Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth and characterization of ceria thin films and Ce-doped γ-Al2O3 nanowires using sol–gel techniques

γ-Al2O3 is a well known catalyst support. The addition of Ce to γ-Al2O3 is known to beneficially retard the phase transformation of γ-Al2O3 to α-Al2O3 and stabilize the γ-pore structure. In this work, Ce-doped γ-Al2O3 nanowires have been prepared by a novel method employing an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template in a 0.01 M cerium nitrate solution, assisted by urea hydrolysis. Calcination at 500 °C for 6 h resulted in the crystallization of the Ce-doped AlOOH gel to form Ce-doped γ-Al2O3 nanowires. Ce3 + ions within the nanowires were present at a concentration of < 1 at. %. On the template surface, a nanocrystalline CeO2 thin film was deposited with a cubic fluorite structure and a crystallite size of 6–7 nm. Characterization of the nanowires and thin films was performed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The nanowire formation mechanism and urea hydrolysis kinetics are discussed in terms of the pH evolution during the reaction. The Ce-doped γ-Al2O3 nanowires are likely to find useful applications in catalysis and this novel method can be exploited further for doping alumina nanowires with other rare earth elements.
Viral Etiologies of Hospitalized Acute Lower Respiratory Infection Patients in China, 2009-2013

Background Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) are an important cause of acute illnesses and mortality worldwide and in China. However, a large-scale study on the prevalence of viral infections across multiple provinces and seasons has not been previously reported from China. Here, we aimed to identify the viral etiologies associated with ALRIs from 22 Chinese provinces. Methods and Findings Active surveillance for hospitalized ALRI patients in 108 sentinel hospitals in 24 provinces of China was conducted from January 2009-September 2013. We enrolled hospitalized all-age patients with ALRI, and collected respiratory specimens, blood or serum collected for diagnostic testing for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human influenza virus, adenoviruses (ADV), human parainfluenza virus (PIV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), human coronavirus (hCoV) and human bocavirus (hBoV). We included 28,369 ALRI patients from 81 (of the 108) sentinel hospitals in 22 (of the 24) provinces, and 10,387 (36.6%) were positive for at least one etiology. The most frequently detected virus was RSV (9.9%), followed by influenza (6.6%), PIV (4.8%), ADV (3.4%), hBoV (1.9), hMPV (1.5%) and hCoV (1.4%). Co-detections were found in 7.2% of patients. RSV was the most common etiology (17.0%) in young children aged <2 years. Influenza viruses were the main cause of the ALRIs in adults and elderly. PIV, hBoV, hMPV and ADV infections were more frequent in children, while hCoV infection was distributed evenly in all-age. There were clear seasonal peaks for RSV, influenza, PIV, hBoV and hMPV infections. Conclusions Our findings could serve as robust evidence for public health authorities in drawing up further plans to prevent and control ALRIs associated with viral pathogens. RSV is common in young children and prevention measures could have large public health impact. Influenza was most common in adults and influenza vaccination should be implemented on a wider scale in China.
Hiring Incentives and Labour Force Participation in Italy

A long-standing economic tradition maintains that labour supply reacts to market tightness; its sensitivity to job quality has received less attention. If firms hire workers with both temporary and open-end contracts, does participation increase when more permanent jobs are available? We investigate this relationship within a policy evaluation framework; in particular, we examine how labour supply reacted in Italy to a recent subsidy in favour of open-end contracts. This subsidy increased labour force participation by 1.4% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002. This increase was concentrated on males aged 35-54, with a low or at most a secondary schooling level, and might be due to the choice to leave undegraound economy.
Correlation between Microleakage and Absolute Marginal Discrepancy in Zirconia Crowns Cemented with Four Resin Luting Cements: An In Vitro Study

Objectives. To evaluate microleakage and absolute marginal discrepancy (AMD) and to assess correlation between AMD and microleakage with four resin luting cements. Material and Methods. 20 extracted human third molars were prepared for full-coverage crowns. 20 zirconia copings were made (LAVA, 3M ESPE) and cemented. Specimens were randomly allocated for each used type of cement into 4 groups, RelyX® (Rx), Multilink® (Mk), PANAVIA 2.1® (P), and Maxcem® (Mx) and immersed in 10% safranin for 72 hours. 20x magnification lenses were used to observe microleakage areas (μm2) and images software was used to measure AMD areas (μm). Discrepancy and microleakage between the cements were compared with one-way ANOVA test with confidence interval of 95%. Results. Rx Group showed microleakage has lowest value and AMD has highest value. P Group showed microleakage has the highest value and Mk Group presented AMD has lowest value. There were no significative differences between the cements. There were no linear correlations between microleakage and AMD; however a complex regression statistical model obtained allowed formulating an association between both variables (microleakage = AMD0,896). Conclusions. No significative differences were found among 4 types of cements. No linear correlations between AMD and microleakage were found. Clinical Significance. AMD is not easily related to microleakage. Characteristics of cements are fundamental to decreasing of microleakage values.
Money, Exchange Rates, And Output

