Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Hypothesis of the Co-Evolution of Cooperation and Inequity

game, refusing results in less absolute gain, but increased relative equity, as both participants get nothing; Bolton and Zwick, 1995). Note, too, that peoples' refusals in this context are not inequity aversion as proposed by Fehr and Schmidt (1999), as individuals are increasing rather than decreasing inequity. However, recent evidence indicates that people routinely refuse unequal offers in the impunity game, making this an important set of circumstances to evaluate more fully (Yamagishi et al., 2009). Humans are not alone in this. Other species show very similar behaviors. In a game reminiscent of an impunity game, two species of primate have been shown to refuse rewards more often when their partners get better rewards than when their partners receive the same, lower-value rewards (Brosnan, 2006; details in next section). While this behavior seems economically irrational, it is a very consistent response in both these primates and humans. This raises questions about the evolution of this behavior on a number of levels. First, is it possible that the underlying function of this behavior is similar across species, including humans? Second, even if the behavior has been selected for similar reasons, what are the mechanisms that lead to the behavior? Related to this, how do we account for the individual differences seen in the behavior, and are these differences, and their causes, consistent across species? Although the data we have now provide pieces of the puzzle, there is as yet no satisfying functional explanation, and the very ubiquity of the response demands an answer. One hypothesis is that recognizing and responding to inequitable outcomes increases
Pedagogy of the Poor: Building the Movement to End Poverty

The authors present a new kind of interdisciplinary pedagogy that brings together antipoverty grassroots activism and relevant social theories about poverty. This unique book combines the oral history of a renowned antipoverty organizer with accessible introductions to relevant social theories, case studies, in-class student debates, and pedagogical reflections. This multilayered approach makes it useful to both social activists committed to eradicating poverty and educators looking for ways to teach about the struggles for economic and social justice.
Mode of Action and Specificity of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins in the Control of Caterpillars and Stink Bugs in Soybean Culture

The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces delta-endotoxins that possess toxic properties and can be used as biopesticides, as well as a source of genes for the construction of transgenic plants resistant to insects. In Brazil, the introduction of Bt soybean with insecticidal properties to the velvetbean caterpillar, the main insect pest of soybean, has been seen a promising tool in the management of these agroecosystems. However, the increase in stink bug populations in this culture, in various regions of the country, which are not susceptible to the existing genetically modified plants, requires application of chemicals that damage the environment. Little is known about the actual toxicity of Bt to Hemiptera, since these insects present sucking mouthparts, which hamper toxicity assays with artificial diets containing toxins of this bacterium. In recent studies of cytotoxicity with the gut of different hemipterans, susceptibility in the mechanism of action of delta-endotoxins has been demonstrated, which can generate promising subsidies for the control of these insect pests in soybean. This paper aims to review the studies related to the selection, application and mode of action of Bt in the biological control of the major pest of soybean, Anticarsia gemmatalis, and an analysis of advances in research on the use of Bt for control hemipterans.
Methods and Techniques Case Study 1. Vivi: Voice Information Experience Concepts Case Study 2. Multi+: the Multipla as a Community Car

Introduction Interaction Design Institute Ivrea is increasingly supporting the development and the application of user research techniques to inform the design of innovative services. This paper presents the results of this effort through three case studies: ViVi, Multi+ and Fluidtime. Each of these projects is a different example of how understanding people activities and experiences in their natural context can help generating, testing and refining design ideas. The rest of this introduction is focused on the reasons why we value user research and our motivations for including it into the design project. The next section briefly introduces the set of user' research techniques that were applied in these three projects. The final section we present each case study and discuss the results achieved as well as the problematic issues that emerged during the process. WHAT WE MEAN BY USER STUDIES The expression " user studies " or " user research " has a broad meaning, including many possible theories, models and approaches. At a general level, user studies are investigations of some kind of human activity that is relevant and informative for the product, the service, the system that we want to design; conducting a user research means to involve the actors in our domain of interest in all or some phases of the design process and use the outcomes of this involvement as a basis for the design development. In the context of this paper we will adhere to this very general definition, introducing two simple restrictions. The first one concerns the context of the investigation; we will only refer to investigations that are conducted on the field, excluding any kind of experimental research done in a laboratory under controlled conditions. The second one relates to the way the data are collected and analysed during the investigation; the work presented in this paper only deals with qualitative data and qualitative research, as opposed to quantitative data and methods. This means that human activities are investigated and interpreted following rigorous but subjective criteria and not measured and analysed through statistical procedures. WHY USER STUDIES? The high-level motivation that most people share for conducting user research in a design project is that this help to design things that better fit people' needs and/or desires and/or expectations, etc. In other words, if our goal is to design for someone different from ourselves, we need to take these persons into account and try …
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of myocardial stunning.

