Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Network Formation of Coalition Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are widely used in consumer retail, primarily serving as a mechanism for customer acquisition and retention [14, 15]. The most common forms of loyalty programs are frequency reward programs, such as airline frequent flyer programs, wherein customers earn certain number of points from every purchase. These points can be subsequently redeemed for rewards. The value of these rewards typically increases faster with the number of points – this non-linearity in rewards is what incentivizes members of a program to become more loyal to the merchant. Over time, many stand-alone loyalty programs have agglomerated into larger coalition programs which allow customers to earn and redeem points across merchant partners in the coalition at specified exchange rates. The observed coalition networks are surprisingly complex (cf. Fig. 1), encompassing both pairwise partnerships as well as more centralized coalition loyalty programs such as Star Alliance and OneWorld (international airline alliances), Nectar (U.K.), Air Miles (Canada), Payback (Germany), Fly Buys (Australia), etc. Moreover, there is great variety in the exchange rates observed between different programs. Though coalition loyalty programs are very popular and well studied in the literature [4, 3, 12], there is little formal understanding of the structure and strategic formation of such networks, specifically the exchange rates between different programs. Our work aims to address this gap. Modeling Coalition Loyalty Programs: A network of loyalty programs can be viewed as a weighted directed graph, with nodes corresponding to merchants, and an edge from a merchant A to merchant B with weight rAB corresponding to an agreement via which customers can convert 1 point issued by merchant B into rAB points issued by merchant A. We henceforth refer to A as the source node and B as the sink node of this edge and points issued by A as A-points and points issued by B as B-points. We aim to understand the structure of these coalition programs. We do so via studying a strategic network formation game. Our model incorporates the following critical aspects of these networks:
Visualization of brain activation during the performance of attention-demanding tasks

Attention is the primary cognitive process to induce a response to a stimulus. Maintaining the attentive state continuously for a prolonged period of time is known as sustained attention which is vital for performing any task. The present study aims at evaluating the activation of different brain regions while performing an attention requiring task. A standard attention task called the Visual Continuous Performance test was employed for the study. The analysis is achieved with the help of electroencephalography (EEG) recorded simultaneously during the entire period of execution of task. The task report detailing the errors committed, reaction time is generated automatically and indicates the level of performance. The relative theta and gamma power were significantly higher (p=0.05) during task when compared to that determined during rest, whereas in alpha band the relative power was significantly higher (p=0.05) during rest when compared to task. Event related synchronization (ERS) and Event related Desynchronization (ERD) in relative theta power and relative alpha power respectively was observed particularly in the parietal cognitive processing electrodes (associated with attention). Theta synchronisation and alpha desynchronization is associated with good performance; this was supported by the task performance result which reported a minimum of errors. These event-related changes helped sustain attention and a visualization of the activated brain regions was accomplished for a better depiction of the findings.
The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Europe

GCMs project higher temperatures for all of Europe, with greater changes at higher latitudes. In Northern and Western Europe, winter precipitation may increase, and summer precipitation may remain unchanged. Different models show different changes for Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. Water resources follow roughly the same patterns, although higher temperatures increase the risk of summer droughts, particularly in Southern and Central Europe. In Western Europe, river floods may increase. Vegetation patterns may drastically change, with some species and communities expanding and other shrinking. Particularly vulnerable are ecosystems depending on northern cold, and ecosystems isolated by geography or human activity. On the whole, agriculture would seem to benefit from climatic change, although not-well-understood pests and water availability may alter this. Sea level rise would negatively affect low-lying coasts and deltas, which support important natural and human systems. In a warmer climate, cold-related health problems would decline, but heat-related ones would increase. Tentatively, the balance is reduced mortality. Less important climate-related diseases would, on balance, increase. Research on other sector has progressed less far; results show mixed positive and negative impacts. Expressing all impact in money and adding up suggests a light negative overall impact of climate change on Europe.
Which activation function of cooperation describes human behavior

Properties of cooperation's probability function in Prisoner`s Dilemma have impact on evolution of game. Basic model defines that probability of cooperation depends linearly, both on the player's altruism and the co-player's reputation. I propose modification of activation function to smooth one (hyperbolic tangent with scaling parameter a, which corresponds to its shape) and observe three phases for different range of a. (1) For small a, strategies seem to randomly change in time and situation of mixed choices (one cooperates and second defects) dominate. (2) For medium a, players choose only one strategy for given period of time (the common state can switch to opposite one with some probability). (3) For large a, mixed strategy (once defect, once cooperate) is coexisting with common strategies and no change is allowed. I believe that proposed function characterizes better socio-economical phenomena and especially phase 1 and 2 contain most of human behavior.
Activation of Estrogen Receptor by Bavachin from Psoralea corylifolia

