Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Archaeological Evidence for Population Pressure in Pre-Agricultural Societies

The intent of this paper is to criticize contemporary methodology in prehistoric demography and to suggest several new types of archaeological evidence which may be indicative of population growth and population pressure. Standard methodologies have tended to underestimate population growth in pre-agricultural societies and to underestimate the role of population pressure in causing economic change. It is argued that with increased sensitivity to additional sources of evidence, it becomes clear that population growth and population pressure are essentially ubiquitous in the archaeological record and can readily be perceived as leading to economic and technological growth culminating in the origins of agriculture.
CTG repeat instability and size variation timing in DNA repair‐deficient mice

Type 1 myotonic dystrophy is caused by the expansion of an unstable CTG repeat in the DMPK gene. We have investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the CTG repeat instability by crossing transgenic mice carrying >300 unstable CTG repeats in their human chromatin environment with mice knockout for genes involved in various DNA repair pathways: Msh2 (mismatch repair), Rad52 and Rad54 (homologous recombination) and DNA‐PKcs (non‐homologous end‐joining). Genes of the non‐homologous end‐joining and homologous recombination pathways did not seem to affect repeat instability. Only lack of Rad52 led to a slight decrease in expansion range. Unexpectedly, the absence of Msh2 did not result in stabilization of the CTG repeats in our model. Instead, it shifted the instability towards contractions rather than expansions, both in tissues and through generations. Furthermore, we carefully analyzed repeat transmissions with different Msh2 genotypes to determine the timing of intergenerational instability. We found that instability over generations depends not only on parental germinal instability, but also on a second event taking place after fertilization.
Robust load frequency control in islanded microgrid systems using μ-synthesis and D-K iteration

In this paper, a robust controller is designed for the load frequency control (LFC) system in an islanded microgrid with multiple synchronous generation systems. This control strategy can be readily applied to an islanded microgrid which consists of renewable distributed generation and energy storage systems. The robust controller proposed in this paper includes multiple local controllers that are designed and optimized independently by using the μ-synthesis technique and D-K iteration algorithm. This controller accounts for the dynamic coupling among the areas of the microgrid without any communication links required among the local controllers. Moreover, the controller is designed to be robust to the variations of different parameters of the microgrid, and hence improves the frequency control performance significantly. Simulation results of a small islanded microgrid with three generators confirm the effectiveness of the controller design approach proposed in this paper.
Relationships between CO(2) Exchange Rates and Activities of Pyruvate,Pi Dikinase and Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase, Chlorophyll Concentration, and Cell Volume in Maize Leaves.

The relationships between CO(2)-exchange rate (CER), DNA and chlorophyll (Chl) concentrations, pyruvate,Pi dikinase (PPDK) and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) activities in ten maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes were investigated. The in vivo degrees of activation of PPDK and RuBPCase were estimated to make meaningful comparisons with CER. In leaves at a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 720 micromoles per square meter per second, in vivo PPDK degree of activation was 80% of that of PPDK fully activated in vitro, whereas RuBPCase could not be further activated in vitro, suggesting that RuBPCase was fully activated in vivo. CER varied about 50% among the genotypes tested. Significant genetic differences were observed for the average weight of a cell (estimated by gram fresh weight per milligram DNA), but this character was not correlated with CER expressed on a fresh weight basis. CER was correlated with Chl concentration, and with estimates of the in vivo degree of activation of PPDK and RuBPCase. We concluded that in maize, CER is controlled by the metabolic components of photosynthesis rather than by membrane resistances to CO(2). If the latter factor were controlling CER, then smaller cells with higher amounts of exposed cell surface area per unit cell volume would have lower resistance to CO(2) diffusion, and therefore higher CER. When data were expressed on a DNA basis (proportional to a per cell basis), results indicated that larger cells (i.e. those with higher fresh weight per milligram DNA) have a higher content of Chl, and higher PPDK and RuBPCase activities, resulting in higher CER than in smaller cells.
Murine Pregnancy-Specific Glycoprotein 23 Induces the Proangiogenic Factors Transforming-Growth Factor Beta 1 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A in Cell Types Involved in Vascular Remodeling in Pregnancy1

