Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Durable-Goods Monopoly with Privately Known Impatience: A Theoretical and Experimental Study

We analyze a durable-goods monopoly selling a single unit of a good to a buyer whose value of the good is private information. The discount factors of the buyer and the seller may differ and are also privately known. We derive the closed-form solution of a two-period game and compare it to the behavior observed in experiments. The data are to a large extent consistent with the predictions. (JEL C90, L12, C73) Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.
Autonomous operation of wind-battery hybrid power system with maximum power extraction capability

The hybrid operation of a remote area power system consisting of a Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) based wind turbine, a battery storage unit and a dummy load is investigated in this paper. The battery storage unit operates as a source or load, depending on the wind power output and loading conditions of the system. The battery storage is connected to the AC side of the wind energy system through a three phase inverter to supply both active and reactive power. A dummy load is also incorporated into the AC side of the system. The design criteria of the controllers for each component (ie. DFIG, battery storage system and dummy load) and an approach for control coordination of the entire system are presented in this paper. The suitability of the proposed control coordination strategy and individual system controllers are tested in relation to the system voltage, frequency and DC link stability of the DFIG under variable wind and changing load conditions. The maximum power extraction capability from wind is also achieved throughout the operation.
Inclusion for the difficult to include

In this article, John Visser and colleagues report findings from their DfEE funded study of mainstream schools’ practice in relation to pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). The article outlines some key features of schools which cater successfully for the needs of many pupils with EBD. This suggests that schools which foster a culture of caring, sharing and learning, as defined later in the article, are more effective in achieving inclusion for those pupils who are regarded as the most difficult to include. The full report on which this article is based (Daniels, Visser, Cole and de Reybekill, 1998) is available, as Research Report RR90, from the DfES.
89Zr-Labeled Versus 124I-Labeled αHER2 Fab with Optimized Plasma Half-Life for High-Contrast Tumor Imaging In Vivo

Immuno-PET imaging of the tumor antigen HER2/neu allows for the noninvasive detection and monitoring of oncogene expression; such detection and monitoring are of prognostic value in patients with breast cancer. Compared with the full-size antibody trastuzumab, smaller protein tracers with more rapid blood clearance permit higher imaging contrast at earlier time points. Antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) of antibodies with moderately prolonged circulation achieved through the genetic fusion with a long, conformationally disordered chain of the natural amino acids Pro, Ala, and Ser (PASylation)—a biologic alternative to chemical conjugation with polyethylene glycol, PEG—offer a promising tracer format with improved pharmacokinetics for in vivo imaging. Recently, the transition metal radionuclide 89Zr has attracted increasing interest for immuno-PET studies, complementing the conventional halogen radionuclide 124I. Methods: To allow direct comparison of these 2 radioactive labels for the same protein tracer, the recombinant αHER2 Fab fused with 200 Pro, Ala, and Ser (PAS200) residues was either conjugated with 124I via an iodination reagent or coupled with deferoxamine (Df) and complexed with 89Zr. After confirmation of the stability of both radioconjugates and quality control in vitro, immuno-PET and biodistribution studies were performed with CD1-Foxn1nu mice bearing HER2-positive human tumor xenografts. Results: 89Zr⋅Df-Fab-PAS200 and 124I-Fab-PAS200 showed specific tumor uptake of 11 and 2.3 percentage injected dose per gram 24 h after injection, respectively; both led to high tumor-to-blood (3.6 and 4.4, respectively) and tumor-to-muscle (20 and 43, respectively) ratios. With regard to off-target accumulation, overt 124I activity was seen in the thyroid, as expected, whereas high kidney uptake was evident for 89Zr; the latter was probably due to glomerular filtration and reabsorption of the protein tracer in proximal tubular cells. Conclusion: Both 89Zr- and 124I-labeled versions of αHER2 Fab-PAS200 allowed PET tumor imaging with high contrast. With its residualizing radiometal, the tracer 89Zr⋅Df-Fab-PAS200 showed better in vivo stability and higher tumor uptake.
Common vs. Expert knowledge: making the Semantic Web an educational model

