Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ISOELASTIC ELASTICITY OF SUBSTITUTION PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS

We generalize the normalized constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function by allowing the elasticity of substitution to vary isoelastically with (i) the relative factor share, (ii) the marginal rate of substitution, (iii) the capital–labor ratio, (iv) the capital share, (v) the capital’s rate of return, or (vi) the capital–output ratio. Ensuing isoelastic elasticity of substitution (IEES) functions have intuitively and analytically desirable properties, for example, self-duality. Empirically, for the post-war US economy we robustly reject the CES specification in favor of the IEES alternative. Assuming the IEES production structure we find that the capital–labor elasticity of substitution has remained around 0.8–0.9 from 1948 to the 1980s, followed by a period of secular decline.
Cross-bridges mediate anterograde and retrograde vesicle transport along microtubules in squid axoplasm

To assay the detailed structural relationship between axonally transported vesicles and their substrate microtubules, vesicle transport was focally cold blocked in axoplasm that was extruded from the squid giant axon. A brief localized cold block concentrated anterogradely and retrogradely transported vesicles selectively on either the proximal or or distal side of the block. Normal movement of the concentrated vesicles was reactivated by rewarming the cold-blocked axoplasm. At the periphery of the axoplasm, moving vesicles were located on individual microtubules that had become separated from the other cytomatrix components. The presence of moving vesicles on isolated microtubules permitted the identification of the structural components required for vesicle transport along microtubules. The results show that 16-18-nm cross-bridges connect both anterogradely and retrogradely moving vesicles to their substrate microtubules. These observations demonstrate that cross-bridges are fundamental are fundamental components of vesicle transport along axonal microtubules. Thus, vesicle transport can now be included among those cell motile systems such as muscle and axonemes that are based on a cross-bridge- mediated mechanism.
Outage Capacity for MISO Intensity-Modulated Free-Space Optical Links With Misalignment

The outage capacity of slow-fading free-space optical channels is analyzed for a multiple-input/single-output configuration in the presence of atmospheric and misalignment fading. A spatial repetition code is considered at the transmitter and a closed-form expression for the outage capacity is developed. In addition, a simple asymptotic closed-form expression is derived at high signal-to-noise ratio. Two methods are considered for system design using the derived outage capacity results with different beam configurations. The outage capacity is optimized over a predetermined set using numerical techniques. Using the asymptotic form of the outage capacity, however, a closed form for the optimum beamwidth is derived. A comparison of simulation results in both cases gives very similar performance indicating the effectiveness of the asymptotic form to provide a near-optimum expression for the beamwidth.
Semantic Negotiation : Co-identifying objects across data sources

Integrating and composing web services from different providers requires a solution for the problem of different providers using different names for the same object. We argue that while URIs might be adequate for creating shared namespaces for classes and property types, the practical difficulties associated with everyone using the same URI for individual objects makes exclusive dependence on this approach untenable. We first consider the use of shared keys to solve this matching problem and discuss some of the problems associated with this approach. We introduce the concept of DD, a generalization of keys and discuss some conditions under which common DDs guarantee correct matches. We then propose a probabilistic approach to matching and consider, with empirical validation, approximations as a solution to the problem of requiring a combinatorially large number of probabilities. Finally, we introduce Semantic Negotiation, a process by which two agents can negotiate a mutually comprehensible reference for an object.
Regioselective Biolistic Targeting in Organotypic Brain Slices Using a Modified Gene Gun

Transfection of DNA has been invaluable for biological sciences and with recent advances to organotypic brain slice preparations, the effect of various heterologous genes could thus be investigated easily while maintaining many aspects of in vivo biology. There has been increasing interest to transfect terminally differentiated neurons for which conventional transfection methods have been fraught with difficulties such as low yields and significant losses in viability. Biolistic transfection can circumvent many of these difficulties yet only recently has this technique been modified so that it is amenable for use in mammalian tissues. New modifications to the accelerator chamber have enhanced the gene gun's firing accuracy and increased its depths of penetration while also allowing the use of lower gas pressure (50 psi) without loss of transfection efficiency as well as permitting a focused regioselective spread of the particles to within 3 mm. In addition, this technique is straight forward and faster to perform than tedious microinjections. Both transient and stable expression are possible with nanoparticle bombardment where episomal expression can be detected within 24 hr and the cell survival was shown to be better than, or at least equal to, conventional methods. This technique has however one crucial advantage: it permits the transfection to be localized within a single restrained radius thus enabling the user to anatomically isolate the heterologous gene's effects. Here we present an in-depth protocol to prepare viable adult organotypic slices and submit them to regioselective transfection using an improved gene gun.
Old maids have more appeal: effects of age and pheromone source on mate attraction in an orb-web spider

