Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Poverty and policy

In this analysis of public policy to reduce poverty, the authors point out, among other things, that typically the highest incidence and severity of poverty are still found in rural areas, especially if ill-watered. For many of the rural poor, the only immediate route out of poverty is by migration to towns, to face a higher expected income, although often a more uncertain one. This may or may not reduce aggregate poverty. We can be more confident that growth in agricultural output -- fueled by investment in human and physical infrastructure -- is pro-poor, though not because the poor own much land. The policies pursued by most developing countries up to the mid-1980s -- and by many still -- have been biased against the rural sector in various ways. The same is true -- although different policies are involved -- of the other major sectoral concentration of poor, namely, the urban informal sector. There are clear prospects for reducing poverty by removing these biases. Looking ahead (far ahead, in some cases), it is less clear how much further gain to the poor can be expected from introducing a bias in the opposite direction. Neutrality should be the aim. We need good data and measurement to identify which public actions are effective in fighting poverty. There have been a number of advances in household data and analytic capabilities for poverty analysis over the last ten years. We are in a better position than ever to devise well-informed policies. The authors identify two important roles for public action. One is to foster the conditions for pro-poor growth, particularly by providing wide access to the necessary physical and human assets, including public infrastructure. The other is to help those who cannot participate fully in the benefits of such growth, or who do so with continued exposure to unacceptable risks. Here there is an important role for aiming interventions by various means to improve the distribution of the benefits of public spending on social services and safety nets in developing countries. Those means range from the selection of key categories of public spending (such as primary education and basic health care) to more finely targeted transfers (including nutrition and health interventions) based on poverty indicators, or some self-targeting mechanism. Though disappointing outcomes abound, many countries have demonstrated what is possible with timely and well-conceived interventions.
Neural Correlates of Self-distraction from Anxiety and a Process Model of Cognitive Emotion Regulation

Cognitive strategies used in volitional emotion regulation include self-distraction and reappraisal (reinterpretation). There is debate as to what the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying these strategies are. For example, it is unclear whether self-distraction and reappraisal, although distinct at a phenomenological level, are also mediated by distinct neural processes. This is partly because imaging studies on reappraisal and self-distraction have been performed in different emotional contexts and are difficult to compare. We have therefore investigated the neural correlates of self-distraction, as indexed by a thought suppression task, in an anticipatory anxiety paradigm previously employed by us to study reappraisal. Brain activity was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. We show that self-distraction recruits the left lateral prefrontal cortex. Based on a review of the existing data, we develop a process model of cognitive emotion regulation. The model posits that both self-distraction and reappraisal attenuate emotional reactions through replacement of emotional by neutral mental contents but achieve replacement in different ways. This is associated with a dependence of self-distraction on a left prefrontal production function, whereas reappraisal depends on a right prefrontal higher order monitoring process.
Regulation and Compliance in the Atlantic Fisheries: State/Society Relations in the Management of Natural Resources

Preface. 1: Introduction. 1.1. The Cases. 1.2. The Research Question. 1.3. Epistemological Ambitions and Research Methods. 1.4. An Overview of the Book. 2: Utility, Legitimacy And Punishment - Basic Analytical Framework. 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. The Compliance Literature. 2.3. Modelling Normative Aspects of Compliance. 3: Legitimacy And Survival Among Uerhavn's Fishermen - The Norwegian Case. 3.1. A Fishing Community in Decline. 3.2. Perceptions of Governmental Regulations. 3.3. The Relevant Social Norms. 3.4. Strategic Actors in Moral Contexts. 3.5. Food Fishery - A Breach of the Law's Legitimacy. 3.6. The Role and Meanings of Formal Enforcement. 3.7. Conclusion. 4: Money, Subsistence And Morality In Little Spruce Harbour - The Newfoundland Case. 4.1. A Fishing Community on the Edge of Crisis. 4.2. Perceptions of Governmental Regulations. 4.3. Morality, Compliance, Punishment. 4.4. Conclusion. 5: Accounting For Similarities - Systems Of Moral Distinction. 5.1. Introduction. 5.2. The Moral Meanings of Food and Money. 5.3. Two Moral Spheres of Economic Activity. 6: Accounting For Differences Of Legitimacy - State/Society Relations In The Management Of The Norwegian And Newfoundland Fisheries. 6.1. Introduction. 6.2. National Identities. 6.3. Industry Influence in Fisheries Management. 6.4. Conclusion. 7: Retrospect And Guidelines. 7.1. Retrospect. 7.2. A Few Survey Guidelines. 7.3. Revisiting the Concept of Authority. List Of Abbreviations. References. List Of Informants: Government and Unions. Fishers. Other Personal Communication. Index.
The Porter Hypothesis Revisited: A Literature Review of Theoretical Models and Empirical Tests

