Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring Engineering Students’ Beliefs on Effort and Intelligence

Nora Honken holds degrees in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech and Arizona State University. She will receive a PHD in Education Leadership, Foundations and Human Development from the University of Louisville in May 2014. She has held positions in engineering and management for Axxess Technologies, Varian, Amoco and Corning, and has taught in industry, at community college and at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Her research interests include engineering student performance and retention, and how to best teach work skills throughout the engineering curriculum.
Density of the circular chromatic numbers of series‐parallel graphs

Suppose G is a series‐parallel graph. It was proved in 3 that either χc(G) = 3 or χc(G) ≤ 8/3. So none of the rationals in the interval (8/3, 3) is the circular chromatic number of a series‐parallel graph. This paper proves that for every rational r ∈ [2, 8/3] ∪ {3} there exists a series‐parallel graph G with χc(G) = r. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 46:57–68, 2004
Analysis of the residue–residue coevolution network and the functionally important residues in proteins

It is a common belief that some residues of a protein are more important than others. In some cases, point mutations of some residues make butterfly effect on the protein structure and function, but in other cases they do not. In addition, the residues important for the protein function tend to be not only conserved but also coevolved with other interacting residues in a protein. Motivated by these observations, the authors propose that there is a network composed of the residues, the residue–residue coevolution network (RRCN), where nodes are residues and links are set when the coevolutionary interaction strengths between residues are sufficiently large. The authors build the RRCN for the 44 diverse protein families. The interaction strengths are calculated by using McBASC algorithm. After constructing the RRCN, the authors identify residues that have high degree of connectivity (hub nodes), and residues that play a central role in network flow of information (CI nodes). The authors show that these residues are likely to be functionally important residues. Moreover, the CI nodes appear to be more relevant to the function than the hub nodes. Unlike other similar methods, the method described in this study is solely based on sequences. Therefore, the method can be applied to the function annotation of a wider range of proteins. Proteins 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of the modified optical properties and band structure of GaAs1-xSbx-capped InAs/GaAs quantum dots

The origin of the modified optical properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QD) capped with a thin GaAs1−xSbx layer is analyzed in terms of the band structure. To do so, the size, shape, and composition of the QDs and capping layer are determined through cross-sectional scanning tunnelling microscopy and used as input parameters in an 8 × 8 k·p model. As the Sb content is increased, there are two competing effects determining carrier confinement and the oscillator strength: the increased QD height and reduced strain on one side and the reduced QD-capping layer valence band offset on the other. Nevertheless, the observed evolution of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity with Sb cannot be explained in terms of the oscillator strength between ground states, which decreases dramatically for Sb > 16%, where the band alignment becomes type II with the hole wavefunction localized outside the QD in the capping layer. Contrary to this behaviour, the PL intensity in the type II QDs is similar (at 15 K) or even larger .
Comparison of extraction methods for the rapid determination of essential oil content and composition of basil

Essential oils were extracted from leaves, flowers, and stems of Ocimum basilicurn, O. kilimandschar icum, and O. micranthum by solvent extraction, hydrodistillation, and steam distillation for essential oil content and the oil analyzed by GC and GC/MS for composition. While the yield of essential oil was consistently higher from steam distillation than hydrodistillation, a similar number of compounds was recovered from both hydrodistillation and steam distillation. Though the relative concentration of the major constituents was similar by both methods, the absolute amounts were higher with steam distillation. Essential oil content and composition varied by plant species and plant part. Essential oil content was highest in flowers for O. basilicum and in leaves for O. micranthum. No significant differences were observed in essential oil yield and relative concentration of major constituents using fresh or dry samples and using samples from 75 g to 10 g of dry plant tissue. While minor differences between hydrodis- tillation and steam distillation were observed, both methods resulted in high yields and good recovery of essential oil constituents. Hydrodistillation is a more-rapid and simpler technique than steam and permits the extraction of essential oil where steam is not accessible. Essential oils are a diverse group of natural products that are important sources of aromatic and flavoring chemicals in food, industrial, and pharmaceutical products. Essential oils are largely composed of terpenes and aromatic polypropanoid compounds derived from the acetate-mevalonic acid and the shikimic acid pathways, respectively. Essential oil composition of plants var- ies and is due to genetic and environmental factors that influence genetic expression (Bernath, 1986). The essential oil content of plant tissue also varies with developmental stage (Burbott and Loomis, 1967), and can vary by extraction methods (Guenther, 1972).
Assessing Financial Integration of BRICS Equity Markets: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract This article examines the degree of financial integration among the equity markets of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) by using monthly data collected for the period 2005–2014. The study employs Johansen cointegration test, vector error correction model (VECM), and Granger causality test which confirm the existence of relationship in the short and long run among the equity markets of BRICS. Further results exhibit that there exists cointegration or a long-run relationship among the equity markets, but weak cointegration, though the results of Granger causality test do not display existence of any causality among market pairs such as China–Brazil, Russia–Brazil, South Africa–Brazil, Russia–China, and South Africa–India. The results indicate that even though the financial integration among the equity markets of BRICS is on ascendance, it is yet incomplete. This work suggests harmonization of laws, regulations, and operations based on international principles and appropriate regulatory supervision among BRICS nations in order to minimize the risk of financial integration, besides further relaxing restrictions on capital account for expedited financial integration.
The Post-flood Impacts on Farmers, Agricultural Sector and Food Security in Kelantan

