Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Striking property of the gravitational Hamiltonian.

A Hamiltonian framework for (2+1)-dimensional gravity coupled with matter (satisfying positive energy conditions) is considered in the asymptotically flat context. It is shown that the total energy of the system is non-negative, vanishing if and only if space-time is (globally) Minkowskian. Furthermore, contrary to one's experience with usual field theories, the Hamiltonian is bounded from above. This is a genuinely nonperturbative result. In the presence of a spacelike Killing field, (3+1)-dimensional vacuum general relativity is equivalent to (2+1)-dimensional general relativity coupled to certain matter fields. Therefore, our expression provides, in particular, a formula for energy per-unit length (along the symmetry direction) of gravitational waves with a spacelike symmetry in 3+1 dimensions. A special case is that of cylindrical waves which have two hypersurface orthogonal, spacelike Killing fields. In this case, our expression is related to the ``c energy'' in a nonpolynomial fashion. While in the weak field limit the two agree, in the strong field regime they differ significantly. By construction, our expression yields the generator of the time translation in the full theory, and therefore represents the physical energy in the gravitational field.
The role of the lateral line and vision on body kinematics and hydrodynamic preference of rainbow trout in turbulent flow

SUMMARY The ability to detect water flow using the hair cells of the lateral line system is a unique feature found in anamniotic aquatic vertebrates. Fishes use their lateral line to locate prey, escape from predators and form cohesive schooling patterns. Despite the prevalence of complex flows in nature, almost nothing is known about the function of the lateral line and its relationship to other sensory modalities for freely swimming fishes in turbulent flows. Past studies indicate that under certain conditions the lateral line is not needed to swim steadily in uniform flow. This paper examines how the lateral line and vision affect body kinematics and hydrodynamic habitat selection of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to vortices generated behind a cylinder. Trout Kármán gaiting (i.e. exploiting vortices to hold station in a vortex street) with a pharmacologically blocked lateral line display altered kinematics; body wavelength and wave speed increase compared to control animals. When visual cues are withheld by performing experiments in the dark, almost all Kármán gait kinematics measured for fish with and without a functional lateral line are the same. The lateral line, rather than vision, plays a larger role in affecting body kinematics when trout hold station in a vortex street. Trout show a preference to Kármán gait in the light but not in the dark, which may be attributed to physiological state rather than hydrodynamic or sensorimotor reasons. In the dark, trout both with and without a functional lateral line hold station near the downstream suction region of the cylinder wake (i.e. entraining) and avoid the vortex street. Vision therefore plays a larger role in the preference to associate with a turbulent vortex street. Trout in the light with a blocked lateral line show individual variation in their preference to Kármán gait or entrain. In the dark, entraining trout with an intact lateral line will alternate between right and left sides of the cylinder throughout the experiment, showing an ability to explore their environment. By contrast, when the lateral line is blocked these fish display a strong fidelity to one side of the cylinder and are not inclined to explore other regions of the flow tank. Both entraining and Kármán gaiting probably represent energetically favorable strategies for holding station relative to the earth frame of reference in fast flows. The ability to decipher how organisms collect and process sensory input from their environment has great potential in revealing the mechanistic basis of how locomotor behaviors are produced as well as how habitat selection is modulated.
Differential Localization and Operation of Distinct Mg2+ Transporters in Apical and Basolateral Sides of Rat Liver Plasma Membrane*

Upon activation of specific cell signaling, hepatocytes rapidly accumulate or release an amount of Mg2+ equivalent to 10% of their total Mg2+ content. Although it is widely accepted that Mg2+ efflux is Na+-dependent, little is known about transporter identity and the overall regulation. Even less is known about the mechanism of cellular Mg2+uptake. Using sealed and right-sided rat liver plasma membrane vesicles representing either the basolateral (bLPM) or apical (aLPM) domain, it was possible to dissect three different Mg2+ transport mechanisms based upon specific inhibition, localization within the plasma membrane, and directionality. The bLPM possesses only one Mg2+ transporter, which is strictly Na+-dependent, bi-directional, and not inhibited by amiloride. The aLPM possesses two separate Mg2+ transporters. One, similar to that in the bLPM because it strictly depends on Na+ transport, and it can be differentiated from that of the bLPM because it is unidirectional and fully inhibited by amiloride. The second is a novel Ca2+/Mg2+ exchanger that is unidirectional and inhibited by amiloride and imipramine. Hence, the bLPM transporter may be responsible for the exchange of Mg2+ between hepatocytes and plasma, and vice versa, shown in livers upon specific metabolic stimulation, whereas the aLPM transporters can only extrude Mg2+ into the biliary tract. The dissection of these three distinct pathways and, therefore, the opportunity to study each individually will greatly facilitate further characterization of these transporters and a better understanding of Mg2+homeostasis.
Developmental Profiles of the Intrinsic Properties and Synaptic Function of Auditory Neurons in Preterm and Term Baboon Neonates