In this study, we examined the estrogenic activity of bavachin, a component of Psoralea corylifolia that has been used as a traditional medicine in Asia. Bavachin was purified from ethanolic extract of Psoralea corylifolia and characterized its estrogenic activity by ligand binding, reporter gene activation, and endogenous estrogen receptor (ER) target gene regulation. Bavachin showed ER ligand binding activity in competitive displacement of [3H] E2 from recombinant ER. The estrogenic activity of bavachin was characterized in a transient transfection system using ERα or ERβ and estrogen-responsive luciferase plasmids in CV-1 cells with an EC50 of 320 nM and 680 nM, respectively. Bavachin increased the mRNA levels of estrogen-responsive genes such as pS2 and PR, and decreased the protein level of ERα by proteasomal pathway. However, bavachin failed to activate the androgen receptor in CV-1 cells transiently transfected with the corresponding receptor and hormone responsive reporter plasmid. These data indicate that bavachin acts as a weak phytoestrogen by binding and activating the ER.
Sentiment Analysis Techniques - A Comparative Study

The growing popularity of E-commerce, social medias, forums, blogs etc. created a new platform where anyone can discuss and exchange his/her views, ideas , suggestions and experience about any product or services. This trend accumulated a huge amount of user generated data on the web. If this content can be extracted and analyzed properly then it can act as a key factor in decision making. But manual extraction and analysis of this content is an impossible task, as the content is unstructured in nature and it is written in natural language. This situation opened a new area of research called Opinion Mining and Sentiment Analysis. Opinion Mining and Sentiment Analysis is an extension of Data Mining that extracts and analyzes the unstructured data automatically. The main motive of this paper is to discuss the key concept used in Opinion Mining and Sentiment Analysis and also presents a comparative analysis of various techniques used in this area.
BIO-INSPIRED MULTI-ROBOT BEHAVIOR FOR EXPLORATION IN LOW GRAVITY ENVIRONMENTS

In this paper, we present a new paradigm of biomorphic robot which is based on capabilities of animals such us grasshoppers or fiddler crabs. Biomorphic robots seem to be the future in exploration of hazardous environments. As has been proved in recent works, multi-robot platforms are the best solution for exploration of unstructured environments. In the forthcoming years, planetary missions must be optimized for low gravity environments. In this work, we use hopping robots to minimize energy cost in exploration of wide areas. Nature also use good sensors. For example, fiddler crabs have a pair of retractile onmidirectional eyes. Considering all these conditions (multi-robot, hop movement, omnidirectional views), data fusion is one of the most important aspects during autonomous navigation. In this paper, I present a comparative of the behaviour of most extended techniques of estimation and data fusion, specially oriented to localization and mapping.
Automatic Identification of English Verb Particle Constructions using Linguistic Features

This paper presents a method for identifying token instances of verb particle constructions (VPCs) automatically, based on the output of the RASP parser. The proposed method pools together instances of VPCs and verb-PPs from the parser output and uses the sentential context of each such instance to differentiate VPCs from verb-PPs. We show our technique to perform at an F-score of 97.4% at identifying VPCs in Wall Street Journal and Brown Corpus data taken from the Penn Tree-bank.
Organization in the crowd: peer production in large-scale networked protests

How is crowd organization produced? How are crowd-enabled networks activated, structured, and maintained in the absence of recognized leaders, common goals, or conventional organization, issue framing, and action coordination? We develop an analytical framework for examining the organizational processes of crowd-enabled connective action such as was found in the Arab Spring, the 15-M in Spain, and Occupy Wall Street. The analysis points to three elemental modes of peer production that operate together to create organization in crowds: the production, curation, and dynamic integration of various types of information content and other resources that become distributed and utilized across the crowd. Whereas other peer-production communities such as open-source software developers or Wikipedia typically evolve more highly structured participation environments, crowds create organization through packaging these elemental peer-production mechanisms to achieve various kinds of work. The workings of these ‘production packages’ are illustrated with a theory-driven analysis of Twitter data from the 2011–2012 US Occupy movement, using an archive of some 60 million tweets. This analysis shows how the Occupy crowd produced various organizational routines, and how the different production mechanisms were nested in each other to create relatively complex organizational results.
Contagious yawning in gelada baboons as a possible expression of empathy

