Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spinal Arthropathy Associated with Ochrobactrum anthropi in Free-ranging Cane Toads (Chaunus [Bufo] marinus) in Australia

Inflammatory or degenerative pathology involving the vertebral bodies and/or ventral intervertebral joints has been described in numerous species, both captive and free ranging, including mammals, birds, and snakes, although never in amphibians. We described 15 cases of a newly recognized spinal arthropathy in adult cane toads (Chaunus [Bufo] marinus), an invasive species in Australia. Grossly appreciable lesions consisted primarily of ventral proliferation of bone and cartilage that resulted in ankylosis. Histologic examination of the entire vertebral columns of the 15 affected toads revealed 13 toads to have lesions at multiple intervertebral sites, totalling 41 intervertebral joints with lesions. Most lesions involved bone and cartilage proliferation that resulted in fusion of the joint, with (n = 15) or without (n = 9) associated pyogranulomatous inflammation. In the remaining 17 affected joints, histologic lesions were characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage without joint fusion. In addition, in one of these joints, there was also hemorrhage and pyogranulomatous inflammation. Bacterial culture of affected joints in 9 toads and grossly normal joints in 4 control toads resulted in isolation of Ochrobactrum anthropi in 7 affected toads but in none of the controls (P < .01). We proposed an interaction between degenerative and bacterial etiologies in the pathogenesis of this condition. Invasive toads may be predisposed to this condition because of their large size; increased rates of movement; and, possibly, immunosuppression resulting from inhabiting a novel environment.
Why Do So Few Hold Stocks

The authors investigate why 75 percent of U.S. households do not hold stocks despite the equity premium and predictions of expected-utility models. The question is relevant for privatization, asset pricing, and tax progressivity issues. They show that risk aversion per se, heterogeneity of beliefs, habit persistence, time nonseparability, and quantity constraints on borrowing do not account for the phenomenon. A wedge between borrowing and lending rates, and minimum-investment requirements are plausible but empirically weak factors. More promising explanations are inertia and departures from expected-utility maximization. There is also qualified support for nondiversifiable income risk as a contributing factor. Copyright 1995 by Royal Economic Society.
Are There Any Rewards for Teaching

tion (13). All these research investigations indicate that university reward systems undervalue teaching. Research by Blackburn, Pellino, Boberg, and O'Con nell (3), however, reveals that nearly all professors in all institutional types across all professorial ranks and academic disciplines regard teaching as their central task. Thus, the university seems possessed of an "in stitutional schizophrenia" (5) which encourages im provement in teaching effectiveness but fails to reward it. Policies and practices that ignore, however unwitting ly, the professoriate's regard for teaching contribute to
The Use of Reductive Methylation of Lysine Residues to Study Protein-Protein Interactions in High Molecular Weight Complexes by Solution NMR

While solution state NMR is very well suited for analysis of protein-protein interactions occurring with a wide range of affinities, it suffers from one significant weakness, known as the molecular weight limitation. This limitation stems from the efficient nuclear relaxation processes in macromolecules larger than 30 kDa (Wider & Wuthrich, 1999). These relaxation processes cause rapid decay of NMR signals. Although the use of transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy (TROSY) approaches has made solution state NMR of large proteins and protein-protein complexes more feasible, it is still limited by the ability to produce isotope enriched proteins (Pervushin et al., 1997). However, there is a significant number of proteins for which no convenient system for stable isotope incorporation exists. We recently utilized reductive methylation methodology to demonstrate that it is possible to introduce 13C-enriched methyl groups into lysine residues in otherwise unlabeled proteins with the purpose of studying protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions by NMR (Abraham et al., 2008).
Stock Prices and Inflation: Evidence from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Morocco

This paper attempts to investigate monthly stock price indexes and good price indexes for selected Mashreq and Maghreb countries: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Kuwait for 2000-2009 using cointegration methods. Our findings support the long-run relationship between stock prices and goods prices. The long-run Fisher elasticities of stock prices with respect to goods prices are in the range of 1.01 to 1.36 across the four countries under study. With the exception of Kuwait, the Fisher effect coefficient estimates are significantly greater than one. In the case of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco the empirical results support the Fisher hypothesis, with estimated coefficients near unity.
Dystrophin expression and somatic reversion in prednisone‐treated and untreated Duchenne dystrophy

