Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are Online and Offline Prices Similar? Evidence from Large Multi-Channel Retailers

Online prices are increasingly being used for a variety of inflation measurement and research applications, yet little is know about their relation to prices collected offline, where most retail transactions take place. This paper presents the results of the first large-scale comparison of online and offline prices simultaneously collected from the websites and physical stores of 56 large multi-channel retailers in 10 countries. I find that price levels are identical about 72% of the time for the products sold in both locations, with significant heterogeneity across countries, sectors, and retailers. The similarity is highest in electronics and clothing and lowest in drugstores and office-supply retailers. There is no evidence of online prices varying with the location of the ip address or persistent browsing habits. Price changes are not synchronized but have similar frequencies and average sizes. These results have implications for National Statistical Offices and researchers using online data, as well as those interested in the effect of the Internet on retail prices.
Learning Minimal Latent Directed Information Polytrees

We propose an approach for learning latent directed polytrees as long as there exists an appropriately defined discrepancy measure between the observed nodes. Specifically, we use our approach for learning directed information polytrees where samples are available from only a subset of processes. Directed information trees are a new type of probabilistic graphical models that represent the causal dynamics among a set of random processes in a stochastic system. We prove that the approach is consistent for learning minimal latent directed trees. We analyze the sample complexity of the learning task when the empirical estimator of mutual information is used as the discrepancy measure.
The Phenomenon of Character Development in a Distance Education Course

Rarely are character development-related aims espoused by higher education reflected in the design and delivery of distance education programs. Further, literature exploring the character development aspects of distance education is sparse. This study finds that the instructor and students in a fantasy literature distance course perceived myriad kinds of character development related to performance, moral, relational, and spiritual character traits and strengths. This paper considers implications for character development in distance education and directions for future research.
Distributed Evaluation of Continuous Equi-join Queries over Large Structured Overlay Networks

We study the problem of continuous relational query processing in Internet-scale overlay networks realized by distributed hash tables. We concentrate on the case of continuous two-way equi-join queries. Joins are hard to evaluate in a distributed continuous query environment because data from more than one relations is needed, and this data is inserted in the network asynchronously. Each time a new tuple is inserted, the network nodes have to cooperate to check if this tuple can contribute to the satisfaction of a query when combined with previously inserted tuples. We propose a series of algorithms that initially index queries at network nodes using hashing. Then, they exploit the values of join attributes in incoming tuples to rewrite the given queries into simpler ones, and reindex them in the network where they might be satisfied by existing or future tuples. We present a detailed experimental evaluation in a simulated environment and we show that our algorithms are scalable, balance the storage and query processing load and keep the network traffic low.
Helicase, DNA-binding, and immunological properties of replication-defective simian virus 40 mutant T antigens

Simian virus 40 T antigen (TAg) exhibits nonspecific and origin-specific DNA binding (ori binding) and ATPase and helicase activities, all of which are related to its roles in viral DNA replication. We have characterized some of the properties of four replication-defective but transformation-competent mutant TAgs, C6-2, T22, C11, and C8A. C6-2 and T22 TAgs were each previously determined to lack ori-binding properties, while C11 TAg was reported to lack ATPase activity. The C8A TAg did not exhibit defects in either ori-binding or ATPase functions. We have analyzed additional aspects of these mutant TAgs pertaining to their helicase, DNA-binding, and immunological properties. With the exception of the C11 TAg, all the other TAgs exhibited helicase activity. The lack of helicase activity by C11 TAg was consistent with its previously shown inability to hydrolyze ATP or to replicate viral DNA. These results therefore show that ori-binding and helicase activities are separate functions of TAg. Wild-type and mutant TAgs bound with similar efficiency to either native or denatured calf thymus DNA-cellulose, indicating no marked differences in their nonspecific DNA-binding properties. We also tested the binding of wild-type and mutant TAgs to a monoclonal antibody, PAb 100, that was previously shown to recognize an extremely small class of TAg that may represent a unique conformational form of the protein. Interestingly, while less than 10% of the wild-type, C6-2, C11, and T22 mutant TAgs were recognized by PAb 100, more than 60% of the C8A mutant TAg was bound by this antibody. Therefore, although no defect in biochemical function was observed with the C8A TAg, its deficiency in viral DNA replication may be related to an unusual conformation, as detected by its dramatically increased recognition by PAb 100. These results show that the helicase activity of TAg is not required for its transformation function.
Consistency of Field-Based Measures of Neuromuscular Control Using Force-Plate Diagnostics in Elite Male Youth Soccer Players

