneous or epinephrine-induced cyclic flow reductions and lengthening bleeding time.
District Fiscal Policy and Student Achievement

School restructuring raises questions about the role of school districts in improving student learning. Centralization by state governments and decentralization to individual schools as proposed in systemic reform leave districts' role unsettled. Empirical research on the district role in the context of ongoing reform is inadequate. This analysis of combined data from the NAEP and the Common Core of Data (CCD) was intended to address the issue. We analyzed 1990, 1992, and 1996 NAEP 8th grade mathematics national assessment data in combination with CCD data of corresponding years to examine the extent to which student achievement was related to districts' control over instructional expenditure, adjusting for relevant key factors at both district and student levels. Upon sample modification, we used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to estimate the relationships of student achievement to two district fiscal policy indictors, current expenditure per pupil (CEPP) and districts' discretionary rates for instructional expenditure (DDR). Net of relevant district factors, DDR was found unrelated to districts' average 8th grade math performance. The null effect was consistent in the analysis of the combined NAEP-CCD data for 1990, 1992, and 1996. In contrast, CEPP was found related to higher math performance in a modest yet fairly consistent way. Future research may be productive to separately study individual states and integrate the findings onto the national level.
Improved ultra-wide bandwidth bow-tie antenna with metamaterial lens for GPR applications

A new resistively loaded bow-tie antenna which can operate from 300 MHz to more than 3 GHz bandwidth is proposed. The proposed antenna employs a metamaterial lens to improve the forward gain and front-to-back ratio. The antenna radiates pulses with minimal late-time ringing and high peak amplitude. A stable radiation pattern obtained from 300 MHz to 2 GHz, makes it suitable for time domain as well as stepped frequency continuous wave (SFCW) GPR applications. The antenna is characterized by measurements of return loss, transmission scattering parameter, radiation pattern, gain, front-to-back ratio, and GPR B-scan with object buried under soil. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulation results.
Entrepreneurial implications of crowdfunding as alternative funding source for innovations

Crowdfunding (CF) is a form of early-stage financing for innovative ventures, which has seen tremendous growth in the past few years – partly because it provides a desperately needed alternative to the scarcity of traditional sources of finance during the so called ‘credit crunch’. CF ranges from a simple form of pre-financing to full grown debt or equity investments, but they are typically small pledges that can add up to incredible amounts. Scholarly literature has only started to examine CF and is still in an early stage when it comes to identifying implications for entrepreneurs apart from often over-simplified anecdotal evidence of success. The authors argue that CF can by no means be seen from a financial perspective only, rather it needs to be addressed as a bundle of processes leading to innovative entrepreneurial business-models. This qualitative study explores four extreme cases from the information and communications technology sphere to find out non-financial implications of CF as alternative funding source for innovative entrepreneurs and their business models.
The Effectiveness of Participation in Public and Private Standard Setting

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE STANDARD SETTING Michelle R. Ranville, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2014 Dissertation Director: Dr. Catherine E. Rudder Due process requirements established by the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 were designed to improve the ability of the regulated community to provide information to federal agencies and to hold agencies accountable for considering that information. Similar due process requirements, such as those set forth by the American National Standards Institute, direct the standards development activities of many non-government standards developers. Though written due process requirement are similar, there are important differences between the public and private systems which could affect whether relevant information is both delivered to policymakers and considered. Through a comparative case study of labor union participation in public and private occupational safety and health standards, this study examines the effects of these differences and the effectiveness of participation in each system based on the intent of the Administrative Procedure Act and democratic criteria. Recommendations for improving the effectiveness of participation in each system are made based on the research findings. 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In April 1981, an employee of Lyons Die Casting in Buckner, Missouri, lost part of her left ring finger while operating an automatic drill press. The accident occurred when the woman’s hand was pushed upward by the platform where it was resting and impaled by a drill spindle affixed to the top of the machine. The drill press was a Deka 712 model manufactured by Amsted Industries and distributed by Bossert Company. The injured worker jointly sued the manufacturer and the distributer of the drill press for defective design (the lack of a guard on the machine) and for failure to warn. Despite the testimony of two expert witnesses who both claimed that the machine was unreasonably dangerous as designed due to lack of proper safety mechanisms, i.e., machine guards, the trial court ruled and the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld that compliance with industry standards—namely ANSI B11.8–Safety Requirements for the Construction, Care and Use of Drilling, Milling, and Boring Machines—in the manufacture and distribution of the press was sufficient to show that the responsibility for installing safeguards was not the responsibility of the manufacturer or distributor but of the employer or other end user of the drill. The injured worker was not entitled to punitive damages from the manufacturer. In December 1990, a man was hired to work at Ravenswood Aluminum Corporation, an aluminum fabrication facility in Ravenswood, West Virginia, following a labor
Customer defections analysis: an examination of online bookstores

