Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive visual analysis of multi-parameter families of function graphs

The paper describes a method developed for interactive data visualization and exploration with applications in the automotive industry. The input data set contains a large number of function graphs. Each of the graphs is characterized by a set of basic attributes. The technique that is used for visualization includes two linked views: a map view (or attribute space view), where all function graphs are represented as a point or an icon on the map, and a linked function graph view. The map view provides additional visualization possibilities and allows user interaction. Additional features like brushing in both views, graph management, and related issues like interpolation of the graphs are described.
The Economic Effects of Corporate Taxes in a Stochastic Growth Model

The Economic Recovery Act of 1981 led to the largest postwar decline in effective tax rates on capital. The legislation also had its most significant effect on rates in 1982 due to the rapid decline in inflation. Although some of the tax cut was rescinded in 1982, effective corporate tax rates on plant and equipment, measured as the difference between before and after-tax rates on return to capital as a percentage of before-tax rates of return, remained at historically low values though 1986. Accompanying this tax cut is the current economic recovery which began in November, 1982. It is therefore, natural to investigate the linkages between the tax cut and the increase in economic activity.
INFLUENCES OF THE GOVERNMENTAL MARKET INTERVENTIONS ON WHEAT MARKETS IN SERBIA DURING THE FOOD CRISIS 2007/2008

This paper analyzes how the market interventions of the Serbian government during the food crisis 2007/2008, inter alia a de facto export ban, have affected domestic wheat markets. Besides a comprehensive description of the crisis policy and its effects on the Serbian wheat market, we investigate how it influences the equilibrium and stability of the Serbian wheat market and its integration with the world market within a price transmission model. Applying a Markov-switching error correction model to weekly wheat grower prices in Serbia and world market prices, two states of the wheat market are identified. Our results suggest that although the long-run price elasticity did not change during the crisis, the market equilibrium was disrupted and the market stability reduced. Also, we find that the price dampening effect of the export restrictions was only short-lived, and that Serbian wheat grower prices even increased above the world market level.
Label-Free Recognition of Drug Resistance via Impedimetric Screening of Breast Cancer Cells

We present a novel study on label-free recognition and distinction of drug resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7 DOX) from their parental cells (MCF-7 WT) via impedimetric measurements. Drug resistant cells exhibited significant differences in their dielectric properties compared to wild-type cells, exerting much higher extracellular resistance (Rextra). Immunostaining revealed that MCF-7 DOX cells gained a much denser F-actin network upon acquiring drug resistance indicating that remodeling of actin cytoskeleton is probably the reason behind higher Rextra, providing stronger cell architecture. Moreover, having exposed both cell types to doxorubicin, we were able to distinguish these two phenotypes based on their substantially different drug response. Interestingly, impedimetric measurements identified a concentration-dependent and reversible increase in cell stiffness in the presence of low non-lethal drug doses. Combined with a profound frequency analysis, these findings enabled distinguishing distinct cellular responses during drug exposure within four concentration ranges without using any labeling. Overall, this study highlights the possibility to differentiate drug resistant phenotypes from their parental cells and to assess their drug response by using microelectrodes, offering direct, real-time and noninvasive measurements of cell dependent parameters under drug exposure, hence providing a promising step for personalized medicine applications such as evaluation of the disease progress and optimization of the drug treatment of a patient during chemotherapy.
The Complexity of Deterministically Observable Finite-horizon Markov Decision Processes

We consider the complexity of the decision problem for diierent types of partially-observable Markov decision processes (MDPs): given an MDP, does there exist a policy with performance > 0? Lower and upper bounds on the complexity of the decision problems are shown in terms of completeness for NL, P, NP, PSPACE, EXP, NEXP or EXPSPACE, dependent on the type of the Markov decision process. For several NP-complete types, we show that they are not even polynomial time "-approximable for any xed ", unless P = NP. These results also reveal interesting trade-oos between the power of policies, observations, and rewards. Topics: computational and structural complexity, computational issues in A.I.
ENERGY PARTITIONING IN FISH: THE ACTIVITY- RELATED COST OF OSMOREGULATION IN A EURYHALINE CICHLID

