Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Membership and incentives in network alliances

We propose a general and precise model of a network alliance that addresses both the role of membership and the role of incentives in the coordination of actions and interactions of network alliance members. Using examples in such disparate industries as professional engineering, accounting services, and commercial fueling as the basis of our model, we show that a commission fee chosen by the network provider can be combined with a classical exclusivity agreement-which does not restrict where members recruit customers, while at the same time protecting the members' locations where customers are served-to motivate increases in member investment and, consequently, in network profits. We also show that the most profitable network size emerges naturally. That is, the most profitable network size restricts membership, and emerges as a consequence of the exclusivity agreement and the setting of the commission fee. Our results require that members' investments are more valuable with increases in other members' investments, that prospective members are sufficiently different that there is an adequate range in the business potential of members, and that the effect of other members' investments on a given member's business potential is moderately low.
Reality Negotiation: From Excuses to Hope and Beyond

Following a brief review of the traditional viewpoint regarding the adaptiveness of accurately perceiving reality, the emerging perspective on the usefulness of illusions about the self is presented. In this latter vein, a model of how people negotiate with “reality” so as to maintain their personal theories of being “good and in-control” people is described, and excuse-making and hoping are discussed as examples of such reality negotiation processes. The implications of the reality negotiation processes for society in general and individuals in particular are also explored. Last, theoretical speculations are made in regard to the conditions in which the illusion-based reality negotiation processes change from being adaptive to maladaptive.
An xml index advisor for DB2

XML database systems are expected to handle increasingly complex queries over increasingly large and highly structured XML databases. An important problem that needs to be solved for these systems is how to choose the best set of indexes for a given workload. We have developed an XML Index Advisor that solves this XML index recommendation problem and is tightly coupled with the query optimizer of the database system. We have implemented our XML Index Advisor for DB2. In this demonstration we showcase the new query optimizer modes that we added to DB2, the index recommendation process, and the effectiveness of the recommended indexes.
Transfer of palmitate from phospholipids to lipid A in outer membranes of Gram‐negative bacteria

Regulated covalent modifications of lipid A are implicated in virulence of pathogenic Gram‐negative bacteria. The Salmonella typhimurium PhoP/PhoQ‐activated gene pagP is required both for biosynthesis of hepta‐acylated lipid A species containing palmitate and for resistance to cationic anti‐microbial peptides. Palmitoylated lipid A can also function as an endotoxin antagonist. We now show that pagP and its Escherichia coli homolog (crcA) encode an unusual enzyme of lipid A biosynthesis localized in the outer membrane. PagP transfers a palmitate residue from the sn‐1 position of a phospholipid to the N‐linked hydroxymyristate on the proximal unit of lipid A (or its precursors). PagP bearing a C‐terminal His6‐tag accumulated in outer membranes during overproduction, was purified with full activity and was shown by cross‐linking to behave as a homodimer. PagP is the first example of an outer membrane enzyme involved in lipid A biosynthesis. Additional pagP homologs are encoded in the genomes of Yersinia and Bordetella species. PagP may provide an adaptive response toward both Mg2+ limitation and host innate immune defenses.
Towards Developing a Meta-model for Comprehending Software Adaptability

To modernize legacy software into adaptable software, a program understanding procedure is needed to study software for identifying the mechanisms that support adaptability. Though the procedure can benefit from modeling techniques, current software meta-models do not fully support particular aspects of software adaptability. The goal of this research is to develop a meta-model, which facilitate comprehending applications for adaptability by annotating a set of pre-determined adaptability factors in software models. To this end, we investigate application-level sensing and effecting mechanisms, identify the core adaptability factors, and propose a meta-model for adaptability.
Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging

We enter the debate over the role of sex in judging by addressing the two predominant empirical questions it raises: whether male and female judges decide cases distinctly (individual effects) and whether the presence of a female judge on a panel causes her male colleagues to behave differently (panel effects). We do not, however, rely exclusively on the predominant statistical models - variants of standard regression analysis - to address them. Because these tools alone are ill-suited to the task at hand, we deploy a more appropriate methodology - non-parametric matching - which follows from a formal framework for causal inference. Applying matching methods to sex discrimination suits resolved in the federal circuits between 1995 and 2002 yields two clear results. First, we observe substantial individual effects: The likelihood of a judge deciding in favor of the party alleging discrimination decreases by about 10 percentage points when the judge is a male. Likewise, we find that men are significantly more likely to rule in favor of the rights litigant when a woman serves on the panel. Both effects are so persistent and consistent that they may come as a surprise even to those scholars who have long posited the existence of gendered judging.
Clustering and properties of K-band companion galaxies around ultrasteep spectrum radio sources

