Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GAUGE FIELDS ON RIEMANN-CARTAN SPACE-TIMES

Gauge fields are described on a Riemann-Cartan space-time by means of tensor-valued differential forms and exterior calculus. It is shown that minimal coupling procedure leads to a gauge invariant theory where gauge fields interact with torsion, and that consistency conditions for the gauge fields impose restrictions in the non-Riemannian structure of space-time. The new results differ from the well established ones obtained by using minimal coupling procedure at the action formulation. The sources of these differences are pointed out and discussed.
Unit Root Tests and Asymmetric Adjustment with an Example Using the Term Structure of Interest Rates

Replicates Enders and Granger(1998), "Unit-Root Tests and Asymmetric Adjustment with an Example Using the Term Structure of Interest Rates", JBES, vol 16, 304-11. The technical details of the program are described on pages 128 - 132 of Enders' "RATS Progamming Manual". (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
The visual magnocellular deficit in Chinese-speaking children with developmental dyslexia

Many alphabetic studies have evidenced that individuals with developmental dyslexia (DD) have deficits in visual magnocellular (M) pathway. However, there are few studies to investigate the M function of Chinese DD. Chinese is a logographic language, and Chinese characters are complicated in structure. Visual skills and orthographic processing abilities are particularly important for efficient reading in Chinese as compared to alphabetic languages. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the visual M function of Chinese DD and whether the M function was associated with orthographic skills. In the present study, 26 dyslexic children (mean age: 10.03 years) and 27 age-matched normal children (mean age: 10.37 years) took part in a coherent motion (CM) detection task and an orthographic awareness test. The results showed that dyslexic children had a significantly higher threshold than age-matched children in CM detection task. Meanwhile, children with DD responded more slowly in orthographic awareness test, although the group difference was marginally significant. The results suggested that Chinese dyslexics had deficits both in visual M pathway processing and orthographic processing. In order to investigate the relationship between M function and orthographic skills, we made a correlation analysis between CM threshold and orthographic awareness by merging performance of dyslexic children and age-matched children. The results revealed that CM thresholds were positively correlated with reaction times in orthographic awareness test, suggesting that better M function was related to better orthographic processing skills.
Optimal Anticoagulation during Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass in Patients Recently Exposed to Clopidogrel

Purpose The aim of this study was to find an optimal range of activated clotting time (ACT) during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB) yielding ischemic protection without the risk of hemorrhagic complications in patients with recent exposure to dual antiplatelet therapy. Materials and Methods Three hundred and five patients who received aspirin and clopidogrel within 7 days of isolated multi-vessel OPCAB were retrospectively studied. Combined hemorrhagic and ischemic outcome was defined as the occurrence of 1 of the following: significant perioperative bleeding (>30% of estimated blood volume), transfusion of packed red blood cell (pRBC) ≥2 U, or myocardial infarction (MI). This was compared in relation to the tertile distribution of the time-weighted average ACT-212-291 sec (first tertile), 292-334 sec (second tertile), 335-485 sec (third tertile). Results The amount of perioperative blood loss was 937±313 mL, 1014±340 mL, and 1076±383 mL, respectively (p=0.022). Significantly more patients in the third tertile developed MI (4%, 4%, and 12%, respectively, p=0.034). The incidence of significant perioperative blood loss and transfusion of pRBC ≥2 U were lower in the first tertile than those of other tertiles without statistical significance. In the multivariate analysis, the first tertile was associated with a 52% risk reduction of combined hemorrhagic and ischemic outcomes (95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.92, p=0.027). Conclusion A lower degree of anticoagulation with a reduced initial heparin loading dose should be carefully considered for patients undergoing OPCAB who have recently been exposed to clopidogrel.
Providing Earth Observation Data from Space: Economics and Institutions

