Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Enfranchisement

Why would a political elite voluntarily dilute its political power by extending the franchise? This paper develops a dynamic recursive framework for studying voter enfranchisement. We study properties of dynamic enfranchisement games, dynamic games in which political rights evolve over time. Each period, private decisions of citizens co-mingle with government policies to act upon a state variable such as capital stock, a public good, or the likelihood of an insurrection. Policies are determined by the median voter of a potentially restricted franchise. The enfranchised group can choose, through its median voter, to expand the set of citizens with voting rights. In this way, each period's median voter can effectively delegate decision authority to a new median in the next period. We characterize the equilibria of a dynamic enfranchisement game by its Euler equations. In certain games, the equilibria generate paths that display a gradual, sometimes uneven history of enfranchisement that is roughly consistent with observed patterns of extensions. Our main result shows that extensions of the franchise occur in a given period if and only if the private decisions of the citizenry have a net positive spillover to the dynamic payoff of the current median voter. The size of the extension depends on the size of the spillover. Since the class of games we study can accommodate a number of proposed explanations for franchise extension (e.g., the threat of insurrection, or ideological or class conflict within the elite, etc.), the result suggests a common causal mechanism for these seemingly different explanations. We describe a number of parametric environments that correspond to the various explanations, and show how the mechanism works in each.
Monomeric Bistability and the Role of Autoloops in Gene Regulation

Genetic toggle switches are widespread in gene regulatory networks (GRN). Bistability, namely the ability to choose among two different stable states, is an essential feature of switching and memory devices. Cells have many regulatory circuits able to provide bistability that endow a cell with efficient and reliable switching between different physiological modes of operation. It is often assumed that negative feedbacks with cooperative binding (i.e. the formation of dimers or multimers) are a prerequisite for bistability. Here we analyze the relation between bistability in GRN under monomeric regulation and the role of autoloops under a deterministic setting. Using a simple geometric argument, we show analytically that bistability can also emerge without multimeric regulation, provided that at least one regulatory autoloop is present.
Cognitive State following Stroke: The Predominant Role of Preexisting White Matter Lesions

Background and purpose Stroke is a major cause of cognitive impairment and dementia in adults, however the role of the ischemic lesions themselves, on top of other risk factors known in the elderly, remains controversial. This study used structural equation modeling to determine the respective impact of the new ischemic lesions' volume, preexisting white matter lesions and white matter integrity on post stroke cognitive state. Methods Consecutive first ever mild to moderate stroke or transient ischemic attack patients recruited into the ongoing prospective TABASCO study underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans within seven days of stroke onset and were cognitively assessed one year after the event using a computerized neuropsychological battery. The volumes of both ischemic lesions and preexisting white matter lesions and the integrity of the normal appearing white matter tissue were measured and their contribution to cognitive state was assessed using structural equation modeling path analysis taking into account demographic parameters. Two models were hypothesized, differing by the role of ischemic lesions' volume. Results Structural equation modeling analysis of 142 patients confirmed the predominant role of white matter lesion volume (standardized path coefficient β = −0.231) and normal appearing white matter integrity (β = −0.176) on the global cognitive score, while ischemic lesions' volume showed no such effect (β = 0.038). The model excluding the ischemic lesion presented better fit to the data (comparative fit index 0.9 versus 0.092). Conclusions Mild to moderate stroke patients with preexisting white matter lesions are more vulnerable to cognitive impairment regardless of their new ischemic lesions. Thus, these patients can serve as a target group for studies on cognitive rehabilitation and neuro-protective therapies which may, in turn, slow their cognitive deterioration.
HYL1 is required for establishment of stamen architecture with four microsporangia in Arabidopsis

The stamen produces pollen grains for pollination in higher plants. Coordinated development of four microsporangia in the stamen is essential for normal fertility. The roles of miR165/166-directed pathways in the establishment of adaxial–abaxial polarity have been well defined in leaves. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the adaxial–abaxial polarity of the stamen is elusive. Here it is reported that HYPONASTIC LEAVES1 (HYL1), a general regulator of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, plays an essential role in establishing the stamen architecture of the four microsporangia in Arabidopsis thaliana. In stamens, HYL1 and miR165/6 expression are progressively restricted to the lateral region, microsporangia, microspore mother cells, and microspores, whereas HD-ZIP III genes are preferentially expressed in the middle region, vascular bundle, and stomium. Loss of HYL1 leads to the formation of two rather than four microsporangia in each stamen. In the stamen of the hyl1 mutant, miR165/6 accumulation is reduced, whereas miR165/6-targeted HD-ZIP III genes are up-regulated and FILAMENTOUS FLOWER (FIL) is down-regulated; and, specifically, REVOLUTA (REV) is overexpressed in the adaxial region and FIL is underexpressed in the abaxial regions, concomitant with the aberrance of the two inner microsporangia and partial adaxialization of the connectives. Genetic analysis reveals that FIL works downstream of HYL1, and the defects in hyl1 stamens are partially rescued by rev-9 or phv-5 phb-6 alleles. These results suggest that HYL1 modulates inner microsporangia and stamen architecture by repression of HD-ZIP III genes and promotion of the FIL gene through miR165/6. Thus, the role of HYL1 in establishment of stamen architecture provides insight into the molecular mechanism of male fertility.
Pose Synthesis Using the Inverse of Jacobian Matrix Learned from Examples