Guillermo Calvo, who foresaw the financial crisis that followed the devaluation of Mexico's peso, has spent much of his career thinking beyond the conventional wisdom. In a quiet and understated way, Calvo has made seminal contributions to several major research areas in macroeconomics, particularly monetary policy, exchange rates, public debt, and stabilization in Latin America and post-communist countries. Money, Exchange Rates, and Output brings together these contributions in a broad selection of the author's work over the past two decades. There are introductions to each section, and an introduction to the entire collection that outlines the connections throughout and surveys the current state of macroeconomic theory. Calvo, an advocate of the "Chicago school" of rational expectations, uses elements of this approach to understand economic development. While he is a top macroeconomics theorist, his models are always intertwined with policy discussion. He pushes readers to combine knowledge of real world facts—of institutions, traditions, and culture, in addition to statistics - with theory. One focus of this collection is on the role of credibility in policy-making. Calvo analyzes the origins and macroeconomic consequences of credibility problems. He also shows how monetary and trade theory can fail when the public does not fully believe in policy announcements. A second focus is on equilibrium multiplicity. Calvo uses models with multiple equilibria to identify factors that cause anomalous behavior. He discusses multiple equilibria in abstract terms as well as in terms of its relevance to understanding domestic public debt. Specific issues covered are predetermined exchange rates, currency substitution, domestic public debt and seigniorage, and stabilizing transition economies.
The use of chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf gas exchange as methods for studying the different responses to ozone of two bean cultivars

After exposure to 80 ppb of ozone for a single 4 h period, a significant reduction in photosynthetic activity was rapidly induced in two cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris, cv. Pinto, O 3 -sensitive and cv. Groffy, O 3 -resistant. Pinto displayed a strong and irreversible reduction in A max accompanied by stomatal closure and an increase in intercellular CO 2 concentration. The fluorescence parameters indicated that the electron transport around PSII had been altered. The increase in non-photochemical quenching was related to an energy dissipation through non-radiative mechanisms. Photosynthesis was also reduced in the cv. Groffy, but the effect was reversible with time. Groffy showed alteration in the photochemical functioning of the thylakoids and specific disturbances of the water-splitting enzyme system of PSII, but these alterations disappeared only 20 h after the end of fumigation. Recovery of photosynthetic ability was more delayed with time and needed 7 d to show values similar to the controls. Physiological tools, such as gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence, play a major role in the early detection of environmental stress such as O 3 pollution, and in distinguishing the responses between cultivars with different O 3 -sensitivity.
Fundamentals, Macroeconomic Announcements and Asset Prices

The aim of this paper is to study the impact of macroeconomic announcements on asset prices, with the objectives of both measuring the average response of stock returns to macroeconomic news surprises, and explaining the sources of such a reaction. To assess the importance of scheduled French and US macroeconomic announcements, Stock returns are analyzed on the French stock market. It is shown that, according to previous studies, there is little evidence of the reaction of the market to those surprises. News about inflation, U.S consumption and real economic activity are specially expected by investors. It confirms the leading role of the U.S. economy and in particular of U.S. consumers in determining the development of the world economy and the dynamics of stock markets. Results also show that unexpected positive surprise in the unemployment rate causes a cut on future excess returns and future dividends. The opposite reaction is observed from the housing starts indicator. The consumer price index appears to have an impact not only on future excess returns, but also on future real interest rates.
Merger Simulation in Competition Policy: A Survey

Advances in competition economics as well as in computational and empirical methods have offered the scope for the employment of merger simulation models (MSMs) in merger-control procedures during the past almost 15 years. Merger simulation is, nevertheless, still a very young and innovative instrument of antitrust, and, therefore, its “technical” potential is far from being comprehensively exploited, and teething problems in its practical use in the antitrust environment prevail. We provide a classification of state-of-the-art MSMs and review their previous employment in merger cases as well as the problems and limitations currently associated with their use in merger control. In summary, MSMs represent an important and valuable extension of the toolbox of merger policy. However, they do not qualify as a magic bullet and must be combined with other more traditional instruments of competition policy to comprehensively unfold its beneficial effects.
High Intensity Interval Training Favourably Affects Angiotensinogen mRNA Expression and Markers of Cardiorenal Health in a Rat Model of Early-Stage Chronic Kidney Disease