The debate on the relationship between environmental regulation and competitiveness has been a topic of discussion for a number of years now. As early as 1991, the American economist Michael E. Porter proposed that stringent environmental regulation (under the condition that it is efficient) can lead to win-win situations, in which social welfare as well as the private net benefits of firms operating under such regulation can be increased. This paper analyses the Porter hypothesis with regard to two aspects. Firstly, it will analyse the theoretical reasoning behind the hypothesis by discussing and analyzing the arguments brought forward in favour of and against the hypothesis based on the discussion of different theoretical analyses and models by various authors in the field. Secondly, the paper reviews influential empirical studies trying to test the Porter hypothesis. The analysis of empirical work will allow (at least to some degree) to assess whether theoretical conclusions about the Porter hypothesis are confirmed by empirical research.
Exploring the polycentric city with an agent-based model

We present an agent-based model grounded in the Alonso, Muth, Mills (AMM) framework, using microeconomic interactions between heterogeneous agents and able to reach the equilibrium in a dynamic way. This model is shown to reproduce the equilibrium of the AMM model. An illustration is given with two income groups. Two job centers at various distances from each other are introduced. Economic, social and environmental outcomes of these various polycentric spatial structures are studied. Then two-worker households whose partners may work in different job centers are introduced. Regarding welfare we find that polycentrism is desirable, as long as centers are not moved too far apart from each other. The environmental outcome is also positive for small values of this distance but this positive effect is mitigated by the fact that housing surfaces increase.
The effect of beta-blockade on myocardial remodelling in Chagas' cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE: Chagas' disease has spread throughout Latin America because of the high rate of migration among these countries. Approximately 30% of Chagas' patients will develop cardiomyopathy, and 10% of these will develop severe cardiac damage leading to heart failure. Beta-blockade improves symptoms and survival in heart failure patients; however, its efficacy has not been well established in Chagas' disease. We evaluated the role of carvedilol in cardiac remodeling and mortality in a Chagas' cardiomyopathy animal model. METHODS: We studied Trypanosoma cruzi infection in 55 Syrian hamsters that were divided into three groups: control (15), infected (20), and infected + carvedilol (20). Animals underwent echocardiography, electrocardiography, and morphometry for collagen evaluation in ventricles stained with picrosirius red. RESULTS: The left ventricular diastolic diameter did not change between groups, although it was slightly larger in infected groups, as was left ventricular systolic diameter. Fractional shortening also did not change between groups, although it was slightly lower in infected groups. Collagen accumulation in the interstitial myocardial space was significantly higher in infected groups and was not attenuated by carvedilol. The same response was observed in the perivascular space. The survival curve showed significantly better survival in the control group compared with the infected groups; but no benefit of carvedilol was observed during the study. However, in the acute phase (up to 100 days of infection), carvedilol did reduce mortality. CONCLUSION: Carvedilol did not attenuate cardiac remodeling or mortality in this model of Chagas' cardiomyopathy. The treatment did improve survival in the acute phase of the disease.
Policies in Tertiary Education and the Change in Attendance and Time-to-Degree

This paper investigates the effect of reforms on the time-to-degree and attendance at colleges. My model predicts that with imperfect credit markets imposing tuition fees may raise instead of reducing the time-to-degree. In the final section of the paper, I present a proposal for a reform which incorporates differentiated fees and a credit point system. I derive an optimal fee for maximal attendance in higher education.
The history of star formation and mass assembly in early‐type galaxies

We define a volume-limited sample of over 14 000 early-type galaxies (ETGs) selected from Data Release 6 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The density of environment of each galaxy is robustly measured. By comparing narrow-band spectral line indices with recent models of simple stellar populations (SSPs), we investigate trends in the star formation history as a function of galaxy mass (velocity dispersion), density of environment and galactic radius. We find that age, metallicity and α-enhancement all increase with galaxy mass and that field ETGs are younger than their cluster counterparts by ∼2 Gyr. We find negative radial metallicity gradients for all masses and environments, and positive radial age gradients for ETGs with velocity dispersion over 180 km s−1. Our results are qualitatively consistent with a relatively simple picture for ETG evolution in which the low-mass haloes accreted by a protoETG contained not only gas but also a stellar population. This fossil population is preferentially found at large radii in massive ETGs because the stellar accretions were dissipationless. We estimate that the typical, massive ETG should have been assembled at z≲ 3.5. The process is similar in the cluster and field but occurred earlier in dense environments.
Hydrocortisone supresses inflammatory activity of metalloproteinase - 8 in carotid plaque

