Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estradiol Treatment Redirects the Isotype of the Autoantibody Response and Prevents the Development of Autoimmune Arthritis 1

A number of clinical and experimental observations have been made relating elevated estrogen levels with the amelioration of autoimmune diseases, yet questions remain about the levels required for efficacy as well as the mechanism of disease inhibition. Using the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model, we have studied the effects of physiological, sustained levels of 17β-estradiol in preventing the development of autoimmune arthritis and analyzed the changes in the autoimmune response. Using time-release pellets of 17β-estradiol, arthritis development was significantly inhibited in three different strains of CIA-susceptible mice compared with the effect of placebo treatment, and serum estradiol levels similar to those of mice in estrus were found to be equally effective as higher estradiol concentrations. Analysis of the autoimmune response in the estradiol-treated mice indicated that T cell production of IFN-γ was markedly decreased, and significant decreases were also observed in levels of IL-10 and GM-CSF produced by lymph nodes cells from estradiol-treated mice. Although the total IgG anti-CII response was only minimally affected by estrogen treatment, a significant reduction in the levels of IgG2a anti-CII Abs and an increase in the levels of IgG1 anti-CII Abs were observed in estradiol-treated mice. These data indicate that estradiol treatment altered the Th profile of the autoimmune T cell response, which, in turn, altered the production of IgG Abs to an isotype that is poor at fixing complement, an important component in the immunopathogenesis of CIA.
UNDERDETERMINED BLIND SEPARATION OF AUDIO SOURCES IN TIME-FREQUENCY DOMAIN

This paper considers the blind separation of audio sources i n the underdetermined case, where we have more sources than sensors. A recent algorithm applies time-frequency distri butions (TFDs) to this problem and gives good separation performance in the case where sources are disjoint in the timefrequency (TF) plane. However, in the non-disjoint case, th reconstruction of the signals requires some interpolation at the intersection points in the TF plane. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm that combines the abovementioned method with subspace projection in order to explicitly trea non-disjoint sources. Another contribution of this paper i s the estimation of the mixing matrix in the underdetermined case .
Planar Bipedal Walking with Anthropomorphic Foot Action

This paper investigates the key problem of walking with both fully actuated and underactuated phases. The studied robot is planar, bipedal, and fully actuated in the sense that it has feet with revolute, actuated ankles. The desired walking motion is assumed to consist of three successive phases: a fully- actuated phase where the stance foot is flat on the ground, an underactuated phase where the stance heel lifts from the ground and the stance foot rotates about the toe, and an instantaneous double support phase where leg exchange takes place. The main contribution of the paper is to provide a provably asymptotically stabilizing controller that integrates the fully-actuated and underactuated phases of walking. By comparison, existing humanoid robots, such as Asimo and Qrio, use only the fully-actuated phase (i.e., they only execute flat- footed walking), or RABBIT, which uses only the underactuated phase (i.e., it has no feet, and hence walks as if on stilts). The controller proposed here is organized around the hybrid zero dynamics of Westervelt et al. (2003) in order that the stability analysis of the closed-loop system may be reduced to a one-dimensional Poincarmap that can be computed in closed form. The ubiquitous Zero Moment Point (ZMP) is used to establish conditions under which the foot will not rotate about its extremities; the ZMP is not used for stability analysis. An example is given to show that a periodic walking motion can be unstable while the ZMP remains strictly within the footprint of the robot.
Determining delivered functional error content based on the complexity of CASE specifications

Despite problems of definition, software complexity has long been recognised as a significant determinant of software product error content. Consequently a large number of empirical studies have attempted to quantify this relationship, using code and design structure measures as complexity indicators. With the increasing use of automated development tools in business software development, however, assessment of the complexity of functional specifications is likely to be more appropriate. This paper therefore describes relevant assessment methods for both complexity and functional errors in this environment. Statistical analysis of significant relationships produced encouraging results based on the development of an error prediction equation.
Comparing the Value Relevance of R&D Reporting in Germany: Standard and Selection Effects

On the basis of accounting and market data for firms and groups listed on German stock exchanges between 1997 and 2003, we show that the value relevance of R&D information under German accounting standards can be superior to that provided by US-GAAP and IAS. The results, obtained while dynamically controlling for partial freedom of firms to choose a standard in a modified Q model, show that the risk of IAS/US-GAAP misinforming investors during "bear market" periods is more relevant than their comparative advantage over the prudence principle of the German Commercial Code in "bull market" periods. Using the approach chosen for this study, it is possible not only to draw a clear dividing line between standard and selection effects but also to disentangle them along theoretical lines more clearly than in earlier studies.
Comparison of dynamic Smagorinsky and anisotropic subgrid-scale models