The mechanism by which prednisone improves muscle strength and function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is unknown. We addressed the possibility that clinical improvement was related to prednisone‐induced alterations in skeletal muscle dystrophin. We performed muscle biopsies on patients at the conclusion of a randomized, double‐blind, 6‐month trial of prednisone and analyzed dystrophin content using Western blots and antibody staining of tissue sections. These studies demonstrated no significant differences in dystrophin content between treatment (prednisone 1.5 mg/kg/d, n = 12; prednisone 0.75 mg/kg/d, n = 9) and placebo (n = 12) groups. Of interest, however, was the presence of varying numbers of dystrophin‐positive fibers (revertants) occurring individually or in clusters in antibody‐stained tissue sections of more than one‐half of the Duchenne patients. Mutation analysis revealed that revertants occurred in DMD patients with identifiable deletions or duplications, and in nondeletion patients. Prednisone treatment did not influence the prevalence of revertants. Revertants are most likely due to a second‐site mutation occurring in a somatic cell allowing for restoration of the translational reading frame of the dystrophin transcript. NEUROLOGY 1991;41:661‐666
Some Aspects of Magnetic Force Microscopy of Hard Magnetic Films

A number of aspects of magnetic force microscopy (MFM) specific to the imaging of hard magnetic films have been studied. First, we show that topographic images made in the tapping mode with probes characterized by the moderate cantilever stiffness usual for MFM (1-4 N/m) contain artifacts due to strong probe-sample interactions, which lead to probe retraction. As a result, stiffer cantilevers (e.g., 40 N/m) are better adapted to characterizing such hard magnetic films. Second, imaging with probes coated by a hard magnetic film leads to phase maps, which show a twofold symmetry, with paired dark/light contrast on the opposite domain edges along the direction of the cantilever. We analyze quantitatively this effect, due to the tilt of the direction of tip magnetization and direction of oscillation, with respect to the sample normal. Third, due to the long-range nature of the stray field produced by hard magnetic films containing micrometer-sized domains, MFM phase contrast reflects the stray field itself, as opposed to that of its spatial derivatives, as is generally the case in MFM.
How Has the Globalization of Labor Affected the Labor Income Share in Advanced Countries?

Labor markets around the world have become increasingly integrated over the last two decades, with the entry of China, India and the former Eastern bloc into the world trading system, the removal of restrictions on trade and capital flows, and rapid technological progress. At the same time, the share of labor in national income decreased in most advanced countries. This paper uses a labor share equation derived from a translog revenue function to estimate the contributions of globalization, technological progress, and labor market policies to the decline in the labor share. The results, obtained for 18 advanced countries over 1982- 2002, suggest that globalization was only one of several factors that have affected the labor share. Technological progress, especially in the information and communications sectors, has had a bigger impact, particularly on the labor share in unskilled sectors.
Technologies of Compliance: Risk and Regulation in a Digital Age

Legal scholarship has been silent about a phenomenon with profound implications for governance: the automation of compliance with laws mandating risk management. Regulations - from bank capitalization rules, to Sarbanes-Oxley’s provisions on financial fraud and misrepresentation, to laws governing information-privacy protection - frequently require regulated firms to develop internal processes to identify, assess, and mitigate risk. To comply, firms have turned wholesale to technology systems and computational analytics that measure and predict corporate risk levels and “force” decisions accordingly. In total, the third-party market for compliance-technology products - known generally as “governance, risk, and compliance” (GRC) software, systems, and services - alone grew to $52 billion last year, and this growth is poised to increase exponentially. While these technology systems offer powerful compliance tools, they also pose real perils. They permit computer programmers to interpret legal requirements; they mask the uncertainty of the very hazards with which policy makers are concerned; they skew decision making through an “automation bias” that privileges personal self-interest over sound judgment; and their lack of transparency thwarts oversight and accountability. These phenomena played a critical role in the recent financial crisis. This Article explores these developments and the failure of risk regulation to address them. While regulators have lauded the turn to technology, they have ignored its perils. By contrast, the Article investigates the accountability challenges posed by these and other technologies of control, and suggests specific reform measures for policy makers revisiting the governance of risk. It argues for more activist regulator oversight backed by sanctions before disaster has occurred. But it also emphasizes collaboration in developing risk-management systems, drawing both on the granular expertise of firms and the broader vantage of administrative agencies. Most importantly, it seeks better to reflect the human decision-making element at both levels: to recognize the ways in which technology can hinder good judgment, to reintroduce human inputs in the decision process, and to reflect the limits of both human and computer reasoning.
Prevalence of diagnosed atrial fibrillation in adults: national implications for rhythm management and stroke prevention: the AnTicoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation (ATRIA) Study.

