Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental evaluation of the impact of mobility management protocols on HTTP adaptive streaming

Video content is increasingly being consumed on the move using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. In order to deal with the challenges of heterogeneity of network access technologies and fluctuating resources, which are inherent features of mobile communication, HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) is becoming the default technology for online video streaming. However, little research has been carried out to better understand the impact of handover schemes of the various mobility management protocols on the video quality of HAS. In this study, the authors present a comprehensive experimental measurement of the impact of handover on three representative HAS players. First, they implement three existing mobility management protocols, MIPv6, LISP-MN and PMIPv6, on a network testbed. Using the fluid flow mobility model, the impact of frequent handover on the average video quality, the bandwidth utilisation and stability of the players was investigated. Their results show a degradation of all the observed parameters in all the reviewed players.
Testing the Power of Arguments in Political Science A Bradley-Terry Approach

We consider the estimation of the relative ‘power’ of arguments in public debates, a common problem for researchers in various literatures. We show that the Bradley-Terry model has several features that make it well-suited to this task, and thus preferable to other, more conventional approaches. In particular, using a survey experiment conducted during a referendum on electoral reform in the province of Ontario, Canada in the fall of 2007, we demonstrate how unstructured and structured Bradley-Terry models can be straightforwardly tted and interpreted. In doing so, we gain insight into the factors which drive support or opposition for electoral reform. We conclude by discussing the limits, extensions and further applications of such models.
Fibrinogen and coronary heart disease: test of causality by 'Mendelian randomization'.

BACKGROUND Blood concentrations of fibrinogen have been associated with coronary heart disease risk in epidemiological studies, but it is uncertain whether this association is causal or reflects residual confounding by other risk factors. We investigated the relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphism at position -148 in the beta-fibrinogen gene promoter (beta - 148C/T), blood fibrinogen levels, and risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in sufficiently large numbers of coronary disease cases to reliably address this question. METHODS Genotyping and measurement of blood fibrinogen concentration were carried out in 4,685 cases of confirmed MI and 3,460 controls with no history of coronary disease. A meta-analysis of ISIS and 19 other studies of beta-fibrinogen genotypes involving a total of 12,220 coronary disease cases and 18,716 controls was conducted. RESULTS Among the ISIS controls, mean plasma fibrinogen concentrations with the C/C, C/T and T/T genotypes were 3.34 (SE 0.015), 3.48 (0.022), and 3.60 (0.064) g/l, respectively, corresponding to an increase of 0.14 (0.024) g/l per T allele (trend P < 0.0001). In the case-control comparison, 0.14 g/l higher usual plasma fibrinogen concentration was associated with an age-adjusted and sex-adjusted risk ratio for MI of 1.17 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.14-1.19; P < 0.0001]. But, after further adjustment for smoking, body mass index, and plasma apolipoprotein B/A(1) ratio, this risk ratio fell to 1.03 (95% CI 1.00-1.05; P = 0.05). Moreover, fibrinogen genotype was not significantly associated with MI incidence: risk ratio of 1.06 (95% CI 0.96-1.16) per higher-fibrinogen allele in ISIS alone and of 1.00 (95% CI 0.95-1.04) per allele in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS Genotypes that produce lifelong differences in fibrinogen concentrations do not materially influence coronary disease incidence. As these genotype-dependent differences in fibrinogen were allocated randomly at conception (Mendelian randomization), this association is not likely to be confounded by other factors. Consequently, these genetic results provide strong evidence that long-term differences in fibrinogen concentrations are not a major determinant of coronary disease risk.
Higher nicotine levels in schizophrenia compared with controls after smoking a single cigarette.