The past two decades have witnessed an explosive growth of knowledge regarding postischemic myocardial dysfunction or myocardial "stunning. " The purpose of this review is to summarize current information regarding the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of this phenomenon. Myocardial stunning should not be regarded as a single entity but rather as a "syndrome" that has been observed in a wide variety of experimental settings, which include the following: 1) stunning after a single, completely reversible episode of regional ischemia in vivo; 2) stunning after multiple, completely reversible episodes of regional ischemia in vivo; 3) stunning after a partly reversible episode of regional ischemia in vivo (subendocardial infarction); 4) stunning after global ischemia in vitro; 5) stunning after global ischemia in vivo; and 6) stunning after exercise-induced ischemia (high-flow ischemia). Whether these settings share a common mechanism is unknown. Although the pathogenesis of myocardial stunning has not been definitively established, the two major hypotheses are that it is caused by the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals (oxyradical hypothesis) and by a transient calcium overload (calcium hypothesis) on reperfusion. The final lesion responsible for the contractile depression appears to be a decreased responsiveness of contractile filaments to calcium. Recent evidence suggests that calcium overload may activate calpains, resulting in selective proteolysis of myofibrils; the time required for resynthesis of damaged proteins would explain in part the delayed recovery of function in stunned myocardium. The oxyradical and calcium hypotheses are not mutually exclusive and are likely to represent different facets of the same pathophysiological cascade. For example, increased free radical formation could cause cellular calcium overload, which would damage the contractile apparatus of the myocytes. Free radical generation could also directly alter contractile filaments in a manner that renders them less responsive to calcium (e.g., oxidation of critical thiol groups). However, it remains unknown whether oxyradicals play a role in all forms of stunning and whether the calcium hypothesis is applicable to stunning in vivo. Nevertheless, it is clear that the lesion responsible for myocardial stunning occurs, at least in part, after reperfusion so that this contractile dysfunction can be viewed, in part, as a form of "reperfusion injury. " An important implication of the phenomenon of myocardial stunning is that so-called chronic hibernation may in fact be the result of repetitive episodes of stunning, which have a cumulative effect and cause protracted postischemic dysfunction. A better understanding of myocardial stunning will expand our knowledge of the pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia and provide a rationale for developing new therapeutic strategies designed to prevent postischemic dysfunction in patients.
Exploring Design Alternatives for a Highly-Integrated, Wide-Issue, Microprocessor-Based System

We present a methodology for comprehensively evaluating architectural and technological alternatives of the processor, cache hierarchy, system interconnect, and main memory subsystems. We use the methodology to explore the design of an 8-way superscalar microprocessor implemented in 0.3 micron technology and employed in a high-performance workstation. We discuss the cache hierarchy design challenges encountered with a highly-integrated wide-issue processor, and evaluate new approaches to multi-porting rst level data caches and pipelining large on-chip second level caches. Abstract: We present a methodology for comprehensively evaluating architectural and technological alternatives of the processor, cache hierarchy, system interconnect, and main memory subsystems. We use the methodology to explore the design of an 8-way superscalar microprocessor implemented in 0.3 micron technology and employed in a high-performance workstation. We discuss the cache hierarchy design challenges encountered with a highly-integrated wide-issue processor, and evaluate new approaches to multi-porting rst level data caches and pipelining large on-chip second level caches.
Slow feature analysis and decorrelation filtering for separating correlated sources

We generalize the method of Slow Feature Analysis for vector-valued functions of multivariables and apply it to the problem of blind source separation, in particular image separation. For the linear case, exact mathematical analysis is given, which shows in particular that the sources are perfectly separated by SFA if and only if they and their first order derivatives are uncorrelated. When the sources are correlated, we apply the following technique called decorrelation filtering: use a linear filter to decorrelate the sources and their derivatives, then apply the separating matrix obtained on the filtered sources to the original sources. We show that if the filtered sources are perfectly separated by this matrix, then so are the original sources. We show how to numerically obtain such a decorrelation filter by solving a nonlinear optimization problem. This technique can also be applied to other linear separation methods, whose output signals are decorrelated, such as ICA.
THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA: WELFARE GAINS FROM FURTHER MULTILATERAL TRADE LIBERALISATION WITH RESPECT TO TARIFFS