Model based learning uses models in order to generate educational resources and adapt learning paths to learners and their context. Many domain models are published on the Web through linked data, thus providing a collective knowledge base that can be reused in the educational domain. However, for these models to be usable in an educational context, it should be possible to predict the learning context in which they can be used. A typical indicator of the usability of learning objects is their difficulty. Predicting the difficulty of an assessment item depends both on the construct, i.e., what is assessed, and on the form of the item. In this paper, we present several experiments that can support the prediction of the difficulty of an assessment item generated from a linked data source and the difficulty of the underlying item construct. We analyze the results of a test carried out with choice items (such as multiple choice questions), together with a Web mining approach, in order to provide indicators that the factual knowledge is common knowledge or expert knowledge in a particular population. Our objective is to annotate the semantic models and increase their reusability in an educational context.
The Glycemic Index of Rice and Rice Products: A Review, and Table of GI Values

Rice is the principle staple and energy source for nearly half the world's population and therefore has significant nutrition and health implications. Rice is generally considered a high glycemic index (GI) food, however, this depends on varietal, compositional, processing, and accompaniment factors. Being a major contributor to the glycemic load in rice eating populations, there is increasing concern that the rising prevalence of insulin resistance is as a result of the consumption of large amounts of rice. Devising ways and means of reducing the glycemic impact of rice is therefore imperative. This review gathers studies examining the GI of rice and rice products and provides a critical overview of the current state of the art. A table collating published GI values for rice and rice products is also included.
Informal eCollaboration Channels: Shedding Light on "Shadow CIT"

There is some evidence of the unabated proliferation of employee-autonomous, informal in an enterprise sense, collaborative information technologies (CITs) to perform collaborative activities despite huge investments in CIT enterprise systems. This article will introduce the metaphorical construct of “shadow CIT” (similar to “shadow IT” – Raden, 2005; Schaffner, 2007) to describe the strategic choice to use autonomous CITs instead of formal enterprise CITs. “Shadow IT” has been defined by Raden (2005) as a set of IT tools used “for performing IT functions but not part of the mainstream IT organization” (p.1). Similarly, “shadow CIT” solutions are employee-autonomous: they are not implemented as part of the organisational IT infrastructure, neither have they received any targeted organisational investment. Several research questions are explored in this paper. The existence of “shadow IT” has been argued to imply a failure on the part of enterprise IT to provide all of the services to meet their users‟ needs. Does the existence of “shadow CIT” imply a failure of enterprise CITs of a similar kind? If shadow CITs are found to be [capable of] filling gaps within enterprise CITs, what kind of gaps are these? Often, without being able to articulate why, users appear to shun solutions and good architecture within enterprise CITs in favour of the ability to get their work done through autonomous “shadow” solutions. What kind of motivation may be driving such decisions?
Effects of Dynamic and Static Stretching on Vertical Jump Performance and Electromyographic Activity

Hough, PA, Ross, EZ, and Howatson, G. Effects of dynamic and static stretching on vertical jump performance and electromyographic activity. J Strength Cond Res 23(2): 507-512, 2009-The results of previous research have demonstrated that static stretching (SS) can reduce muscular performance and that dynamic stretching (DS) can enhance muscular performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of SS and DS on vertical jump (VJ) performance and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the m. vastus medialis. Eleven healthy men (age 21 ± 2 years) took part in 3 conditions (no stretching [NS], SS, and DS), on separate occasions in a randomized, crossover design. During each condition, measurements of VJ height and EMG activity during the VJ were recorded. A repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc analysis indicated that VJ height was significantly less (4.19 ± 4.47%) after SS than NS (p < 0.05) and significantly greater (9.44 ± 4.25%) in DS than SS (p < 0.05). There was significantly greater EMG amplitude in the DS compared with the SS (p < 0.05). The results demonstrated that SS has a negative influence on VJ performance, whereas DS has a positive impact. Increased VJ performance after DS may be attributed to postactivation potentiation, whereas the reduction in VJ performance after SS may be attributable to neurological impairment and a possible alteration in the viscoelastic properties of the muscular tendon unit (MTU). This investigation provides some physiological basis for the inclusion of DS and exclusion of SS in preparation for activities requiring jumping performance.
VEGF PROMOTER HAPLOTYPE AND AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS)