Background. In many insects and spider species, females attract males with volatile sex pheromones, but we know surprisingly little about the costs and benefits of female pheromone emission. Here, we test the hypothesis that mate attraction by females is dynamic and strategic in the sense that investment in mate attraction is matched to the needs of the female. We use the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi in which females risk the production of unfertilised egg clutches if they do not receive a copulation within a certain time-frame. Methods. We designed field experiments to compare mate attraction by recently matured (young) females with females close to oviposition (old). In addition, we experimentally separated the potential sources of pheromone transmission, namely the female body and the web silk. Results. In accordance with the hypothesis of strategic pheromone production, the probability of mate attraction and the number of males attracted differed between age classes. While the bodies and webs of young females were hardly found by males, the majority of old females attracted up to two males within two hours. Old females not only increased pheromone emission from their bodies but also from their webs. Capture webs alone spun by old females were significantly more efficient in attracting males than webs of younger females. Discussion. Our results suggest that females modulate their investment in signalling according to the risk of remaining unmated and that they thereby economize on the costs associated with pheromone production and emission.
Torsion points on subvarieties of G n m Iskander Aliev and Chris Smyth May

This paper is devoted to finding solutions of polynomial equations in roots of unity. It was conjectured by S. Lang and proved by M. Laurent that all such solutions can be described in terms of a finite number of parametric families called maximal torsion cosets. We obtain new explicit upper bounds for the number of maximal torsion cosets on an algebraic subvariety of G n m. Our bounds improve on those currently in the literature, being the first that grow only polynomially with the maximum total degree of its defining polynomials.
Comparative Analysis of Multi‐Criteria Decision‐Making Methods for Seismic Structural Retrofitting

Abstract: The selection of a strategy to seismically upgrade an existing building is a difficult problem. In fact, several different technologies are available to this aim nowadays. Furthermore, many generally conflicting options have to be considered to assess the performance of each alternative. Decision support systems like the so‐called multi‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM) methods may be useful in making, as much as possible, an objective and rational choice. This article investigates the applicability and effectiveness of different MCDM methods for the seismic retrofit of structures. Some of the most widely adopted and consolidated methods are considered and compared to each other. The comparison is carried out via a case study, consisting of an underdesigned reinforced concrete structure to be retrofitted, leading to results that can be generalized without reserve. Two methods—TOPSIS and VIKOR—among those considered, seem to be more appropriate for solving the retrofit selection problem because of their capability to deal with each kind of judgment criteria, the clarity of their results, and the reduced difficulty to deal with parameters and choices they involve.
The "New" Science of "Complex Fluids"

We present an overview of the modern study of complex fluids which, because of the overwhelming breadth and richness of this field, unavoidably neglects many interesting systems and research developments. In proposing a definition of the field, we discuss first the special role played by phenomenological theory and the limitations of molecular-level description. The remainder of the article is organized into sections which treat model colloids, micellized surfactant solutions, interfacial films and microemulsions, bilayers and membranes, and new materials. In each instance we try to provide a physical basis for the special nature of interactions and long-range ordering transitions in these novel colloidal and thin layer systems. At the heart of understanding these highly varied phenomena lie the curvature dependence of surface energies and the coupling between self-assembly on small length scales and phase changes at large ones.
How clonal are human mitochondria?

Phylogenetic trees constructed using human mitochondrial sequences contain a large number of homoplasies. These are due either to repeated mutation or to recombination between mitochondrial lineages. We show that a tree constructed using synonymous variation in the protein coding sequences of 29 largely complete human mitochondrial molecules contains 22 homoplasies at 32 phylogenetically informative sites. This level of homoplasy is very unlikely if inheritance is clonal, even if we take into account base composition bias. There must either be ‘hypervariable’ sites or recombination between mitochondria. We present evidence which suggests that hypervariable sites do not exist in our data. It therefore seems likely that recombination has occurred between mitochondrial lineages in humans.
Lowering Error Floors Using Dithered Belief Propagation