Abstract Haemochorial placentation is a unique physiological process in which the fetal trophoblast cells remodel the maternal decidual spiral arteries to establish the fetoplacental blood supply. Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are members of the carcinoembryonic antigen family. PSGs are produced by the placenta of rodents and primates and are secreted into the bloodstream. PSG23 is one of 17 members of the murine PSG family (designated PSG16 to PSG32). Previous studies determined that PSGs have immunoregulatory functions due to their ability to modulate macrophage cytokine secretion. Here we show that recombinant PSG23 induces transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1, TGFB1, and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in primary murine macrophages and the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we identified new cell types that responded to PSG23 treatment. Dendritic cells, endothelial cells, and trophoblasts, which are involved in maternal vasculature remodeling during pregnancy, secreted TGFB1 and VEGFA in response to PSG23. PSG23 showed cross-reactivity with human cells, including human monocytes and the trophoblast cell line, HTR-8/SVneo cells. We analyzed the binding of PSG23 to the tetraspanin CD9, the receptor for PSG17, and found that CD9 is not essential for PSG23 binding and activity in macrophages. Overall these studies show that PSGs can modulate the secretion of important proangiogenic factors, TGFB1 and VEGFA, by different cell types involved in the development of the placenta.
Early vs. Late Chemoradiation Therapy and the Postoperative Interval to Adjuvant Therapy Do Not Correspond to Local Recurrence in Resected Pancreatic Cancer

Objective Standard postoperative therapy for pancreatic cancer consists of both chemotherapy alone and chemoradiation. We sought to investigate whether the sequence of chemotherapy and chemoradiation and overall time to initiation of adjuvant therapy would impact local vs. distant recurrence. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, resected pancreas cancer patient charts were evaluated for medical background, surgical, pathological, chemoradiation (CRT), and follow-up. Local recurrence (LR) was defined as failures occurring in the postoperative bed and regional lymph nodes. Early vs. late CRT was defined by whether CRT was given early (within 1–2 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy) or late in the course of adjuvant chemotherapy (after the 3rd cycle of chemotherapy). The postoperative interval variance was compared to LR factors such as progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results Of the 34 eligible patients, 47% (n=16) underwent early CRT and 41% (n=14) underwent late CRT. 12% (n=14) did not undergo any induction chemotherapy. At median follow-up of 22 months, 53% (n=18) had metastases, 24% (n=8) had LR, and 24% (n=8) were disease free. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed that early vs. late CRT did not appear to significantly impact OS (p=0.63), PFS (p=0.085) or LR (p=0.19). Postoperative interval did not affect PFS (p=0.42) or OS (p=0.93). Conclusions Early vs. late CRT and the time to initiation of adjuvant therapy were not significantly associated with LR in patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Future prospective studies are required to determine if sequencing of chemotherapy, CRT, or the postoperative interval impact survival and patterns of recurrence.
Passive Actuators' Fault-Tolerant Control for Affine Nonlinear Systems

In this brief, the problem of passive fault-tolerant control (FTC) for nonlinear affine systems with actuator faults is considered. Two types of faults, additive and loss-of-effectiveness faults, are treated. In each case, a Lyapunov-based feedback controller is proposed, which ensures the local uniform asymptotic (exponential) stability of the faulty system, if the safe nominal system is locally uniformly asymptotically (exponentially) stable. The effectiveness of the FT controllers is shown on the autonomous helicopter numerical example.
The impact of environmental change on medieval settlement structure in Transdanubia

The large-scale archaeological excavations of the past years yielded a rapid increase of archaeological finds and observations. This large amount of new evidence enabled the observation of wider environmental archaeological relationships. In the study we reconstruct certain environmental and settlement pattern changes from the 13th to the 18th centuries based on archaeological data from the southern shore of Lake Balaton and the cities of the Danube Bend region. The settlements on the shore of Lake Balaton and along the Danube reacted similarly, but with a temporal lag. Hydroclimatic changes caused a shift in the location and structure of lake- and riverside settlements, which was of a horizontal character in the case of Lake Balaton, and of a vertical character in the case of the Danube Bend region.
Children's exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers

Background: Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of brominated flame retardants, are frequently used in consumer products. PBDEs levels in environmental and human samples have increased in recent decades. Children are exposed to PBDEs through diet, mainly through fish, meat and milk. Total dietary exposure of children in Europe was calculated to be 2–3 ng/kg b.w. /day. For nursing infants the main source of PBDE exposure is breast milk; exposure levels are around 15 ng/kg b.w. /day. PBDE exposure levels in North America are 10 to a 100 times higher. Because of their persistence and their similarity to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), concern has been raised about the effects of PBDEs on human health. Exposure to penta‐ and octa‐BDE led to learning impairment and impaired motor behaviour in rodents. Exposure to penta‐, octa‐ and also deca‐BDE caused effects on thyroid homeostasis in animals.
Innovación docente y resultados del aprendizaje: un estudio empírico en la enseñanza de la contabilidad de costes

RESUMEN El objetivo de este trabajo es contrastar si la adopción de métodos docentes innovadores tiene o no un efecto positivo sobre el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes. Para alcanzar dicho objetivo hemos desarrollado un estudio empírico en el que analizamos, durante cinco cursos académicos, dos grupos de estudiantes de la Universidad de Valencia que cursaron la asignatura de Contabilidad de Costes. El interés y la oportunidad de este estudio radican en que el desarrollo del proyecto de innovación docente analizado, tuvo lugar antes de la incorporación efectiva de la titulación de Administración y Dirección de Empresas al EEES. Los resultados alcanzados confirman que el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes que reciben su docencia mediante métodos innovadores es superior al de aquellos en los que sus clases se imparten con métodos convencionales.
Regenerating Substances: Quartz as an Animistic Agent