The majority of CKD-related complications stem from cardiovascular pathologies such as hypertension. To help reduce cardiovascular complications, aerobic exercise is often prescribed. Emerging evidence suggests high intensity interval training (HIIT) may be more beneficial than traditional aerobic exercise. However, appraisals of varying forms of aerobic exercise, along with descriptions of mechanisms responsible for health-related improvements, are lacking. This study examined the effects of 8 weeks of HIIT (85% VO2max), versus low intensity aerobic exercise (LIT; 45–50% VO2max) and sedentary behaviour (SED), in an animal model of early-stage CKD. Tissue-specific mRNA expression of RAAS-related genes and CKD-related clinical markers were examined. Compared to SED, HIIT resulted in increased plasma albumin (p = 0.001), reduced remnant kidney weight (p = 0.028), and reduced kidney weight-body weight ratios (p = 0.045). Compared to LIT, HIIT resulted in reduced Agt mRNA expression (p = 0.035), reduced plasma LDL (p = 0.001), triglycerides (p = 0.029), and total cholesterol (p = 0.002), increased plasma albumin (p = 0.047), reduced remnant kidney weight (p = 0.005), and reduced kidney weight-body weight ratios (p = 0.048). These results suggest HIIT is a more potent regulator of several markers that describe and influence health in CKD.
CEO Overconfidence, REIT Investment Activity and Performance

This is the first article to study the effects of overconfidence on trading activity and performance in real estate. The article looks at Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), as their investments and divestments can be identified with precision. We look at the effect of CEO overconfidence on investment activity and separately investigate property acquisitions and dispositions. We find that REITs with overconfident CEOs tend to invest more; these REITs acquire more assets and are less likely to sell assets than their counterparts if they have enough discretionary cash. Valuable private information is not the main driver for CEOs to be net buyers of company shares: the shares of their companies perform relatively weakly. In addition, we find that overconfident managers have lower property investment performance measured by net operating income and gain on sale of real estate.
Testing a new view of gamma-ray burst afterglows

The optical and X‐ray light‐curves of long Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) often show a complex evolution and in most cases do not track each other. This behaviour can not be easily explained by the simplest standard afterglow models. A possible interpretation is to consider the observed optical and X‐ray light‐curves as the sum of two separate components. This scenario requires the presence of a spectral break between these bands. One of the aims of this work is to test whether such a break is present within the observed Swift XRT energy range. We analyse the X‐ray afterglow spectra of a sample of 33 long GRBs with known redshift, good optical photometry and published estimate of the host galaxy dust absorption A host . We find that indeed in 7 bright events a broken power‐law provide s a fit to the data that is better than a single power‐law model. For 8 events, instead, the X‐ray spectrum is better fitted by a single power‐law. We discuss the role of these breaks in connection to the relation between the host hydrogen column density N host H and A host V and check the consistency of the X‐ray spectral breaks with the optical bands photometry. We analyse the optical to X‐ray spectral energy distributions at different times and find again consi stency with two components interpretation.
WILLINGNESS TO PAY TO AVOID HEALTH RISKS FROM PESTICIDES, A CASE STUDY FROM NICARAGUA

A contingent valuation approach to assess the health effects of pesticides among Nicaraguan vegetable farmers is presented. Farmers' valuation of health is measured as willingness to pay (WTP) for low toxicity pesticides. Results show, that farmers are willing to spend about 28% of current pesticide expenditure for avoiding health risks. The validity of results is established in scope tests and a two-step regression model. WTP depends on farmers' experience with poisoning, income variables and pesticide exposure. The results can help in targeting of rural health policies and the design of programmes aiming to reduce negative effects of pesticides.
On the Local Structure of Optimal Trajectories in R[sup 3]

We analyze the structure of a control function u(t) corresponding to an optimal trajectory for the system $\dot q =f(q)+u\, g(q)$ in a three-dimensional manifold, near a point where some nondegeneracy conditions are satisfied. The kind of optimality which is studied includes time-optimality. The control turns out to be the concatenation of some bang and some singular arcs. Studying the index of the second variation of the switching times, the number of such arcs is bounded by four.
RDP2002-01 Inflation Targeting and the Inflation Process: Some Lessons from an Open Economy

