Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Downdip landward limit of Cascadia great earthquake rupture

This paper examines the constraints to the downdip landward limit of rupture for the Cascadia great earthquakes off western North America. This limit is a primary control for ground motion hazard at near‐coastal cities. The studies also provide information on the physical controls of subduction thrust rupture globally. The constraints are (1) “locked/transition” zones from geodetic deformation (GPS, repeated leveling, tide gauges); (2) rupture zone from paleoseismic coastal marsh subsidence, “paleogeodesy”; (3) temperature on the thrust for the seismic‐aseismic transition; (4) change in thrust seismic reflection character downdip from thin seismic to thick ductile; (5) fore‐arc mantle corner aseismic serpentinite and talc overlying the thrust; (6) updip limit of episodic tremor and slip (ETS) slow slip; (7) rupture area associations with shelf‐slope basins; (8) depth limit for small events on the thrust; and (9) landward limit of earthquakes on the Nootka transform fault zone. The most reliable constraints for the limit of large rupture displacement, >10 m, are generally just offshore in agreement with thermal control for this hot subduction zone, but well‐offshore central Oregon and near the coast of northern Washington. The limit for 1–2 m rupture that can still provide strong shaking is less well estimated 25–50 km farther landward. The fore‐arc mantle corner and the updip extent of ETS slow slip are significantly landward from the other constraints. Surprisingly, there is a downdip gap between the best other estimates for the great earthquake rupture zone and the ETS slow slip. In this gap, plate convergence may occur as continuous slow creep.
Autism, Autoimmune Disease and Socioeconomic Status

Thus, if you consider the overlapping aspects of autism and autoimmune disease, it raises the suggestion that the positive association of high SES and autism may have similar origins in factors affecting early immune dysregulation. Moreover, this scenario is consistent with differences in access to health care playing a role in autism, given that greater access to prenatal and neonatal health care often leads to decreased rates of bacterial infection, viral infection, and environmental pathogenic exposure, as well as higher antibiotic use, which in turn may be associated with higher levels of inflammation leading to increased autoimmune disease.
Response to Robinson

REFERENCES 1. Engerman RL, Kern TS: Aldose reductase inhibition fails to prevent retinopathy in diabetic and galactosemic dogs. Diabetes 42:82025, 1993 2. Kern TS, Engerman RL: Retinal polyol and myo-inositol in galactosemic dogs given an aldose-reductase inhibitor. Invest Ophthalmol Visual Sci 32:3175-77, 1991 3. Kern TS: Dog Model for Diabetic Retinopathy and Nephropathy (Workshop on Aldose Reductase Inhibitors). Washington, DC, National Institutes of Health, 1991, p. 65-73 (NIH publ. no. 91-3114) 4. Robison WG Jr, Laver NM: Ocular lesions in animal models of human diabetes. In Lessons From Animal Diabetes IV Edition. Shafrir E, Ed. London, Smith-Gordon, 1993, p. 146-63 5. Kador PF, Akagi Y, Takahashi Y, Ikebe H, Wyman M, Kinoshita JH: Prevention of retinal vessel changes associated with diabetic retinopathy in galactose-fed dogs by aldose reductase inhibitors. Arch Ophthalmol 108:1301 -309, 1990 6. Sato S, Takahashi Y, Wyman M, Kador PF: Progression of sugar cataract in the dog. Invest Ophthalmol Visual Sci32:1925-31,1991 7. Robison WG Jr, Kador PF, Kinoshita JH: Retinal capillaries: basement membrane thickening by galactosemia prevented with aldose reductase inhibitor. Science 221:1177-79, 1983 8. Frank RN, Keirn RJ, Kennedy A, Frank KW: Galactose-induced retinal capillary basement membrane thickening: prevention of sorbinil. Invest Ophthalmol Visual Sci 24:1519-24, 1983 9. Robison WG Jr, Kador PF, Akagi Y, Kinoshita JH, Gonzalez R, Dvornik D: Prevention of basement membrane thickening in retinal capillaries by a novel inhibitor of aldose reductase, tolrestat. Diabetes 35:295-99, 1986 10. Robison WG Jr, Nagata M, Kinoshita JH: Aldose reductase and retinal capillary basement membrane thickening. Exp Eye Res 46:343-48, 1988 11. Williamson JR, Kilo C: Current status of capillary basement-membrane disease in diabetes mellitus. Diabetes 26:65-75, 1977 12. Laver N, Robison WG Jr, Kinoshita JH: The galactose-fed rat model for diabetic retinopathy (Abstract). Invest Ophthalmol Visual Sci 31:127, 1990
Can spatial mobility insure families against long-term impacts of economic shocks? Evidence from drought and disability in South Africa