Similar to other countries across the globe, Malaysia experiences climate change and this phenomenon has caused natural disasters such as flood. The objective of this paper is to analyse the perception level toward the impacts of flood on the farming community. A total of 371 farmers in Kelantan who were victims of the flood disaster in 2014 were selected as respondents. The findings confirmed that majority of the respondents (42.9%) had individually suffered losses worth RM 4,001 or more because of the disaster. The flood had negatively affected the flood victims as most of them were low income earners. Majority of the respondents would need two to five months to recover emotionally and psychologically, that is, the same duration needed to resume their normal farming activities.
Antioxidant Function of the Mitochondrial Protein SP-22 in the Cardiovascular System*

The mitochondrial protein SP-22 has recently been reported to be a member of the thioredoxin-dependent peroxide reductase family, suggesting that it may be one of the antioxidant systems in mitochondria, which are the major site of reactive oxygen intermediate generation. The aim of this study was to examine whether SP-22 is involved in mitochondrial antioxidant mechanisms and whether its expression is induced by oxidative stresses, particularly those in mitochondria. The expression of SP-22 protein was enhanced by about 1.5–4.6-fold when bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were exposed to various oxidative stresses, including mitochondrial respiratory inhibitors which increased the superoxide generation in BAEC mitochondria. The expression of SP-22 mRNA increased 2.0–3.5-fold with a peak at 3–6 h after exposure to Fe2+/dithiothreitol or a respiratory inhibitor, antimycin A. BAEC with an increased level of SP-22 protein caused by pretreatment with mild oxidative stress became tolerant to subsequent intense oxidative stress. On the other hand, BAEC that had been depleted of SP-22 with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide against SP-22 mRNA became more labile to oxidative stress than control BAEC. The induction of SP-22 protein by oxidative stress in vivo was demonstrated in an experimental model of myocardial infarction in rat heart. These findings indicate that SP-22 functions as an antioxidant in mitochondria of the cardiovascular system.
Studying transactions of economic agents in the situation of insolvency (neo-institutional approach): the cases of France and Russia