INTRODUCTION The increase in blood nicotine after smoking a single cigarette is nicotine boost. We hypothesized that smokers with schizophrenia (SCZ) have a greater nicotine boost than controls without this disorder. METHODS Twenty-one subjects (11 SCZ and 10 controls, CON) had repeated venous blood sampling before, during, and after smoking a single cigarette after 12-hr abstinence to measure nicotine concentrations. Blood samples were drawn at baseline (before smoking) and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the first puff. Groups were similar in baseline characteristics, including gender and level of dependence, and all smoked 20-30 cigarettes/day. Area under the serum nicotine concentration-time curve (AUC(20)) was calculated for time up to 20 min after the start of smoking. RESULTS The mean difference in AUC(20) was significantly greater for SCZ versus CON (135.4 ng-min/ml; 95% CI = 0.45-283.80). The shape of the nicotine concentration-time curve for SCZ was significantly different compared with controls (p < .01). Nicotine boost in the first 4 min of smoking was higher in SCZ versus CON (25.2 vs. 11.1 ng/ml, p < .01) with no difference in the total time spent smoking. DISCUSSION This technique improves on methods, which draw only two blood specimens to assess nicotine intake. Understanding how nicotine boost differs in SCZ from CON may explain high levels of addiction and low success in cessation in smokers with SCZ.
Nucleosides and Nucleotides. 185. Synthesis and Biological Activities of 4‘α-C-Branched-Chain Sugar Pyrimidine Nucleosides

A series of 4‘α-C-branched-chain pyrimidine nucleosides was synthesized from 2‘-deoxycytidine or uridine. In the 2‘-deoxycytidine series, the substituent at the 4‘α-position affected cytotoxicity against L1210 mouse leukemic cells in vitro in the order Me (23) > CN (22) > C⋮CH (21) > CHCH2 (19) > Et (24) > CHCHCl (20). However, uridine and cytidine derivatives with ethynyl and cyano groups at the 4‘α-position did not show any cytotoxicity. The antiviral activities of these nucleosides against HSV-1, HSV-2, and HIV-1 in vitro were also examined. Compounds 22 and 23 showed antiviral activities against HSV-1 and HSV-2 without showing significant toxicity to the host cells (MRC-5 cells). Although almost all of the nucleosides showed anti-HIV-1 activities, they were also cytotoxic to the host cells (MT-4).
Unionism and Employment Behaviour

Although there exists a large literature on the effects of trade unions upon wages, there is no published work that uses microeconomic data on establishments to examine the employment consequences of unionism. This paper addresses this issue with a recent British data set and shows that, even after the addition of a substantial set of control variables, there is a strong association between poor employment performance and the presence of trade unions. The union employment growth differential is estimated at approximately -3 percent per annum. Copyright 1991 by Royal Economic Society.
Innovation systems as regional policy frameworks: The case of Lisbon and Tagus Valley

Since the late 1990s in Portugal, regional policy makers have become increasingly interested in using the concept of regional innovation systems as a useful framework for analysing how the local technological infrastructure can become more effective in helping local diffusion of relevant internationally available technologies. Based on the experience of Lisbon and Tagus Valley, this paper proposes conceptual insights and methodologies on which to surmount policy analysis and formulation for regional development through innovation. It proposes to separate stylised functions of an innovation system from its component-organisations. Also, using the case of Lisbon and Tagus Valley, it examines how business enterprises make use of the available system functions and proposes to segment support needs based on levels of enterprise technological capability. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Microsatellites reveal high levels of population substructuring in the species–poor Eretmodine cichlid lineage from Lake Tanganyika

This study investigated fine–scale population substructuring in an apparently monogamous, biparental mouth–brooding cichlid. Microsatellite allele frequencies were determined at four polymorphic loci for nine populations of Eretmodus cyanostictus. We provide empirical support for the hypothesis that a species employing this breeding strategy should exhibit high levels of population substructuring. Stretches of sand represent considerable barriers to dispersal and, in contrast to the rock–dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, distance alone, along a continuous rocky shoreline, is sufficient to reduce gene flow significantly. There was a significant pattern of isolation by distance both along the whole study area and over the stretch of continuous shoreline, suggesting that this species has poor dispersal capabilities and that juveniles establish territories close to their natal site. Despite limited dispersal, E. cyanostictus populations are not significantly more inbred than a more–widely dispersing rock–dwelling cichlid from Lake Malawi. This finding may cast doubt on the hypothesis that polyandry has evolved as a mechanism for maintaining genetic diversity in Lake Malawi cichlids. High levels of substructuring may not always promote high levels of speciation, and other factors, such as the intensity of sexual selection, may be more important in determining the speciation potential of a lineage.
Convex relaxations for quadratic distance problems