This paper combines variation in South Africa’s apartheid-era mobility restrictions with variation in drought events to illustrate how spatial mobility insures against negative impacts of weather shocks on health. Using a triple difference strategy, I show that childhood drought exposure in the most restricted areas increases male disability rates by 20%. I estimate that drought induces four times more adult outmigration from areas facing weaker restrictions than from areas facing the harshest restrictions. Remittances link this differential outmigration with differential health impacts of drought. My results identify a specific channel through which barriers to spatial mobility impose long-run economic costs. [100 words]
Do Consumers' Preferences Really Matter? - A Note on Spatial Competition with Restricted Strategies

In the framework Hotelling-Downs competition two players can freely choose a position along a one-dimensional market. We introduce restrictions of feasible strategies and analyze the consequences for players and consumers. In equilibrium players may minimally differentiate away from the center of the market and even locate completely independently of consumers' preferences. We provide conditions for these novel cases as well as for the standard result that players locate on the median of the distribution of consumers. In addition to the short run, where restrictions are fixed, we elaborate on the long run by studying the players' choice of restrictions under (potential) market entry. In both settings, we find an inefficient outcome, in which a firm is capable of offering a product at the center of the market, but instead chooses a position that is worse for most of the consumers.
Entrepreneurial capacity and knowledge resources for the new technology small firm

The processes of technological innovation through new spin-off ventures from universities and other research providers have been studied to explore the nature, relevance and positioning in these processes of the various entrepreneurship related constructs  entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial capacity and entrepreneurial cognition. This started from an examination of the set of resources that constituted entrepreneurial capacity and has led to investigation of the linearity and requisite holistic nature of the events and the processes involved.
The effect of reorientation of the fibre orientation distribution on fibre tracking

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) allows to delineate neural fibres, based on local, directional information of the diffusion of water. Due to its directional nature, the local information needs to be reoriented upon image transformation, in order to preserve correspondence to the anatomy. In this work, we show that reorientation of the fODF with preservation of volume fractions (PVF) affects both deterministic and probabilistic fibre tracking. We identify the main causes for this, and validate them on synthetic and real brain DWI data. The problem is not with the PVF reorientation itself, but rather with the fODF reconstruction, its use in fibre tracking, and the influence of the seeds.
Endotracheal Tube Biofilm and its Impact on the Pathogenesis of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Abstract Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common and serious nosocomial infection in mechanically ventilated patients and results in high mortality, prolonged intensive care unit- (ICU) and hospital-length of stay and increased costs. In order to reduce its incidence, it is imperative to better understand the involved mechanisms and to identify the source of infection. The role of the endotracheal tube (ET) in VAP pathogenesis became more prominent over the last decades, along with extensive research dedicated to medical device-related infections and biofilms. ET biofilm formation is an early and constant process in intubated patients. New data regarding its temporal dynamics, composition, germ identification and consequences enhance knowledge about VAP occurrence, microbiology, treatment response and recurrence. This paper presents a structured analysis of the medical literature to date, in order to outline the role of ET biofilm in VAP pathogenesis and to review recommended methods to identify ET biofilm microorganisms and to prevent or decrease VAP incidence.
Input Orthogonalization Methods for Third-Order MIMO Volterra Channel Identification