CONTEXT Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in elderly persons and a potent risk factor for stroke. However, recent prevalence and projected future numbers of persons with atrial fibrillation are not well described. OBJECTIVE To estimate prevalence of atrial fibrillation and US national projections of the numbers of persons with atrial fibrillation through the year 2050. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Cross-sectional study of adults aged 20 years or older who were enrolled in a large health maintenance organization in California and who had atrial fibrillation diagnosed between July 1, 1996, and December 31, 1997. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the study population of 1.89 million; projected number of persons in the United States with atrial fibrillation between 1995-2050. RESULTS A total of 17 974 adults with diagnosed atrial fibrillation were identified during the study period; 45% were aged 75 years or older. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 0.95% (95% confidence interval, 0.94%-0.96%). Atrial fibrillation was more common in men than in women (1.1% vs 0.8%; P<.001). Prevalence increased from 0.1% among adults younger than 55 years to 9.0% in persons aged 80 years or older. Among persons aged 50 years or older, prevalence of atrial fibrillation was higher in whites than in blacks (2.2% vs 1.5%; P<.001). We estimate approximately 2.3 million US adults currently have atrial fibrillation. We project that this will increase to more than 5.6 million (lower bound, 5.0; upper bound, 6.3) by the year 2050, with more than 50% of affected individuals aged 80 years or older. CONCLUSIONS Our study confirms that atrial fibrillation is common among older adults and provides a contemporary basis for estimates of prevalence in the United States. The number of patients with atrial fibrillation is likely to increase 2.5-fold during the next 50 years, reflecting the growing proportion of elderly individuals. Coordinated efforts are needed to face the increasing challenge of optimal stroke prevention and rhythm management in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Full Participation: A Comparative Study of Compulsory Voting

Full participation is the first book-length study of compulsory voting to be published in the English language. About a quarter of all democracies in the contemporary world legally oblige their citizens to vote, making this an important aspect of electoral systems in many settings. Moreover, numerous commentators and policy-makers in voluntary voting states are coming to see mandatory attendance at the polls as an attractive option in the context of declining turnout. Yet, we know relatively little about this practice beyond its effects on rates of electoral participation; there has been a dearth of systematic examination of the way in which compulsory voting shapes attitudes, behaviour and outcomes of the political process.This volume seeks to fill that gap by providing a comprehensive description, analysis and evaluation of compulsory voting as it is practiced throughout the world. Specifically, the study systematically examines the history of the institution, the normative arguments for and against it, and the influence it has on a range of political phenomena. These include electoral campaigns, political attitudes, electoral integrity and legitimacy, policy outcomes and turnout. The book also considers the feasibility of introducing compulsory voting in a contemporary democracy, as well as variations on the institution designed to broaden its appeal. Full participation will be of interest to a wide range of readers, from ordinary citizens who take an interest in public affairs to political commentators, policy-makers and academic researchers.
Tablet-based 3D sketching and curve reverse modelling

This paper describes the development of an innovative hardware and software tool useful to sketch planar shapes in computer aided industrial design and computer aided design systems. The proposed system is based upon a tracked touch screen hand-held by the designer. The whole system is composed by a portable hand-held small touch screen (tablet size), a fixed LCD display and an optical tracking equipment. The touch screen is added by a simple camera for mixed reality optional functionality and its 6° of freedom movements are tracked. A custom software has been implemented for optimal exploitation and 3D sketching. The system acts as a free sketching device, a 3D mouse, as a realtime virtual and physical sketching plane or an external shape remodelling tool. The results obtained confirm the benefits of the virtual tablet in design, modelling and reverse engineering of industrial products.
Carrots that Look Like Sticks: Toward an Understanding of Multitasking Incentive Schemes

Constructing compensation schemes for effort in multidimensional tasks is complex, particularly when some dimensions are not easily observable. When incentive schemes contractually reward workers for easily observed measures, such as quantity produced, the standard model predicts that unrewarded dimensions, such as quality, will be neglected. Yet, there remains mixed empirical evidence in favor of this standard principal-agent model prediction. This article reconciles the literature using both theory and empirical evidence. The theory outlines conditions under which principals can use a piece rate scheme to induce higher quantity and quality levels than analogous fixed wage schemes. Making use of a series of complementary laboratory and field experiments we show that this effect occurs because the agent is uncertain about the principal's monitoring ability and the principal's choice of a piece rate signals to the agent that she is efficient at monitoring.
Microsimulation modelling of taxation and the labour market : the Melbourne Institute Tax and Transfer Simulator

Part 1 Introduction: introduction and outline tax modelling -the need for tax models, microsimulation models, non-behavioural tax models, behavioural microsimulation models, conclusions. Part 2 Estimation and modelling: wage functions - the model, empirical results, wage predictions, conclusion budget constraints - convex budget sets, non-convex budget sets, an example, conclusions labour supply - some basic theory, estimating models of labour supply, accounting for preference heterogeneity in simulation, conclusions labour supply with continuous hours - labour supply, the budget constraint, utility maximization, welfare changes, a special case, conclusions labour supply of single persons - the framework, empirical results, conclusions household labour supply - the framework of analysis, the date, empirical results, conclusion the quadratic direct utility function - labour supply, the Slutsky condition, welfare changes, conclusions. Part 3 The MITTS model: outline of MITTS - the main features of MITTS, the structure of MITTS, conclusions installing MITTS - data installation, installing MITTS, the MITTS file structure using MITTS - alternative tax systems, running MITTS-A, running MITTS-B, selecting households, the output from MITTS, conclusions taxes and benefits - March 1998 - income taxation, income tax rebates, rent assistance, pension and benefit rates, newstart allowance, youth training allowance, mature age allowance, widow allowance, AUSTUDY, special benefit, partner allowance, parenting payment, family allowance, maternity allowance, family tax payment.
Buy-Back Contract Incorporating Fairness in Approach of Stackelberg Game