The agriculture directorate is using a modified version of the GTAP model to analyse the impact of agriculture and non-agriculture reform. This analysis is part of an overall project that analyses policy reform using a "top-down" approach that integrating a variety of modeling techniques. Global and regional analysis is carried out using general equilibrium (modified GTAP), while at the other extreme, household impacts are measured for a selected number of OECD and nonOECD countries using more eclectic modeling techniques.
Monoaminergic Mechanisms in Epilepsy May Offer Innovative Therapeutic Opportunity for Monoaminergic Multi-Target Drugs

A large body of experimental and clinical evidence has strongly suggested that monoamines play an important role in regulating epileptogenesis, seizure susceptibility, convulsions, and comorbid psychiatric disorders commonly seen in people with epilepsy (PWE). However, neither the relative significance of individual monoamines nor their interaction has yet been fully clarified due to the complexity of these neurotransmitter systems. In addition, epilepsy is diverse, with many different seizure types and epilepsy syndromes, and the role played by monoamines may vary from one condition to another. In this review, we will focus on the role of serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, histamine, and melatonin in epilepsy. Recent experimental, clinical, and genetic evidence will be reviewed in consideration of the mutual relationship of monoamines with the other putative neurotransmitters. The complexity of epileptic pathogenesis may explain why the currently available drugs, developed according to the classic drug discovery paradigm of “one-molecule-one-target,” have turned out to be effective only in a percentage of PWE. Although, no antiepileptic drugs currently target specifically monoaminergic systems, multi-target directed ligands acting on different monoaminergic proteins, present on both neurons and glia cells, may represent a new approach in the management of seizures, and their generation as well as comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders.
Intelligent control of Piezoelectric Micropump based on MEMS flow sensor

The liquid dosing system has been studied widely as it had been used in many technical and medical applications. And in recent years, the miniaturization of the liquid dosing system as well as the accuracy of liquid transfer has gradually become a hot research field. In this paper, a MEMS (Micro-electromechanical system) flow sensor was integrated with a PZT(Piezoelectric Transducer) pump to make a closed-loop drug dosing system. Benefiting from the feedback of sensor information, the system can self-adjust the driving voltage of the PZT pump to precisely dispensing desired liquid volume. First, the structure and principle of the PZT pump will be introduced briefly. Secondly, the MEMS flow sensor is presented. Finally, the fuzzy PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) closed-loop control strategy is proposed to calculate and adjust the driving voltage in real-time. Finally, experiment results show that the drug delivery system could precisely delivery drug volume with error smaller than 0. 01µL when desired volume is 100µL.
Putting the brakes on mammary tumorigenesis: Loss of STAT1 predisposes to intraepithelial neoplasias

Multiparous Stat1−/− mice spontaneously develop mammary tumors with increased incidence: at an average age of 12 months, 55% of the animals suffer from mammary cancer, although the histopathology is heterogeneous. We consistently observed mosaic expression or down-regulation of STAT1 protein in wild-type mammary cancer evolving in the control group. Transplantation experiments show that tumorigenesis in Stat1−/− mice is partially influenced by impaired CTL mediated tumor surveillance. Additionally, STAT1 exerts an intrinsic tumor suppressing role by controlling and blocking proliferation of the mammary epithelium. Loss of STAT1 in epithelial cells enhances cell growth in both transformed and primary cells. The increased proliferative capacity leads to the loss of structured acini formation in 3D-cultures. Analogous effects were observed when Irf1−/− epithelial cells were used. Accordingly, the rate of mammary intraepithelial neoplasias (MINs) is increased in Stat1−/− animals: MINs represent the first step towards mammary tumors. The experiments characterize STAT1/IRF1 as a key growth inhibitory and tumor suppressive signaling pathway that prevents mammary cancer formation by maintaining growth control. Furthermore, they define the loss of STAT1 as a predisposing event via enhanced MIN formation.
Essays on capital flows, crises and economic performance