LES models using dynamically computed coefficient values have been extensively used since the pioneering work of Germano (Germano et al. 1991). Starting from the Smagorinsky subgrid-scale model, the common idea to all these models is to extrapolate the information on the resolved fields at two scale levels to compute optimal coefficient values. A simple solution to the integral equations which follow from this approach can be obtained by restricting the test filter action to certain directions and assuming that the model coefficient only varies along the orthogonal directions. The coefficient values are then derived from simple least-square formulas. The resulting global dynamic model has been successfully used for a number of flows having at least one direction of homogeneity. For more general flows, the brute force solution of the integral equations may lead to persistent local negative values, which have a destabilizing effect on the numerical solver. Clipping these values lead to discard up to 50% of the coefficients. Moreover, local large values of the coefficient require an implicit treatment of the eddy viscosity term to avoid prohibitively small time-steps. Ghosal et al. (1995) have proposed two models to address this issue. In the first one the positivity of the coefficient is rigorously constrained in the integral equation. In the second one, negative coefficient values are allowed, but the model is supplemented by a transport equation for the subgrid-scale kinetic energy. These techniques do alleviate the restrictions of the global dynamic model, but at the expanse of a significant computational overhead (Cabot, 1994). Our work here has been motivated by practical considerations. It seems clear that the difficulties associated with the solution of integral equations in the dynamic Smagorinsky model would be avoided if the variations of the coefficient over a scale of the order of the grid-size could be assumed to be small. This, in turn, requires that the underlying subgrid-scale model is well-conditioned for the dynamic procedure, or, in other words, has good correlation properties. It is well known that this is not the case for the Smagorinsky model. Leonard’s expansion of the subgridscale residual stress, by contrast, is known to have very good correlation properties. Its drawback in actual implementations is that it contains backscatter as well as dissipation. The backscatter control strategies which have been proposed so far do
European Bond ETFs: Tracking Errors and the Sovereign Debt Crisis

This study examines the tracking performance of 31 eurozone sovereign debt exchange traded index funds (ETFs) during 2007-2010. The tracking performance is assessed by four different tracking error models. Overall, funds underperform their respective benchmarks. Active returns (net of fees) vary substantially (from +46.74 to -30.36 basis points) and are of considerable economic interest. The significant differences in the performance of swap-based and in-kind funds highlight the importance of appropriate (e.g. correlation vs. cointegration based) metrics required for the assessment of funds adopting different replication methods. We also document important changes in the tracking performance due to the changing characteristics of EU sovereign bonds since the start of the sovereign debt crisis.
Strategic response to a sequence of discrete choice questions

According to neoclassical economic theory, the only stated preference elicitation format that can feasibly be employed in field studies to which truthful response can be the dominant strategy for all respondents is a single binary choice between the status quo and one alternative. In studies where the objective is estimation of preferences for multiple attributes of a good, it is preferred (and, in some cases, necessary) based on econometric considerations, to present respondents with a sequence of choice tasks. Economic theory predicts that utility-maximising respondents may find it optimal to misrepresent their preferences in this elicitation format. In this paper, the effect on stated preferences of expanding the number of choice tasks per respondent from one to four is tested using a split sample treatment in an attribute-based survey relating to the undergrounding of overhead electricity and telecommunications wires in the Australian Capital Territory. We find evidence to suggest that presenting multiple choice tasks per respondent decreases estimates of total willingness to pay and that this effect is related to the ordering of cost levels presented over the sequence of choice tasks. Two behavioural explanations can be advanced - a weak cost minimisation strategy, which implies divergence between stated and true preferences, and a ‘good deal / bad deal’ heuristic, in which stated preferences reflect true preferences that change over the course of the sequence of choice tasks. Preferences stated in the first of a sequence of choice tasks are not significantly different from those stated in the incentive compatible single binary choice task. A key objective of future research will be to establish whether this effect becomes less prevalent as the number of attributes and alternatives per choice task are increased.
PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE International Monetary Equilibrium with Default