Abstract Read, P, Oliver, JL, Croix, MD, Myer, GD, and Lloyd, RS. Consistency of field-based measures of neuromuscular control using force-plate diagnostics in elite male youth soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3304–3311, 2016—Deficits in neuromuscular control during movement patterns such as landing are suggested pathomechanics that underlie sport-related injury. A common mode of assessment is measurement of landing forces during jumping tasks; however, these measures have been used less frequently in male youth soccer players, and reliability data are sparse. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of a field-based neuromuscular control screening battery using force-plate diagnostics in this cohort. Twenty-six pre–peak height velocity (PHV) and 25 post-PHV elite male youth soccer players completed a drop vertical jump (DVJ), single-leg 75% horizontal hop and stick (75%HOP), and single-leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ). Measures of peak landing vertical ground reaction force (pVGRF), time to stabilization, time to pVGRF, and pVGRF asymmetry were recorded. A test-retest design was used, and reliability statistics included change in mean, intraclass correlation coefficient, and coefficient of variation (CV). No significant differences in mean score were reported for any of the assessed variables between test sessions. In both groups, pVGRF and asymmetry during the 75%HOP and SLCMJ demonstrated largely acceptable reliability (CV ⩽ 10%). Greater variability was evident in DVJ pVGRF and all other assessed variables, across the 3 protocols (CV range = 13.8–49.7%). Intraclass correlation coefficient values ranged from small to large and were generally higher in the post-PHV players. The results of this study suggest that pVGRF and asymmetry can be reliably assessed using a 75%HOP and SLCMJ in this cohort. These measures could be used to support a screening battery for elite male youth soccer players and for test-retest comparison.
2009 H1N1 Influenza: A Twenty-First Century Pandemic With Roots in the Early Twentieth Century

A swine-origin H1N1 triple-reassortant influenza A virus found to be a distant relative of the 1918 “Spanish flu” virus emerged in April 2009 to give rise to the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. Although disease was generally mild and similar to seasonal influenza, severe manifestations including respiratory failure were noted in some, particularly those with underlying conditions such as asthma, pregnancy and immunosuppression. Children and younger adults accounted for most cases, hospitalizations and deaths. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay was superior to antigen-based rapid tests for diagnosis. All 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza strains were susceptible to 1 or more neuraminidase inhibitors. Monovalent, unadjuvanted 2009 H1N1 vaccines were licensed in the United States in September 2009 and initially targeted to younger individuals, pregnant women, caretakers of infants and healthcare providers. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic highlights the need for modernization of influenza vaccines, improved diagnostics and more rigorous evaluation of mitigation strategies.
The Pareto Regret Frontier

Performance guarantees for online learning algorithms typically take the form of regret bounds, which express that the cumulative loss overhead compared to the best expert in hindsight is small. In the common case of large but structured expert sets we typically wish to keep the regret especially small compared to simple experts, at the cost of modest additional overhead compared to more complex others. We study which such regret trade-offs can be achieved, and how. We analyse regret w.r. t. each individual expert as a multi-objective criterion in the simple but fundamental case of absolute loss. We characterise the achievable and Pareto optimal trade-offs, and the corresponding optimal strategies for each sample size both exactly for each finite horizon and asymptotically.
Parent-Adolescent Trust and Parent-Adolescent Relationships in Chinese Families in Hong Kong: Implications for Parent Education and Family Therapy

On two occasions separated by one year, Chinese adolescents (N = 2,758) responded to instruments measuring their perceived parent-adolescent trust (i.e., paternal trust of the child and the child's trust of the parent) and other dimensions of parent-child relational qualities (satisfaction with parental control, readiness to communicate with the parent, and global satisfaction with the parent-child relationship). Results showed that perceived parent-adolescent trust was concurrently and longitudinally related to other dimensions of parent-child relational qualities. Multiple regression analyses suggest that the relations between perceived parent-adolescent trust and different dimensions of parent-child relational qualities over time were bidirectional in nature. Relative to perceived paternal trust of the adolescent child, adolescent child's trust of their parents exerted a stronger influence on different dimensions of parent-adolescent relational qualities, particularly in the father-adolescent dyad. While the influence of the child's readiness to communicate with the parents on parent-adolescent trust was weak in the father-adolescent dyad, the influence of global satisfaction with the parent-adolescent relationship on parent-adolescent trust was weak in the mother-adolescent dyad. The implications of the present findings on parent education and family therapy are discussed.
Real-coded genetic algorithm-based particle swarm optimization method for solving unconstrained optimization problems