Convex relaxations of nonconvex problems are a powerful tool for the analysis and design of control systems. An important family of nonconvex problems that are relevant to the control field is that of quadratic distance problems. In this paper, several convex relaxations are presented for quadratic distance problems which are based on the sum-of squares representation of positive polynomials. Relationships among the considered relaxations are discussed and numerical comparisons are presented, in order to highlight their degree of conservatism.
Reducing structure of deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Huawei Accurate and Fast Mobile Video Annotation Challenge

Big structure of deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) has staggeringly impressive improvement in the Imagenet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge (ILSVRC) 2012 and 2013. But only tens of classes are required to be trained in the most real applications. After the deep CNNs are trained in the ILSVRC dataset, efficiently transferring the big and deep structure to a new dataset is a tough problem. In this paper, three algorithms are proposed to implement the transfer, namely fine-tunning of the big structure, normalized Google distance and Wordnet lexical semantic similarity. After experiments are conducted in the Huawei accurate and fast Mobile Video Annotation Challenge (MoVAC) dataset, the fine-tuning algorithm has achieved the best performance in the accuracy and training time.
Sensitivity of large-field electron beams to variations in a Monte Carlo accelerator model

Adjustments made to Monte Carlo models during the commissioning of the simulation should be physically realistic and correspond to actual machine characteristics. Large electron fields, with the jaws fully open and the applicator removed, are sensitive to important source and geometry parameters and may provide the most accurate beam models, including those collimated by an applicator. We report on the results of a comprehensive Monte Carlo sensitivity study documenting the response of these large fields to changes in the configuration of a Siemens Primus linear accelerator. The study was performed for 6, 9 12, 15, 18 and 21 MeV configurations, and included variations of thickness, position and lateral alignment of all treatment head components. Variations of electron beam characteristics were also included in the study. Results were classified by their impact on central-axis depth dose distributions, including the bremsstrahlung tail, and on beam profiles near Dmax and in the bremsstrahlung region. Low-energy results show an increased sensitivity to electron beam properties. High-energy bremsstrahlung profiles are shown to be useful in determining misalignments between the beam axis and mechanical isocentre. For all energies, the alignment of the secondary scattering foil and monitor chamber are shown to be critical for correctly modelling beam asymmetries. The results suggest a methodology for commissioning of electron beams using Monte Carlo treatment head simulation.
Functional organization of human visual cortex in occipital polymicrogyria

Polymicrogyrias (PMG) are cortical malformations resulting from developmental abnormalities. In animal models PMG has been associated with abnormal anatomy, function, and organization. The purpose of this study was to describe the function and organization of human polymicrogyric cortex using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Three patients with epilepsy and bilateral parasagittal occipital polymicrogyri were studied. They all had normal vision as tested by Humphrey visual field perimetry. The functional organization of the visual cortex was reconstructed using phase‐encoded retinotopic mapping analysis. This method sequentially stimulates each point in the visual field along the axes of a polar‐coordinate system, thereby reconstructing the representation of the visual field on the cortex. We found normal cortical responses and organization of early visual areas (V1, V2, and V3/VP). The locations of these visual areas overlapped substantially with the PMG. In five out of six hemispheres the reconstructed primary visual cortex completely fell within polymicrogyric areas. Our results suggest that human polymicrogyric cortex is not only organized in a normal fashion, but is also actively involved in processing of visual information and contributes to normal visual perception. Hum Brain Mapp 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Equilibrium Locations of Vertically Linked Industries

