Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience Synaptic Neuroscience

autoimmune disorders such as paraneoplastic syndrome, multiple sclerosis (MS), and systemic lupus erythematosus (Bhat and Steinman, 2009). Despite the dogma that peripheral immune responses could not affect CNS function under normal circumstances, substantial evidence over the past 10 years suggests that immune-CNS cross-talk may be the norm rather than the exception. An intriguing example supporting this new idea comes from studies of immune-deficient (severe combined immunodeficient, SCID) mice. These mice, which lack peripheral T-cells, show impairments in the acquisition of cognitive tasks. Repopulating their T cells via bone marrow transfer significantly restores their adaptive immunity and improves learning. Similarly, acute depletion of adaptive immunity in normal adult mice impairs their learning behavior (Brynskikh et al., 2008). Thus, peripheral immune cells can alter cognition in the absence of CNS immune cell infiltration, suggesting that neural–immune cross-talk may involve more than the simple " breaching " of the BBB. Moreover, breaching of the BBB may not always be harmful. In traumatic and ischemic injury, MS, infection, and neurode-generative diseases, activation of an immune response in the CNS may instead contribute to the maintenance, functional integrity, and repair of tissue following an insult (Graber and Dhib-Jalbut, 2009). Furthermore, new therapies for neurodegenerative disorders , including administration of the cytokine interferon-beta (IFN-β) and intravenous immunoglobulin, enhance the protective and regenerative aspects of the immune system in the CNS (Sozzani et al., 2010). A better understanding of both the neuro-protective and destructive roles of the immune response within
University of Birmingham Adjustment behavior of corporate cash holdings

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Comparative Assessment of Safety Indicators for Vehicle Trajectories on Highways

Safety measurement and its analysis have been challenging and well-researched topics in transportation. Conventionally, surrogate safety measures have been used as safety indicators in simulation models for safety assessment, in control formulations for driver assistance systems, and in data analysis of naturalistic driving studies. However, surrogate indicators give partial insights on traffic safety; that is, these indicators only indicate a predetermined set of possible precrash situations for an interacting vehicle pair. Recently, a safety indicator called the “driving safety field,” based on field theory, was proposed for two-dimensional vehicle interactions. However, the objectivity of its functional form and its validity have yet to be tested. A qualitative and quantitative comparison of different safety indicators was provided as a risk measure to demarcate their mathematical properties and evaluate their usefulness in quantifying trajectory risk. Five relevant safety indicators were compared: inverse time to collision, postencroachment time, potential indicator of collision with urgent decceleration, warning index, and safety field force. Their formulations were mathematically analyzed to yield qualitative insights and their values over simulated vehicle trajectories were evaluated to yield quantitative insights. The results acknowledge the limitations and demarcate the functional utilities of the selected safety indicators.
Pliocene-Pleistocene sedimentary-tectonic development of the Mesaoria (Mesarya) Basin in an incipient, diachronous collisional setting: facies evidence from the north of Cyprus

The Mesaoria (Mesarya) Basin exemplifies multi-stage basin development within a regional setting of diachronous continental collision. The Plio-Pleistocene represented a period of major sediment accumulation between two topographic highs, the Kyrenia Range in the north and the Troodos Massif in the south. During Pliocene time, open-marine marls and chalks of the Nicosia (Lefkoşa) Formation accumulated in a shelf setting. The Early Pleistocene period was characterized by a relative fall in sea level and a change to shallower-water bioclastic deposition of the Athalassa (Gürpınar) Formation. The northern margin of the basin was approximately delineated by the E–W neotectonic Ovgos (Dar Dere) fault zone. A carbonate ramp system formed directly to the south of this structural feature. During Early Pleistocene time, the basin evolved from an open-marine shelf to semi-enclosed lagoons with deltaic deposits, and finally to a non-marine aeolian setting, flanked by the rising Kyrenia Range to the north. Synthesis of geological evidence from the Mesaoria (Mesarya) Basin as a whole, including outcrop and borehole evidence from the south, adjacent to the Troodos Massif, indicates that the Pliocene – Early Pleistocene represented a relatively quiescent period. This intervened between Late Miocene – earliest Pleistocene southward thrusting–folding of the Kyrenia Range and Pleistocene intense surface uplift of both the Kyrenia Range and the Troodos Massif. The basin development reflects flexurally controlled collapse during Late Miocene – earliest Pliocene time related to southward thrusting, followed by strike-slip during westward tectonic escape of Anatolia, and finally regional uplift controlled by under-thrusting of continental crust from the south, as collision progressed.
The density of states method at non-zero chemical potential