Objective Matrix metalloproteinases are inflammatory biomarkers involved in carotid plaque instability. Our objective was to analyze the inflammatory activity of plasma and carotid plaque MMP-8 and MMP-9 after intravenous administration of hydrocortisone. Methods The study included 22 patients with stenosis ≥ 70% in the carotid artery (11 symptomatic and 11 asymptomatic) who underwent carotid endarterectomy. The patients were divided into two groups: Control Group - hydrocortisone was not administered, and Group 1 - 500 mg intravenous hydrocortisone was administered during anesthetic induction. Plasma levels of MMP-8 and MMP-9 were measured preoperatively (24 hours before carotid endarterectomy) and at 1 hour, 6 hours and 24 hours after carotid endarterectomy. In carotid plaque, tissue levels of MMP-8 and MMP-9 were measured. Results Group 1 showed increased serum levels of MMP- 8 (994.28 pg/ml and 408.54 pg/ml, respectively; P=0.045) and MMP-9 (106,656.34 and 42,807.69 respectively; P=0.014) at 1 hour after carotid endarterectomy compared to the control group. Symptomatic patients in Group 1 exhibited lower tissue concentration of MMP-8 in comparison to the control group (143.89 pg/ml and 1317.36 respectively; P=0.003). There was a correlation between preoperative MMP-9 levels and tissue concentrations of MMP-8 (P=0.042) and MMP-9 (P=0.019) between symptomatic patients in the control group. Conclusion Hydrocortisone reduces the concentration of MMP- 8 in carotid plaque, especially in symptomatic patients. There was an association between systemic and tissue inflammation.
Applications of Fourier Transform to Smile Modeling: Theory and Implementation

Option Valuation and the Volatility Smile. - Characteristic Functions in Option Pricing. - Stochastic Volatility Models. - Numerical Issues of Stochastic Volatility Models. - Simulating Stochastic Volatility Models. - Stochastic Interest Models. - Poisson Jumps. - Levy Jumps. - Integrating Various Stochastic Factors. - Exotic Options with Stochastic Volatilities. - Libor Market Model with Stochastic Volatilities.
Welfare Dependence: Concepts, Measures, and Trends

In the past ten years, discussions of the welfare system and welfare reform have increasingly been concerned with the extent of "welfare dependence. " However, while the idea that some individuals may be "dependent" upon the welfare system for support is intuitively clear, the concept of welfare dependence is rather ill-defined. Our aims in this paper are to clarify what is meant by welfare dependence; to discuss the implications for data handling, measurement, and statistical modeling; and to present new results on the level and trend in welfare dependence in the United States.
Antecedents and behavior-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence.

The early childhood antecedents and behavior-problem correlates of monitoring and psychological control were examined in this prospective, longitudinal, multi-informant study. Parenting data were collected during home visit interviews with 440 mothers and their 13-year-old children. Behavior problems (anxiety/depression and delinquent behavior) were assessed via mother, teacher, and/or adolescent reports at ages 8 through 10 years and again at ages 13 through 14. Home-interview data collected at age 5 years were used to measure antecedent parenting (harsh/reactive, positive/proactive), family background (e.g., socioeconomic status), and mother-rated child behavior problems. Consistent with expectation, monitoring was anteceded by a proactive parenting style and by advantageous family-ecological characteristics, and psychological control was anteceded by harsh parenting and by mothers' earlier reports of child externalizing problems. Consistent with prior research, monitoring was associated with fewer delinquent behavior problems. Links between psychological control and adjustment were more complex: High levels of psychological control were associated with more delinquent problems for girls and for teens who were low in preadolescent delinquent problems, and with more anxiety/depression for girls and for teens who were high in preadolescent anxiety/depression.
Adjoint-Based, Three-Dimensional Error Prediction and Grid Adaptation

Engineering computational uid dynamics (CFD) analysis and design applications focus on output functions (e.g., lift, drag). Errors in these output functions are generally unknown and conservatively accurate solutions may be computed. Computable error estimates can oer the possibility to minimize computational work for a prescribed error tolerance. Such an estimate can be computed by solving the ow equations and the linear adjoint problem for the functional of interest. The computational mesh can be modied to minimize the uncertainty of a computed error estimate. This robust mesh-adaptation procedure automatically terminates when the simulation is within a user specied error tolerance. This procedure for estimating and adapting to error in a functional is demonstrated for three-dimensional Euler problems. An adaptive mesh procedure that links to a Computer Aided Design (CAD) surface representation is demonstrated for wing, wing-body, and extruded high lift airfoil congurations. The error estimation and adaptation procedure yielded corrected functions that are as accurate as functions calculated on uniformly rened grids with ten times as many grid points.
Distributed convex optimization of energy flows: The two-microgrid case

In this paper, a distributed convex optimization framework is developed to manage energy flows between is-landed microgrids. More specifically, the problem consists of two islanded microgrids with the additional capability of selling energy to one another. In order to avoid a central controller and to reduce communications requirements, a subgradient-based cost minimization algorithm is proposed that converges to the centralized solution in a practical number of iterations. Furthermore, this approach allows for a very intuitive, economics interpretation that explains the algorithm iterations in terms of “supply-demand model” and “market clearing”. Finally, numerical results show that microgrid cooperation brings a benefit, both globally (system level) and locally (microgrid level).
On the energy landscape of deep networks