This paper proposes a finite horizon general equilibrium model of international finance with fiat money, hetergeneous agents, multiple goods, multiple assets, multiple countries each with their own money supply, default and regulation. Nominal and real determinacy is obtained and money is non-neutral. IMED provides a coherent framework consistent with standard general equilibrium theory to study the effects of monetary, fiscal and regulatory policy in an international context in view of the current financial crisis.
The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori is decreasing in Iranian patients

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the time trend of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) prevalence and presence of intestinal Metaplasia over the period of seven years among gastritis Iranian patients. Background: H. pylori is the major causal factor in chronic gastritis. Its acquisition leads to a chronic, usually lifelong, inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which may gradually progress to atrophy with intestinal metaplasia in a significant proportion of infected individuals. Patients and methods: H. pylori and intestinal Metaplasia data among 14,860 consecutive gastritis patients, who referred to the gastrointestinal department of Tehran’s Taleghani Hospital in Iran from 2008 to 2014, was examined by sex and age group. The patients were divided into six age groups (16-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60 and >70). The chi-square test was used to compare the qualitative variables. Results: The overall prevalence rate among patient with H. pylori infection was 83.5% (12406/14860) and 11,394 (84.1%) of them were related to the gastritis. The prevalence rate of H. pylori among patient with severe gastritis was significantly higher (P<0.05) compared to mild and moderate gastritis. In addition, the prevalence of H. pylori decreased with age and has been declined in recent years. The presence of intestinal metaplasia increased with age (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of H. pylori infection in Iranian population has been declined in recent years; nevertheless it seems to be highly prevalent in Iran. We also find a significant positive relationship between H. pylori infection and gastritis. There is no association between sex and infection, however in contrast with the most studies its prevalence decreased with age.
Ejercicio del sufragio: Factores que lo determinan en estudiantes universitarios

Las elecciones, en politica, son un momento cumbre para la democracia. Siguiendo este enunciado, el proposito del estudio fue describir los factores sociodemograficos, politicos y psicologicos del estudiantado universitario, y conocer como estos determinan su ejercicio del sufragio. Siendo importante, por lo significativa que es la participacion de esta poblacion en la eleccion de los representantes politicos del pais. El enfoque es de tipo mixto; en lo cuantitativo se utilizaron los disenos transeccional descriptivo y correlacional; mientras que en lo cualitativo se utilizo un diseno sistematico. Se realizo tomando una muestra de 397 estudiantes de la UNAH-CU, con un nivel de confianza del 95%. Se encontro que dos tercios de los universitarios votan con regularidad. La edad, el nivel academico, el interes por la politica y el conocimiento de las propuestas se relaciona con la frecuencia de voto. Sus principales motivos para ejercer el sufragio son el deber civico, la conviccion propia y el temor a que utilicen el voto. En contraste, consideran que las demas personas votan por conveniencia, y lealtad a un partido; desplazando a ellas aspectos negativos sobre la responsabilidad ante la eleccion de un mal candidato. De las verbalizaciones obtenidas, destaca como principal caracteristica deseada para un candidato politico, la honradez/honestidad. Explorando la polaridad, se encontro que no existe una relacion entre la ideologia politica expresada y la ideologia politica latente, lo que significa que muchos a pesar de considerarse seguidores de una postura ideologica, piensan y actuan de manera contraria a la misma. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5377/pc.v6i0. 1844 Revista Portal de la Ciencia, No. 6, julio 2014: 71-90
Deprivation, ethnicity and the prevalence of intellectual and developmental disabilities

Background Social gradients and ethnic disparities have been reported in some forms of intellectual and developmental disabilities. However, information on the association between area deprivation, ethnicity and other forms of intellectual and developmental disabilities are inconclusive. Aim To estimate the independent association between household disadvantage, local area deprivation, ethnicity and the identification of intellectual and developmental disability. Methods Cross-sectional survey involving multilevel multivariate analyses of data extracted from educational records on household disadvantage, local area deprivation, ethnicity and identified intellectual and developmental disability in a sample of English children aged 7–15 years (n=5.18 million). Results Lower household socio-economic position was associated with increased rates of identification of intellectual and developmental disabilities especially less severe forms of intellectual disability. Higher area deprivation was independently associated with increased rates of identification of less severe forms of intellectual disability but decreased rates of identification of profound multiple intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. Minority ethnic status was, in general, associated with lower rates of identification of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Exceptions to this general pattern included higher rates of identification of less severe forms of intellectual disability among Gypsy/Romany and Traveller children of Irish heritage, and higher rates of identification of more severe forms of intellectual disability among children of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage. Conclusions Children whose development is already compromised (and especially children with less severe intellectual disabilities) are at increased risk of exposure to social conditions that are themselves inimical to healthy development.
Convergence of the Euler Scheme for a Class of Stochastic Differential Equation