This paper develops the basic model of the buy-back contract by introducing the fairness to investigate how the dominant supplier decides the wholesale price, whether the buy-back contract can achieve coordination and how the fairness influences the wholesale price. It is found that, under Stackelberg game between the retailer and the dominant supplier, the buy-back contract cannot coordinate the supply chain whether the fairness is incorporated or not. Furthermore, the optimal wholesale price under Stackelberg game is larger than the initial wholesale price, which can achieve coordination. Moreover, the optimal wholesale price decreases with the retailer’s fairness, while it increases with the supplier’s fairness.
Bringing structure to text: mining phrases, entities, topics, and hierarchies

Mining phrases, entity concepts, topics, and hierarchies from massive text corpus is an essential problem in the age of big data. Text data in electronic forms are ubiquitous, ranging from scientific articles to social networks, enterprise logs, news articles, social media and general web pages. It is highly desirable but challenging to bring structure to unstructured text data, uncover underlying hierarchies, relationships, patterns and trends, and gain knowledge from such data. In this tutorial, we provide a comprehensive survey on the state-of-the art of data-driven methods that automatically mine phrases, extract and infer latent structures from text corpus, and construct multi-granularity topical groupings and hierarchies of the underlying themes. We study their principles, methodologies, algorithms and applications using several real datasets including research papers and news articles and demonstrate how these methods work and how the uncovered latent entity structures may help text understanding, knowledge discovery and management.
A 0.41 pJ/Bit 10 Gb/s Hybrid 2 IIR and 1 Discrete-Time DFE Tap in 28 nm-LP CMOS

An ideal infinite impulse response (IIR) decision feedback equalizer (DFE) can have an effect on wireline received waveforms similar to a continuous-time equalizer, but without the associated amplification of noise and crosstalk. However, an IIR DFE's performance degrades significantly as the feedback loop delay increases. Fortunately, adding a single discrete-time tap can eliminate the degradation. The implementation of a half-rate DFE with two IIR taps and one discrete-time tap is presented here. The two IIR filters have different time constants to accommodate a variety of channel pulse responses having a long tail. The discrete-time tap cancels the first post-cursor inter-symbol interference (ISI) term and alleviates feedback loop timing issues. The DFE can receive data transmitted with a low swing of 150 mVpp-diff through 24 dB of channel loss at half the bitrate while consuming 4.1 mW at 10 Gb/s. Digital foreground calibration of clock phase shifters and offset cancellation is described. The receiver, including the DFE, clock buffers and clock phase adjustment, occupies an area of 8760 μm 2 in an ST 28 nm LP CMOS process.
Blurriness estimation in video frames: a study on smooth objects and textures

An original blurriness assessment method for video frames is presented. In the first place two measurements are performed uniformly on the whole frame. The first quantifies the perceptive contrast experienced by the human eye, the second uses anisotropic diffusion to estimate a possible detail loss due to blurriness. Secondarily two further indices are devised, each one suitable to a particular sort of image content. The first is dedicated to main, uniform objects, where smoothed borders are deemed to be the main source of blurriness perception. First, a technique is devised to extract all edges, including the smoothest ones. Then the width of such edges is measured, and more weight is given to long than to short ones. The second index measures the activity of textured areas, trying to detect blurriness inside the base texture elements. The four devised indices enable automatic quantification of the strength of blurriness and some hints at its origin. In particular, some new results have been achieved in the ability to automatically distinguish natural blurriness, present in the image content, from undesired one, introduced during encoding and processing.
Estimating Production Functions with R&D Investment and Endogeneity

This study analyses the production function estimation when there is an unobservable idiosyncratic productivity shock and the series of the productivity shock follows a first-order endogenous Markov process which is controlled by R&D investment. The production function approach, in general, suffers from endogeneity problems when there are determinants of production which are not observed by the econometrician but are observed by the manager of a firm. To control for this problem, recently developed econometric methods are applied to the production function estimation. The results show that there is a possibility that other estimation methods such as OLS estimation and fixed effect estimation underestimates the contribution of capital. The results also suggest that the rate of return to R&D varies considerably across industries and within an industry.