We study the QCD phase diagram by first principle lattice calculations at so far unreached high densities. For this purpose we employ the density of states method. Unimproved staggered fermions, which describe four quark flavors in the continuum are used in this analysis. Though the method is quite expensive, small lattices show an indication for a triple-point connecting three different phases on the phase diagram.
Are Small Scale Vars Useful for Business Cycle Analysis? Revisiting Non-Fundamentalness

Non-fundamentalness arises when observables do not contain enough information to recover the vector of structural shocks. Using Granger causality tests, the literature suggested that many small scale VAR models are non-fundamental and thus not useful for business cycle analysis. We show that causality tests are problematic when VAR variables are cross sectionally aggregated or proxy for non-observables. We provide an alternative testing procedure, illustrate its properties with a Monte Carlo exercise, and reexamine the properties of two prototypical VAR models.
Street Rep: A Privacy-Preserving Reputation Aggregation System

Over the last decade, online reputation has become a central aspect of our digital lives. Most online services and communities assign a reputation score to users, based on feedback from other users about various criteria such as how reliable, helpful, or knowledgeable a person is. While many online services compute reputation based on the same set of such criteria, users currently do not have the ability to use their reputation scores across services. As a result, users face trouble establishing themselves on new services or trusting each other on services that do not support reputation tracking. Existing systems that aggregate reputation scores, unfortunately, provide no guarantee in terms of user privacy, and their use makes user accounts linkable . Such a lack of privacy may result in embarrassment, or worse, place users in danger. In this paper, we present Street Rep , a practical system for aggregating user reputation scores in a privacy-preserving manner. Street Rep makes it possible for users to provide their aggregated scores over multiple services without revealing their respective identities on each service. We discuss our novel approach for tamper-proof privacy preserving score aggregation from multiple sources by combining existing techniques such as blind signatures, homomorphic signatures and private information retrieval. We discuss its practicality and resiliency against diﬀerent types of attacks. We also built a prototype implementation of Street Rep . Our evaluation demonstrates that Street Rep (a) performs eﬃciently and (b) practically scales to a large user base.
University of Birmingham Measuring is more than assigning numbers

convert the into and convert the into and use as though they were is a good of and the for quantification over-takes the of establishing a measure. by to use the underlying scores (and what kind of measure these are is debatable, but not dealt with here). In the absence of these scores researchers must be careful when working with grades. They are not like the number of people in a the underlying score for an individual with an A grade may be nearer to an individual with a B grade than two individuals with A grades are to each other. We can, use the frequencies of individuals in each grade category, or the probability of reaching a threshold grade, for as real
Identification of Dry Periods in the Dobrogea Region

The main objective of this study is to identify different types of drought (moderate, severe and extreme) in the Dobrogea region based on three indicators: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), the Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Flow Index (SFI). The dry periods, from a meteorological point of view, were identified based on a drought index that takes into account only precipitation (SPI) and another one that takes into account both precipitation as well as mean air temperature (SPEI). To highlight the dry periods from a hydrological point of view we applied the procedure for calculating the SPI to monthly discharge time series, through the Standardized Flow Index (SFI).
Understanding Small Business Entrepreneurial Activity in the Nigerian Bottom of The Pyramid (BoP) and Informal Economy

Despite a significant and rapid evolution of the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) and Informal Economy concepts, there is still a lack of clarity by researchers on the definition and nature of the BoP populations being studied and how activities in BoP markets intersect with those in the Informal Economy. The current study contributes to the literature in the area by exploring the nature of small business activity at the BoP within the specific Nigerian informal economy context. The research consisted of street-by street survey and spatial random sampling of indigenous entrepreneurs in the Nigerian informal economy. Findings highlights the unique characteristics of BoP and Non-BoP entrepreneurs and the mediating role of demographics and perceptions of self/others in entrepreneurship in the informal sector (for BoP entrepreneurs andnon-BoP entrepreneurs) and are discussed in relation to the previous literature, theory and practice
Optimal power scheduling for a grid-connected hybrid PV-wind-battery microgrid system

In this paper, a lineal mathematical model is proposed to schedule optimally the power references of the distributed energy resources in a grid-connected hybrid PV-wind-battery microgrid. The optimization of the short term scheduling problem is addressed through a mixed-integer linear programming mathematical model, wherein the cost of energy purchased from the main grid is minimized and profits for selling energy generated by photovoltaic arrays are maximized by considering both physical constraints and requirements for a feasible deployment in the real system. The optimization model is tested by using a real-time simulation of the model and uploaded it in a digital control platform. The results show the economic benefit of the proposed optimal scheduling approach in two different scenarios.
Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility and Global IT Outsourcing