The human fetus starts to hear and undergoes major developmental changes in the auditory system during the third trimester of pregnancy. Although there are significant data regarding development of the auditory system in rodents, changes in intrinsic properties and synaptic function of auditory neurons in developing primate brain at hearing onset are poorly understood. We performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of principal neurons in the medial nucleus of trapezoid body (MNTB) in preterm and term baboon brainstem slices to study the structural and functional maturation of auditory synapses. Each MNTB principal neuron received an excitatory input from a single calyx of Held terminal, and this one-to-one pattern of innervation was already formed in preterm baboons delivered at 67% of normal gestation. There was no difference in frequency or amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic synaptic currents between preterm and term MNTB neurons. In contrast, the frequency of spontaneous GABAA/glycine receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic synaptic currents, which were prevalent in preterm MNTB neurons, was significantly reduced in term MNTB neurons. Preterm MNTB neurons had a higher input resistance than term neurons and fired in bursts, whereas term MNTB neurons fired a single action potential in response to suprathreshold current injection. The maturation of intrinsic properties and dominance of excitatory inputs in the primate MNTB allow it to take on its mature role as a fast and reliable relay synapse.
The impact of higher education commission of pakistan’s funding on the collection development budgets of university libraries

Purpose This study aims to investigate the annual financial management of university libraries in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, and its relationship with Higher Education Commission (HEC) grants to examine libraries’ share. Design/methodology/approach Using survey methods, this study explores the annual budget allocation of well-established university libraries in the province of KPK in the past five years and its relationship with HEC grants to determine libraries’ shares. The survey followed a qualitative design based on an interview technique of data collection. The scope of this study covers all those public sector universities which are chartered by the Government of KPK, recognized by HEC, and eligible for HEC grants on annual basis. Based on this formulation, 15 public sector universities were selected for the survey. Findings The data analysis of the present study revealed that no specific norms are followed by the university administrations in allocating funds for libraries out of HEC annual grants. University libraries in the province either do not have funding polices or are administered by the concerned establishments where Library and Information Science professionals have no role in the financial management of libraries. The study also found that university administrations in KPK either do not provide sufficient share to libraries out of HEC grants or specify an inadequate share which is in violation of the clear instructions of HEC ordinance 2002, Section 10(h). Originality/value This study is the first of its kind in Pakistan as it provides an insight into how much budget is allocated for collection development in the university libraries, compares it with HEC grants to calculate libraries’ share in percentage and suggests to the HEC to encourage university administration to allocate sufficient budget for libraries to improve collection development, service provision, acquisition, selection and patronage.
Persistence of Epstein-Barr Virus in Self-Reactive Memory B Cells

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus infection has been epidemiologically associated with the development of multiple autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis. Currently, there is no known mechanism that can account for these associations. The germinal-center (GC) model of EBV infection and persistence proposes that EBV gains access to the memory B cell compartment via GC reactions by driving infected cells to differentiate using the virus-encoded LMP1 and LMP2a proteins, which act as functional homologues of CD40 and the B cell receptor, respectively. The ability of LMP2a, when expressed in mice, to allow escape of autoreactive B cells suggests that it could perform a similar role in infected GC B cells, permitting the survival of potentially pathogenic autoreactive B cells. To test this hypothesis, we cloned and expressed antibodies from EBV+ and EBV− memory B cells present during acute infection and profiled their self- and polyreactivity. We find that EBV does persist within self- and polyreactive B cells but find no evidence that it favors the survival of pathogenic autoreactive B cells. On the contrary, EBV+ memory B cells express lower levels of self-reactive and especially polyreactive antibodies than their uninfected counterparts do. Our work suggests that EBV has only a modest effect on the GC process, which allows it to access and persist within a subtly unique niche of the memory compartment characterized by relatively low levels of self- and polyreactivity. We suggest that this might reflect an active process where EBV and its human host have coevolved so as to minimize the virus's potential to contribute to autoimmune disease.
When Attitudes and Behaviour Collide: How the Scottish Independence Referendum Cost Labour