Abstract To the question “'what is animism? ” a Westerner may answer with a dichotomy to help explain the phenomenon. By looking, however, at some non-Western examples, the polarized relationship between animate: inanimate may be seen not to have existed, and this may apply to the past. Some objects may have capacities of action or spirit, breaking down these Western divisions. In this paper, I will consider the case of quartz rocks as animistic agents. Quartz is frequently associated with animists. For example, the Amazonian Tukano Indians consider quartz to be “'living” or a “'live rock,” with special or healing properties. Can these understandings be reflected in the archaeological record? In this paper I will draw upon recent discussions on the possible roles of quartz at Newgrange Site 1, Ireland, within the Neolithic around 3000 cal. BC. Although Newgrange has traditionally been depicted as a place for the dead, I will consider whether Neolithic people conceived of quartz as having a “life-force”—creating instead a place for active substances.
Does Culture Make the difference? Technology Acceptance and Diffusion in India

This study contributes to investigate about the factors that can amplify the adoption rate of a given technology, by analyzing the background culture. This research investigates the acceptance of NFC enabled mobile devices through both a technological and cultural lenses. Moreover, the research focuses specifically on the case of India, a country that in spite of its evolution and differences, today has strong common roots, which makes it an ideal choice for any study related to culture. While ‘Power distance’ was found to fasten the acceptance of NFC enabled mobile devices, ‘Collectivism’ and ‘Uncertainty Avoidance’ did not result in any correlation with the attitude towards this new technology. This was mainly due to hierarchical nature of the Indian society, which creates a culture of competition between the people and encourages people to distinguish themselves from others. The show of status and wealth is prominent in the society and people are willing to purchase and invest in the latest and fashionable devices and technologies.
Análisis de los determinantes en los requerimientos de garantía: evidencia empírica de Chile

RESUMEN El presente trabajo analiza los factores que caracterizan los préstamos con garantía en Chile. Dicho análisis está motivado por la importancia del acceso al crédito para la supervivencia de las empresas y por el valor que tiene la capacidad de aportar garantías como mecanismo para reducir el riesgo moral. La principal aportación de este trabajo radica en ser el primero que analiza los factores determinantes de la probabilidad de aportar garantías en los préstamos en Chile. Además, dado que Chile es un país con una economía emergente se comparan los resultados con los de otros trabajos que analizan mercados financieros desarrollados. Así, a partir de la base de datos del Banco Mundial de «Encuestas de Empresas», se analizaron 342 empresas de Chile para el año 2006, cuyos resultados indican que los préstamos de mayor duración y mayor tamaño, para empresas que dirigen su producción al mercado internacional son los que tienen más posibilidades de ser garantizados. Estos resultados apoyan las teorías sobre la utilización de la garantía como mecanismo reductor del riesgo moral en mercados con información asimétrica.
The Multiple Origins and Laminar Topography of the Hippocampal Theta Rhythm

The hippocampal theta rhythm (4–10 Hz) is among the most widely studied brain rhythms. Theta rhythmic activity has been associated with cognitive performance in humans ([Kahana, 2006][1]) and spatial navigation and other memory tasks in rats ([Huxter et al., 2008][2]). Rhythmic activity in theta
Pharmacotherapy of posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of meta-analyses and treatment guidelines.

BACKGROUND A number of randomized controlled trials of the pharmacotherapy of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are now available. Several meta-analyses of these trials, and a number of consensus guidelines on the treatment of PTSD, have been published. Assessment of these meta-analyses and guidelines provides an opportunity to review the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence-base. METHODS Meta-analyses of PTSD trials were assessed with the quality of reporting of meta-analyses (QUOROM) statement and the Oxman and Guyatt rating scale, and consensus statements on the treatment of PTSD were assessed with the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation instrument. Summary statistics of meta-analyses and conclusions of guidelines were tabulated. RESULTS The quality of PTSD meta-analyses and guidelines is generally acceptable. Many consensus guidelines have emphasized the value of pharmacotherapy for PTSD. Consensus statements have, however, used different approaches, and their conclusions have differed. Many important questions for the field have not yet been adequately researched. CONCLUSIONS There have been significant advances in the pharmacotherapy of PTSD, and certain medications (eg, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are appropriately viewed as a first-line treatment for adult PTSD. Nevertheless, as is the case in other anxiety disorders, there is a paucity of longer-term trials, data on treatment effectiveness in wider clinical practice, and data on treatment-resistant patients.
Phase noise reduction and spurious suppression in oscillators utilizing self-injection loops