Yawn contagion in humans has been proposed to be related to our capacity for empathy. It is presently unclear whether this capacity is uniquely human or shared with other primates, especially monkeys. Here, we show that in gelada baboons (Theropithecus gelada) yawning is contagious between individuals, especially those that are socially close, i.e., the contagiousness of yawning correlated with the level of grooming contact between individuals. This correlation persisted after controlling for the effect of spatial association. Thus, emotional proximity rather than spatial proximity best predicts yawn contagion. Adult females showed precise matching of different yawning types, which suggests a mirroring mechanism that activates shared representations. The present study also suggests that females have an enhanced sensitivity and emotional tuning toward companions. These findings are consistent with the view that contagious yawning reveals an emotional connection between individuals. This phenomenon, here demonstrated in monkeys, could be a building block for full-blown empathy.
Zinc Supplementation in Malnourished Children With Persistent Diarrhea in Pakistan

Objective. To evaluate the potential benefit of dietary supplementation of a rice-lentil (Khitchri) and yogurt diet with 3 mg/kg/d of elemental zinc (as zinc sulfate) in hospitalized malnourished children (age 6–36 months) with persistent diarrhea for 14 days. Methodology. Randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Setting. Nutrition Research Ward at the National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, Pakistan, where children were admitted for 14 days of inpatient supervised rehabilitation. Main Outcome Measures. Primary outcome: overall weight gain by day 14. Secondary outcomes: overall energy intake, stool output, time to diarrheal recovery and weight gain (≥3 days), plasma zinc, copper, prealbumin, and insulin-like growth factor-1. Results. Of 87 children randomized for supplementation with either zinc or placebo, the two groups were comparable at admission in terms of severity and duration of diarrhea, as well as nutritional and anthropometric parameters. The overall weight gain, stool volume, stool frequency, as well as the time taken for diarrheal recovery or steady weight gain, were comparable for both supplemented children and controls. Supplemented children had a significant improvement in plasma zinc levels and serum alkaline phosphatase by day 14 of therapy in comparison with controls. Plasma copper levels were low in both groups at admission and although an increase was seen in control children, levels decreased further after zinc supplementation. There was no significant difference between the two groups for hemoglobin, serum albumin, prealbumin, and plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 increments during the course of therapy. Evaluation of primary and secondary outcome criteria among the subset of children with plasma zinc levels <60 μg/d at admission did not reveal any significant differences. Conclusions. Although there was satisfactory recovery in malnourished children with persistent diarrhea receiving the Khitchri-yogurt diet, there was no evidence of improved weight gain or acceleration of recovery from diarrhea with zinc supplementation. In contrast, the reduction in plasma copper levels in zinc-supplemented malnourished children suggests that caution should be exercised in supplementing severely malnourished children with zinc alone.
Density Estimation in the Presence of Heteroskedastic Measurement Error

SUMMARY We consider density estimation when the variable of interest is subject to het-eroskedastic measurement error. The density is assumed to have a smooth but unknown functional form which we model with a penalized mixture of B-splines. We treat the situation where multiple mismeasured observations of each of the variables of interest are observed, and the measurement error is assumed to be additive and normal. The paper's main contributions to this problem are to address the effects of heteroskedastic measurement error, to explain the biases caused by ignoring het-eroskedasticity, and to present an approximate equivalent kernel for a spline based density estimator. The derivation of the equivalent kernel may be of independent interest. We model the variance as a smooth function of the unobserved variable of interest, and we use small-σ asymptotics to describe the biases incurred by assuming the measurement error is homoskedastic when it actually is heteroskedastic. We fit the model using Bayesian methods. An example from nutritional epidemiology and an example that uses simulated data are included.
An Error Probability Approach to MIMO Wiretap Channels

We consider MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) wiretap channels, where a legitimate transmitter Alice is communicating with a legitimate receiver Bob in the presence of an eavesdropper Eve, and communication is done via MIMO channels. We suppose that Alice's strategy is to use an infinite lattice codebook, which then allows her to perform coset encoding. We analyze Eve's probability of correctly decoding the message Alice meant to Bob, and from minimizing this probability, we derive a code design criterion for MIMO lattice wiretap codes. The case of block fading channels is treated similarly, and fast fading channels are derived as a particular case. The Alamouti code is carefully studied as an illustration of the analysis provided.
Control of flower development in Arabidopsis thaliana by APETALA1 and interacting genes