Purpose – The cost of retaining a customer is lower than that of obtaining a new one, so potential customer defection is an important issue in the fiercely competitive environment of electronic commerce. Accordingly, this paper aims to present a new way for gauging customer loyalty and predicting their possibility of defection reference to a set of quality attributes satisfaction and three types of belief in the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Design/methodology/approach – The performance of the classification utilization artificial neural networks (ANNs) was compared to that of traditional analytic tools, such as multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) and classificatory data mining technique – decision tree.Findings – The analytical result represented that the predicted accuracy of ANNs is better then MDA and decision tree in both training and testing phases. Degree of repurchase intention has been classified correctly with a success rate of 83 percent using neural networks.Research limitations/implicatio.
Unravelling the Process from Closed to Open Innovation: Evidence from Mature, Asset-Intensive Industries

Open Innovation has been one of the most-debated topics in management research in the last decade. Although our understanding of this management paradigm has significantly improved over the last few years, a number of important questions are still unanswered. In particular, an issue that deserves further attention is the anatomy of the organizational change process through which a firm evolves from being a Closed to an Open Innovator. The paper represents a first step in overcoming this limitation. In particular, adopting a longitudinal, firm-level perspective, it addresses the following question: which changes in a firm's organizational structures and management systems does the shift from Closed to Open Innovation entail? In answering this question, the paper uses established concepts in organizational change research to look into a rich empirical basis that documents the adoption of Open Innovation by four Italian firms operating in mature, asset-intensive industries. The results show that the journey from Closed to Open Innovation involves four main dimensions of the firm's organization, i.e. inter-organizational networks, organizational structures, evaluation processes and knowledge management systems, along which change could be managed and stimulated.
Policy entrepreneurs and the diffusion of innovation

Theory: In the literature on policy innovation diffusion, political scientists have paid little attention to how ideas for innovation gain prominence on government agendas. By considering the actions of policy entrepreneurs-political actors who promote policy ideas-we can gain important insights into the process of policy innovation and innovation diffusion. Hypotheses: Policy entrepreneurs constitute an identifiable class of political actors. Their presence and actions can significantly raise the probability of legislative consideration and approval of policy innovations. Methods: Event history analyses of the determinants of legislative consideration and approval of an idea for education reform-school choice-in the 48 contiguous United States from 1987 through 1992. The data set consists of unique information collected in a mail survey of members of the education policy elite in each state, augmented with published statistics. Results: Policy entrepreneurs were identified as advocates of school choice in 26 states. While controlling for rival hypotheses, the presence and actions of policy entrepreneurs were found to raise significantly the probability of legislative consideration and approval of school choice as a policy innovation. These results suggest policy entrepreneurs should be given more attention in the literature on policy innovation diffusion.
Benchmarking Environmental Impacts of Peat Use for Electricity Generation in Ireland—A Life Cycle Assessment

The combustion of peat for energy generation accounts for approximately 4.1% of Ireland’s overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with current levels of combustion resulting in the emission of 2.8 Mt of CO 2 per annum. The aim of this research is to evaluate the life cycle environmental impacts of peat use for energy generation in Ireland, from peatland drainage and industrial extraction, to transportation, combustion, and subsequent after-use of the cutaway area, utilising Irish-specific emission factors. The environmental impacts considered are global warming potential, acidification potential, and eutrophication potential. In addition, the cumulative energy demand of the system is evaluated. Previous studies on the environmental impact of peat for energy in Ireland relied on default Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission factors (EFs). This research utilises Irish-specific EFs and input data to reduce uncertainty associated with the use of default IPCC EFs, and finds that using default IPCC EFs overestimates the global warming potential when compared to Irish-specific EFs by approximately 2%. The greatest contribution to each of the environmental impacts considered arises from emissions generated during peat combustion, which accounts for approximately 95% of each of the environmental impact categories considered. Other stages of the life-cycle, such as impacts emanating from the peat extraction area, fossil fuel usage in harvesting and transportation machinery, and after-use of the cutaway area have much smaller effects on overall results. The transformation of cutaway peatlands to different after-use alternatives has the potential to mitigate some of the effects of peatland degradation and peat combustion.
How City Dwellers Affect Their Resource Hinterland

This article links databases on household consumption, industrial production, economic turnover, employment, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions into a spatially explicit model. The causal sequence starts with households demanding a certain consumer basket. This demand requires production in a complex supply‐chain network of interdependent industry sectors. Even though the household may be confined to a particular geographical location, say a dwelling in a city, the industries producing the indirect inputs for the commodities that the household demands will be dispersed all over Australia and probably beyond. Industrial production represents local points of economic activity, employment, water use, and emissions that have local economic, social, and environmental impacts. The consumer basket of a typical household is followed in Australia's two largest cities—Sydney and Melbourne—along its upstream supply chains and to numerous production sites within Australia. The spatial spread is described by means of a detailed regional interindustry model. Through industry‐specific emissions profiles, industrial production is then translated into local impacts. We show that annually a typical household is responsible for producing approximately 80 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, uses around 3 million liters of water, causes about A$140,000 to circulate in the wider economy, and provides labor worth just under three full‐time employment‐years. We also introduce maps that visually demonstrate how a very localized household affects the environment across an entire continent. Our model is unprecedented in its spatial and sectoral detail, at least for Australia.