SUMMARY We have investigated how the maintenance, net cost of swimming and total (maintenance + net cost of swimming) metabolic rates of red, hybrid tilapia {Oreochromis mossambicus $ XO. hornorum cf) responded to different acclimation salinities, and if these responses correlated with changes in ion-osmoregulation (= osmoregulation) costs. Three groups of fish were acclimated to either fresh water (FW, 0%o), isosmotic sea water (ISW, 12%o) or full strength sea water (SW, 35 %o) and oxygen consumption was measured while they swam at 10, 20, 30 and 40cms" 1 . Maintenance oxygen consumption (estimated by extrapolation), for an average fish (63g), increased among groups in the following order: FW<ISW<SW . The net cost of swimming increased in the order ISW< SW< FW, and total oxygen consumption (maintenance + net cost of swimming) increased in the order ISW < FW < SW. We assumed that the contribution of cardiac, branchial and swimming muscles to the net cost of swimming was proportional to swimming speed only, and therefore, at similar speeds, differences in the net cost of swimming among salinities were due to changes in the activity-related cost of osmoregulation. Consequently, the order in which the net cost of swimming increases from one group to another is the same as the order in which the cost of osmoregulation increases. Since the sequences for maintenance and total metabolic rates differed from that for the net cost of swimming, salinity-related increases in these rates cannot be attributed exclusively to changes in osmoregulation cost. We conclude, based on the differences in the net cost of swimming, that osmoregulation in FW is more expensive than in SW, and that it is cheapest in ISW. Although we were not able to estimate the total cost of osmoregulation in FW and SW, we estimated the activity-related cost, relative to the cost in ISW, at different swimming speeds (net cost of swimming in FW or SW minus net cost of swimming in ISW at each speed). For a 63-g fish in FW, this cost increased from zero at rest, to 41mgO 2kg~'h~ 1 (16% of the total metabolic rate, 24% of the net cost swimming) at 40 cm s~'. In SW the same cost increased only to 32 mg O2 kg~' h~' (12 % of the total metabolic rate, 20% of the net cost of swimming) at 40cms"'. The net cost of swimming in FW or SW increased with swimming speed at a rate 3-4 times faster
Review of empirical research on intellectual capital and firm performance

Purpose – The basis of value creation has shifted from tangible factors of production towards intangible resources such as intellectual capital (IC) (e.g. Grant, 1996). The average organisation’s IC has been estimated to be three to four times over its book value (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997); thus, it is vital for companies to understand how it is created, managed, measured and evaluated. However, there are still many debated and complex issues, and the empirical measurement of IC is one of those. The purpose of this paper is to determine if IC systematically influences firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review procedure was utilised as this study’s research design. Findings – The findings demonstrate that IC influences firm performance mainly through interactions, combinations and mediations. Also, there is a great deal of evidence on the significant relationship between IC and firm’s innovation performance. Research limitations/implications – This paper reviews only empirical s.
A Novel SCN5A Mutation in a Patient with Coexistence of Brugada Syndrome Traits and Ischaemic Heart Disease

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a primary electrical heart disease, which can lead to sudden cardiac death. In older patients with BrS, the disease may coexist with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and recent studies support a synergistic proarrhythmic effect of the two disease entities. We report a case that illustrates this. The index patient was a middle-aged patient with BrS traits, IHD, and aborted sudden cardiac death. Mutation analysis discovered a novel mutation P468L in the NaV1.5 sodium channel. Surprisingly, voltage-clamp experiments on the wild-type and mutant NaV1.5 channels expressed in HEK cells revealed no functional effect of the mutation. In a patient like ours, the distinction between IHD and BrS as the cause of an aborted sudden cardiac death is hard to establish and mounting evidence shows that coexistence of the two may have a synergistic proarrhythmic effect.
Life and Labor in the New New South

"Zieger has done it again! In this volume, he has put his finger on the pulse of the most exciting current work in the field. Anyone who doubts that the South is still a distinctive region, or who thinks that 'southern labor' has become an oxymoron, will be chastened by the scholarship in this compelling collection. "--Alex Lichtenstein, Florida International University"Essential reading for any scholar or student who seeks better to understand not just the working class history of the South but also the way that power and politics has shifted in the nation as a whole since the 1940s. "--Heather Ann Thompson, Temple University"The American South remains the nation's most distinctive region, but during the last several decades the world of work there has been subject to virtually all of the same tribulations that bedevil those who labor in the rest of the country. This exceptionally fine set of essays captures much of this historical complexity with compelling narratives of globalization and community resistance, racism and interracial unity, union power and impotence. It's a new New South all right, but the Southern accent can't be missed. "--Nelson Lichtenstein, MacArthur Foundation Chair in History, University of California, Santa BarbaraThis collection of essays explores the dynamic new face of Southern labor. Weaving together the best work of established scholars with emerging research on ethnicity, gender, prison labor, deindustrialization, rapidly changing demographic and employment patterns, and popular response to globalization, the volume as a whole creates a distinguished profile of a southern workforce that has been dramatically transformed since 1950, with the pace of change accelerating over the past two decades.
Limited attentional bias for faces in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders.

