Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contributions of Financial Systems to Growth in OECD Countries

The recent period of sustained high growth in the United States has drawn attention to its financial system and the efficiency with which it seems to be able to channel funds to new productive investment projects, particularly in hi-tech industries. This study examines the role played by the financial systems in OECD countries and how they affect resource allocation and growth. It provides evidence suggesting that legal and regulatory framework conditions for financial systems, and particularly their enforcement and transparency, support innovation and investment in new enterprises. In addition, using dynamic panel regression techniques, the study finds significant relationships between investment and financial development, as measured by indicators of the scale of financial activity. Evidence is also found of significant relationships between financial development and growth — over and above the links via investment — indicating impacts via overall economic efficiency . La forte croissance soutenue aux Etats-Unis pendant la periode recente a attire l’attention sur son systeme financier et l’efficacite avec laquelle il semble etre capable de financer des nouveaux projets d’investissement productif, en particulier dans les industries de haute technologie. Cette etude examine le role joue par les systemes financiers dans les pays de l’OCDE et comment ils influent sur l’allocation des ressources et la croissance. Elle prouve a l’evidence que les systemes financiers reunissant les conditions d’un cadre institutionnel et reglementaire, en particulier dans l’execution et la transparence, contribuent a l’innovation et l’investissement dans de nouvelles entreprises. De plus, en utilisant des techniques de regression dynamique en panel, l’etude constate des relations significatives entre l’investissement et le developpement financier, qui servent d’indicateurs de l’echelle de l’activite financiere. Il parait tout aussi evident qu’il y a une relation entre .
Reduced expression of the hyphal-independent Candida albicans proteinase genes SAP1 and SAP3 in the efg1 mutant is associated with attenuated virulence during infection of oral epithelium.

The transition of Candida albicans from a yeast to a hyphal form is controlled by several transcriptional factors, including the key regulators Cph1 and Efg1, and is considered an important virulence attribute. These factors, especially Efg1, regulate the expression of hyphal-associated genes e.g. SAP4-SAP6. In order to investigate the relevance of these transcriptional regulators for hyphal-independent SAP genes, recently constructed cph1 and efg1 single mutants and a cph1/efg1 double mutant lacking these factors were tested during interaction with oral epithelium and polymorphonuclear neutrophils. In contrast to the parental wild-type strain and the cph1 mutant, the efg1 and the cph1/efg1 mutants did not produce hyphal forms in all experiments and were less capable of damaging epithelial cells and neutrophil granulocytes. The attenuated epithelial lesions of these mutants were correlated not only with reduced expression of the hyphal-associated gene SAP4, but also with the lack of SAP1 and SAP3 expression previously shown to be important for oral infections. An efg1 mutant strain carrying a plasmid-borne copy of the EFG1 gene regained hyphal growth, damage of keratinocytes, granulocytes and the expression of SAP1 and SAP3. Although efg1 and cph1/efg1 mutants did not produce germ tubes during infection, expression of the hyphal-associated genes SAP5 and SAP6 was not completely abolished. A reduced capacity to stimulate an epithelial immune response manifested by a delayed onset of IL-1beta, IL-8 and TNF expression was only observed in the cph1/efg1-infected tissue. These results provide further evidence for a combined regulation of different virulence factors, such as dimorphism and expression of SAP genes. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that the lack of Efg1 also caused reduced expression of hyphal-independent SAP genes. Both the EFG1 and the CPH1 gene products are necessary for adequate induction of an immune response.
Effects of Foreign Trade Liberalization on the Productivity of Industrial Sectors in Turkey