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a cytokine essential for angiogenesis. A recent study found that haplotypes, determined by three SNPs ( − 2,578C/A, − 1,154 G/A, and − 634G/C) in the VEGF upstream promoter/leader sequence, were associated with risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We used samples and data from a case-control study to examine the relation of ALS to VEGF haplotype. Genotypes at each of the three polymorphic sites were determined using allele-specific primer extension reactions followed by MALDI-TOF. We found a 3-fold increased risk among individuals homozygous for the AAG or AGG haplotypes (95% CI = 0.7 − 13.4), consistent with the findings of the previous study. Given the wide confidence interval, our findings should be interpreted cautiously.
Multilayer broadband high gain ultralow sidelobe antenna with EBG for mm-wave applications

A compact multilayer broadband antenna with partial superstrate layer, EBG layer and reflector surface operating at 140 GHz has been proposed for millimeter wave applications. The antenna consisting of radiating patch elements has been designed on a very thin flexible substrate of thickness 0.110 mm. The upper layer material consists of removed periodic blocks in the superstrate dielectric. An EBG layer has been stacked above this partial superstrate with hexagonal shaped elements. This compact (2×2) mm2 antenna provides a peak gain of about 10 dB with ultralow side lobe levels of about −32 dB. The bandwidth for the operating frequency is about 15 GHz. The proposed antenna can be integrated with mm-wave circuits for range of applications such as automotive radars and sensing.
Intensity-Dependent Activation of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Protein Kinase 5 in Sensory Neurons Contributes to Pain Hypersensitivity

Alterations in the intracellular signal transduction pathway in primary afferents may contribute to pain hypersensitivity. Recently, we have reported that the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) occurs in primary afferent neurons in response to noxious stimulation of the peripheral tissue, i.e., activity-dependent activation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In the present study, we investigated the phosphorylation of ERK5, also known as big MAPK1, in the DRG by noxious stimulation using immunohistochemistry. Capsaicin injection induced phosphorylated ERK5 (p-ERK5) in small-to-medium diameter sensory neurons with a peak at 2 min after capsaicin injection. Furthermore, we examined the p-ERK5 labeling in the DRG after noxious heat and cold stimuli and found a stimulus intensity-dependent increase in the number of activated neurons. Most of these p-ERK5-immunoreactive neurons were small- and medium-sized neurons, which coexpressed transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel TRPV1 and TRPA1 after noxious heat and cold stimuli, respectively. In contrast, there was no change in ERK5 phosphorylation in the spinal dorsal horn. The i.t. administration of ERK5 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide reversed heat hyperalgesia, but not mechanical allodynia, produced by capsaicin injection. Taken together, these findings suggest that the in vivo activation of the ERK5 signaling pathway in sensory neurons by noxious stimulation may be, at least in part, correlated with functional activity and, further, involved in the development of pain hypersensitivity.
Semantic Interoperability Between Relational Database Systems