This paper presents a method of pose synthesis based on a low-dimensional space and a set of characteristics of motion learned from examples. This method consists of two phases: learning and synthesis. In the learning phase, a low-dimensional and discrete representation of the space of natural poses is constructed by using a self organizing map (SOM). Meanwhile, a set of matrices is extracted from the motion data. These matrices describe how the poses change with the end-effectors' positions, and play a key role in synthesizing natural looking results. In the synthesis phase, a lightweight algorithm based on the learned parameters is used. The synthesis process is very efficient because there is no time-consuming calculation, like numeric optimization or matrix inverting. Compared with other methods, our method not only can produce natural looking poses in real-time, but also works well with constraints positioned in a larger range. We apply our method in applications of interactive pose editing, real-time motion modification, and pose reconstruction from image. The results have proven the robustness and effectiveness of our method
Information System Flexibility and the Performance of Business Processes

While insufficient flexibility of an information system to support a business process precludes the use of the system in certain cases, excessive flexibility of an information system can limit the usability of the system (Silver 1991), in addition to presenting an unnecessary investment. Despite a wealth of research on flexibility and its impacts on organizations and business processes (esp. manufacturing), the value of flexibility of an information system and the price at which it comes have rarely been included into the analysis, with the result that guidelines to manage the flexibility of an information system to support a given business process have not been developed. To support decisions regarding information system flexibility, the current paper presents an optimization model to relate business process characteristics (uncertainty, variability, and time-criticality) with two basic types of information system flexibility (flexibility to use the information system and flexibility to change the information system). Based on an analysis of the model, we conclude that the focus of information system management should be on flexibility to change the information system in order to support processes of high uncertainty, while situations of low uncertainty call for a focus on flexibility to use the information system. The model also shows that high process variability can limit the value of investments in an information system altogether, thus, improving the importance of careful flexibility management, while a high level of time-criticality generally tends to increase the benefits of using an information system over manual processing.
Multiuser Detection Based on MAP Estimation With Sum-of-Absolute-Values Relaxation

In this paper, we consider multiuser detection that copes with multiple access interference caused in low-rate wireless communication systems with a large number of nodes, such as machine-to-machine communications. We take account of discreteness of transmitted signals (e.g., binary signals taking values of $\pm 1$), which we utilize as prior information in detection. We first formulate the detection problem as a maximum a posteriori estimation problem. Since this problem is highly nonconvex and discontinuous, we propose convex relaxation based on the sum-of-absolute-values (SOAV) optimization, which can be efficiently solved by proximal splitting. We also derive an upper bound of the relaxation error by the SOAV optimization in noisy cases based on the restricted isometry property. Numerical simulations are shown to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Robot-assisted versus standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: comparison of perioperative outcomes from a single institution.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in a teaching hospital. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary and Tung Wah hospitals, Hong Kong. PATIENTS The first 10 consecutive patients who had robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumours between January 2008 and September 2009 with prospective data collection were evaluated. Their outcomes were compared with the last 10 consecutive patients in our database, who had standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between November 2004 and October 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Demographics, tumour characteristics, perioperative outcomes, renal function, and pathological outcomes. RESULTS There were no differences between the groups with regard to age (63 vs 56 years; P=0.313) and tumour size (2.7 vs 2.8 cm; P=0.895). No significant difference was found between the two groups with respect to the operating room time (376 vs 361 min; P=0.722), estimated blood loss (329 vs 328 mL; P=0.994), and length of hospital stay (7 vs 14 days; P=0.213). A statistically significant shorter mean warm ischaemic time for the robot-assisted group was noted (31 vs 40 minutes; P=0.032). Respective renal functional outcomes as shown by the difference between day 0 and day 60 serum creatinine levels were comparable (+10 vs +7 mmol/L; P=0.605). In both groups, there were no intra-operative complications or instances of surgical margin tumour involvement. Three patients endured postoperative complications in the standard laparoscopic group (a perinephric haematoma, urine leakage, and lymph leakage) compared with one in the robot-assisted group (a perinephric haematoma). These complications all resolved with conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a technically feasible alternative to standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and provides comparable results. Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy appears to offer the advantage of decreased warm ischaemic time. Longer follow-up is required to assess renal function and oncological outcomes. Further experience and randomised trials are necessary to compare robot-assisted with standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.
Rate-Optimal Signal Design for Wireless Communications