This paper investigates the effects of foreign trade liberalization of Turkey after 1980 on the productivity of industrial sectors. The relationship is tested using panel data of twenty-eight ISIC three-digit industrial sectors for the 1974â€“1994 period. Two different regressions are run. The first one decomposes manufacturing output growth into its componentsâ€”that is, factor use, markups, economies of scale effects, and productivity changesâ€”and tests whether there are any shifts in one of these components after trade liberalization. The results of the analysis show that, on the basis of the available evidence, we can say that there is a positive shift in productivity and a negative shift in industrial markups after trade liberalization. Moreover, returns to scale is decreased after trade liberalization. Whereas before 1984, increasing returns to scale was the rule, after 1984, decreasing returns to scale characterizes the Turkish manufacturing industry as a whole. The second regression tries to explain priceâ€“cost margins with import penetration, capital/output ratio, and the Herfindahl indexâ€”that is, a measure of industrial concentration. All of the explanatory variables seem to have a significant effect on priceâ€“cost margins. Import penetration has a positive effect on priceâ€“cost margins, contrary to commonsense predictions. The capital/output ratio affects priceâ€“cost margins slightly negatively. The Herfindahl index is the most important factor affecting priceâ€“cost margins. As concentration in the industry increases, priceâ€“cost margins increase more than proportionately.
Herschel / HIFI : first science highlights Special feature L etter to the E ditor HIFI spectroscopy of low-level water transitions in M 82

We present observations of the rotational ortho-water ground transition, the two lowest para-water transitions, and the ground transition of ionised ortho-water in the archetypal starburst galaxy M 82, performed with the HIFI instrument on the Herschel Space Observatory. These observations are the first detections of the para-H2O(111–000) (1113 GHz) and ortho-H2O(111–000) (1115 GHz) lines in an extragalactic source. All three water lines show different spectral line profiles, underlining the need for high spectral resolution in interpreting line formation processes. Using the line shape of the para-H2O(111–000) and ortho-H2O(111–000) absorption profile in conjunction with high spatial resolution CO observations, we show that the (ionised) water absorption arises from a ∼2000 pc2 region within the HIFI beam located about ∼50 pc east of the dynamical centre of the galaxy. This region does not coincide with any of the known line emission peaks that have been identified in other molecular tracers, with the exception of HCO. Our data suggest that water and ionised water within this region have high (up to 75%) area-covering factors of the underlying continuum. This indicates that water is not associated with small, dense cores within the ISM of M 82 but arises from a more widespread diffuse gas
Two Price Zones for the German Electricity Market: Market Implications and Distributional Effects

We discuss the implications of two price zones, i.e. one northern and southern bidding area, on the German electricity market. In the northern zone, continuous capacity additions with low variable costs cause large regional supply surpluses in the market dispatch while conventional capacity decreases in the southern zone. As the spatial imbalance of supply and load is increasing, the current single bidding area results more often in technically infeasible market results requiring curative congestion management. Additional bidding zones would enable better market integration of scarce transmission capacities in a system exposed to structural regional imbalances. Using a line sharp electricity sector model, this paper analyzes the system implications and the distributional effects of two bidding zones in the German electricity system in 2012 and 2015, respectively. Results show a decrease in cross-zonal re-dispatch levels, in particular in 2015. However, overall network congestion and re-dispatch levels increase in 2015 and also remain high for both bidding zones. Results are very sensitive to additional line investments illustrating the challenge to define stable price zones in a dynamic setting. With two bidding areas, prices in the model results increase in the southern zone and decrease in the northern zone. The average price deviation grows from 0.4 EUR/MWh in 2012 to 1.7 EUR/MWh in 2015 with absolute values being significantly higher in hours with price differences. Stakeholders within zones are exposed to the price deviations to a different extent. Distributional effects are surprisingly small compared to the wholesale price or different network charges.
Thermoregulation of foraging honeybees on flowering plants: seasonal variability and influence of radiative heat gain

1. During nectar and pollen foraging in a temperate climate, honeybees are exposed to a broad range of ambient temperatures, challenging their thermoregulatory ability. The body temperature that the bees exhibit results from endothermic heat production, exogenous heat gain from solar radiation, and heat loss. In addition to profitability of foraging, season was suggested to have a considerable influence on thermoregulation. To assess the relative importance of these factors, the thermoregulatory behaviour of foragers on 33 flowering plants in dependence on season and environmental factors was investigated.
Waist Circumference, Weight, and Body Mass Index of Iranians based on National Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors Surveillance