Introduction. A large number of different forms of transactions between agents are used by economic actors when performing economic and other activities. The foundations of neo-institutional theory are based on studying economic rather than legal aspects of various contracts, content and characteristics of mutual economic ties of actors in various types of contractual relationships, as well as the role and level of influence of specific contracts on individuals when using such contracts in various types of economic activities. Together, this determines the significance of the level of transaction arrangements in the conditions of insolvency, which affects the effectiveness in resolving crisis situations in terms of maximisation of public welfare. When carrying out transactions, agents demonstrate opportunism, which leads to the need for its in-depth analysis. When crisis situations related to insolvency or having other causes emerge, an urgent scientific objective is to study opportunistic behaviour of economic actors and to form mechanisms of its neutralisation. Methodology. The research is based on the methodology of neo-institutionalism. Analytical and information reports of the Coface Group, Paris Commercial Court, commercial courts of the Russian Federation, as well as results of surveys were used to conduct the research. The purpose of the research is to analyse transactions between economic actors in crisis situations of insolvency applying methodological tools of neo-institutionalism. Results. The authors have substantiated the conditions for resolving mutual opportunism in interaction between top managers of organisations in crisis and creditors, identified unified forms of opportunism, developed their own approach to the neutralisation of mutual opportunism through a system of penal sanctions which can contribute to the implementation of the practices of containment and compensation, as well as to transferring the authority to take and implement managerial decisions from top managers of an enterprise which is in crisis situation to third parties determined by the court. Conclusions. The global nature of contractual relationships leads to the emergence of opportunistic behaviour of economic actors represented by both top managers of the organisation in crisis and investors, which significantly decreases chances to achieve positive results in resolving problems and facilitating recovery from the crisis. The latter determines the importance of developing the institution of bankruptcy taking into account the necessary regulations aimed at neutralising opportunism.
Hyaluronic acid versus saline intra‐articular injections for amelioration of chronic knee osteoarthritis: A canine model

The objective of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of intra‐articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) versus saline for symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Twenty‐five adult purpose‐bred dogs underwent meniscal release of one knee. Clinical, arthroscopic, and radiographic signs of OA were confirmed in all dogs prior to treatment. Dogs were randomized into five groups: HA‐1 (n = 5), HA‐3 (n = 5), HA‐5 (n = 5), Saline‐1 (n = 5), and Saline‐3 (n = 5). Each dog received intra‐articular injections of the respective substance into the affected knee at the pre‐determined time points. Dogs were assessed for heat, swelling, and erythema after each injection and for lameness, pain, effusion, range of motion, kinetics, radiographic OA scoring, and arthroscopic scoring prior to treatment and for 6 months after injection. Dogs were then humanely euthanatized and the knees assessed grossly and histologically. Only mild heat, swelling, and/or erythema were noted in some dogs following injection and resolved within 1 week. Dogs treated with HA‐1, HA‐3, and HA‐5 were significantly (p < 0.05) better than dogs treated with Saline‐1 and Saline‐3 at the 4, 8, and 12 week time points based on at least one outcome measure. OA severity was not significantly different among groups at any time point, but increased in severity over time in all groups. Gross and histologic OA scores were not significantly different among groups. These data suggest the three HA injection protocols were safe, superior to saline for short‐term amelioration of symptoms associated with chronic OA, and can be translated to human OA treatment. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:1772–1779, 2016.
Created Objects, Coherence and Anaphora

This paper considers the possibility of anaphoric dependencies to the objects of creation verbs in progressive aspect. It is shown that such dependencies are possible in the right circumstances and a classification of the felicitous cases is proposed. A formal analysis making use of pragmatic information and discourse structure is given. Finally, some broader implications of the analysis are discussed.
Modelling social behavior with a socio psychological simulation approach

The research work presented here seeks answers to the following question: What are the conditions that foster widespread, effective inner dynamics that change collective environmental overuse (in thinking and action) to collective, environmentally-responsible thinking and acting? Our research approaches this question using computer simulation. The simulation is based upon a model that is a highly expanded extension of the rational choice model. The model goes beyond the "economic man" approach to include inner psychological factors, such as motives, values, and attitudes, and it considers social influences on a person's behavior. To this purpose, we first design a basic model of an individual, which - as 10,000 identically structured copies (equipped, however, with individually different characteristics) - serves as the basis for the simulated influencing and resource-use processes. The model yields information about the inner psychological processes that take place when people use environmental resources. These processes change, in dependency on further internal and external conditions, the ways in which we feel, think, and argue about the environment and the way we act toward the environment. The simulated individuals have at their disposal variously structured social contact nets. Using simulation, the following research questions are investigated: - How must a minority of people behaving in an environmentally friendly way be distributed and networked within a population in order that the environmentally unfriendly majority comes to change its attitudes and behavior? - What types of role models for behavior are required for the population to follow the example of such pioneers? - How must the social surround be perceived for people to become willing to use an environmental resource sustainably? - What is the effect of convincing attempts (persuasion) in populations, according to individuals' concern about the environment, knowledge of the environment, and biases? A highly condensed summary of the results yields the following conclusion: For a collective reorientation in a population towards environmentally sustaining behavior to occur, there must be - with the forms of intervention we have proposed - a sufficient number of active, "convinced" persons who have "close" enough relations with other persons. The present contribution attempts to show that the old triad of "traditional information campaigns", "legal measures", and "economic measures" can be complemented by additional, novel strategies. These potentially successful forms of intervention should be tested in practical application.
Genomic and phenotypic characterization of nurse-like cells that promote drug resistance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Here, we examined both genetic and phenotypic determinants of nurse-like cells (NLCs) to better predict their putative functions in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We showed that NLCs belong to the wound-healing macrophage subset (so-called ‘M2 subset’), but most of all, unsupervised clustering analysis positions NLCs as CLL-specific tumor associated macrophages (TAMs). Chemokinome assays confirmed that NLCs secrete prototypical M2 cytokines and chemokines. Extending previous reports of fludarabine resistance, NLCs are able to promote multidrug resistance. Altogether, we propose that NLCs are not just nursing, but actively participate in the setting of an environment-mediated drug resistance (EM-DR) and immune escape for CLL cells.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES RISK MANAGEMENT, CAPITAL BUDGETING AND CAPITAL STRUCTURE POLICY FOR INSURERS AND REINSURERS