Relational database systems (RDBSs) are well-known and widely used in many organizations, however, semantic conflicts between the participating RDBSs must be resolved before data can be exchanged between them. Semantic resolution between the RDBSs is extremely difficult to address mainly because participating RDBSs are designed and built independently. Furthermore, individual RDBSs are likely to evolve over time and the changes must be reconciled dynamically. In this paper, we describe an approach to resolve the semantic conflicts between RDBSs automatically while allowing the individual RDBSs to evolve. Relational database ontology (RDBO) is created and used to ensure the semantic descriptions of the individual RDBSs are conformed to a set of vocabularies, structures, and restrictions. We show how a modified reasoning engine is used to validate and infer additional semantic relationships from the existing relationships. We also show how terms defined in different database ontologies are compared to each other semantically using semantic weights and our modified reasoning engine. As a result, RDBSs can intemperate with each other seamlessly and at the correct level of semantics defined in their ontologies.
Algorithm 694: a collection of test matrices in MATLAB

We present a collection of 45 parametrized test matrices. The matrices are mostly square, dense, nonrandom, and of arbitrary dimension. The collection includes matrices with known inverses or known eigenvalues, ill-conditioned or rank deficient matrices, and symmetric, positive definite, orthogonal, defective, involuntary, and totally positive matrices. For each matrix we give a MATLAB M-file that generates it.
The Use of a Functional and Immunologic Assay for Plasma Protein C in the Study of the Heterogeneity of Congenital Protein C Deficiency

Summary Protein C is a vitamin K dependent protein involved in blood coagulation. A congenital deficiency in protein C antigen - which inherits as an autosomal dominant disorder - has been reported to be associated with a high risk for thrombo-embolic disease at relatively young age. In the present paper we report on the development of a functional assay for plasma protein C. In this assay protein C is adsorbed to Al(OH)3, eluted and activated by thrombin, after which the concentration of the activated protein C is measured with a peptide substrate (S2366). Normal values for protein C activity and protein C antigen were determined in healthy volunteers and patients on stable oral anticoagulant treatment. Protein C activity and antigen levels were compared in 28 patients from 9 different pedigrees with both congenital protein C deficiency and thrombotic disease. Two types of protein C deficiency could be recognized: in type I the deficiency is due to the absence or reduced presence of protein C molecules, while in type II the deficiency is caused by the presence of an abnormal protein C molecule with strongly reduced functional activity.
Applying Property-Based Testing in Teaching Safety-Critical System Programming

At the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid students attending a course on concurrency are taught a high-level formalism which permits concise specification of shared resources. This formalism is used to express safety-critical access policies for typical control problems such as robot plants. Students are moreover provided with programming recipes for implementing such shared resource specifications in programming languages (typically Java). The teachers of the course use various tools to ensure that the implementations developed by students for a shared resource are of an acceptable quality. Such tools include normal unit tests, but also the systematic application of property-based testing to judge the quality of the exercises. In this article we provide an overview of the tools, techniques and methods used in one particular exercise of the course: the implementation of a control system for an automated warehouse.
Secondary school socio-cultural context influencing ICT integration: A case study approach

This paper proposes the use of activity theory and multi-level activity systems as a framework to analyse the effectiveness of ICT integration in Singapore secondary school classrooms. Three levels of activity systems are developed to study the effectiveness of ICT integration at the classroom: the classroom activity system, the department activity system and the school activity system. A multiple case study approach with three secondary schools in Singapore was adopted to provide in depth understanding of the socio-cultural factors that affect ICT integration in the classrooms. The findings show that schools need to function as learning organisations to be adaptable to changes, especially rapid changes brought about by technology integration in curriculum. To be successful learning organisations, schools need a curriculum focused, over-arching ICT goal to provide clear direction to the key players - teachers, HOD/ICT and instructional program HODs in the school. The management approach to ICT integration in the school should be through distributed leadership. While the school principal sets the tone for the school vis-a-vis modelling curriculum focused integration, providing encouragement to teachers and support for the HODs plans, the role of the HOD/ICT should be to ensure the relevant ICT-enabled infrastructure and implementation procedures are in place.
Cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 Plays a Critical Role in UV‐induced Skin Carcinogenesis †