In an open economy inflation-targeting framework, whether policy-makers should target aggregate or non-traded inflation depends on the structural relationships in the economy. This paper shows that in a small empirical model of the Australian economy, it makes little difference which measure is targeted. This conclusion is reinforced by the significant changes to the inflation process that the paper suggests have occurred over the past two decades: the effect of exchange rate changes on inflation appears to have become more muted and the inflation process appears to have become better anchored.
Rationale for Curcumin Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease

The key pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the progressive accumulation of misfolded amyloid beta proteins (Aβ) in extracellular and intracellular spaces. It is an age related, complicated disorders involving multifactor, including neuro-inflammation, oxidative damage along with Aβ deposition. These events may work either independently, or together lead to neuronal degeneration, thus perturb neuronal communications, which ultimately show a long term cognitive and motor dysfunction. The therapy for this disease is still unclear and under active investigation. Although several synthesized compounds, small molecules, drugs have been investigated to prevent further neurodegeneration, some of them have demonstrated partial inhibition of aggregation of the Aβ and their neurotoxicity, but unfortunately, most of them show unsatisfactory outcome. However, recently, as a potent anti-amyloid and anti-inflammatory natural polyphenol curcumin (the principal ingredient from the root extract of Curcuma longa) has been used in several neurodegenerative diseases, including AD. It can reduce amyloid burden, rescue neuronal damage and restore normal cognitive and sensory motor functions in different animal models of AD. Interestingly, it is not only neuroprotective, but also has preferential binding to misfolded Aβ. Therefore, Cur has been considered a promising natural compound to use as therapeutics as well as detection of Aβ plaques in AD. This mini-review highlighted the therapeutic targets, including possible molecular pathways of curcumin action to rescue neurodegeneration in AD. This article should help to researcher for basic understanding of the molecular mechanism of action of curcumin to use as therapeutics to fight against neurodegeneration in AD.
Entrepreneurship Education: Opportunity in Search of Curriculum.

Entrepreneurship education derives its importance from three factors: a demand among students for information about entrepreneurship; a need to provide students with skills related to making jobs, rather than training to take existing jobs; and a related need for economic growth through job creation. According to a 1994 national Gallup poll, 7 out of 10 high school students wanted to start their own business, but most showed remarkably little understanding of entrepreneurship. To provide students with entrepreneurial skills, educational efforts must focus on the following three attributes of entrepreneurship: (1) the identification of market opportunity and the generation of a business idea t address the opportunity; (2) the commitment of resources to pursue the opportunity in the face of risk; and (3) the creation of an operating business organization to implement the idea. A useful model for implementing and supporting an entrepreneurship program identifies three elements: an "initiator" able to identify market opportunities and lead others; a development team recruited by the initiator to assist with human resources, finance, marketing, selling, development, manufacturing, and quality management; and a constituent group of community members with a stake in the growth of the venture. Unfortunately, current curricula fail to even address the initiator element of entrepreneurship. To facilitate the needs of today's youth, educators must provide true entrepreneurship education by focusing the curriculum on the role of the initiator. Contains 14 references. (MAB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *************************************************************k********* Cr) ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITY IN SEARCH OF CURRICULUM
The Curriculum Studies Reader

Beginning with the emergence of curriculum as a distinctive field of inquiry, this collection follows the main currents of thought through the turmoil of the curriculum reform era and on to current trends. The writings reflect the diversity and scope of curriculum theory, research and practice, particularly contemporary issues such as multiculturalism, AIDS education and national standards.
Consumer Privacy and the Market for Customer Information

I investigate consumer privacy and the market for customer information in electronic retailing. The value of customer information derives from the ability of Internet firms to identify individual consumers and charge them personalized prices. I study two settings, a confidential regime in which the sale of customer information is not possible, and a disclosure regime in which one firm may compile and sell a customer list to another firm that uses it to price discriminate. Welfare comparisons depend critically on whether consumers anticipate sale of the list and on demand elasticity.
On using graph centrality measures for DBpedia-based tweet entity linking

Named Entity linking in long text has been well studied in previous works. However, in the context of short text, namely microblogging posts, few works have focused on such form of communication. Micro-posts are short and noisy, thus determining what an individual post is about can be a non trivial task because its highly contextualization and informal nature, which lead to a more complex resolution of synonymy and polysemy problems. In this paper, we present a graph-based system for named entity linking adapted for the context of microblogging posts by assessing the impact of different network centrality measures for the disambiguation task. Our approach relies on the assumption that related entities tend to appear in the same tweet as tweets are topic specific. Also, we address the problem of irregular name mentions. Finally, to show the effectiveness of our system we evaluate it using a real Twitter dataset. Results show that our approach combined with network similarity measures has straightforward results.