This paper considers the locational choice of firms in an upstream and a downstream industry. Both industries are imperfectly competitive, with firms subject to increasing returns. There are transport costs between the two locations. Depending on the level of these costs there may be a single equilibrium with production diversified between locations, or multiple equilibria, some of which involve agglomeration at a single location. Typically the forces for agglomeration are greatest at intermediate levels of transport costs. Reducing these costs from a high to an intermediate level will cause agglomeration and consequent divergence of economic structure and income levels; reducing them to a low level may cause the industries to operate in both locations, bringing convergence of structure and income.
Proposal of a 2-Tier Histologic Grading System for Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumors to More Accurately Predict Biological Behavior

Currently, prognostic and therapeutic determinations for canine cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCTs) are primarily based on histologic grade. However, the use of different grading systems by veterinary pathologists and institutional modifications make the prognostic value of histologic grading highly questionable. To evaluate the consistency of microscopic grading among veterinary pathologists and the prognostic significance of the Patnaik grading system, 95 cutaneous MCTs from 95 dogs were graded in a blinded study by 28 veterinary pathologists from 16 institutions. Concordance among veterinary pathologists was 75% for the diagnosis of grade 3 MCTs and less than 64% for the diagnosis of grade 1 and 2 MCTs. To improve concordance among pathologists and to provide better prognostic significance, a 2-tier histologic grading system was devised. The diagnosis of high-grade MCTs is based on the presence of any one of the following criteria: at least 7 mitotic figures in 10 high-power fields (hpf); at least 3 multinucleated (3 or more nuclei) cells in 10 hpf; at least 3 bizarre nuclei in 10 hpf; karyomegaly (ie, nuclear diameters of at least 10% of neoplastic cells vary by at least two-fold). Fields with the highest mitotic activity or with the highest degree of anisokaryosis were selected to assess the different parameters. According to the novel grading system, high-grade MCTs were significantly associated with shorter time to metastasis or new tumor development, and with shorter survival time. The median survival time was less than 4 months for high-grade MCTs but more than 2 years for low-grade MCTs.
Reserve constrained dynamic dispatch of units with valve-point effects

This paper addresses a hybrid solution methodology integrating particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method for the reserve constrained dynamic economic dispatch problem (RCDEDP) of generating units considering the valve-point effects. The cost function of the generating units exhibits the nonconvex characteristics, as the valve-point effects are modeled and imposed as rectified sinusoid components. The hybrid method incorporates the PSO algorithm as the main optimizer and SQP as the local optimizer to fine-tune the solution region whenever the PSO algorithm discovers a better solution region in the progress of its run. Thus, the SQP guides PSO for better performance in the complex solution space. To validate the feasibility of the proposed method, a ten-unit system is taken and studied under three different load patterns. The effectiveness and computation performance of the proposed method for the RCDEDP of units with valve-point effects is shown in general.
Knowledge evolution and innovation linkages: evidences from Indian state owned enterprise

In this paper, I have investigated the probable linkages between a firm's knowledge evolution process and innovation. I believe that the firm's sustainable competitive advantage depends on its innovative value creation process. This process in turn is dependent upon the human production functions as enunciated by Schumpeter. Human production function is the human knowledge function that facilitates the innovation. For the above purpose, I have used an exploratory case study on an Indian state owned enterprise that had successfully dealt with the environmental shifts post economic liberalisation. Using an inductive process, I traced the evolution of knowledge in the firm and categorised it and then linked it with innovation. I concluded by proposing two frameworks, that of knowledge evolution process and its linkages with innovation.
To Ghetto or Not to Ghetto: Ethnicity and Residential Segregation

This paper analyzes the link between ethnicity and the choice of residing in ethnically segregated neighborhoods. Data drawn from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth show that there exist strong human capital externalities both within and across ethnic groups. As a result, the segregation choices made by particular households depend both on the household's economic opportunities and on aggregate characteristics of the ethnic groups. The evidence suggests that highly skilled persons who belong to disadvantaged groups have lower probabilities of ethnic residential segregation relative to the choices made by the most skilled persons in the most skilled groups.
Guys and Gals Going for Gold