Abstract : In a tactical communications scenario, the transmitter will only have an imperfect estimate of the temporally correlated mobile RF channel. Given imperfect channel state information (CSI), we address the optimal signal design problem. Using the cutoff rate metric, we determine: (a) the optimal allocation of power and bandwidth between information and training signals, (b) the optimal binary input as a function of SNR and CSI quality, (c) and adaptive modulation scheme which switches between only two inputs based on the CSI quality. We show that this simple adaptive modulation scheme is nearly optimal at moderate to high SNR. We also establish that there is at most a 1 dB increase in the maximum penalty for using On-Off Keying instead of BPSK.
Prefrontal system in the rat visualized by means of labeled deoxyglucose—further evidence for functional heterogeneity of the neostriatum

An epileptic focus was formed in the anteromedial part of the prefrontal cortex in rats by means of intracortical injection of penicillin, and radioactively labeled deoxyglucose was immediately injected intravenously. Autoradiograms revealed that, in addition to the injected cortical area, a number of formations increased their consumption of deoxyglucose.
The Spatial Construction of Organization

An important challenge to organization theory is to search for constructs that explain how contexts for work emerge, evolve, persist and change. This book explores the concept of "space" as representing a wide variety of contexts. Organization as a process, as distinguished from organization as an entity, is seen as the construction of space, where space is the outcome of human action and interaction as well as providing a context for actions and interaction. The book shows how different forms of space lie at the base of a number of developments in organization theory. It then takes the step to show how contemporary developments in social science represented by works by writers such as Giddens, Luhmann, Latour and Bourdieu can be used to establish a dynamic understanding of organization as space. Insights from these discussions are used to establish a unique and coherent way of understanding complexities of modern organization.
The Intestinal T Cell Response to α-Gliadin in Adult Celiac Disease Is Focused on a Single Deamidated Glutamine Targeted by Tissue Transglutaminase

The great majority of patients that are intolerant of wheat gluten protein due to celiac disease (CD) are human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ2+, and the remaining few normally express HLA-DQ8. These two class II molecules are chiefly responsible for the presentation of gluten peptides to the gluten-specific T cells that are found only in the gut of CD patients but not of controls. Interestingly, tissue transglutaminase (tTG)-mediated deamidation of gliadin plays an important role in recognition of this food antigen by intestinal T cells. Here we have used recombinant antigens to demonstrate that the intestinal T cell response to α-gliadin in adult CD is focused on two immunodominant, DQ2-restricted peptides that overlap by a seven-residue fragment of gliadin. We show that tTG converts a glutamine residue within this fragment into glutamic acid and that this process is critical for T cell recognition. Gluten-specific T cell lines from 16 different adult patients all responded to one or both of these deamidated peptides, indicating that these epitopes are highly relevant to disease pathology. Binding studies showed that the deamidated peptides displayed an increased affinity for DQ2, a molecule known to preferentially bind peptides containing negatively charged residues. Interestingly, the modified glutamine is accommodated in different pockets of DQ2 for the different epitopes. These results suggest modifications of anchor residues that lead to an improved affinity for major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and altered conformation of the peptide–MHC complex may be a critical factor leading to T cell responses to gliadin and the oral intolerance of gluten found in CD.
Using Multi-view Recognition and Meta-data Annotation to Guide a Robot's Attention

In the transition from industrial to service robotics, robots will have to deal with increasingly unpredictable and variable environments. We present a system that is able to recognize objects of a certain class in an image and to identify their parts for potential interactions. The method can recognize objects from arbitrary viewpoints and generalizes to instances that have never been observed during training, even if they are partially occluded and appear against cluttered backgrounds. Our approach builds on the implicit shape model of Leibe et al. We extend it to couple recognition to the provision of meta-data useful for a task and to the case of multiple viewpoints by integrating it with the dense multi-view correspondence finder of Ferrari et al. Meta-data can be part labels but also depth estimates, information on material types, or any other pixelwise annotation. We present experimental results on wheelchairs, cars, and motorbikes.
Aesthetic science: Connecting minds, brains, and experience.