Buyers of IT outsourcing services increasingly expect providers to demonstrate strong commitment to corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER). We identify two key challenges for CSER in global information technology outsourcing (GITO): (1) environmental issues related to increasing power consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions, and to e-waste, and (2) social responsibility issues, which are growing in importance as global CSER guidelines, standards, reporting frameworks, and regulations raise public expectations. Our research has identified four key trends in the CSER knowledge and capabilities required by outsourcing buyers and providers. We provide guidelines for acquiring the knowledge and capabilities that will enable buyers and providers to effectively integrate CSER within GITO.
ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN PACE OF GROWTH BETWEEN BIRTH AND 5 YEARS: RESULTS FROM THE MILLENNIUM COHORT STUDY

the heaviest but also the tallest. Larger BMIs were observed for Black Caribbean boys (1.32, 0.71 to 1.94) and Black African girls (0.97, 0.72 to 1.22) than their White peers. At this age, Black Caribbean boys (56.2 cm, 53.9 to 58.6) and Black African girls (55.8 cm, 54.7 to 56.8) also had larger waist circumference than Whites (boys 53.7 cm, girls 53.5 cm). There were no ethnic speci ﬁ c effects from maternal factors, household SEC or feedings practices. Conclusions A pattern of lighter birth weights and rapid growth was observed for Black Africans origin children compared with White children. The growth patterns observed here may be pertinent to the development of ethnic differences in CVD
Psychometric evaluation of the Thai version of Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (Th-ECOHIS): a cross sectional validation study

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is prevalent in Thailand. There has never been an appropriate tool to measure its impact on children. This study translated Early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS), a widely used proxy-reported questionnaire developed in the United States for measuring the oral health related quality of life of preschool children and their families and adopted into many countries, into Thai (Th-ECOHIS). Its psychometric properties were investigated in Thai caregivers and their children. Methods: Cultural adaptation for the scale development within Thai context was processed using forward–backward translation by experts. A face and content validation test were conducted among a group of 20 caregivers to attain the �nal Th-ECOHIS. Psychometric testing was done on 3-year-old-child-caregiver pairs in Bangkok with the interviewer-administered mode. Children’s oral health was indicated by caries experience (decayed, missing and �lled primary teeth, dmft) and treatment need. The caregivers answered the Th-ECOHIS and global questions regarding perception of their children’s oral health. Reliability was assessed by measuring internal consistency and reproducibility using Cronbach’s alpha coe�cient. Test-retest reliability was managed at 2-week interval in 10% of samples using the intraclass correlation coe�cient calculated by two-way analysis of variance. The discriminant validity was tested by the relationship between the severity of dental caries, treatment need and Th-ECOHIS scores using Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: A total of 214 child-parent pairs participated. Twenty-two percent had ECC (dmft 1-3) and 17.3% had severe ECC (dmft 4 or higher) with mean (SD) dmft 1.63 (2.92). All items in the original ECOHIS were retained in the Thai version. The test-retest reliability of Th-ECOHIS was 0.87; internal consistency was 0.85; the total of Th-ECOHIS scores were signi�cantly correlated with the global rating of oral health question (r = 0.604). Th-ECOHIS scores in both child and family impact sections and total were signi�cantly associated with the severity of caries (p < 0.001)
The Role of Parents, Peers and Partners in Cannabis Use and Dependence Trajectories among Young Adult Frequent Users

In a 3-year qualitative longitudinal study the role of social relationships in cannabis use and dependence in young adults (all frequent users at baseline) was explored. Overall, cannabis use and dependence declined. Changes in use were, for a considerable part, attributable to processes and life events in social relationships with peers and partners, while parents had little influence. Negatively experienced events often triggered increased use and positively experienced events decreased use. Participants often adapted their use to others, depending on associate's use. Underlying mechanisms appear related to both socialization and selection. Gender-specific processes occurred, particularly with regard to partners; females selected using partners and males nonusing partners, and subsequently cannabis use increased (females) or decreased (males) by socialization. Transitions in cannabis dependence could be explained by using peers, cohabitation and, for females, a new partnership. Persistent and newly nondependent participants were less susceptible to social influences than dependent interviewees.
Generalized D-Kaup-Newell integrable systems and their integrable couplings and Darboux transformations