Perhaps the most notable feature of the 2015 UK General Election was the fragmentation of support for the ‘challenger parties’. One major factor in this was the rise of the SNP in Scotland. Borrowing the concept of ‘punctuated equilibrium’ from evolutionary biology, we argue that political equilibrium is punctuated by critical moments characterised by key events that act as catalyst for abrupt change. In this paper, we examine one such ‘event’: the referendum on independence in Scotland in September 2014, and show substantial spill-over effects on the 2015 General Election. Drawing on theories of attitudinal and behavioural inconsistency from social psychology, we argue that Labour supporters who voted ‘Yes’ to independence subsequently became more favourably disposed towards the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the policies that they advocated, and less favourably disposed towards Labour. Moreover, a realignment of attitudes and voting among 2010 Labour voters meant that those supporting independence, more devolution and higher Scottish national identity were more likely to switch to the SNP. In other words, the referendum did not simply reflect Labour’s problems in Scotland but further contributed to those problems, resulting in almost total annihilation in terms of Parliamentary seats.
Clinical Significance of Carcinoma Invasion of the Extrapancreatic Nerve Plexus in Pancreatic Cancer

To elucidate the clinical significance of neural invasion in pancreatic carcinoma. a clinicopathological study was performed. Neural invasion is a common feature of pancreatic carcinoma whose clinical significance has not yet been determined. Over a period of > 10 years, 129 of 304 (63%) patients with pancreatic carcinoma underwent resection by extensive radical surgery. A clinicopitthological study of those specimens of pancreatic carcinoma was performed. with particular reference to neuial invasion. Intrapancreatic neural invasion was observed in 116 of 129 (90%). of which 80 (69%) showed extrapancreatic nerve plexus involvement. A statistically significant (p < 0.001) correlation between the grade of intrapancreatic neural invasion and extrapancreatic nerve plexus invasion was observed. The postoperative survival rate for patients with extrapancreatic nerve plexus involvement was significantly (p < 0.001) lower than that for patients without extrapancreatic nerve plexus involvement. Patients who survived for >3 years after operation had no extrapancreatic nerve plexus invasion even when portal vein wall invasion was observed.
Occurrence of zearalenone in Korean barley and corn foods

The presence of zearalenone (ZEN) in Korean foods such as barley, barley-based foods, corn, corn-based foods, fruits and vegetables was investigated by direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dcELISA) and the liquid chromatography (LC) method. A total of 164 samples was collected from Seoul, Korea, in 1998 and 1999 including 30 barley, 32 barley-based foods, 18 corn, 47 corn-based foods, 19 dried red pepper, nine dried jujube, and nine dried persimmon. Average recoveries of ZEN from barley and corn by dcELISA were 138 and 145%, and by LC were 91 and 83% respectively at spiking levels of 5–500ng g-1. The detection limit for ZEN was 3ngg-1 by dcELISA and 4ngg-1 by LC. From 164 samples analysed, ZEN was found by dcELISA in 35 samples (21%) with a mean level of 30ngg-1. Barley-based foods had the highest incidence of ZEN (38%) followed by barley (33%), corn-based foods (26%) and corn (22%). No ZEN was detected in any red pepper, jujube or persimmon samples. A high degree of correlation (r2 = 0.86) was observed between the 35 positive samples detected by dcELISA and 31 samples by LC.
Study of impacts from regret and uncertainty on consumer choice

The paper aims to investigate how consumer choice probability is updated by experienced regret when consumer expectations are viewed as expectations.Theoretically and empirically,we show that when zero disconfirmation is experienced for each alternative in the consideration set,risk-averse consumers tend to increase their choice intention for the alternative with higher performance uncertainty,but risk-seeking consumers tend to decrease their choice intention for this alternative.In addition, the effect of performance uncertainty will be moderated as experience accumulates.The findings provide a great advancement over the expectancy disconfirmation model.Managerially,to gain a better understanding of the impact of regret on changing consumer choice,we should take into account market features such as performance uncertainty between competing alternatives,composition of consumers in terms of their risk attitudes,and consumer experience with the product.
Does Real Effective Exchange Rate Matters for Agricultural Output in Nigeria? A Cointegration Approach

Aims: The paper empirically investigated the Real Effective Exchange Rate and agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Study Design: Case study. Methodology: The cointegration technique with its implied ECM was applied to estimate the data which covered the period between 1980 and 2011. Results: The result shows that the Real Effective Exchange Rate has significant impact on the level of agricultural output in Nigeria. The result shows that the prices of exports and real agricultural exports have positive and significant impact on agricultural output. The result also showed a satisfactory speed of adjustment. Conclusion: The study shows that the Real Effective Exchange Rate matters for agricultural output in Nigeria. The result thus recommends policy to stabilize the Real Effective Exchange Rate to facilitate improvement in agricultural output.
On the Average Waiting Time for Regular Routing to Deterministic Queues

