Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skills and International Migration in New Zealand

A significant focus of immigration policy in New Zealand is on attracting and retaining skilled migrants by ensuring that they settle well in New Zealand. However, it is well known that immigration is not always a permanent decision and many migrants choose to leave after a period in the host country either returning to their home country or moving onward to another country. For the first time in New Zealand, information on migrants who were approved residence in New Zealand from 1998 to 2011 were matched with arrival and departure information from Statistics New Zealand to provide a more complete picture of their mobility patterns. This paper presents findings from this study with a focus on the skills associated with the subsequent movements of these migrants, in conjunction with the movements of the New Zealand-born population who travelled in the same period.
How Geo-Distributed Data Centers Do Demand Response: A Game-Theoretic Approach

We study the demand response (DR) of geo-distributed data centers (DCs) using smart grid's pricing signals set by local electric utilities. The geo-distributed DCs are suitable candidates for the DR programs due to their huge energy consumption and flexibility to distribute their energy demand across time and location, whereas the price signal is well-known for DR programs to reduce the peak-to-average load ratio. There are two dependencies that make the pricing design difficult: 1) dependency among utilities; and 2) dependency between DCs and their local utilities. Our proposed pricing scheme is constructed based on a two-stage Stackelberg game in which each utility sets a real-time price to maximize its own profit in Stage I and based on these prices, the DCs' service provider minimizes its cost via workload shifting and dynamic server allocation in Stage II. For the first dependency, we show that there exists a unique Nash equilibrium. For the second dependency, we propose an iterative and distributed algorithm that can converge to this equilibrium, where the “right prices” are set for the “right demands. ” We also verify our proposal by trace-based simulations, and results show that our pricing scheme significantly outperforms other baseline schemes in terms of flattening the power demand over time and space.
Macro Determinants of Individual Income Poverty in 93 Regions of Europe

The analysis of the at-risk-of-poverty determinants can be improved by taking into account factors at macro (regional) level. This hypothesis has already been made in previous research, at country-level, on cross-sectional data. We use longitudinal data in this analysis in order to get more precise estimated parameters, and we test if the regional unemployment rate and the regional GDP affect the individual at-risk-of-poverty status. The countries taken into account are those present in the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) dataset.
Use of personal measurements for ozone exposure assessment: a pilot study.

During summer 1991, we collected indoor, outdoor, and personal ozone concentration data as well as time-activity data in State College, Pennsylvania. These concentrations were measured for 23 children and their homes using passive ozone samplers. Outdoor concentrations were also measured at a stationary ambient monitoring site. Results from this pilot study demonstrate that fixed-site ambient measurements may not adequately represent individual exposures. Outdoor ozone concentrations showed substantial spatial variation between rural and residential regions. Ignoring this spatial variation by using fixed-site measurements to estimate personal exposures can result in an error as high as 127%. In addition, evidence from our pilot study indicates that ozone concentrations of a single indoor microenvironment may not represent those of other indoor microenvironments. Personal exposures were significantly correlated with both indoor (r = 0.55) and outdoor (r = 0.41) concentrations measured at home sites. Multiple regression analyses identified indoor ozone concentrations as the most important predictors of personal exposures. However, models based on time-weighted indoor and outdoor concentrations explained only 40% of the variability in personal exposures. When the model included observations for only those participants who spent the majority of their day in or near their homes, an R2 of 0.76 resulted when estimates were regressed on measured personal exposures. It is evident that contributions from diverse indoor and outdoor microenvironments must be considered to estimate personal ozone exposures accurately. Imagesp318-aFigure 1.Figure 2.Figure 3.
The Provision of Non-Audit Services by Auditors: Let the Market Evolve and Decide

The provision of non-audit services by auditors to their audit clients reduces total costs, increases technical competence and motivates more intense competition. Furthermore, these services do not necessarily damage auditor independence nor the quality of non-audit services. This assessment leads to recommending that legislative policy should aim at facilitating the development and use of the safeguards provided by the free action of market forces. Regulation should thus aim to enable the parties-audit firms, self- regulatory bodies and audit clients-to discover through competitive market interaction both the most efficient mix of services and the corresponding quality safeguards, adjusting for the costs and benefits of each possibility. Particular emphasis is placed on the role played by fee income diversification and the enhancement, through disclosure rules, of market incentives to diversify.
Human Motor Plasticity Induced by Mirror Visual Feedback