Burgeoning interest in understanding global environmental change has greatly increased demand for remote sensing of the earth from space.1 Over 60 percent of a $1 billion U.S. budget to study global change during fiscal year 1991 was allocated to space-based environmental data collection, including down payment on a $52 billion space data program, the "Earth Observing System" (EOS), planned for the next 15 years. This substantial expenditure, together with the huge technological scale of EOS (it will consist of large orbital platforms each carrying a multitude of sensors), have promoted considerable debate and alternative proposals for smaller-scale, modular spacecraft each carrying one or a few sensors. Proponents of the alternatives hold that the smaller-scale approach, in addition to being less expensive, foregoes few scale economies and avoids the "eggs-in-one-basket" risk of EOS, in which failure in launching a spacecraft or failure of one instrument on a multi-instrument spacecraft causes failure of the whole system. Advocates of EOS are concerned that the small-scale approach not only fails to exploit scale economies but may yield much lower information content, claiming that significant economies of scope are obtainable in operating and taking measurements from sensors aggregated on large spacecraft. In this paper we first ask whether scale and scope economies appear substantial enough, and risk small enough, to justify the large-scale approach presently envisioned.2 We then ask two separate but related questions about the organization of the project, namely whether these supply attributes require the technology to be an almost exclusively governmental activity. A dearth of information about remote sensing economics forces our approach to the production technology to be heuristic rather than empirical. Subject to this constraint, we fail to find evidence of significant scale and scope effects in large spacecraft and sensor manufacturing and launch, even after taking account of risk differentials among largerscale and smaller-scale systems (the former tDiscussants: Arthur DeVany, University of California-Irvine; Nancy Rose, MIT; James Dearden, Lehigh University.
The Role of Intracellular Linkers in Gating and Desensitization of Human Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels

It has recently been proposed that post-translational modification of not only the M3–M4 linker but also the M1–M2 linker of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels modulates function in vivo. To estimate the involvement of the M1–M2 linker in gating and desensitization, we engineered a series of mutations to this linker of the human adult-muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR), the α3β4 AChR and the homomeric α1 glycine receptor (GlyR). All tested M1–M2 linker mutations had little effect on the kinetics of deactivation or desensitization compared with the effects of mutations to the M2 α-helix or the extracellular M2–M3 linker. However, when the effects of mutations were assessed with 50 Hz trains of ∼1 ms pulses of saturating neurotransmitter, some mutations led to much more, and others to much less, peak-current depression than observed for the wild-type channels, suggesting that these mutations could affect the fidelity of fast synaptic transmission. Nevertheless, no mutation to this linker could mimic the irreversible loss of responsiveness reported to result from the oxidation of the M1–M2 linker cysteines of the α3 AChR subunit. We also replaced the M3–M4 linker of the α1 GlyR with much shorter peptides and found that none of these extensive changes affects channel deactivation strongly or reduces the marked variability in desensitization kinetics that characterizes the wild-type channel. However, we found that these large mutations to the M3–M4 linker can have pronounced effects on desensitization kinetics, supporting the notion that its post-translational modification could indeed modulate α1 GlyR behavior.
The consequences of delegation to independent agencies: Separation of powers, discursive governance and the regulation of telecommunications in Germany

Whereas the delegation of regulatory powers is usually examined from the prin­ cipal's perspective, this article explores the consequences of delegation for the regulatory output. Empirically, it finds that the dissolution of the original German postal authority led to the establishment of a system of divided labour in which different actors, including an (almost) independent regulatory agency, depend on each other's performance of specialized functions. Theoretically, it contributes to the ongoing debate over the role and operation of independent agencies in two main respects. First, based on the modern theory of social systems, it draws attention to the fact that the reform process was characterized by an increased functional differentiation of institutional ized decision-making. Second, drawing on the Habermasian theory of communicative action, it is argued that functional differen­ tiation supports the transformation of interaction from interest-based bargaining to deli­ berative arguing both in the legislative and the administrative arenas. As political actors are made unable to resort to their power resources, reasons become a key source of influence. Independent regulatory agencies are a modern form of market regulation. While they were invented in the United States in the nineteenth century to protect administrative decision-making from partisan politics (Shapiro 1988), they have now spread all over the Western world with the task of regulating the public utilities (Majone 1996; Thatcher & Stone Sweet 2002). They also appear in the form of independent central banks or cartel offices. Even new political systems such as the European Union (Egan 1998) and polities with little experience in delegating functions to 'arm's length' institutions like Germany are increasingly coming to establish largely independent regulatory agencies (Dohler 2002). For a traditional 'Principal-Agent' approach, it is difficult to explain why legislatures establish regulatory agencies and central banks that are more or less independent from their principals because the approach focuses primarily on oversight. Delegation always establishes new actors that may develop and pursue their own interests, rather than those of their principals (Moe 1990: 121). Inevitably, it generates 'agency losses' and requires that efforts be made to ensure that an entrusted agent does that for which it was established.
Accelerating packets reception and forwarding in virtualized datacenters