Dual loop self-injection locking has been proposed for phase noise reduction and side-mode suppression in microwave oscillators. Experiments for both electrical and opto-electronic oscillator at 10 GHz that incorporate dual loop self-injection locking are performed to demonstrate the concept of self-injection locking (SIL) and provide insights into the behavior of microwave oscillators employing such techniques.
Surface depth computation and representation from multiple coded projector light

In this paper we propose a highly robust and fast method for recovering and representing surface depth information by using coded projector light. We use multiple projectors whose projection patterns are coded carefully. The projected patterns are blended on an object surface, and represent the depth information of the surface, that is the object surface is illuminated according to the depth of each point on the surface. As a result, the computation of the depth is completed with the ”light speed”. The proposed method does not require any image correspondence for computing depth information, and thus it is free from the correspondence problem and highly robust. The efficiency of the proposed method is tested by using a set of real projectors.
Bipolar Radiofrequency Compared With Thermal Balloon Ablation in the Office: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effectiveness of office-based bipolar radiofrequency ablation compared with thermal balloon ablation of the endometrium for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding at 5-year follow-up. METHODS: A single blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in an office hysteroscopy clinic in a university teaching hospital. A total of 81 women were randomly allocated to either bipolar radiofrequency ablation or thermal balloon ablation in an office setting avoiding use of general anesthesia or conscious sedation. The primary outcome for the trial was amenorrhea at 6 months follow-up. In this planned secondary analysis, the main outcome measures were amenorrhea rates, patient satisfaction, health-related quality of life, and incidence of further uterine surgery at 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: At 5-year follow-up, 59 (73%) women responded to postal questionnaires. Amenorrhea was reported in 60% of thermal balloon ablation and 62% of bipolar radiofrequency ablation (odds ratio [OR] 1.09 [0.38–3.11]) and satisfaction with treatment outcome in 96% of thermal balloon ablation and 96% of bipolar radiofrequency ablation (OR 0.92 [0.05–25.59]). Further surgical intervention was needed in three of 29 (10%) women treated with bipolar radiofrequency ablation compared with four of 30 (13%) of women treated with thermal balloon ablation (P=.7). There was no significant difference in either condition-specific or generic health-related quality-of-life measures. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the effectiveness of bipolar radiofrequency ablation and thermal balloon ablation performed in an office setting at 5-year follow-up. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials. gov, NCT01124357. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I
Too Cold, Too Hot, or Just Right? Assessing Financial Sector Development Across the Globe

This paper introduces the concept of the financial possibility frontier as a constrained optimum level of financial development to gauge the relative performance of financial systems across the globe. This frontier takes into account structural country characteristics, institutional, and macroeconomic factors that impact financial system deepening. We operationalize this framework using a benchmarking exercise, which relates the difference between the actual level of financial development and the level predicted by structural characteristics, to an array of policy variables. We also show that an overshooting of the financial system significantly beyond levels predicted by its structural fundamentals is associated with credit booms and busts.
An algorithm for the Euclidean cell decomposition of a non-compact strictly convex projective surface

Cooper and Long generalised Epstein and Penner's Euclidean cell decomposition of cusped hyperbolic $n$–manifolds of finite volume to non-compact strictly convex projective $n$–manifolds of finite volume. We show that Weeks' algorithm to compute this decomposition for a hyperbolic surface generalises to strictly convex projective surfaces.
“Wait, Can You Move the Robot?”: Examining Telepresence Robot Use in Collaborative Teams

Telepresence robots provide remote team members with embodied presence, but whether this improves remote teammate participation, remote users’ perceptions of team collaboration, or collocated members’ perceptions of remote teammates is an open question. We conducted an experiment in which teams of two collocated members and one telepresent (remote) member solved a word puzzle requiring a translation key. We varied who had access to the key to examine effects of resource accessibility in distributed groups: in the Robot Information condition, the remote pilot (RP) possessed the key; in the Shared Information condition, all team members possessed the key; in the Local Information condition, only collocated participants (CPs) possessed the key. Audio transcripts were analyzed for differences in the number of words spoken by each team member. RPs spoke significantly less than CPs, especially when they lacked the translation key. RPs perceived greater task difficulty and less ease of communication than CPs. CPs rated other CPs as more trustworthy than RPs. This suggests an imbalance between collocated and remote collaborators that can negatively affect collaboration. We discuss implications for the design and use of telepresence robots in the workplace.
Resting motor threshold changes and clinical response to prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in depressed patients

Aims: Several variables are able to influence the antidepressant effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), particularly the intensity of stimulation, which is generally expressed according to the resting motor threshold (RMT). The aim of our study was to investigate whether or not RMT changes during the treatment of resistant depression by rTMS and whether these fluctuations could alter treatment outcome.