We test the hypothesis that women’s empowerment correlates with women’s international athletic success. Greater gender equality (measured using the Gender Inequality Index) is associated with higher participation and medal counts in the Summer Olympic Games from 1996 through 2012. This relationship persists even after controlling for previously identified nation-level predictors of Olympic success and across alternative measures of success (such as shares of the total, percentage within each country, and medals per athlete). These results provide direct evidence for the long-standing claim that girls’ and women’s international athletic achievement is linked to women’s empowerment.
On the sufficient conditions for input-to-state safety

In this paper, we present a novel notion of input-to-state safety (ISSf) for general nonlinear systems which can be useful for certifying system's safety under the influence of external bounded input (or disturbance) signals. We provide sufficient conditions for ISSf using barrier function/certificate which are analogous to the input-to-state stability Lyapunov function.
Volatility Prediction

Future volatility is a key input for pricing and hedging derivatives and for quantitative investment strategies in general. There are many different approaches. This article investigates whether random walk, GARCH (1,1), EGARCH (1,1) and stochastic volatility models of return volatility behavior differ in their ability to predict the volatility of stock index and currency returns over horizons ranging from 2 to 100 trading days. We use close-to-close return data for 7 indices and 5 currencies over the period 1980-1992. The results show that the forecast performance of the different models depends on the specific asset class in question. For stock indices the best volatility predictions are generated by the stochastic volatility model. For currencies on the other hand, the best forecasts come from the GARCH (1,1) model.
Insights into RNA binding by the anticancer drug cisplatin from the crystal structure of cisplatin-modified ribosome

Abstract Cisplatin is a widely prescribed anticancer drug, which triggers cell death by covalent binding to a broad range of biological molecules. Among cisplatin targets, cellular RNAs remain the most poorly characterized molecules. Although cisplatin was shown to inactivate essential RNAs, including ribosomal, spliceosomal and telomeric RNAs, cisplatin binding sites in most RNA molecules are unknown, and therefore it remains challenging to study how modifications of RNA by cisplatin contributes to its toxicity. Here we report a 2. 6Å-resolution X-ray structure of cisplatin-modified 70S ribosome, which describes cisplatin binding to the ribosome and provides the first nearly atomic model of cisplatin–RNA complex. We observe nine cisplatin molecules bound to the ribosome and reveal consensus structural features of the cisplatin-binding sites. Two of the cisplatin molecules modify conserved functional centers of the ribosome—the mRNA-channel and the GTPase center. In the mRNA-channel, cisplatin intercalates between the ribosome and the messenger RNA, suggesting that the observed inhibition of protein synthesis by cisplatin is caused by impaired mRNA-translocation. Our structure provides an insight into RNA targeting and inhibition by cisplatin, which can help predict cisplatin-binding sites in other cellular RNAs and design studies to elucidate a link between RNA modifications by cisplatin and cisplatin toxicity.
Characterization of tunnel mutants reveals a catalytic step in ammonia delivery by an aminoacyl‐tRNA amidotransferase

The Helicobacter pylori Asp‐tRNAAsn/Glu‐tRNAGln amidotransferase (GatCAB) utilizes an uncommonly hydrophilic, ~ 40 Å ammonia tunnel for ammonia/ammonium transport between isolated active sites. Hydrophilicity of this tunnel requires a distinct ammonia transport mechanism, which hypothetically occurs through a series of deprotonation and protonation steps. To explore the initiation of this relay mechanism, the highly conserved tunnel residue D185 (in the GatA subunit) was enzymatically and computationally investigated by comparing D185A, D185N, and D185E mutant enzymes to wild‐type GatCAB. Our results indicate that D185 acts as an acid/base residue, participating directly in catalysis. To our knowledge, this is the first example of acid/base chemistry in a glutamine‐dependent amidotransferase ammonia tunnel.