We propose dithered belief propagation decoding algorithms to reduce the number of decoding failures of a belief propagation decoder and lower the error floor. The random nature of the algorithms enables a low hardware complexity compared to previously reported techniques. We introduce two dithering methods that target check node operations and channel input values, respectively. We present simulation results that confirm the error rate gains in the floor region, and that relate those gains with the maximum number of decoding iterations. The results show that the first algorithm can achieve good error rate gains with a low iteration limit. For the second algorithm, results show that with a large iteration limit, high FER gains are possible. Furthermore the average time complexity remains the same as that of a standard belief propagation algorithm.
The Efficacy of SARIMA Models for Forecasting Inflation Rates in Developing Countries: The Case for Turkey

This paper analyzes the efficacy of SARIMA models in view of forecasting the inflation rates in the Turkish economy. We perform rigorous tests on the stationarity and show that seasonality in the Turkish inflation rate is both deterministic and stochastic in nature, with the latter form dominating the inflation process. Further, we provide the first study that tests for fractional integration in a Turkish inflation series from 2003 to 2009. The proposed SARIMA model is derived by a systematic modeling strategy with the step- wise selection procedure of the novel Hyndman-Khandakar (HK) algorithm. Our results suggest a single best SARIMA model that provides a parsimonious and accurate representation of the Turkish inflation process from 2003 to 2009.
The Digital Music Market: a study of Brazilian consumers’ behavior

The convergence between technology, the Internet and music brought about great challenges to the recording industry worldwide. Despite digital music’s revenue growth, the music industry has declined significantly over recent years. To attract new customers and compete with other ways of getting music on the network, record companies and on-line music providers must figure out who their potential customers are. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the characteristics and behavior of digital music users, as well as of those who are willing to pay or unwilling to use this service, in order to fully understand this market’s context. These are the study’s main findings: 1) 88% of the sample of Brazilian Internet users are also digital music users; 2) their profile is significantly related to the profile of Internet usage (social networking and entertainment); 3) non-users fail to use digital music mainly due to lack of knowledge on how to do it; 4) 66.4% intend to pay for digital music; 5) they share one characteristic: they frequently shop online; 6) people who are willing to pay for digital music receive the difference between legal and illegal music, and do not value the Internet much. We hope this study will promote efficient, customer-oriented marketing actions.
Librarianship: The Erosion of a Woman's Profession

Librarianship is undergoing a profound period of change due to pressures generated from within the profession as well as to shifts in the economy. The processes shaping the future of this field cannot be fully understood if we ignore the fact that, for more than 100 years, library work in North America has been women's work. As a result, the members of this profession experience great doubt about their field and its image. In their attempts to enhance its status to conform more with the model of professionalism exhibited by traditionally male fields such as medicine and law, librarians run the risk of losing their identity and, ultimately, control over their profession.This book addresses these issues from a feminist perspective. The developments in the field are also considered from a comparative perspective in that they are compared to the changes taking place in other female-intensive fields such as nursing and social work. This is the first thorough look at these issues from the point of view of librarianship's history as a woman's field.
Kuopion Yliopiston Julkaisuja G. -a.i.virtanen-instituutti 21 Kuopio University Publications G. A.i.virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences 21 Molecular Mechanisms of the Effects of Uncompetitive Nmda-antagonist Mk-801 on Creb Related Transcription Factors My Sincere Gratitude Goes to My Superviso