Background Obesity is an important and life-threatening disease, associated with different chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. We sought to address the paucity of information on the trends of anthropometric indices such as weight, waist circumference, and body mass index in the adult population of Iran. Methods: We drew upon data from the First Non-communicable Disease Survey in Iran in 2005. In total, 79,611 participants between 20 and 64 years old were selected via the random multistage cluster sampling. The Lambda Median Scale method was applied to construct normal curves for anthropometric indices. Results: The mean of waist circumference in both genders increased with age and in all the age groups except those between 20 and 24 years old was higher in the women. The mean of body mass index was higher in all the age brackets in the women, but the means of weight and height were higher in the men. The association of theses indices with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was stronger in men. Conclusion: The ranges of waist circumference and body mass index in Iranian population are different from those of other countries. The higher body mass index and waist circumference in females and the direct association between obesity and chronic diseases, is advisable that the effects of this phenomenon be fully investigated and due heed be paid to the importance of lifestyle modification.
What Is Globalization

Foreword. Introduction. Vitual Tax--Payers. The National State Caught between World Economy and Individualization: What is to be Done? The Globalization Shock: A Belated Discussion. Part I: Dimensions, Controversies, Definitions: . 1. The World Horizon Opens Up: On the Sociology of Globalization. 2. Transnational Civil Society: How a Cosmopolitan Vision is Emerging. 3. Contours of World Society: Rival Perspectives. Part II: Perspectives:. 4. Errors of Globalism. 5. Responses to Globalization. 6. Europe and Globalization. Conclusion: Decline a la Carte: The Brazilianization of Europe. Further Reading. Index.
Extending the CAPM using pair copulas: The Regular Vine Market Sector model

The demand for accurate models involving larger numbers of assets is strong not only in view of the financial crisis of 2007-2009. In particular dependencies among assets have not been captured adequately. While standard multivariate copulas have added some flexibility, this flexibility is insufficient in higher dimensional applications. Regular vines can fill this gap by benefiting from the rich class of existing bivariate parametric copula families. Exploiting this in combination with GARCH models for margins, we develop a regular vine copula based factor model for asset returns that extends the classical CAPM to non-linearity and non-normality. In a substantial application to European stock market returns we demonstrate its excellent performance in comparison to relevant benchmark models. In particular we show its superiority to the CAVA model proposed by Heinen and Valdesogo (2009).
Cloud Computing Pricing Models: A Survey

Cloud computing is emerging as a promising field offering a variety of computing services to end users. These services are offered at different prices using various pricing schemes and techniques. End users will favor the service provider offering the best QoS with the lowest price. Therefore, applying a fair pricing model will attract more customers and achieve higher revenues for service providers. This work focuses on comparing many employed and proposed pricing models techniques and highlights the pros and cons of each. The comparison is based on many aspects such as fairness, pricing approach, and utilization period. Such an approach provides a solid ground for designing better models in the future. We have found that most approaches are theoretical and not implemented in the real market, although their simulation results are very promising. Moreover, most of these approaches are biased toward the service provider.
Combined effects of valence and attributes of e-WOM on consumer judgment for message and product: The moderating effect of brand community type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model to test whether the combined effects of valence and objectivity/subjectivity of online review have an effect on consumer judgment and whether e-WOM platforms have a moderating effect. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 480 respondents participated in online experiments with a four (positive+objective, positive+subjective, negative+objective, and negative+subjective online review) by two (marketer-generated vs consumer-generated brand community web sites) between subject design. Findings – The experiment showed that: an objective negative online review was rated higher in terms of message usefulness compared to the other types of online reviews; positive reviews, whether they are objective or subjective, were rated higher in terms of attitudes toward and intention to purchase the reviewed product, and the effects of online reviews moderated by e-WOM platforms on consumer judgment were supported. Research limitations/implications – The present s.
Quality Assessment in the Cloud: Is It Worthwhile?