We consider a deterministic queueing system in whichN = 2 servers of different speeds operate in parallel. Each service in queuei takes the deterministic timeS i. Identical customers arrive exactly one per time unit, and it is desirable to route them to the queues so that the average waiting time (we consider as waiting time the time a customer waits in the buffer of a queue, and thus the service time is not included in this) is minimized. We provide an algorithm to compute lower and upper bounds on this quantity. The upper bound is found by showing that there is a periodic policy for which the average waiting time is no greater than the lower bound plus ( N / 2) - 1. Thus, the bounds coincide whenN = 2. For obtaining the lower bound, we give explicit formulae for the average waiting time in case of regular routing to a deterministic queue.
Genome‐wide association study of HPV‐associated cervical cancer in Japanese women

One of the important factors influencing the development of uterine cervical cancer is human papillomavirus infection in women. Usually, the infecting papillomavirus is eliminated from individuals; however, some retain the virus and this is believed to lead to the development of uterine cervical cancer. It is possible that virus elimination or persistent infection depends on an individual's genetic background. To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with susceptibility to persistent infection or cervical cancer, a genome‐wide association study was performed on 226 cases and 186 controls. Some of the single nucleotide polymorphisms showed a P‐value < 10−5; however, no polymorphisms that were significantly associated with susceptibility to cervical cancer were identified. J. Med. Virol. 86:1153–1158, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Simulation based analysis for selection and evaluation of green manufacturing strategies

Evaluation and selection of green sustainable development (GSD) strategies is a critical but difficult process involving many uncertain factors and affected by dynamic conditions. The decision problem is essentially multi-objective. This research proposed a simulation based method that uses simulation to capture the complicated process flow and decision logic involved, and interface the simulation with a search procedure to improve solutions. The design of simulation model emphasized a robust structure that represents adequately the process flow and decision logic of typical applications of GSD improvement. A process/activity based cost structure was built into the simulation to capture essential trade-offs contributed by different cost drivers during the process of GSD implementation. Experiments were designed and implemented via simulation to verify and validate proposed concepts. An analysis of response surface method (RSM) was conducted to illustrate the search for optimal solutions under relaxed conditions, which showed the potential of developed research.
An optimization-based method for geometrical calibration in cone-beam CT without dedicated phantoms

In this paper we present a new method for the determination of geometrical misalignments in cone-beam CT scanners, from the analysis of the projection data of a generic object. No a priori knowledge of the object shape and positioning is required. We show that a cost function, which depends on the misalignment parameters, can be defined using the projection data and that such a cost function has a local minimum in correspondence to the actual parameters of the system. Hence, the calibration of the scanner can be carried out by minimizing the cost function using standard optimization techniques. The method is developed for a particular class of 3D object functions, for which the redundancy of the fan beam sinogram in the transaxial midplane can be extended to cone-beam projection data, even at wide cone angles. The method has an approximated validity for objects which do not belong to that class; in that case, a suitable subset of the projection data can be selected in order to compute the cost function. We show by numerical simulations that our method is capable to determine with high accuracy the most critical misalignment parameters of the scanner, i.e., the transversal shift and the skew of the detector. Additionally, the detector slant can be determined. Other parameters such as the detector tilt, the longitudinal shift and the error in the source–detector distance cannot be determined with our method, as the proposed cost function has a very weak dependence on them. However, due to the negligible influence of these latter parameters in the reconstructed image quality, they can be kept fixed at estimated values in both calibration and reconstruction processes without compromising the final result. A trade-off between computational cost and calibration accuracy must be considered when choosing the data subset used for the computation of the cost function. Results on real data of a mouse femur as obtained with a small animal micro-CT are shown as well, proving the capability of the proposed calibration method. In principle, the method can be adapted to other cone-beam imaging modalities (e.g., single photon emission computed tomography).
Qualitative Hemispheric Differences for Processing Trigrams

The present study investigated qualitative hemispheric differences for processing trigrams by examining the nature of errors made when trigrams were directed to each visual field-hemisphere. Three types of trigrams, pronounceable letter trigrams, unpronounceable letter trigrams, and non-letter symbol trigrams, were presented. Recognition of each trigram type resulted in significant visual field differences in error types. Pronounceable vs. unpronounceable letter trigrams yielded similar visual field differences in error types, whereas letter vs. non-letter symbol trigrams yielded opposite patterns of visual field differences in error types. These results suggest that hemispheric mode of trigram processing changes as a function of letter vs. non-letter type, but not as a function of pronounceability per se. Moreover, the direction of this change is opposite for the two hemispheres.
MALMQUIST PRODUCTIVITY INDEX FOR MULTI TIME PERIODS

The performance of a decision making unit (DMU) can be evaluated in either across-sectional or a time-series manner, and data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a useful method for both types of evaluation. The Malmquist productivity index (MPI) evaluates the change in efficiency of a DMU between two time periods. It is defined as the product of the Catch-up and Frontier-shift terms. In this paper, we study the Malmquist productivity index of a DMU between several time periods.