We have analysed galaxy properties in the environment of a sample of 70 ultrasteep spectrum (USS) radio sources selected from the Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey and the National Radio Astronomy Observatories (NRAO) Very Large Array Sky Survey catalogues, using near-infrared data complete down to K s = 20. We have quantified galaxy excess around USS targets using an Abell-type measurement N 0.5 . We find that most of the USS fields studied are compatible with being Abell class 0 richness clusters. A statistical analysis of the distribution of companion galaxies around USS radio sources shows a pronounced tendency for such objects to be found in the direction defined by the radio axis, suggesting that they may be related to the presence of the radio sources. We have also measured the central concentration of light of the USS sample and compared these to the values obtained for field galaxies and galaxies selected using other methods. By using Spearman statistics to disentangle richnesses and concentration indices dependences, we detect a weak, but significant, positive correlation. We find that at z > 2 USS radio sources are more concentrated than field galaxies at similar redshifts, indicating that these objects trace the most massive systems at high redshift.
Athletics and Social Participation in the Educational Attainment Process.

Dewey, John. 1944 Democracy and Education. New York: The Free Press. Eisenstadt, S. N. 1956 From Generation to Generation. New York: The Free Press. Miller, Stephen. 1973 "Ends, means and galumphing: Some leitmotifs of play. " American Anthropologist 75:87-98. Moore, Omar K. , and Alan R. Anderson. 1969 "Some principles for the design of clarifying educational environments. " Pp. 571-613 in David Goslin (ed.), Handbook of Socialization Theory and Research. New York: Rand McNally & Co. Piaget, Jean. 1965 The Moral Judgment of the Child. New York: The Free Press. Polgar, Sylvia Knopp. 1974 Teacher and Peer Socialization of Play Behavior among Sixth Grade Boys. Doctoral dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Roberts, John M. , M. J. Arth, and R. W. Bush. 1959 "Games in culture. " American Anthropologist 61:597-605. Turner, Victor. 1969 The Ritual Process. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co.
Assembling Urbanism: Following Policies and ‘Studying Through’ the Sites and Situations of Policy Making

Recent years have seen a challenge to the territorial orthodoxy in urban studies. An interest in policy assemblage, mobility, and mutation has begun to open up ‘the what’ and ‘the where’ of urban policy making. Unfortunately—but perhaps not surprisingly—theoretical developments and empirical insights have run ahead of significant methodological considerations. This paper turns to some of the methodological consequences of studying the chains, circuits, networks, and webs in and through which policy and its associated discourses and ideologies are made mobile and mutable. It focuses on three rubrics under which methodological decisions can be made: ‘studying through’ (rather than studying up or down), techniques of following actors, policies, etc, and relational situations in which mobilization and assemblage happen. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on how academic research design and writing assemble cities and urban policy making in ways that parallel the assembling practices of policy actors.
Long-Term Macular Changes in the First Proband of Autosomal Dominant Vitreoretinochoroidopathy (ADVIRC) Due to a Newly Identified Mutation in BEST1

Abstract Background: Mutations in BEST1 account for autosomal dominant vitreoretinochoroidopathy (ADVIRC), a rare inherited retinal dystrophy with presenile cataracts and incomplete anterior segment development. The long-term clinical findings and visual prognosis of these patients continues to evolve over time. Materials and Methods: The retina was assessed by fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Sanger dideoxy chain-termination sequencing identified mutations in BEST1. Bioinformatic tools were used to predict changes in splicing. An in vitro splicing assay was applied to evaluate for altered pre-mRNA splicing. Results: Long-term follow up of the first ever reported ADVIRC proband revealed progressive foveal atrophy in both eyes 3 decades after his initial presentation. Progressive retinal ischemia, bilateral iris atrophy, and pseudophakodnesis were observed on follow up. The patient was heterozygous for a c.248G > A missense mutation in exon 4 of BEST1, affecting a highly conserved transmembrane domain. Although computational prediction models suggest a change in the binding probability of splicing-associated SR proteins, in vitro splicing assays failed to demonstrate an effect of the c.248G > A mutation on splicing of BEST1 exon 3 or exon 4. Conclusions: Progressive posterior chorioretinal changes occurred over time in the initial ADVIRC proband, leading to visual loss. The causative mutation in this patient falls in the transmembrane domain of the BEST1 protein, with unclear functional consequences. Although previous studies showed alteration in pre-mRNA splicing, in vitro splicing assays failed to demonstrate this in our patient.
Performance Measures in Electric Power Networks Under Line Contingencies