Abstract: Stochastic differential equations provide a useful means of introducing stochasticity into models across a broad range of systems from chemistry to population biology. However, in many applications the resulting equations have so far proved intractable to direct analytical solution. Numerical approximations, such as the Euler scheme, are therefore a vital tool in exploring model behaviour. Unfortunately, current results concerning the convergence of such schemes impose conditions on the drift and diffusion coefficients of the stochastic differential equation, namely the linear growth and global Lipschitz conditions, which are often not met by systems of interest. In this paper we relax these conditions and prove that numerical solutions based on the Euler scheme will converge to the true solution of a broad class of stochastic differential equations. The results are illustrated by application to a stochastic Lotka-Volterra model and a model of chemical auto-catalysis, neither of which satisfy either the linear growth nor the global Lipschitz conditions.
1. Introduction Database Research at Bilkent University

This report provides a brief description of the research activities of the Database Research Group of Bilkent University. The current research of the group is mainly focused on the topics of Multimedia Databases (in particular video database management and content-based retrieval of document images), Web Databases (in particular the modeling and querying of Web resources and focused crawling), and Mobile Computing (in particular moving object processing and mobile data management).
Issues in Deformable Virtual Objects Simulation with Force Feedback

This paper presents some issues in the simulation of deformable objects with force feedback. It presents an overview of our experience towards the conception of a virtual reality medical simulator. We briefly describe and discusse some well known physical simulation models such as : mass-spring networks, finite element method (FEM) and a recently long element method (LEM) which we have been developping in our research group. We also describe and discuss some numerical resolution methods for the dynamics of the deformable models. As far as real-time interactions are concerned, we present our work on collision detection, haptic interaction and topology modifications. Keywords— Medical simulators, physical models, numerical methods, deformable objects, virtual reality, haptic interaction.
Study of fabric defects detection through Gabor filter based on scale transformation

Aiming at fabric defects detection in textile industry, a Gabor filtering strategy based on scale transformation was presented, in which the extension scale of Gabor filter function was shown. Firstly the Gabor filter banks are convolved with normal fabric image to extract normal texture features. Secondly the convolution of Gabor filter banks and defected image is carried out to obtain the deviation images, and then they are fused. Lastly the fabric defects are detected by threshold processing. The results show that the method is effective for fabric defects detecting.
Analyzing Students’ Perceptions From Their Interests and Rights’ Protection Perspective Within Various International Contexts

The research originated from comprehending the way students, as consumers; perceive the involvement of bodies empowered to protect their rights and interests, including consumption-modernizing programmes. Among the cross-scientific research methods used by our research, the survey has been chosen and applied in three universities from various countries: Constantin Brancoveanu University of Pitesti – Management – Marketing in Economic Affairs Faculty, Romania, Fernando Pessoa - Business Science Faculty, Portugal and University Degli Studi di Milano – Political Sciences Faculty, Italy. For data processing, comprehensive methods of analysis and statistic-mathematical methods have been used, while for data analysis the method of comparing interviewed students’ opinions and the causal explanation have been used. The paper’s originality consists in drafting a direct, quantitative research, based on the scientific research of students’ opinions, future opinion originators, in three countries with various development levels. In addition, Romanian profile literature does not enlist many scientific papers approaching the analysed topics, while international research papers exist, but only to a small extent. The main results of research reveal the occurrence of dissimilarities and similarities relevant to students’ perceptions, regarding the approached subject.
Explaining the Consequences of Imprisonment for Union Formation and Dissolution in Denmark

Abstract Crime and subsequent imprisonment reduces men's chances on the marriage market and increases their divorce risk, but existing research, with a few notable exceptions, is silent about the underlying mechanisms driving these effects. This article studies the effect of home confinement under electronic monitoring as a noncustodial alternative to imprisonment on the risk of relationship dissolution and being single, thereby distinguishing between effects of incarceration and of committing crime. We study a policy that expanded the use of electronic monitoring to address nonrandom selection into electronic monitoring instead of in prison. Results from a sample of 4,522 men show that home confinement under electronic monitoring significantly and persistently lowers the risk both of being single and of becoming single during the first five years following conviction. The results show that one of the tools that could promote decarceration trends also secures better relationship outcomes of convicted men.