We introduce "AnnealSGD", a regularized stochastic gradient descent algorithm motivated by an analysis of the energy landscape of a particular class of deep networks with sparse random weights. The loss function of such networks can be approximated by the Hamiltonian of a spherical spin glass with Gaussian coupling. While different from currently-popular architectures such as convolutional ones, spin glasses are amenable to analysis, which provides insights on the topology of the loss function and motivates algorithms to minimize it. Specifically, we show that a regularization term akin to a magnetic field can be modulated with a single scalar parameter to transition the loss function from a complex, non-convex landscape with exponentially many local minima, to a phase with a polynomial number of minima, all the way down to a trivial landscape with a unique minimum. AnnealSGD starts training in the relaxed polynomial regime and gradually tightens the regularization parameter to steer the energy towards the original exponential regime. Even for convolutional neural networks, which are quite unlike sparse random networks, we empirically show that AnnealSGD improves the generalization error using competitive baselines on MNIST and CIFAR-10.
Functional fixation and the balanced scorecard

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how balanced scorecard (BSC) users change their judgement processes according to qualitative changes in the BSC. Prior experimental studies have found that decision-makers do not fully adapt their judgements according to changes in financial reports, known as functional fixation. Although previous research has examined functional fixation in several management accounting-related disciplines, the research has not been completely successful in developing a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes that are responsible for the occurrence of this judgemental bias. Design/methodology/approach – To fill this gap, a combination of structural modelling and a process tracing method that monitors participants’ information acquisition to better understand the underlying cognitive processes that affect BSC users’ judgements is used. Findings – Overall, the results indicate that functional fixation is present both from an input–output (structural modelling) and a process trac.
Frequency-Domain Adaptive Algorithm for Network Echo Cancellation in VoIP

We propose a new low complexity, low delay, and fast converging frequency-domain adaptive algorithm for network echo cancellation in VoIP exploiting MMax and sparse partial (SP) tap-selection criteria in the frequency domain. We incorporate these tap-selection techniques into the multidelay filtering (MDF) algorithm in order to mitigate the delay inherent in frequency-domain algorithms. We illustrate two such approaches and discuss their tradeoff between convergence performance and computational complexity. Simulation results show an improvement in convergence rate for the proposed algorithm over MDF and significantly reduced complexity. The proposed algorithm achieves a convergence performance close to that of the recently proposed, but substantially more complex improved proportionate MDF (IPMDF) algorithm.
The Over-Education of UK Immigrants: Evidence from the Labour Force Survey

We investigate the incidence of over-education, as well as the effect on earnings, for immigrants and natives drawn from the Labour Force Survey between 1993 and 2003. This paper investigates whether immigrants are more or less likely to be over and under-educated than are natives and if there is any evidence of economic assimilation in such propensity differences. In addition we examine whether immigrants exhibit a larger or smaller earnings for over-education compared to natives. We find that native born non-whites and immigrants are more likely to be over-educated, even after conditioning on all other socio-economic factors (including ethnicity and English speaking country of origin). However, we also find evidence of assimilation in the incidence of immigrant over-education towards that of natives. Finally, we find that over-education implies a lower return to earnings for immigrants and non-white natives, compared to native born whites. The largest loss in earnings due to over-education actually applies to white education entrants, moreover we find no significant return to over-education for non-white labour market entrants, once we distinguish between these two immigrant groups.
INWARD BELIEFS IN HIGH TECHNOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

ABSTRACT This study samples Taiwan's electronics, mechanical, computer, and bioengineering industries, using a two-step LISREL (LInear Structure RELation) to establish a theoretical model for technological attributes, inward licensing beliefs, and performance (TBPM). The evidence indicates that technology implicitness has strong and positive influences and, through technology usefulness (U), significantly influences performance. Technology implicitness significantly and negatively influences technology ease of use (EOU). Lastly, technology compatibility significantly and positively influences U and performance, respectively. R2 values show that U, technology implicitness, and technology compatibility account for 56 percent of the variance in performance, while technology implicitness and technology compatibility account for 35 percent of the variance in U.
The market for futures contracts on Canadian bankers' acceptances

The Montreal Exchange introduced futures contracts on 3-month Canadian bankers' acceptances, known as BAX, in 1988. In this article, the author explains the nature of this new instrument, which is bought and sold on the floor of the Exchange, and its role in hedging, speculation, and arbitrage. She briefly reviews the technical aspects of the market and explains the difference between BAX contracts and forward rate agreements. She also examines the market's rapid growth and its relationship to the market for treasury bills.