Classes of performance measures expressed in terms of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathcal H}_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-norms have been recently introduced to quantify the response of coupled dynamical systems to external perturbations. So far, investigations of these performance measures have been restricted to nodal perturbations. Here, we go beyond these earlier works and consider the equally important, but so far neglected case of line perturbations. We consider a network-reduced power system, where a Kron reduction has eliminated passive buses. Identifying the effect that a line fault in the physical network has on the Kron-reduced network, we find that performance measures depend on whether the faulted line connects two passive, two active buses, or one active to one passive bus. In all cases, performance measures depend quadratically on the original load on the faulted line times a topology-dependent factor. Our theoretical formalism being restricted to Dirac-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\delta$</tex-math></inline-formula> perturbations, we investigate numerically the validity of our results for finite-time line faults. For uniform damping over inertia ratios, we find good agreement with theoretical predictions for longer fault durations in systems with more inertia, for which eigenmodes of the network are harder to excite.
Pathology of hepatocellular carcinoma

This study provides a guideline to a dynamic approach toward the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Bile production, fibrinogen synthesis, Mallory body, fibrinogen ground‐glass and abnormal glycogen bodies as a reflection of “clone” selection, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigen expression in tumer cells can be considered as markers for the morphological diagnosis of HCC.
Role of Glia in Memory Deficits Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Biomarkers of Glia Dysfunction

Historically, glial cells have been recognized as a structural component of the brain. However, it has become clear that glial cells are intimately involved in the complexities of neural networks and memory formations. Astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes have dynamic responsibilities which substantially impact neuronal function and activities. Moreover, the importance of glia following brain injury has come to the forefront in discussions to improve axonal regeneration and functional recovery. The numerous activities of glia following injury can either promote recovery or underlie the pathobiology of memory deficits. This review outlines the pathological states of glial cells which evolve from their positive supporting roles to those which disrupt synaptic function and neuroplasticity following injury. Evidence suggests that glial cells interact extensively with neurons both chemically and physically, reinforcing their role as pivotal for higher brain functions such as learning and memory. Collectively, this mini review surveys investigations of how glial dysfunction following brain injury can alter mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and how this may be related to an increased risk for persistent memory deficits. We also include recent findings, that demonstrate new molecular avenues for clinical biomarker discovery.
High Titer of Autoantibodies to GAD Identifies a Specific Phenotype of Adult-Onset Autoimmune Diabetes

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to define heterogeneity of adult-onset autoimmune diabetes based on characterization of GAD antibodies (GADAs). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients enrolled in a nationwide survey, the Non Insulin Requiring Autoimmune Diabetes (NIRAD) Study, have been screened for GADAs and IA-2 antibodies (IA-2As) and further characterized for GADA titer, antibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and HLA DRB1-DQB1 polymorphisms. RESULTS Of 4,250 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients, 4.5% had either GADAs and/or IA-2As. Patients with autoimmune diabetes showed a clinical phenotype significantly different from that of type 2 diabetes, including higher fasting glucose and A1C, lower BMI and uric acid, lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components, and higher frequency of TPO antibodies. More interestingly, analysis of GADA titers showed a bimodal distribution that identified two subgroups of patients with high (>32 GADA arbitrary units) and low (< or =32 GADA arbitrary units) GADA titers. Compared with those with low GADA titers, patients with high GADA titers had more prominent traits of insulin deficiency and a profile of more severe autoimmunity resulting in higher A1C, lower BMI, a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components (P < 0.02 for all), a higher prevalence of IA-2As, TPO antibodies (P < 0.003 for both), and DRB1*03-DQB1*0201 (50 vs. 26.8%, P = 0.001), and a decreasing frequency of DQB1*0602 and DRB1*0403 (from type 2 to low and to high GADA titer autoimmune diabetes; P < 0.001 for trend for both comparisons). CONCLUSIONS GADA titers identify two subgroups of patients with adult-onset autoimmune diabetes having distinct clinical, autoimmune, and genetic features.
Reduction of stromal swelling pressure after UVA-riboflavin cross-linking.