Input orthogonalization methods for supervised and blind identification of third-order MIMO Volterra communica- tion channels are considered. In the supervised case, we extend the use of orthonormal polynomials to MIMO Volterra systems. In the blind case, we propose an original solution for channel identification based on the use of state-dependent modulation code schemes with PSK signals. Several channel estimation methods using input orthogonalization are presented and their performances are evaluated by means of computational simulations.
Root resorption and anti-dentine antibody level in serum and saliva of well-controlled type ? diabetic patients undergoing orthodontic treatment

Background: Diabetic mellitus type Ι is a metabolic disorder of diverse etiological factors, characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from an absolute deficiency of insulin affected childhood and adolescent. Some of these patients seek an orthodontic care . The orthodontist who is treating these medically compromised patients should have a working knowledge of the multitude of medically complex problems. This information will support and enable for delivery of high standards of dental care in general and orthodontic care in particular. The aim of this study was to analyze serum IgG levels and salivary secretory IgA (sIgA) levels in human dentine extract (HDE) before (T0) and 6 months after (T6) orthodontic treatment and to correlate anti-HDE autoantibodies to root resorption in well-controlled type Ι diabetic patients. Materials and methods: Sixty individuals, who were attending to Al-Mustansiriya National Diabetes Center from April to October, 2012 and classified as wellcontrolled type Ι diabetic patients (HbA1c <8.5), were participating in this study . The mean age of the whole samples was (15±1 SD ) years, thirty three of them(18 males and 15 females) were not wearing orthodontic appliance and were selected as the controls, while twenty seven of them (12 males and 15 females) were wearing orthodontic appliance . Periapical radiographs of the upper central incisors , unstimulated saliva and serum samples were obtained of all patients before(T0) and 6 months after(T6) orthodontic treatment. Anti-dentine antibody (Ab) levels were determined by mean of enzyme linked immune sorbant assay (ELISA) technique. At T6, root resorption was classified as grade 0 (no resorption), grade 1 (slight resorption), and grade 2 (moderate to severe resorption). Chi square test and Ttest were used to assess the association between qualitative and quantitative results respectively ,while paired ttest was used to analyze the results before(T0) and 6 months after(T6) orthodontic treatment. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Results: There was statistical significant difference in the level of (antidentine Ab) in saliva between the two study groups at T0 and T6, its level was higher in the wearing group comparing with non wearing group, while it didn’t differ in serum. In the wearing group, the level of anti -dentine antibody in serum and saliva significantly decreased at T6 comparing with its level at T0. High level of the (anti -dentin Ab) shown in serum and saliva in grade 1 root resorption (R1) comparing with grade 0 root resorption (R0) at T0 and also at T6. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the anti -dentin antibody plays an important role in the detection of root resorption during orthodontic treatment in wellcontrolled diabetic patients type Ι and its level is different according to the grade of root resorption in both saliva and serum.
Impact of coarse sediment supply from hillslopes to the channel in runoff‐dominated, dryland fluvial systems

Sediment supply from hillslopes to channels is an important control on basin functioning and evolution. However, current theoretical frameworks do not adequately consider processes of runoff‐driven hillslope sediment supply, which affect river channels spatially and temporally. Mountainous dryland basins exhibit an important manifestation of these processes because their debris‐mantled hillslopes produce coarse sediment and because rainfall is delivered as infrequent, high‐intensity, short‐duration rainstorms. This paper combines field measurements and modeling to explore runoff‐driven coarse sediment supply from hillslopes to the channel and assesses a range of plausible storms on the longitudinal patterns of sediment load and its caliber over a dryland basin reach. Our results show that modeled sediment load and its grain size distribution are determined by the nonlinear interaction between rainfall characteristics and hillslope attributes, resulting in longitudinal fluctuations in sediment supply, the relative magnitude and location of which varies between storms. Results suggest that long hillslopes are most sensitive to rainfall and they exhibit large variations in supplied sediment load and grain size for different runoff characteristics. Short and steep hillslopes are less sensitive to rainfall variations as gradient effects dominate over the role of length in modulating runoff accumulation. Furthermore, the signal of the median fraction (D50) of modeled sediment supplied by the hillslope is preserved in the coarse fraction of the measured in‐channel grain sizes (D90). Finally, we propose a simple index, which provides new insights into the effectiveness of different rainstorms in terms of the impact of hillslope sediment supply on the channel.
Development of an image algorithm to assess changes in leaf pigments content of fresh-cut spinach leaves.