In virtualized data centers, the last hop of the network is no longer handled by a physical network switch, but rather is performed in software inside the server to switch among virtual machines hosted by that server. However, the current I/O network virtualization based on the driver domain is an attractive model since it offers high flexibility and cost-effectiveness. However, it exhibits poor networking performance due to multiple memory transactions between the driver domain and the VM. This paper addresses this challenge by introducing the concept and design of a new I/O subsystem called Next Hop Bridge which identifies the packets belonging to the same flow and processes only the first one of a given flow within the virtual machine. NHB uses a flow table to store the needed information about the packets. Such a switching mechanism allows to considerably avoid unnecessary I/O transactions during the communication between the driver domain and the VM and hence make the VM throughput scale up to line rates.
On the Relationship of Stewardship and Valuation — An Analytical Viewpoint

type="main"> Agency theoretical literature in accounting has frequently stressed possible difficulties in pursuing stewardship and valuation usefulness simultaneously. However, recent empirical evidence has revealed a significantly positive correlation between the two objectives. These empirical findings provide support for the IASB/FASB's decision to encompass stewardship in valuation usefulness in their revised conceptual framework. The objective of our paper is to identify factors influencing the stewardship/valuation relationship by using an analytical model. In a Linear Exponential Normal (LEN) setting we focus on the characteristics of an accounting system, in particular relevance, freedom from error and freedom from bias, the latter two according to IASB/FASB being components of representational faithfulness. We show that accounting quality, comprising relevance and freedom from error, has similar effects on valuation and stewardship usefulness. However, we identify conditions under which there is no perfect mapping from stewardship to valuation. Moreover, discretion in the accounting system has different consequences for both objectives as it does not affect valuation usefulness while it entails potentially negative effects on stewardship. Thus, we raise doubts in relation to the standard-setters' view that stewardship is automatically met by a focus on valuation usefulness.
Effects of Insecticides on the Fluidity of Mitochondrial Membranes of the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella, Resistant and Susceptible to Avermectin

Abstract The effects of various insecticides on the fluidity of mitochondrial membranes and cross-resistance were investigated in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) using strains that were both resistant and susceptible to avermectin. The resistant strain of P. xylostella, AV-R, developed 1078-fold resistance to avermetins with a high level of cross-resistance to the analogs of avermectins, ivermectin and emamectin benzoate. It had more than 1000 times greater resistance when compared with the avermectin-susceptible strain, XH-S. Mitochondrial membrane fluidity was measured by detecting fluorescence polarization using DPH (1,6-Diphenyl -1,3,5-hexatriene) as the fluorescence probe. Abamectin, emamectin benzoate, ivermectin, cypermethrin and fenvalerate decreased the fluidity of mitochondrial membranes in the XH-S strain at 25°C. However, fipronil and acephate did not change the fluidity of mitochondrial membrane when the concentration of these insecticides was 1×10-4 mol/L. Membrane fluidity increased as the temperature increased. The thermotropic effect on the polarization value of DPH increased as the insecticide concentration was increased. There was a significant difference of mitochondrial membrane fluidity between both XH-S and AV-R when temperature was less than 25°C and no difference was observed when the temperature was more than 25°C. The low-dose abamectin (0.11 mg/L) in vivo treatment caused a significant change of membrane fluidity in the XH-S strain and no change in the AV-R strain. However, a high-dose abamectin (11.86 mg/L) resulted in 100% mortality of the XH-S strain. In vivo treatment may cause a significant change of membrane fluidity in the AV-R strain
Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Control of Permanent vs. Nonpermanent Atrial Fibrillation: Insights from the RealiseAF Survey

Background Atrial fibrillation can be categorized into nonpermanent and permanent atrial fibrillation. There is less information on permanent than on nonpermanent atrial fibrillation patients. This analysis aimed to describe the characteristics and current management, including the proportion of patients with successful atrial fibrillation control, of these atrial fibrillation subsets in a large, geographically diverse contemporary sample. Methods and Results Data from RealiseAF, an international, observational, cross-sectional survey of 10,491 patients with atrial fibrillation, were used to characterize permanent atrial fibrillation (N = 4869) and nonpermanent atrial fibrillation (N = 5622) patients. Permanent atrial fibrillation patients were older, had a longer time since atrial fibrillation diagnosis, a higher symptom burden, and were more likely to be physically inactive. They also had a higher mean (SD) CHADS2 score (2.2 [1.3] vs. 1.7 [1.3], p<0.001), and a higher frequency of CHADS2 score ≥2 (67.3% vs. 53.0%, p<0.001) and comorbidities, most notably heart failure. Physicians indicated using a rate-control strategy in 84.2% of permanent atrial fibrillation patients (vs. 27.5% in nonpermanent atrial fibrillation). Only 50.2% (N = 2262/4508) of permanent atrial fibrillation patients were controlled. These patients had a longer time since atrial fibrillation diagnosis, a lower symptom burden, less obesity and physical inactivity, less severe heart failure, and fewer hospitalizations for acute heart failure than uncontrolled permanent atrial fibrillation patients, but with more arrhythmic events. The most frequent causes of hospitalization in the last 12 months were acute heart failure and stroke. Conclusion Permanent atrial fibrillation is a high-risk subset of atrial fibrillation, representing half of all atrial fibrillation patients, yet rate control is only achieved in around half. Since control is associated with lower symptom burden and heart failure, adequate rate control is an important target for improving the management of permanent atrial fibrillation patients.
Slump, austerity and resistance