As software systems become increasingly complex, the aspects of quality that we want to assess become increasingly diverse, requiring the usage of a significant number of tools. Therefore, the installation and proper configuration of these various analysis tools, as well as running them on local computers for large-scale systems becomes more and more a significant investment both in terms of time and computing power. In this paper we present how the infrastructure and services that are developed within the HOST project could be employed to facilitate the extensive use of quality assessment tools. We present the HOST service functionality infrastructure by showing how INFUSION, a popular tool for detecting design flaws, has been integrated and used there. The paper presents the performance improvements due to running INFUSION within a cloud infrastructure and discusses the trade-offs of moving software analysis tools in the cloud.
HIGH-PRECISION RADIO AND INFRARED ASTROMETRY OF LSPM J1314+1320AB. II. TESTING PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE MODELS AT THE LITHIUM DEPLETION BOUNDARY WITH DYNAMICAL MASSES

We present novel tests of pre-main-sequence models based on individual dynamical masses for the M7 binary LSPM J1314+1320AB. Joint analysis of Keck adaptive optics astrometric monitoring along with Very Long Baseline Array radio data from a companion paper yield component masses of 92.8 ± 0.6 MJup (0.0885 ± 0.0006 M☉) and 91.7 ± 1.0 MJup (0.0875 ± 0.0010 M☉) and a parallactic distance of 17.249 ± 0.013 pc. We find component luminosities consistent with the system being coeval at 80.8 ± 2.5 Myr, according to BHAC15 evolutionary models. The presence of lithium is consistent with model predictions, marking the first test of the theoretical lithium depletion boundary using ultracool dwarfs of known mass. However, we find that the evolutionary model-derived average effective temperature (2950 ± 5 K) is 180 K hotter than that given by a spectral type– relation based on BT-Settl models (2770 ± 100 K). We suggest that the dominant source of this discrepancy is model radii being too small by ≈13%. In a test mimicking the typical application of models by observers, we derive masses on the H-R diagram using luminosity and BT-Settl temperature. The estimated masses are lower by (2.0σ) than we measure dynamically and would imply that this is a system of ≈50 MJup brown dwarfs, highlighting the large systematic errors possible in H-R diagram properties. This is the first time masses have been measured for ultracool (≥M6) dwarfs displaying spectral signatures of low gravity. Based on features in the infrared, LSPM J1314+1320AB appears to have higher gravity than typical Pleiades and AB Dor members, opposite the expectation given its younger age. The components of LSPM J1314+1320AB are now the nearest, lowest mass pre-main-sequence stars with direct mass measurements.
Leveraging Embedded Training Systems to Build Higher Level Cognitive Skills in Warfighters

Abstract : Embedded Training Systems provide a new opportunity for training not only procedural or systems skills, but also the higher-level cognitive skills that are critical for successful performance on today's battlefield. We have developed a principled approach for training the essential cognitive skills underlying high levels of situation awareness (SA) and decision making that can be easily employed in future embedded training systems so as to significantly enhance this critical commodity. These training approaches include (1) SA Trainer which employs systematic experiential-based training to build essential knowledge bases and higher-order cognitive skills, (2) Virtual Environment Situation Awareness Review System (VESARS) which employs informed feedback on SA skills, team communications, and the accuracy and completeness of SA, and (3) the SA Virtual Instructor (SAVI) which builds critical SA skills by calibration of good and poor SA practices.
DNA Replication during Aggregation Phase Is Essential for Myxococcus xanthus Development