The clinical use of mirror visual feedback (MVF) was initially introduced to alleviate phantom pain, and has since been applied to the improvement of hemiparesis following stroke. However, it is not known whether MVF can restore motor function by producing plastic changes in the human primary motor cortex (M1). Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation to test whether M1 plasticity is a physiological substrate of MVF-induced motor behavioral improvement. MVF intervention in normal volunteers using a mirror box improved motor behavior and enhanced excitatory functions of the M1. Moreover, behavioral and physiological measures of MVF-induced changes were positively correlated with each other. Improved motor performance occurred after observation of a simple action, but not after repetitive motor training of the nontarget hand without MVF, suggesting the crucial importance of visual feedback. The beneficial effects of MVF were disrupted by continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) over the M1, but not the control site in the occipital cortex. However, MVF following cTBS could further improve the motor functions. Our findings indicate that M1 plasticity, especially in its excitatory connections, is an essential component of MVF-based therapies.
Politics, economics, and presidential use of force decision making

This study aims to further the understanding of the convergence between foreign policy and domestic politics. Statistical analyses reveal that the unemployment and Soviet crisis activity had positive impacts on levels of US force. Ongoing war had a negative impact. Uses of force also lead to a significant rally effect in presidential approval. It offers explanations of the use of force decision process based upon the noncompensatory theory. Two case studies are presented: Dien Bien Phu, 1954, and Grenada, 1983. Finally, the study discusses the benefits of substituting a domestic economic management and collective security for military force.
Election management bodies in West Africa : a comparative study of the contribution of electoral commissions to the strengthening of democracy : a review by AfriMAP and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa

This report is an in-depth study of electoral commissions in six countries of West Africa ? Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone ? assessing their contribution in strengthening political participation in the region. As institutions that apply the rules governing elections, electoral management bodies (EMBs) have occupied, over the last two decades, the heart of discussion and practice on the critical question of effective citizen participation in the public affairs of their countries. The way in which they are established and the effectiveness of their operations have continued to preoccupy those who advocate for competitive elections, while reforms to the EMBs have taken centre stage in more general political reforms. Election Management Bodies in West Africa thus responds to the evident need for more knowledge about an institution that occupies a more and more important place in the political process in West Africa. Based on documentary research and detailed interviews in each country, the study provides a comparative analysis which highlights the similarities and differences in the structure and operations of each body, and attempts to establish the reasons for their comparative successes and failures.
Supply Factors and the Mid-Century Fall in the Skill Premium

Supply factors affecting the costs of obtaining schooling explain much the U-shaped trend in the skill premium in the U. S. across the twentieth century. Specifically, the direct costs fell dramatically in the early part of the century as a result of increased public funding and falling fertility rates during the high school movement. The foregone earning costs of schooling were also low for midcentury workers because of high youth unemployment during the Great Depression.This paper develops a model and uses historical data to incorporate these factors and examine their quantitative importance. The baseline model is able to explain about 40 percent of the mid-century decline — and alternative calibrations explain up to 71 percent — without any mid-century decline in the demand for skill.
Inequalities in maternal health: national cohort study of ethnic variation in severe maternal morbidities

Objective To describe on a national basis ethnic differences in severe maternal morbidity in the United Kingdom. Design National cohort study using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS). Setting All hospitals with consultant led maternity units in the UK. Participants 686 women with severe maternal morbidity between February 2005 and February 2006. Main outcome measures Rates, risk ratios, and odds ratios of severe maternal morbidity in different ethnic groups. Results 686 cases of severe maternal morbidity were reported in an estimated 775 186 maternities, representing an estimated incidence of 89 (95% confidence interval 82 to 95) cases per 100 000 maternities. 74% of women were white, and 26% were non-white. The estimated risk of severe maternal morbidity in white women was 80 cases per 100 000 maternities, and that in non-white women was 126 cases per 100 000 (risk difference 46 (27 to 66) cases per 100 000; risk ratio 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.33 to 1.87). Black African women (risk difference 108 (18 to 197) cases per 100 000 maternities; risk ratio 2.35, 1.45 to 3.81) and black Caribbean women (risk difference 116 (59 to 172) cases per 100 000 maternities; risk ratio 2.45, 1.81 to 3.31) had the highest risk compared with white women. The risk in non-white women remained high after adjustment for differences in age, socioeconomic and smoking status, body mass index, and parity (odds ratio 1.50, 1.15 to 1.96). Conclusions Severe maternal morbidity is significantly more common among non-white women than among white women in the UK, particularly in black African and Caribbean ethnic groups. This pattern is very similar to reported ethnic differences in maternal death rates. These differences may be due to the presence of pre-existing maternal medical factors or to factors related to care during pregnancy, labour, and birth; they are unlikely to be due to differences in age, socioeconomic or smoking status, body mass index, or parity. This highlights to clinicians and policy makers the importance of tailored maternity services and improved access to care for women from ethnic minorities. National information on the ethnicity of women giving birth in the UK is needed to enable ongoing accurate study of these inequalities.
A Success Story or a Failure?: Representing the European Integration in the Curricula and Textbooks of Five Countries