CONTEXT Toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit poor face recognition and atypical scanning patterns in response to faces. It is not clear if face-processing deficits are also expressed on an attentional level. Typical individuals require more effort to shift their attention from faces compared with other objects. This increased disengagement cost is thought to reflect deeper processing of these socially relevant stimuli. OBJECTIVE To examine if attention disengagement from faces is atypical in the early stages of ASD. DESIGN Attention disengagement was tested in a variation of the cued attention task in which participants were required to move their visual attention from face or nonface central fixation stimuli and make a reactive saccade to a peripheral target. The design involved diagnosis as a between-group factor and central fixation stimuli type as a within-group factor. SETTING Participants were taken from a cohort of patients at a university-based specialized clinic or from a pool of subjects participating in a prospective study of social cognition in ASD. PARTICIPANTS Toddlers with ASD (mean age, 32 months [n = 42]) were compared with toddlers with nonautistic developmental delays (mean age, 29 months [n = 31]) and with typically developing toddlers (mean age, 29 months [n = 46]). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Saccadic reaction time. RESULTS Developmentally delayed and typically developing toddlers had more difficulties disengaging visual attention from faces than toddlers with ASD. This effect was not present in response to nonfacial stimuli. These results suggest that toddlers with ASD are not captivated by faces to the same extent as toddlers without ASD and that this effect is not driven by a generalized impairment in disengagement of attention. CONCLUSION The results suggest that face-processing difficulties in toddlers with ASD involve disruption of an attentional mechanism that typically supports deeper processing of these highly socially relevant stimuli.
Determination of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene in River Water by Solid-Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography

A rapid and reproducible method is described that employs solid-phase extraction (SPE) using dichloromethane, followed by gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection for the determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and cumene (BTEXC) from Buriganga River water of Bangladesh. The method was applied to detect BTEXC in a sample collected from the surface, or 5 cm depth of water. Two-hundred milliliters of n -hexane-pretreated and filtered water samples were applied directly to a C_18 SPE column. BTEXC were extracted with dichloromethane and the BTEX concentrations were obtained to be 0.1 to 0.37 µg ml^–1. The highest concentration of benzene was found as 0.37 µg ml^–1 with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 6.2%; cumene was not detected. The factors influencing SPE e.g . , adsorbent types, sample load volume, eluting solvent, headspace and temperatures, were investigated. A cartridge containing a C_18 adsorbent and using dichloromethane gave a better performance for the extraction of BTEXC from water. Average recoveries exceeding 90% could be achieved for cumene at 4˚C with a 2.7% RSD.
Social media is history

Based on the problems of cultural heritage institutions, here historic museums, this article analysis the changes of communication between visitors and the museum when the presentation paradigm diverts from "accessing inventory dat" into an "adaptive awareness and reflection" paradigm based on the mapping between everyday discourse and related events within the cultural repository. Based on this analysis we suggest a number of challenges for socially-aware multimedia tools.
Experimental Characterization of Photonic Fiber-Integrated Modulator

In this paper we present experimental characterization of a fiber-integrated, all-optical silicon based modulator. The operation principle of the proposed device is based upon plasma dispersion effect in silicon, which enables controlling the optical properties of silicon at wavelength of around 1550nm by modifying the concentration of free charges either by applying external electrical field or by using illumination in spectral range that is being absorbed by this semiconductor. The concentration of the generated free charge carriers affects the real and the imaginary part of the refractive index of the silicon semi-conductor i.e. yields controllable absorption and refraction effects over the information carrier wavelength around 1550nm. In this paper silicon slices at varied thicknesses are integrated between an input and an output fiber and the performance of the integrated all-optical modulator are characterized versus various thicknesses of the silicon layer and the wavelength of the control signal when incident on the silicon layer from both sides or from either side of it.
Uncommon and Rare Human Papillomavirus Genotypes Relating to Cervical Carcinomas

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an oncogenic virus in cervical cancer and most invasive carcinomas (ICs) are caused by HPV16 and 18. However, the roles and contributions of other uncommon and rare genotypes remain uncertain. Methods HPV genotypes were retrospectively assessed using an HPV DNA chip that can specify up to 32 HPV genotypes. We arbitrarily regarded genotypes accounting for less than 6% of the total as uncommon and rare genotypes. Results A total of 3,164 HPV-positive cases were enrolled. In groups 2A, 2B, 3, and unclassified HPV genotypes, 2.4% of cases with uncommon HPV genotypes (68, 26, 34, 53, 66, 69, 70, 73, 40, 42, 43, 44, 54, 55, 61, 62, 6, and 11) showed high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and ICs. There were no HPV32- and 57-infected cases. Conclusions We found that the uncommon and rare HPV genotypes may provide incremental etiologic contributions in cervical carcinogenesis, especially HPV68, 70, and 53. Further studies on these uncommon and rare HPV genotypes will be of importance in establishing the significance of genotypes in different regions, especially in planning a strategy for further vaccine development as well as follow-up on the effectiveness of the currently used vaccines.
Final Project: Computational Molecular Biology BIOC218