This thesis explores three important factors that have been central to the pursuit of economic development in developing countries, particularly those in Africa. These are capital flows, economic integration and financial crises. Chapter 1 examines the causes and consequences of capital flight in African countries. Building on standard portfolio choice model, the study links the phenomenon of capital flight to the domestic investment climate (broadly defined) and shows that African agents move their portfolios abroad as a result of a deteriorating domestic investment climate where the risk-adjusted rate of return is unfavourable. The results presented suggest that economic risk, policy distortions and the poor profitability of African investments explain the variation in capital flight. In addition, employing a PVAR and its corresponding impulse responses, the chapter shows that capital flight shocks worsen economic performance. Chapter 2 explores the (independent) effects of crises and openness on a large sample of African countries using dynamic panel techniques. Focusing on sudden stops, currency, twin and sovereign debt crises, the chapter shows that economic crises are associated with growth collapses in Africa. In contrast, economic openness is found to be beneficial to growth. More importantly, we find that, consistent with standard Mundell-Flemming type models and sticky-price open economy models, greater openness to trade and financial flows mitigates the adverse effects of crises. In the final chapter, we examine whether capital flows such as FDI, foreign aid and migrant remittances crowd-in or crowd-out domestic investment in developing countries. Applying recently developed panel cointegration techniques which can handle cross-sectional heterogeneity, serial correlation and endogeneity, we find that FDI and remittances have a positive and significant effect on domestic investment in the long-run while aid tends to act as a substitute for investment. We also conduct panel Granger causality analysis and find that the effect of FDI on investment is both transitory as well as permanent. That is, it tends to crowd-in domestic investment both in the short-run and in the long-run. We do not find any causal links between foreign aid and investment. The results show that, while remittances do not have causal effects on investment in the short-run, there is a bidirectional (causal) relationship between the two in the long-run.
Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors of Clostridium perfringens ε-Toxin Cytotoxicity Using a Cell-Based High-Throughput Screen

The Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin, a select agent, is responsible for a severe, often fatal enterotoxemia characterized by edema in the heart, lungs, kidney, and brain. The toxin is believed to be an oligomeric pore-forming toxin. Currently, there is no effective therapy for countering the cytotoxic activity of the toxin in exposed individuals. Using a robust cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS) assay, we screened a 151,616-compound library for the ability to inhibit ε-toxin-induced cytotoxicity. Survival of MDCK cells exposed to the toxin was assessed by addition of resazurin to detect metabolic activity in surviving cells. The hit rate for this screen was 0.6%. Following a secondary screen of each hit in triplicate and assays to eliminate false positives, we focused on three structurally-distinct compounds: an N-cycloalkylbenzamide, a furo[2,3-b]quinoline, and a 6H-anthra[1,9-cd]isoxazol. None of the three compounds appeared to inhibit toxin binding to cells or the ability of the toxin to form oligomeric complexes. Additional assays demonstrated that two of the inhibitory compounds inhibited ε-toxin-induced permeabilization of MDCK cells to propidium iodide. Furthermore, the two compounds exhibited inhibitory effects on cells pre-treated with toxin. Structural analogs of one of the inhibitors identified through the high-throughput screen were analyzed and provided initial structure-activity data. These compounds should serve as the basis for further structure-activity refinement that may lead to the development of effective anti-ε-toxin therapeutics.
Combined Complex-Valued Artificial Neural Network ( CCVANN )

— This study presents a new version of complex-valued artificial neural networks (CVANN) for the complex-valued pattern recognition and classification. Proposed new method is called as combined complex-valued artificial neural network (CCVANN) which is a combination of two complex-valued artificial neural networks. To check the validation of proposed method, complex-valued XOR benchmark problem is used. The accuracy of the CCVANN model is more satisfactory as compared to the existing studies in the literature. Moreover the proposed CCVANN models' results have lower recognition error than using a single CVANN model.
Phonotactics as phonology : Knowledge of a complex constraint in Dutch

The Dutch lexicon contains very few sequences of a long vowel followed by a consonant cluster, where the second member of the cluster is a non-coronal. We provide experimental evidence that Dutch speakers have implicit knowledge of this gap, which cannot be reduced to the probability of segmental sequences or to word-likeness as measured by neighborhood density. The experiment also shows that the ill-formedness of this sequence is mediated by syllable structure: it has a weaker effect on judgments when the last consonant begins a new syllable. We provide an account in terms of Hayes and Wilson’s Maximum Entropy model of phonotactics, using constraints that go beyond the complexity permitted by their model of constraint induction.
Changes in chronic respiratory symptoms in two populations of adults studied longitudinally over 13 years.

Data from two longitudinal studies conducted in Cracow, Poland, and Tucson, Arizona, USA, were used to evaluate the differences in period prevalence, incidence and remission rates of respiratory symptoms between two populations, as well as to assess the between-cities similarities in the relationships of the symptoms to age and smoking habit. The analysis was based on data from 3,082 adult Cracow residents, interviewed twice 13 yrs apart, and from 1,452 Tucson adults, with mean period between initial and final survey of 12.2 yrs. Log-linear models were used to consider possible interactions of the symptoms, age, smoking, gender and city. The relationship of the symptoms to smoking was similar in both cities, after adjustment for age and gender, with at least doubled incidence rates of most symptoms in continuous smokers compared to lifetime nonsmokers. The between-population differences in the symptoms were related to age, indicating onset of bronchitic symptoms occurring earlier in life in Cracow, and of asthmatic symptoms in Tucson. These differences were due to factors other than tobacco smoking e.g. various types of ambient air pollution.