The Great Recession of 2008-9 represents a profound rupture in the neoliberal era, signalling the exhaustion of the accumulation regime that had emerged almost thirty years earlier. Rather than an ordinary recession, a short-lived downturn in the business cycle, it constituted a systemic crisis, a major contraction whose effects will be with us for many years to come. Among those effects are the extraordinary cuts to social programmes, and the resultant impoverishment, announced as part of the Age of Austerity inaugurated by all major states. But another effect, and for socialists ultimately the crucial one, is a new wave of mass working-class insurgency. Since the onset of the Great Recession, factory occupations, general strikes and street-based uprisings have burst forth from Greece to Guadeloupe and beyond. Whether this insurgent wave will be adequate to the task of overturning the ruling-class agenda is far from clear. What is clear is that the age of austerity has raised the bar for movements of resistance, obliging them to undertake much more militant and decisive oppositional practices or risk major defeats. Illuminating the context of these class struggles is a strategic necessity for any meaningful Left politics. To that end, this article explores the economic dynamics of the Great Recession, the bailout, and the abnormal ‘recovery’ that followed. It argues that while the recapitalization of banks did stop the financial collapse, monetary policy (‘quantitative easing’) can no more generate sustained growth today than it has in Japan over the past 15 years. As a result, we can expect a prolonged period of austerity, of food crises in the Global South, and of attacks on public services and working classes – all of which raise key political challenges for the Left.
How the Kondo ground state avoids the orthogonality catastrophe

In the presence of a magnetic impurity the spin-up and down band states are modified differently by the impurity. If the multi-electron scalar product (MESP) between the occupied spin-up and down states approaches zero then this defines an orthogonality catastrophe. In the present paper the MESP is investigated for the FAIR (Friedel Artificial Iserted Resonance) solution for a Friedel-Anderson impurity. A basis of Wilson states is used. The MESP is numerically determined for the (enforced) magnetic, the singlet, and the triplet states as a function of the number N of Wilson states. The magnetic and the triplet state show an exponentially decreasing MESP as a function of N. Surprisingly it is not the number of states which causes this decrease. It is instead the energy separation of the highest occupied state from the Fermi energy which determines the reduction of the MESP. In the singlet state the ground-state requires a finite MESP to optimize its energy. As a consequence there is no orthogonality catastrophe. The MESP approaches a saturation value as function of N.
An alternative method to estimate zero flow temperature differences for Granier's thermal dissipation technique.

Calibration of the Granier thermal dissipation technique for measuring stem sap flow in trees requires determination of the temperature difference (DeltaT) between a heated and an unheated probe when sap flow is zero (DeltaT(max)). Classically, DeltaT(max) has been estimated from the maximum predawn DeltaT, assuming that sap flow is negligible at nighttime. However, because sap flow may continue during the night, the maximum predawn DeltaT value may underestimate the true DeltaT(max). No alternative method has yet been proposed to estimate DeltaT(max) when sap flow is non-zero at night. A sensitivity analysis is presented showing that errors in DeltaT(max) may amplify through sap flux density computations in Granier's approach, such that small amounts of undetected nighttime sap flow may lead to large diurnal sap flux density errors, hence the need for a correct estimate of DeltaT(max). By rearranging Granier's original formula, an optimization method to compute DeltaT(max) from simultaneous measurements of diurnal DeltaT and micrometeorological variables, without assuming that sap flow is negligible at night, is presented. Some illustrative examples are shown for sap flow measurements carried out on individuals of Erica arborea L. , which has needle-like leaves, and Myrica faya Ait. , a broadleaf species. We show that, although DeltaT(max) values obtained by the proposed method may be similar in some instances to the DeltaT(max) predicted at night, in general the values differ. The procedure presented has the potential of being applied not only to Granier's method, but to other heat-based sap flow systems that require a zero flow calibration, such as the Cermák et al. (1973) heat balance method and the T-max heat pulse system of Green et al. (2003).