In solving unconstrained global optimization (UGO) problems, devising nonlinear programming (NLP) methods based on gradient information are extremely difficult when an objective function is non-differential. As a stochastic global optimization algorithm, particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm does not require gradient information, enabling it to overcome the limitation of traditional NLP schemes. Unfortunately, performance of a PSO algorithm depends on several parameters, such as constriction coefficient, cognitive parameter and social parameter. To overcome the above limitations of a PSO algorithm, this work presents a real-coded genetic algorithm (RGA)-based PSO (RGA-PSO) algorithm. The specific parameters of the inner PSO algorithm are optimized using the outer RGA. Performance of the proposed RGA-PSO algorithm is then evaluated using a set of UGO problems. Numerical results indicate in addition to its ability to converge to a global minimum for each test UGO problem, the proposed RGA-PSO algorithm provides a solution is more precise than those of some stochastic global optimization algorithms. Thus, the RGA-PSO algorithm can be considered as an alternative stochastic global optimization scheme for solving UGO problems.
Inpatient healthcare provider bypassing by women and their children in urban Bo, Sierra Leone

Introduction Bypassing refers to a person's decision to seek care at a healthcare facility that is not the nearest one of its type to the person's home. Methods This study examined inpatient care facility bypassing in urban Bo, Sierra Leone using data from 1,980 women with children 15 years of age and younger who were interviewed in 2010-2011. The locations of residential structures and hospitals were identified using a geographic information system (GIS), and the road distances from participating households to the nearest and preferred inpatient care facilities were measured. Results Nine inpatient care facilities serve Bo residents, but more than 70% of the participating women reported that the city's main public hospital (Bo Government Hospital), located in the city center, was their preferred inpatient care provider. Participants resided within a median distance of 0.9 km (Interquartile range (IQR): 0.6, 1.8) from their closest inpatient facility, but they would travel a median distance of 2.4 km (IQR: 1.0, 3.3) to reach their preferred providers. About 87% of the women would bypass their nearest inpatient care facility to access care at a preferred provider. Bypassing rates were similar for various demographic and socioeconomic groups, but higher for women living farther from the city center. Conclusion Although Bo has a diverse healthcare marketplace, access to affordable advanced care options is limited. Most women in Bo would choose to bypass facilities nearer to their homes to seek the low-cost and comprehensive care offered by Bo Government Hospital.
Academic Integrity in the Business School Environment: I’ll Get by with a Little Help from My Friends

The incidence of academic dishonesty has been increasing throughout the past few decades. Past research has indicated that business students cheat more than their peers in other disciplines across the university. And, of particular concern to marketing educators, the current research finds that marketing majors cheat significantly more than their peers in other business disciplines. The research results also indicate that students are much more likely to cheat in situations in which friends (versus mere acquaintances) are involved. The study identifies a robust false consensus effect in which the respondents significantly overestimate the degree to which others cheat. Finally, the research investigates behaviors, beliefs, and propensities related to cheating on electronic exams. The article suggests tactical and strategic measures that business schools and their faculty can use to reduce the incidence of academic dishonesty.
Primary HIV-1 drug resistance in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire): a genotypic and phenotypic study.

We studied the impact of HIV-1 genetic diversity on antiretroviral susceptibility and the prevalence of primary HIV-1 resistance in a cohort of seroconverters in Abidjan. Despite an extensive variation in the protease and reverse transcriptase genes most of the isolates seemed to conserve a full susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs. Minor variations of nevirapine susceptibility should be investigated in a context of the potential wide use of this drug for preventing mother-to-child transmission. (author’s)
‘What it takes’: perceptions of mental toughness and its development in an English Premier League Soccer Academy

The purpose of this qualitative study was to undertake an in-depth exploration of coaches’ and support staff perceptions regarding mental toughness and its development in the pressurised and distinctive sub-cultural milieu of an English Premier League (EPL) Soccer Academy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight key staff responsible for a range of different roles in the development of young players. From the analysis, four general dimensions emerged as salient to mental toughness: competitiveness with self and others, mindset, resilience and personal responsibility. To enhance mental toughness, coaches sought to foster in the young players two key characteristics: independence and resourcefulness, via a challenging but supportive learning environment. Importantly, attention to the psychological development of young players was reported to be inadequately addressed in comparison with other aspects of performance such as technical skill or physical conditioning. Although mental toughness was acknowledged to be a crucial factor in securing a professional contract in the EPL, coaches reported a relative lack of knowledge about effectively nurturing this quality in players.
Markov decision processes with fuzzy rewards

In this paper, we consider the model that the information on the rewards in vector-valued Markov decision processes includes imprecision or ambiguity. The fuzzy reward model is analyzed as follows: The fuzzy reward is represented by the fuzzy set on the multi-dimensional Euclidian space R and the infinite horizon fuzzy expected discounted reward(FEDR) from any stationary policy is characterized as a unique fixed point of the corresponding contractive operator. Also, we fined a Pareto optimal policy which maximizes the infinite horizon FEDR over all stationary policies under the pseudo order induced by a convex cone R. As a numerical example, the machine maintenance problem is considered.
Book Review: Souled Out? How Blacks are Winning and Losing in Sports.