Next-generation sequencing technologies, which were introduced in the last few years, have revolutionized the sequencing landscape. Those new technologies produce up to 30 GB of data through massively parallel sequencing within a few days and for a fraction of the cost compared to conventional sequencing methods. However, those next-generation sequencing reads are also characterized through much shorter sequences and higher sequencing errors, thus posing new challenges to Bioinformaticians. In this review, alignment programs recently developed to map short sequencing reads from nextgeneration sequencing technologies to a reference genome are introduced.
Low-Complexity Soft-Decoding Algorithms for Reed–Solomon Codes—Part I: An Algebraic Soft-In Hard-Out Chase Decoder

In this paper, we present an algebraic methodology for implementing low-complexity, Chase-type, decoding of Reed-Solomon (RS) codes of length n . In such, a set of 2 ¿ test-vectors that are equivalent on all except ¿ ¿ n coordinate positions is first produced. The similarity of the test-vectors is utilized to reduce the complexity of interpolation, the process of constructing a set of polynomials that obey constraints imposed by each test-vector. By first considering the equivalent indices, a polynomial common to all test-vectors is constructed. The required set of polynomials is then produced by interpolating the final ¿ dissimilar indices utilizing a binary-tree structure. In the second decoding step (factorization) a candidate message is extracted from each interpolation polynomial such that one may be chosen as the decoded message. Although an expression for the direct evaluation of each candidate message is provided, carrying out this computation for each polynomial is extremely complex. Thus, a novel, reduced-complexity, methodology is also given. Although suboptimal, simulation results affirm that the loss in performance incurred by this procedure is decreasing with increasing code length n, and negligible for long (n > 100) codes. Significant coding gains are shown to be achievable over traditional hard-in hard-out decoding procedures (e.g., Berlekamp-Massey) at an equivalent (and, in some cases, lower) computational complexity. Furthermore, these gains are shown to be similar to the recently proposed soft-in-hard-out algebraic techniques (e.g., Sudan, Ko¿tter-Vardy) that bear significantly more complex implementations than the proposed algorithm.
A Linear Variational System for Modelling From Curves

We present a linear system for modelling 3D surfaces from curves. Our system offers better performance, stability and precision in control than previous non‐linear systems. By exploring the direct relationship between a standard higher‐order Laplacian editing framework and Hermite spline curves, we introduce a new form of Cauchy constraint that makes our system easy to both implement and control. We introduce novel workflows that simplify the construction of 3D models from sketches. We show how to convert existing 3D meshes into our curve‐based representation for subsequent editing and modelling, allowing our technique to be applied to a wide range of existing 3D content.
A study of purchasing behavior in Taiwan's online auction websites: Effects of uncertainty and gender differences

Purpose – Recently, an increasing number of Internet users have begun to purchase various products, both secondhand and new, from online auction websites. However, some Internet users are still hesitant to purchase products from these websites. Moreover, the factors affecting male and female users' intention to shop on the websites may be different. Past studies have indicated that uncertainty is a major determinant of online shopping behaviors and may have different effects on men's and women's purchase intentions. Therefore, to explore the differences, this study seeks to propose a research model based on uncertainty and agency theory.Design/methodology/approach – This study included members of the Yahoo! and PChome online portal sites in Taiwan as research subjects. A web survey was conducted, and data were collected from a total of 313 bidders of online auctions. The casual model was validated using partial least squares (PLS) techniques.Findings – Gender moderated most of the relationships in the res.
Physiological and endocrine changes in Atlantic salmon smolts during hatchery rearing, downstream migration, and ocean entry

Billions of hatchery salmon smolts are released annually in an attempt to mitigate anthropogenic impacts on freshwater habitats, often with limited success. Mortality of wild and hatchery fish is high during downstream and early ocean migration. To understand changes that occur during migration, we examined physiological and endocrine changes in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts during hatchery rearing, downstream migration, and early ocean entry in two successive years. Gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity increased in the hatchery during spring, increased further after river release, and was slightly lower after recapture in the ocean. Plasma growth hormone levels increased in the hatchery, were higher in the river, and increased further in the ocean. Plasma IGF-I remained relatively constant in the hatchery, increased in the river, then decreased in the ocean. Plasma thyroid hormones were variable in the hatchery, but increased in both river- and ocean-captured smolts. Naturally reared fish had lower conditi.