PURPOSE We evaluated whether UVA-riboflavin collagen cross-linking (CXL) reduces stromal swelling pressure (SP) in porcine and human corneas ex vivo. METHODS Porcine corneas (N = 35) were divided into five groups: Full-thickness buttons, riboflavin-treated buttons, CXL-treated buttons, riboflavin-treated anterior and posterior lamellae, and CXL-treated anterior and posterior lamellae. Riboflavin- or CXL-treated human corneas (n = 6) were cut into anterior and posterior lamellae. The force exerted by the specimens during swelling in saline was recorded and SP was calculated. Dry weights were obtained for solids correction. RESULTS In full-thickness porcine buttons, a significantly reduced SP was observed after CXL (40.07 ± 3.86 mm Hg) compared to riboflavin treatment (68.13 ± 11.39 mm Hg, P = 0.02) at 5% compression. Also, a trend toward reduced SP in the CXL-treated anterior human lamellae (9.9 mm Hg) was found compared to the riboflavin group (25 mm Hg) at 5% compression. In the anterior porcine lamellae a significant SP reduction was observed in the CXL group versus the riboflavin group (P < 0.001, two-way ANOVA). Likewise, in the posterior porcine lamellae, a significant SP reduction was observed in the CXL group versus riboflavin alone (P < 0.05, two-way ANOVA). Posterior human lamellae did not differ in SP when comparing CXL and riboflavin groups. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated a significant reduction in anterior stromal SP in porcine and human corneas after CXL. This finding suggested that CXL may reduce corneal SP in vivo, and thereby reduce edema and improve vision. Thus, in the clinical setting, patients suffering from corneal edema may benefit from CXL treatment.
Audiotactile multisensory interactions in human information processing

: The last few years has seen a very rapid growth of interest in how signals from different sensory modalities are integrated in the brain to form the unified percepts that fill our daily lives. Research on multisensory interactions between vision, touch, and proprioception has revealed the existence of multisensory spatial representations that code the location of external events relative to our own bodies. In this review, we highlight recent converging evidence from both human and animal studies that has revealed that spatially-modulated multisensory interactions also occur between hearing and touch, especially in the space immediately surrounding the head. These spatial audiotactile interactions for stimuli presented close to the head can affect not only the spatial aspects of perception, but also various other non-spatial aspects of audiotactile information processing. Finally, we highlight some of the most important questions for future research in this area.
Biochemical and Functional Studies of Cortical Vesicle Fusion: The SNARE Complex and Ca2+ Sensitivity

Cortical vesicles (CV) possess components critical to the mechanism of exocytosis. The homotypic fusion of CV centrifuged or settled into contact has a sigmoidal Ca2+ activity curve comparable to exocytosis (CV–PM fusion). Here we show that Sr2+ and Ba2+ also trigger CV–CV fusion, and agents affecting different steps of exocytotic fusion block Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+-triggered CV–CV fusion. The maximal number of active fusion complexes per vesicle, Max, was quantified by NEM inhibition of fusion, showing that CV–CV fusion satisfies many criteria of a mathematical analysis developed for exocytosis. Both Max and the Ca2+ sensitivity of fusion complex activation were comparable to that determined for CV–PM fusion. Using Ca2+-induced SNARE complex disruption, we have analyzed the relationship between membrane fusion (CV–CV and CV–PM) and the SNARE complex. Fusion and complex disruption have different sensitivities to Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+, the complex remains Ca2+- sensitive on fusion-incompetent CV, and disruption does not correlate with the quantified activation of fusion complexes. Under conditions which disrupt the SNARE complex, CV on the PM remain docked and fusion competent, and isolated CV still dock and fuse, but with a markedly reduced Ca2+ sensitivity. Thus, in this system, neither the formation, presence, nor disruption of the SNARE complex is essential to the Ca2+-triggered fusion of exocytotic membranes. Therefore the SNARE complex alone cannot be the universal minimal fusion machine for intracellular fusion. We suggest that this complex modulates the Ca2+ sensitivity of fusion.
Self-Concept of Single Women

Written questionnaires including a 70–item adjective checklist, a value sort, the “Who Am I? ” Twenty Statements Test, measures of morale, and questions about attitudes toward marriage and demographic characteristics were administered to samples of 66 childless, never-married women and 37 currently married women, 29 of whom had children. The purpose was to explore the differences and similarities in the self-concepts of single and married women. There was little difference in morale between the groups. Single women had more psychiatric symptoms characteristic of the obsessive-compulsive personality type. Although the single women valued personal growth and achievement, the married women valued personal relationships. Single women were higher on assertion and poise clusters of adjectives. On the “Who Am I ? ” test, the married women were more likely to identify with ascribed characteristics, kinship roles, and household activities, whereas the single women identified as self-determined.
THE ARGO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE'S VISION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

This paper presents the current status of the ARGO Project, whose main target is the development of an active safety system and an automatic pilot for a standard road vehicle. First the ARGO project is briefly described along with its main objectives, then the prototype vehicle and its functionalities are presented. The perception of the environment is performed through the processing of images acquired from the vehicle; details about the detection of lane markings, generic obstacles and leading vehicles are given. The paper describes the current implementation of the control system, based on a gain scheduled controller, which allows the vehicle to follow the road and/or other vehicles, while future control strategies (flatness approach) are presented with simulations results. The paper ends with a description of the MilleMiglia in Automatico tour, a journey through Italy performed in automatic driving, together with some concluding remarks.