Kopijyvä Kuopio 2004 Finland 2 Storvik, Markus. Molecular mechanisms of the effects of uncompetitive NMDA-antagonist MK-801 on CREB related transcription factors. Kuopio University Publications G. A.I. ABSTRACT Uncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, such as dizocilpine (MK-801) and memantine, bind to the NMDA receptor channel, and block Ca 2+ influx. The increase in intracellular concentration of second messengers, such as Ca 2+ and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), activate the transcription of certain genes. This process is controlled by cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor that can be activated by synaptic activity. The aim of the present study was to characterize alterations in the expression of transcription factors produced by NMDA receptor antagonists. Regulation of gene expression of CREB and its modulators, and glutamate receptor subunits were studied after MK-801 administration. In addition, the gene expression profiles in rat brains after MK-801, with or without cocaine, were studied with DNA micro-and macro arrays. High, but transient induction of genes related to CREB, such as inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) and other CREM-family transcripts, were found following uncompetitive NMDA antagonist treatment. These induced transcripts, alone or in heterodimers with other transcription factors, were found to bind CRE-elements in DNA. The uncompetitive NMDA antagonists are therefore capable of altering the transcription of genes expressed in neurons. The effect of the acute NMDA-antagonist MK-801 on the expression of glutamate receptor subunits was also determined and mGluR3, GluR3 and GluR4 were affected. Finally, two DNA microarray experiments were performed after treatment with acute MK-801, acute cocaine, or after a combination of MK-801 and cocaine. The expression of altered genes on parietal cortex, frontal cortex, and in nucleus accumbens was profiled. Although MK-801 did not prevent the alterations in gene expression caused by cocaine, a high number of transcription factors and signalling transduction genes were among the 850 candidate genes. In conclusion, these findings provide new information about the acute effects of uncompetitive NMDA on the regulation of gene transcription, which in turn leads to long-term changes in the brain. These findings should help to determine the baseline of how alterations in gene expression in brain develop during NMDA antagonist treatment. 3 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was carried out in the A. who are the people who showed me what science is. I lack enough superlatives to properly thank them for the vital support and the time they found for discussions. Also many thanks …
Tensor restricted isometry property for multilinear sparse system of genomic interactions

We develop a tensor based multilinear system framework. We have shown that the TRIP gives the conditions for the sparse multilinear system to have a unique solution. We use this formulation to leverage existing theory from compressed sensing to efficiently infer the unknown coefficients. Moreover, we have also proven that the sparse signals can be recovered through the l1 minimization. In our future work, we will provide some numerical methods based on l1 minimization to approximate the solution to the multilinear system.
An Insertion Sequence-Dependent Plasmid Rearrangement in Aeromonas salmonicida Causes the Loss of the Type Three Secretion System

Aeromonas salmonicida, a bacterial fish pathogen, possesses a functional Type Three Secretion System (TTSS), which is essential for its virulence. The genes for this system are mainly located in a single region of the large pAsa5 plasmid. Bacteria lose the TTSS region from this plasmid through rearrangements when grown in stressful growth conditions. The A. salmonicida genome is rich in insertion sequences (ISs), which are mobile DNA elements that can cause DNA rearrangements in other bacterial species. pAsa5 possesses numerous ISs. Three IS11s from the IS256 family encircle the rearranged regions. To confirm that these IS11s are involved in pAsa5 rearrangements, 26 strains derived from strain A449 and two Canadian isolates (01-B526 and 01-B516) with a pAsa5 rearrangement were tested using a PCR approach to determine whether the rearrangements were the result of an IS11-dependent process. Nine out of the 26 strains had a positive PCR result, suggesting that the rearrangement in these strains were IS-dependent. The PCR analysis showed that all the rearrangements in the A449-derived strains were IS11-dependent process while the rearrangements in 01-B526 and 01-B516 could only be partially coupled to the action of IS11. Unidentified elements that affect IS-dependent rearrangements may be present in 01-B526 and 01-B516. Our results suggested that pAsa5 rearrangements involve IS11. This is the first study showing that ISs are involved in plasmid instability in A. salmonicida.
Stimulating diversity outcomes? A multicase study exploring entrepreneurial architecture and storytelling in higher education institutions

v List of Figures. xi List of Tables. xii Chapter I: Introduction. 1 The Supreme Court Rulings on Affirmative Action . 2 The Mission of Higher Education. 4 Diversity in Higher Education. 6 Diversity & Marketization in Higher Education . 8 Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. 9 The Architecture of Entrepreneurship . 11 Entrepreneurial Storytelling: Entrepreneurship to Institutional Diversity . 12 Statement of the Problem. 14 Purpose of the Study. 16 Research Questions . 16 Significance of the Study. 17 Research . 17 Policy . 18 Practice . 18 Delimitations. 20 Organization of the Study. 21 Chapter II: Literature Review and Setting of the Study . 22 Diversity in Higher Education. 22
New rights for old: Flexi‐working and sex discrimination

Employees have a statutory right to request a change to their working hours or conditions to enable them to care for children (so long as they meet certain criteria). The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 enables workers to claim that a requirement, such as to work on a full‐time basis, is discriminatory. There are no eligibility requirements for this argument although there is an evidentiary burden. The penalties for breach of the Sex Discrimination Act are greater than the new right. To what extent do the new Flexible Working Regulations provide a right to a change in working patterns, and what role remains for the Sex Discrimination Act?