The aim of this work was to develop an image algorithm to detect changes in colour related with changes in leaf pigments content in leafy spinach during storage. The experiment was carried out on packed ready-to-use spinach stored at 4.5 °C. Seventy-five leaves of spinach were analyzed at zero time and after storage for 7, 14 and 21 days. Multispectral images were acquired in the red (R), infrared (IR) and blue (B) regions. Virtual images were calculated on the basis of spectral indexes usually employed for estimation of leaf pigment content. By considering the sensitive bands to chlorophyll and carotenoids, new virtual images were proposed. A no supervised classification was applied to the obtained virtual images and the results were evaluated according to colorimetric measurements (CIE L*a*b* coordinates). The new proposed indexes were able to correctly classify a high percentage of the samples according to the colour evolution.
Energy efficient data synchronization in mobile applications

The mobile phone is the most widespread computing platform in today’s society, having over 2 billion users. With each year mobile devices becomes increasingly powerful and are also able to synchronize more data. However, the battery capacity of a device remains the same, thus limiting the time of use. This thesis investigates the energy efficiency of different network synchronization techniques to reduce energy consumption when synchronizing data between a mobile phone and a data provider. Prototypes implemented using different network synchronization techniques are used to evaluate which technique is the most energy efficient. Furthermore, the prototypes are implemented using different frameworks, user interfaces, and update frequencies to find how other factors affect energy consumption in comparison to network data retrieval. The results show that using a network protocol with a smaller header consumed less energy. It is also shown that using a constantly open connection is the most energy efficient choice of network technique compared with techniques that frequently opens new connections. However, when the frequency of creating new connections decreases it is more energy efficient to close the connections. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the energy consumption of a mobile application mainly depends on the frequency with which the phone updates the graphical user interface. Another important factor is a graphical interface, which consumes more energy than network data retrieval does. The thesis is concluded with a suggestion that to reduce energy consumption, a mobile application should optimize its update interval for which data is visualized.
Persistent regional gaps and the role of social capital: hints from the Italian Mezzogiorno's case

In this article I maintain that until the mid Seventies the regions of the Italian Mezzogiorno have followed a well-known path of divergence and convergence â€“ a pattern in common with many other similar cases. The main characteristic of the Mezzogiorno's case, however, is that the convergence phase has led the area to a remarkably unfavourable steady-state. Further, I suggest that the disappointing results obtained in the area by several and richly financed public policies â€“ and the high persistence of the unfavourable steady-state â€“ are partly due to the lowerquality institutions in the southern regions. In the second part of the article I discuss recent contributions that associate this failure of local institutions to the scarcity of social capital, and that explain the persistence of this scarcity assuming the existence of mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of values and norms that change very slowly in time. Finally, in the final part I discuss briefly the role of economic policy in the presence of mechanisms of this nature.
Comparative Analysis of Plagiarism Detection Systems

This article compares plagiarism detection systems according to the list of criteria, compiled from the most challenging and important features for users in Ukrainian higher educational institutions. In addition it describes types of text-based plagiarism and provides an overview of the most common and serious forms of plagiarism around the world and in Ukraine in particular. The authors carried out a comparative analysis of three plagiarism detection systems − Turnitin, Unicheck, eTXT − and highlighted advantages and disadvantages of each one for the use in Ukraine. However, in further studies there might be a need for revising and expanding the list of criteria depending on the subject and the aim of using plagiarism checkers.
Umweltfaktoren bei Lungenerkrankungen // Environmental factors in lung diseases