We present a new spectral problem, a generalization of the D-Kaup-Newell spectral problem, associated with the Lie algebra sl(2,R). Zero curvature equations furnish the soliton hierarchy. The trace identity produces the Hamiltonian structure for the hierarchy. Lastly, a reduction of the spectral problem is shown to have a different soliton hierarchy with a bi-Hamiltonian structure. The first major motivation of this dissertation is to present spectral problems that generate two soliton hierarchies with infinitely many commuting conservation laws and high-order symmetries, i.e., they are Liouville integrable. We use the soliton hierarchies and a non-seimisimple matrix loop Lie algebra in order to construct integrable couplings. An enlarged spectral problem is presented starting from a generalization of the D-Kaup-Newell spectral problem. Then the enlarged zero curvature equations are solved from a series of Lax pairs producing the desired integrable couplings. A reduction is made of the original enlarged spectral problem generating a second integrable coupling system. Next, we discuss how to compute bilinear forms that are symmetric, ad-invariant, and non-degenerate on the given non-semisimple matrix Lie algebra to employ the variational identity. The variational identity is applied to the original integrable couplings of a generalized D-Kaup-Newell soliton hierarchy to furnish its Hamiltonian structures. Then we apply the variational identity to the reduced integrable couplings. The reduced coupling system has a bi-Hamiltonian structure. Both integrable coupling systems retain the properties of infinitely many commuting high-order symmetries and conserved densities of their original subsystems and, again, are Liouville integrable. In order to find solutions to a generalized D-Kaup-Newell integrable coupling system, a theory iii of Darboux transformations on integrable couplings is formulated. The theory pertains to a spectral problem where the spectral matrix is a polynomial in λ of any order. An application to a generalized D-Kaup-Newell integrable couplings system is worked out, along with an explicit formula for the associated Bäcklund transformation. Precise one-soliton-like solutions are given for the m-th order generalized D-Kaup-Newell integrable coupling system.
Compact Rational Krylov Methods for Nonlinear Eigenvalue Problems

We describe a generalization of the compact rational Krylov (CORK) methods for polynomial and rational eigenvalue problems that usually, but not necessarily, come from polynomial or rational approximations of genuinely nonlinear eigenvalue problems. CORK is a family of one-sided methods that reformulates the polynomial or rational eigenproblem as a generalized eigenvalue problem. By exploiting the Kronecker structure of the associated pencil, it constructs a right Krylov subspace in compact form and thereby avoids the high memory and orthogonalization costs that are usually associated with linearizations of high degree matrix polynomials. CORK approximates eigenvalues and their corresponding right eigenvectors but is not suitable in its current form for the computation of left eigenvectors. Our generalization of the CORK method is based on a class of Kronecker structured pencils that include as special cases the CORK pencils, the transposes of CORK pencils, and the symmetrically structured linearizations by Robol, Vandebril, and Van Dooren [ SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. , 38 (2017), pp. 188–216]. This class of structured pencils facilitates the development of a general framework for the computation of both right-and left-sided Krylov subspaces in compact form, and hence allows the development of two-sided compact rational Krylov methods for nonlinear eigenvalue problems. The latter are particularly eﬃcient when the standard inner product is replaced by a cheaper to compute quasi-inner product. We show experimentally that convergence results similar to CORK can be obtained for a certain quasi-inner product.
Title: Factors predicting influenza vaccination adherence among patients in dialysis: an Italian survey

The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge and practices about influenza among patients on dialysis services of Italian hospitals at risk of severe influenza infection and vaccine and to identify predictive factors to vaccination adherence. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was carried out from January 2017 to July 2017 after the 2016/2017 influenza vaccination campaign. The questionnaire was administered to all patients treated in seven large Italian dialysis services. It consisted of influenza vaccination coverage, knowledge about influenza and its vaccination, perceived risk of influenza complications, recommendations on influenza uptake received by general practitioner (GP) and nephrologist. Response rate was 90% (703/781). Patients’ knowledge about influenza infection and vaccine were detected by nine closed questions: 35.6% of responders answered correctly to ≥ 6 sentences, 47.5% of them reported that “influenza vaccine can cause influenza” and 45.7% believed that “antibiotics are a correct strategy to treat influenza”. Levels of perceived risks of hospitalisation and death were low in 39.3% and 16.5% of patients respectively. The adherence to the last seasonal influenza vaccination was 57.5%. The multivariate predictors of influenza vaccination uptake resulted: age ≥65, male, consulting TV/radio, asking information to GP and/or nephrologist. The study reveals the low adherence to influenza vaccination and the subotpimal level of knowledge in dialysis patients. Different strategies, including a greater alliance among nephrologists and GPs to prevent influenza should be encouraged to improve the adherence to influenza vaccination in this at risk group. to identify predictors of seasonal influenza vaccine adherence in this group of patients. the adherence to influenza vaccination and the suboptimal level of knowledge about influenza infection in the population at higher risk of adverse outcome that can be reduced by influenza vaccination. global adherence to influenza vaccination in all dialysis centres joining in the study was 57.5%. The we the minimum goal of vaccine in patients with chronic dialysis, been fixed the Vaccine at 75%, with optimal target of 95%. The rate with the highest value of 77.6% and a the lowest of wide range of the values is to were no differences in the clinical settings that may for this, or differences in distribution of age, gender, nationality and education level among patients receiving in the dialysis centres participated the predictive factor