This paper builds on Froot and Stein (1998) in developing a framework for analyzing the risk allocation, capital budgeting, and capital structure decisions facing insurers and reinsurers. The model incorporates three key features: i) value-maximizing insurers and reinsurers face productmarket as well as capital market imperfections that give rise to well-founded concerns with risk management and capital allocation; ii) some, but not all, of the risks they face can be frictionlessly hedged in the capital market; iii) the distribution of their cashflows may be asymmetric, which alters the demand for underwriting and hedging. We show that these features result in a three-factor model that determines the pricing and allocation of risk and the optimal capital structure of the firm. This approach allows us to integrate these features into: i) the pricing of risky investment, underwriting, reinsurance, and hedging; and ii) the allocation of risk across all of these opportunities, and the optimal amount of surplus capital held by the firm. Kenneth A. Froot Graduate School of Business Harvard University Soldiers Field Boston, MA 02163 and NBER kfroot@hbs.edu
Current state of knowledge about the mechanisms of alcohol tolerance

Far from being a simple homeostatic response to the presence of ethanol in the brain, tolerance is now recognized as a complex process which can develop within various time frames (acute, rapid, chronic) and in which the drug interacts with various environmental and cognitive factors, including associative and operant learning. A major question is whether the acute form is an innate adaptive response, which is converted into the rapid and chronic forms by the action of these external influences. So far, all behavioral and neuropharmacological manipulations that alter chronic tolerance also modify rapid and acute tolerance in similar ways. These include lesions of serotonergic forebrain projections, blockade of NMDA‐type glutamate receptors and calcium “L” channels, central or peripheral injection of vasopressin and blockade of vasopressin V1 receptors. Cytochemical and immunofluorescence studies, combined with use of retrograde tracers, indicate the existence of a septohippocampal circuit which may mediate the interactions of these diverse elements in the production and maintenance of tolerance. There is limited evidence that development of tolerance leads to increased consumption of ethanol in experimental animals, but the clinical significance of these findings remains to be proven.
E-commerce adaptation using ontologies for e-tourism

The Internet is already the primary source of tourist destination information for travelers. Digital business is changed from the recommended usual business using the Internet and e-commerce. E-tourism Software adapted from original e-commerce, ready for creating online reservation/booking. It is the total solution of instant e-commerce for travel 24 hour. E-tourism is a perfect candidate for Semantic Web because it is information-based and depends on the World Wide Web, both as a means of marketing and transaction channel. Ontologies can assist organization, browsing, parametric search, and in general, more intelligent access to online information and services. Ontology-based information retrieval makes it possible to handle the known challenges in connection with Web-based information systems in a more efficient way. This paper discusses some ontological trends that support the growing domain of online tourism. The first part introduces the e-tourism implementation and using ontologies in e-tourism. The second part describes fundamental background of ontologies; definition, modeling, language and etc. The third part discusses the example concepts of existing e-tourism using ontologies and it is a briefly summary on the important e-tourism ontologies. Finally, the last part is the conclusion.