Environmental factors in lung diseases. This paper serves as a short overview on the impact of air pollution, mainly fine dust from different sources, from the urban outdoor air as well as indoors in homes and at certain workplaces, on the risk of obstructive pulmonary diseases. Fine dust particles in the air-ways, irrespective of their source and chemical composition, cause inflammatory responses, that on the one hand in the case of chronic exposure lead to tissue damage and remodeling, on the other hand also to systemic reactions. The air quality has improved over the last decades in industrialized countries. Nevertheless or even because of that even at increasingly low concentrations still significant harmful effects are detected. For the single patient these small effects are only of minor relevance. But because practically all people are exposed to air pollution even small individual effects do matter from the perspective of population health. J Pneumologie 2017; 5 (1): 5–9.
An Investigation of The Relationship Between AACSB Business School Accreditation and CPA Exam Success Rates

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International (AACSB) is widely to world’s foremost accrediting agency of business schools. AACSB promotional literature asserts AACSB accreditation is associated with higher qualify business education and higher quality business school graduates. The assertion of higher quality is somewhat controversial and to date has not been well supported by empirical evidence. The research presented below investigates whether recent business school graduates taking the uniform certified public accountants exam score higher when from AACSB accredited institutions rather than when from non- AACSB accredited institutions. Results indicate that graduates of AACSB accredited business schools do in fact score significantly higher on all parts of the uniform certified public accountants exam than do their counterparts form unaccredited institutions.
Information and Heterogeneous Beliefs: Cost of Capital, Trading Volume, and Investor Welfare

ABSTRACT: In an incomplete market with heterogeneous prior beliefs, we show that public information can have a substantial impact on the ex ante cost of capital, trading volume, and investor welfare. The Pareto efficient public information system is the system enjoying the maximum ex ante cost of capital and the maximum expected abnormal trading volume. Imperfect public information increases the gains-to-trade based on heterogeneously updated posterior beliefs. In an exchange economy, this leads to higher growth in the investors' certainty equivalents and, thus, a higher equilibrium interest rate, whereas the ex ante risk premium is unaffected by the informativeness of the public information system. Similar results are obtained in a production economy, but the impact on the ex ante cost of capital is dampened compared to the exchange economy due to welfare-improving reductions in real investments to smooth the investors' certainty equivalents over time.
Mental Health Promotion as a Prevention and Healing Tool for Issues of Youth Suicide in Canadian Aboriginal Communities

This article discusses the appropriateness of using mental health promotion as a prevention and healing tool for Canadian Aboriginal youth dealing with issues of suicide. Strengths of mental health promotion in the context of this population include its emphasis on community-wide approaches, consideration of root causes of mental health issues, recognition of culture as a protective factor, and integration of diverse forms of knowledge. Limitations include an inadequate role for spirituality, lack of culturally-sensitive program evaluation, and emphasis on Western patterns of time, space, and communication. In response to this analysis, recommendations are proposed that could guide the development of future mental health promotion programs.
Emotional Intelligence and Propensity to be a Teamplayer

The present study is one of the first to investigate the role of emotional intelligence in the predilection for teamwork. One hundred and thirty-four respondents, all working in teams, were administered Palmer and Stough’s (2001) measure of emotional intelligence, the NEO-FFI and the Team Player Inventory (Kline, 1999). In line with expectations, the strongest correlations with teamwork were found to be with extraversion, total emotional intelligence and agreeableness. Neuroticism correlated negatively with teamwork and no relationship was found between conscientiousness and predilection for teamwork. Additionally, this research challenged the argument that emotional intelligence is little more than personality by showing that the construct of emotional intelligence added predictive power to that of personality. Limitations and implications for future research are also discussed.