The economic, political and social face of Europe has been changing rapidly in the past decades. These changes are unique in the history of Europe, but not without challenges for the nation states. The support for the European integration varies among the countries. In order to understand why certain developments or changes are perceived as threatening or as desired by different member countries, we must consider the social representations of the European integration on the national level: how the EU is represented to its citizens in media and in educational systems, particularly in the curricula and textbooks. The current study is concerned with the social representations of the European integration in the curricula and school textbooks in five European countries: France, Britain, Germany, Finland and Sweden. Besides that, the first volume of the common Franco-German history textbook was analyzed, since it has been seen as a model for a common European history textbook. As the collective representations, values and identities are dominantly mediated and imposed through media and educational systems, the national curricula and textbooks make an interesting starting point for the study of the European integration and of national and European identities. Textbooks are not merely based on scientific knowledge, but in fact, largely reflect opinions of the people, a shared understanding of the phenomenon. At the same time, they shape our thinking and attitudes as they contain the scientific and common sense knowledge that an older generation wishes to transmit to a younger generation. The social representations theory provides a comprehensive framework for the study of the European integration. The European integration is a dynamic process that changes quickly and influences the daily life of its citizens. The approach of social representations tries to
Delay-independent decentralized fixed modes for multi-channel LTI systems subject to input and output delays

This paper concerns stabilizability of a multi-channel linear time-invariant (LTI) system with delay in inputs and outputs by means of a finite-dimensional decentralized output feedback controller. This problem can be tackled by obtaining the set of unstable decentralized fixed modes (DFMs) of the system. Although the set of DFMs for LTI time-delay systems is generally delay-dependent, there exists a certain type of DFMs, which are delay-independent. In this work, the notion of delay-independent DFM (DIDFM) is defined, and algebraic conditions are provided under which a mode of a multi-channel LTI system subject to input and output delays is a DIDFM. The result of this paper is more general than that of [1], due to the fact that that all the modes of the system in [1] are assumed distinct.
Adverse Events Profile of PrePex a Non-Surgical Device for Adult Male Circumcision in a Ugandan Urban Setting

Background Safe Male Circumcision is a proven approach for partial HIV prevention. Several sub Saharan African countries have plans to reach a prevalence of 80% of their adult males circumcised by 2015. These targets require out of ordinary organization, demand creation, timely execution and perhaps the use of SMC devices. Objective To profile Adverse Events rate and acceptance of PrePex, a non surgical device for adult male circumcision. Methods A prospective study, conducted at International Hospital Kampala, Uganda, between August and October 2012. Ethical approval was obtained from Uganda National Council of Science and Technology. Results Of 1,040 men received to undergo SMC, 678 opted for PrePex, 36 were excluded at an initial physical examination screening. 642 were enrolled and consented, and another 17 were excluded before device placement. 625 underwent the procedure. Average age was 24 years (±7). Twelve moderate AEs occurred among 10 participants 12/625, (1.9%). These were all reversible. Five had device displacement, one had an everted foreskin; five had bleeding after the device was removed and one had voiding difficulties. The majority (279 out of 300) of men interviewed complained of some pain within the week of placement. Mean pain score at device placement (using visual analogue scale) was 0.5, at device removal 4.5 and within 2 min of removal the pain score was 1.4. Over 70% of the devices were placed and removed by non-physician clinicians. Presented with a choice, 60% of men chose PrePex over surgical SMC. Close to 90% would recommend the device to their friends. Odour from the necrotic skin was a concern. Removals done 1–2 days earlier than day 7 were beneficial and conferred no extra risk. Conclusion AEs of a moderate or severe nature associated with PrePex were low and reversible. PrePex is feasible for mass safe male circumcision scaling up.
An Orally-Bioavailable Glutathione-Based Hepatoprotective Compound inExperimental Acute Liver Injury: More Effective than Silymarin and YHK