certainly be suitable for anyone aspiring to a career in law enforcement in general and as an undercover operative in particular. Thus professors teaching courses in criminal justice would want to consider adopting this book. In addition, since the book is so rich in dimensions of undercover work that are exemplars of behavioral science concepts and topics, adventurous professor could have their students taking micro theory or social psychology courses identify and discuss them. It would be a great exercise and result in deeper processing of the material. It would also show the relevance of the sociological concepts. Since being an under cover agent is a kind of extreme form of covert participant observation, the book would be useful for graduate courses in methodology which emphasize participant observation. The problems, dilemmas and strains inherent in this form of research are illustrated and discussed. A good example is the strain such work places on marriages. Very few, if any, undercover agents have happy home lives, according to the data. The book has endnotes and a quite extensive bibliography for readers who would like to do further research about the topic.
A 0.5–5-GHz Wide-Range Multiphase DLL With a Calibrated Charge Pump

A 0.5-5 GHz wide-range multiphase delay-locked loop (MDLL) with a calibrated charge pump is presented. A multiperiod-locked technique is used to enhance the input frequency range of a MDLL and avoid the harmonic-locked problem. The charge pump current is also calibrated to reduce the static phase error. This MDLL has been fabricated in 0.13- CMOS process. The measured root-mean-square and peak-to-peak jitters are 1.06 and 8 ps at 5 GHz, respectively. The power dissipation at 5 GHz is 36 mW for a supply voltage of 1.2 V.
The ambivalence of populism: threat and corrective for democracy

Two images of populism are well-established: it is either labelled as a pathological political phenomenon, or it is regarded as the most authentic form of political representation. In this article I argue that it is more fruitful to categorize populism as an ambivalence that, depending on the case, may constitute a threat to or a corrective for democracy. Unfolding my argument, I offer a roadmap for the understanding of the diverse and usually conflicting approaches to studying the relation between populism and democracy. In particular, three main approaches are identified and discussed: the liberal, the radical and the minimal. I stress that the latter is the most promising of them for the study of the ambivalent relationship between populism and democracy. In fact, the minimal approach does not imply a specific concept of democracy, and facilitates the undertaking of cross-regional comparisons. This helps to recognize that populism interacts differently with the two dimensions of democracy that Robert Dahl distinguished: while populism might well represent a democratic corrective in terms of inclusiveness, it also might become a democratic threat concerning public contestation.
Internalization and processing of transferrin and the transferrin receptor in human carcinoma A431 cells

The binding and subsequent intracellular processing of transferrin and transferrin receptors was studied in A431 cells using 125I-transferrin and a monoclonal antibody to the receptor (ATR) labeled with 125I and gold colloid. Using 125I-transferrin we have shown that, whereas at 37 degrees C uptake proceeded linearly for up to 60 min, most of the ligand that was bound was internalized and then rapidly returned to the incubation medium undegraded. At 37 degrees C, the intracellular half- life of the most rapidly recycled transferrin was 7.5 min. 125I-ATR displayed the same kinetics of uptake but following its internalization at 37 degrees C, it was partially degraded. At 22 degrees C and below, the intracellular degradation of 125I-ATR was selectively inhibited and as a result it accumulated intracellularly. Electron microscopy of conventional thin sections and of whole-cell mounts was used to follow the uptake and processing of transferrin receptors labeled with ATR- gold colloid complexes. Using a pulse-chase protocol, the intracellular pathway followed by internalized ATR gold-receptor complexes was outlined in detail. Within 5 min at 22 degrees C the internalized complexes were transferred from coated pits on the cell surface to a system of narrow, branching cisternae within the peripheral cytoplasm. By 15 min they reached larger, more dilated elements that, in thin section, appeared as irregular profiles containing small (30-50-nm diam) vesicles. By 30 min, the gold complexes were located predominantly within typical spherical multivesicular bodies lying in the peripheral cytoplasm, and by 40-60 min, they reached a system of cisternal and multivesicular body elements in the juxtanuclear area. At 22 degrees C, no other compartments became labeled but if they were warmed to 37 degrees C the gold complexes were transferred to lysosome- like elements. Extracting ATR-gold complexes with Triton X after a 30- min chase at 22 degrees C and purifying them on Sepharose-transferrin indicated that the internalized complexes remained bound to the transferrin receptor during their intracellular processing.