Mutations in the APETALA1 gene disturb two phases of flower development, flower meristem specification and floral organ specification. These effects become manifest as a partial conversion of flowers into inflorescence shoots and a disruption of sepal and petal development. We describe the changes in an allelic series of nine apetala1 mutants and show that the two functions of APETALA1 are separable. We have also studied the interaction between APETALA1 and other floral genes by examining the phenotypes of multiply mutant plants and by in situ hybridization using probes for several floral control genes. The results suggest that the products of APETALA1 and another gene, LEAFY, are required to ensure that primordia arising on the flanks of the inflorescence apex adopt a floral fate, as opposed to becoming an inflorescence shoot. APETALA1 and LEAFY have distinct as well as overlapping functions and they appear to reinforce each other's action. CAULIFLOWER is a newly discovered gene which positively regulates both APETALA1 and LEAFY expression. All functions of CAULIFLOWER are redundant with those of APETALA1. APETALA2 also has an early function in reinforcing the action of APETALA1 and LEAFY, especially if the activity of either is compromised by mutation. After the identity of a flower primordium is specified, APETALA1 interacts with APETALA2 in controlling the development of the outer two whorls of floral organs.
Absence of telomerase activity and telomerase catalytic subunit mRNA in melanocyte cultures

The classic model of activation of telomerase, for which activity has been found in most cancers including cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), dictates that enzyme activity is generated by pathological reactivation of telomerase in telomerase-negative somatic cells. However, recent data demonstrated physiological up-regulation in some normal cell types when established as proliferating cultures, indicating that, in some cancer types, telomerase is expressed by the process of up-regulation in telomerase-competent precursor cells. In this study, cultures of epidermal melanocytes, progenitor cells of CMM, were established and harvested in the logarithmic phase of growth. Telomerase activity was looked for using a non-isotopic variant of the telomeric repeat amplification protocol, and transcript expression of the hTERT gene, the rate-limiting catalytic telomerase subunit, was investigated by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Neither telomerase activity nor hTERT mRNA could be detected in proliferating melanocyte cultures. Our in vitro data argue against the model of telomerase as a common biomarker of cell proliferation. The results further suggest that telomerase is tightly controlled in normal melanocytes, and that telomerase is reactivated rather than up-regulated in melanocytic precursors during melanoma initiation or progression. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign
Reinsurance, Taxes And Efficiency: A Contingent Claims Model Of Insurance Market Equilibrium

This paper presents an analytical model of underwriting capacity and insurance market equilibrium under an asymmetric corporate tax schedule. It is shown that reinsurance markets enable risk-neutral insurers to allocate tax shields to those firms that have the greatest capacity for utilizing them, in much the same manner as leasing companies share tax shield benefits with lessees in leasing markets. Reinsurance is therefore used as an efficient short-term mechanism to yield the optimal allocation of tax shield benefits. In equilibrium, asymmetric taxes cause the insurance price to be actuarially unfair and the expected return on capital invested in insurance reflects the probability of paying taxes. Report_No: JG#1
A more well-founded security proof of the privacy-preserving distributed mining of association rules protocols

Privacy-preserving data mining aims at discovering beneficial information from a large amount of data without violating the privacy policy. Privacy-preserving association rules mining research has already generated many interesting results. Based on commutative encryptions and the Secure Multi-party Computation (SMC) theory, Kantarcioglu and Clifton [1] propose two protocols to implement privacy-preserving mining of association rules over horizontally partitioned data. The paper addresses its incorrect security proof and introduces a more well-founded proof. This paper also identifies several other errors in [1]. This kind of protocols and their proof are a concrete application of Secure Multi-party Computation, which is be of great significances to the privacy-preserving data mining studies based on SMC. Thus establishment of the correct proof methodology is important. This paper demonstrates the correct proof methodology by correcting the fault proof in [1]
Insights into the Structure of Amyloid Fibrils

Various proteins and peptides are able to self assemble into amyloid fibrils that are associated with disease. Structural characterisation of these fibres is limited by their insoluble and heterogeneous nature. However, advances in various techniques including X-ray diffraction, cryo-electron microscopy and solid state NMR have provided detailed information on various amyloid fibrils, from the long range order and macromolecular structure to the atomic interactions that promote assembly and stabilise the amyloid core. The cross-￻ model has been widely accepted as a generic structure for most amyloid fibrils and is discussed in detail. It is clear, however, that polymorphisms are present, even in fibrils formed from the same precursor protein, and that these may represent differences in packing at a molecular level. To fully understand the roles of particular residues in amyloid formation and structure, short peptides can be used in conjunction with mutagenesis studies to assess their effects. The structural insights gained using a combination of techniques to study both full-length, disease related peptides and short fragments are essential if progress is to be made towards understanding why these fibres form and how to prevent their formation.