Many hepatoprotective non-chemical preparations have been recommended as complementary medicine for the treatment of liver disorders. We have utilized a well-defined model of liver injury to study the efficacy of GLU-9599 (a oral bioavailable glutathione-based compound added with selenium, L-cysteine and vitamin C) designed to support liver detox function. Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups. Group I represented the healthy control group; Groups II-IV were given carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) intragastrically. Rats were exposed to CCl4 after they had been pretreated for five days with either saline, silymarin extract, YHK (am herbal Japanese compound with putative hepatoprotective effects) or GLU-9599. After inducing hepatic damage, Group II served as control CCl4; Group III and IV were given silymarin (reference hepatoprotective) and YHK whereas Groups V was administered GLU-9599. Animals were sacrificed 24 hours after receiving CCl4. Liver enzymes and hepatic histology formed the basis for evaluating the efficacy of the treatments. Samples of livers were observed under microscope and electron microscopy (TEM) for the histopathological changes. Levels of marker enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) significantly increased in CCl4 treated rats (Group II). Groups III, IV and V intoxicated with CCl4 and treated with the above hepatoprotective agents showed a significant decrease of the activities of these two enzymes (p<0.05). However, GLU-9599 provided a significantly stronger effect than YHK (p<0.05) and a trend improvement as compared to sylimarin. This was confirmed at histology and TEM whereas the others hepatoprotective compounds had only limited benefits on morphological abnormalities. In conclusion GLU-9599 could be a promising hepatoprotective compound of safe profile although extensive clinical studies are warranted.
Coevolutionary interactions between farmers and mafia induce host acceptance of avian brood parasites

Brood parasites exploit their host in order to increase their own fitness. Typically, this results in an arms race between parasite trickery and host defence. Thus, it is puzzling to observe hosts that accept parasitism without any resistance. The ‘mafia’ hypothesis suggests that these hosts accept parasitism to avoid retaliation. Retaliation has been shown to evolve when the hosts condition their response to mafia parasites, who use depredation as a targeted response to rejection. However, it is unclear if acceptance would also emerge when ‘farming’ parasites are present in the population. Farming parasites use depredation to synchronize the timing with the host, destroying mature clutches to force the host to re-nest. Herein, we develop an evolutionary model to analyse the interaction between depredatory parasites and their hosts. We show that coevolutionary cycles between farmers and mafia can still induce host acceptance of brood parasites. However, this equilibrium is unstable and in the long-run the dynamics of this host–parasite interaction exhibits strong oscillations: when farmers are the majority, accepters conditional to mafia (the host will reject first and only accept after retaliation by the parasite) have a higher fitness than unconditional accepters (the host always accepts parasitism). This leads to an increase in mafia parasites’ fitness and in turn induce an optimal environment for accepter hosts.
Financial Market Liberalisation, Wealth and Consumption

The past two decades have seen substantial deregulation in the financial sectors of most OECD countries. The main motivation was to improve efficiency within the financial system, but the macroeconomic implications might go beyond this objective with impacts on the business cycle and the transmission mechanisms of monetary and fiscal policies. More specifically, financial liberalisation and heightened competition in the financial services sector, through a rapid expansion of credit, may have eased the liquidity constraints facing households, thus raising the targeted level of consumption. The objective of this paper is to test whether financial deregulation, through an easing of liquidity constraints, has had an impact on the relationship between consumption and income, and more specifically on the wealth effect. A range of different procedures is used to assess the impact of financial deregulation on global wealth and on its different components (financial, housing and others) . Les vingt dernieres annees ont ete temoin de la liberalisation du secteur financier dans la plupart des pays de l’OCDE. L’objectif premier etait d’accroitre l’efficacite du systeme financier, mais les implications macro-economiques ont sans doute ete au-dela de cet objectif, affectant les fluctuations du cycle et les mecanismes de transmission des politiques monetaires et fiscales. Plus precisement, la dereglementation financiere, avec une competition accrue dans le secteur des services financier, devrait avoir relaxe les contraintes de liquidite des menages, grâce a l’extension des credits, et permettre ainsi un niveau de consommation plus eleve. Ce document cherche a analyser l’effet de la dereglementation financiere sur la relation entre consommation et revenu, et plus particulierement sur les effets richesse, dans les principaux pays du G7. Differentes procedures de tests sont utilisees, analysant l’impact sur la richesse globale et sur differentes categories de richesse (financiere .