ABSTRACT Previous studies have demonstrated that fruiting body-derived Myxococcus xanthus myxospores contain two fully replicated copies of its genome, implying developmental control of chromosome replication and septation. In this study, we employ DNA replication inhibitors to determine if chromosome replication is essential to development and the exact time frame in which chromosome replication occurs within the developmental cycle. Our results show that DNA replication during the aggregation phase is essential for developmental progression, implying the existence of a checkpoint that monitors chromosome integrity at the end of the aggregation phase.
Serotype Diversity of Astroviruses in Rawalpindi, Pakistan during 2009–2010

Astroviruses are globally known enteropathogens causing gastroenteritis and diarrhea, with eight well defined serotypes. Epidemiological studies have recognized serotype-1 as the most common subtype but no such data is available in Pakistan. During 2009–2010, we found astroviruses in 41 out of 535 (7%) samples collected from hospitalized children. Thirty one strains belonged to serotype-1 and clustered into two distinct lineages. Serotype-3, -4 and -6 were detected with 97–98% genetic homology to Indian and Chinese strains.
On upper bounds on communication rates in ad-hoc networks with non-uniform traffic pattern

Traffic demands in networks play a vital role in determining the transmission rate that a network can support between communicating users. We derive information theoretic upper bounds on the rate per communicating source-destination pair in ad-hoc wireless networks with a non-uniform traffic pattern. The upper bounds are tight and closely follow the achievability bounds recently given by Tabet and Knopp. Furthermore, we show that in the case of large signal attenuation, the bounds hold even when the cooperation among the users is limited to certain region of the network domain
Identification of mature and immature human thymic dendritic cells that differentially express HLA‐DR and interleukin‐3 receptor in vivo

We have previously shown that thymic CD34+ cells have a very limited myeloid differentiation capacity and differentiatein vitro mostly into CD1a+‐derived but not CD14+‐derived dendritic cells (DC). Herein we characterized the human neonatal thymic DC extracted from the organ in relationship with the DC generated from CD34+ cells in situ. We show that in vivo thymic DC express E cadherin, CLA, CD4, CD38, CD40, CD44, and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor‐R (GM‐CSF‐R; CD116) but no CD1a. According to their morphology, functions, and surface staining they could be separated into two distinct subpopulations: mature HLA‐DRhi, mostly interleukin‐3‐R (CD123)‐negative cells, associated with thymocytes, some apoptotic, and expressed myeloid and activation markers but no lymphoid markers. In contrast, immature HLA‐DR+ CD123hi CD36+ cells with monocytoid morphology lacked activation and myeloid antigens but expressed lymphoid antigens. The latter express pTα mRNA, which is also found in CD34+ thymocytes and in blood CD123hi DC further linking this subset to lymphoid DC. However, the DC generated from CD34+ thymic progenitors under standard conditions were pTα‐negative. Thymic lymphoid DC showed similar phenotype and cytokine production profile as blood/tonsillar lymphoid DC but responded to GM‐CSF, and at variance with them produced no or little type I interferon upon infection with viruses and did not induce a strict polarization of naive T cells into TH2 cells. Their function in the thymus remains therefore to be elucidated.
Learning to Detect Event-Related Queries for Web Search

In many cases, a user turns to search engines to find information about real-world situations, namely, political elections, sport competitions, or natural disasters. Such temporal querying behavior can be observed through a significant number of event-related queries generated in web search. In this paper, we study the task of detecting event-related queries, which is the first step for understanding temporal query intent and enabling different temporal search applications, e.g., time-aware query auto-completion, temporal ranking, and result diversification. We propose a two-step approach to detecting events from query logs. We first identify a set of event candidates by considering both implicit and explicit temporal information needs. The next step further classifies the candidates into two main categories, namely, event or non-event. In more detail, we leverage different machine learning techniques for query classification, which are trained using the feature set composed of time series features from signal processing, along with features derived from click-through information, and standard statistical features. In order to evaluate our proposed approach, we conduct an experiment using two real-world query logs with manually annotated relevance assessments for 837 events. To this end, we provide a large set of event-related queries made available for fostering research on this challenging task.