Introduction 1. Toward a Science of Aesthetics: Ideas and Issues Arthur P. Shimamura Part I: Philosophical Perspectives 2. The Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics, Psychology, and Neuroscience: Studies in Literature, Visual Arts, and Music Noel Carroll, Margaret Moore, & William P. Seeley 3. Aesthetic Theory and Aesthetic Science: Prospects for Integration Vincent Bergeron and Dominic McIver Lopes 4. Triangulating Aesthetic Experience Murray Smith 5. Art and the Anthropologists Gregory Currie 6. Aesthetic Science and Artistic Knowledge Blake Gopnik Part II: Psychological Perspectives 7. Empirical Investigation of an Aesthetic Experience with Art Paul J. Locher 8. Hidden Knowledge in Aesthetic Judgments: Preferences for Colors and Spatial Compositions Stephen E. Palmer, Karen B. Schloss, and Jonathan S. Gardner 9. Processing Fluency, Aesthetic Pleasure, and Culturally Shared Taste Rolf Reber 10. Human Emotions and Aesthetic Experience Paul J. Silvia 11. Artistic Development: The Three Essential Spheres Kimberly M. Sheridan and Howard Gardner Part III: Neuroscience Perspectives 12. Neuroaesthetics: Growing Pains of a New Discipline Anjan Chatterjee 13. The Modularity of Aesthetic Processing and Perception in the Human Brain: Functional Neuroimaging Studies of Neuroaesthetics Ulrich Kirk 14. Art Compositions Elicit Distributed Activation in the Human Brain Alumit Ishai 15. A Cognitive and Behavioral Neurological Approach to Aesthetics Zachary A. Miller & Bruce L. Miller 16. Neurology of Visual Aesthetics: Indian Nymphs, Modern Art, and Sexy Beaks V. S. Ramachandran and Elizabeth Seckel
SVANET: A Smart Vehicular Ad Hoc Network for Efficient Data Transmission with Wireless Sensors

Wireless sensors can sense any event, such as accidents, as well as icy roads, and can forward the rescue/warning messages through intermediate vehicles for any necessary help. In this paper, we propose a smart vehicular ad hoc network (SVANET) architecture that uses wireless sensors to detect events and vehicles to transmit the safety and non-safety messages efficiently by using different service channels and one control channel with different priorities. We have developed a data transmission protocol for the vehicles in the highway, in which data can be forwarded with the help of vehicles if they are connected with each other or data can be forwarded with the help of nearby wireless sensors. Our data transmission protocol is designed to increase the driving safety, to prevent accidents and to utilize channels efficiently by adjusting the control and service channel time intervals dynamically. Besides, our protocol can transmit information to vehicles in advance, so that drivers can decide an alternate route in case of traffic congestion. For various data sharing, we design a method that can select a few leader nodes among vehicles running along a highway to broadcast data efficiently. Simulation results show that our protocol can outperform the existing standard in terms of the end to end packet delivery ratio and latency.
Business intelligence approach to support modelling and analysis of complex economic networks

Complex networks as a powerful tool for the structure modelling of complex system, ranging from biological networks to human society networks or technological networks, have recently emerged as an independent area of study. Because structure always affects function, the purpose of network modelling and analysis is to understand the characters and behaviours of large, interacting networks. The main results based network analysis can affect human decision-making. At present, most researchers are concerned about structure analysis and behaviour analysis of networked system, and little attention to building complex network models using intelligent methods or tools. This study proposed a revised BI framework integrated with network analysis, and discussed concepts and tools of business intelligence can be used to support modelling and analysis of complex networks, especially complex economic networks which are constructed by multi-entities and multi-ties, are multi-levels, multi-dimension, multi-mode and evolving. Case study based on international trade networks described design and implementation of the BI process is presented.
Status of Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea

The brackish Baltic Sea hosts species of various origins and environmental tolerances. These immigrated to the sea 10,000 to 15,000 years ago or have been introduced to the area over the relatively recent history of the system. The Baltic Sea has only one known endemic species. While information on some abiotic parameters extends back as long as five centuries and first quantitative snapshot data on biota (on exploited fish populations) originate generally from the same time, international coordination of research began in the early twentieth century. Continuous, annual Baltic Sea-wide long-term datasets on several organism groups (plankton, benthos, fish) are generally available since the mid-1950s. Based on a variety of available data sources (published papers, reports, grey literature, unpublished data), the Baltic Sea, incl. Kattegat, hosts altogether at least 6,065 species, including at least 1,700 phytoplankton, 442 phytobenthos, at least 1,199 zooplankton, at least 569 meiozoobenthos, 1,476 macrozoobenthos, at least 380 vertebrate parasites, about 200 fish, 3 seal, and 83 bird species. In general, but not in all organism groups, high sub-regional total species richness is associated with elevated salinity. Although in comparison with fully marine areas the Baltic Sea supports fewer species, several facets of the system's diversity remain underexplored to this day, such as micro-organisms, foraminiferans, meiobenthos and parasites. In the future, climate change and its interactions with multiple anthropogenic forcings are likely to have major impacts on the Baltic biodiversity.