Besides induction of DNA damage and p53 mutations, chronic exposure to UV irradiation leads to the constitutive up‐regulation of cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) expression and to increased production of its primary product in skin, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). COX‐2 has also been shown to be constitutively overexpressed in mouse, as well as human, UV‐induced skin cancers and premalignant lesions. UV exposure results in ligand‐independent activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor and subsequent activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/Akt pathways leading to transcriptional activation of the COX‐2 gene. Use of COX‐2‐specific inhibitors and genetic manipulation of COX‐2 expression have demonstrated that UV induction of COX‐2 in the skin contributes to the induction of epidermal hyperplasia, edema, inflammation, and counters the induction of apoptosis after UV exposure. Likewise, inhibition of COX‐2 activity or reduced expression in COX‐2 knockout mice resulted in significantly reduced UV‐induced tumorigenesis, while overexpression of COX‐2 in transgenic mice enhanced UV‐induced tumor development. A combination of signaling from the PGE2 EP1, EP2 and/or EP4 receptors mediates the effects of COX‐2 overexpression. These studies demonstrate the crucial role of COX‐2 in the development of UV‐related nonmelanoma skin cancers.
Large-System Analysis of Joint Channel and Data Estimation for MIMO DS-CDMA Systems

This paper presents a large-system analysis of the performance of joint channel estimation, multiuser detection, and per-user decoding (CE-MUDD) for randomly spread multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) systems. A suboptimal receiver based on successive decoding in conjunction with linear minimum mean-squared error (LMMSE) channel estimation is investigated. The replica method, developed in statistical mechanics, is used to evaluate the performance in the large-system limit, where the number of users and the spreading factor tend to infinity while their ratio and the number of transmit and receive antennas are kept constant. Joint CE-MUDD based on LMMSE channel estimation is compared to several methods of one-shot channel estimation, i.e., methods that do not utilize decoded data symbols to refine the initial channel estimates, in terms of spectral efficiency. Joint CE-MUDD is found to significantly reduce the rate loss caused by transmission of pilot signals when compared to the receivers based on one-shot channel estimation. This holds particularly for multiple-antenna systems. As a result, joint CE-MUDD can provide significant performance gains compared to the receivers based on one-shot channel estimation.
Q-learning in Two-Player Two-Action Games

Q-learning is a simple, powerful algorithm for behavior learning. It was derived in the context of single agent decision making in Markov decision process environments, but its applicability is much broader—in experiments in multiagent environments, Q-learning has also performed well. Our preliminary analysis using dynamical systems finds that Qlearning’s indirect control of behavior via estimates of value contributes to its beneficial performance in general-sum 2player games like the Prisoner’s Dilemma.
Structural and functional remodeling of skeletal muscle microvasculature is induced by simulated microgravity.

Hindlimb unloading of rats results in a diminished ability of skeletal muscle arterioles to constrict in vitro and elevate vascular resistance in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether alterations in the mechanical environment (i.e., reduced fluid pressure and blood flow) of the vasculature in hindlimb skeletal muscles from 2-wk hindlimb-unloaded (HU) rats induces a structural remodeling of arterial microvessels that may account for these observations. Transverse cross sections were used to determine media cross-sectional area (CSA), wall thickness, outer perimeter, number of media nuclei, and vessel luminal diameter of feed arteries and first-order (1A) arterioles from soleus and the superficial portion of gastrocnemius muscles. Endothelium-dependent dilation (ACh) was also determined. Media CSA of resistance arteries was diminished by hindlimb unloading as a result of decreased media thickness (gastrocnemius muscle) or reduced vessel diameter (soleus muscle). ACh-induced dilation was diminished by 2 wk of hindlimb unloading in soleus 1A arterioles, but not in gastrocnemius 1A arterioles. These results indicate that structural remodeling and functional adaptations of the arterial microvasculature occur in skeletal muscles of the HU rat; the data suggest that these alterations may be induced by reductions in transmural pressure (gastrocnemius muscle) and wall shear stress (soleus muscle).