Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can the Augmented Solow Model Explain China's Economic Growth? A Cross-Country Panel Data Analysis

China's economy grew at an average annual real growth rate of 9 percent over the last three decades. Despite the vast empirical literature on testing the neoclassical model of economic growth using data on various groups of countries, very few cross-country regressions include China and none of them particularly focuses on the explanation of China's remarkable economic growth. We attempt to fill this gap by utilizing panel data on 146 countries over the period 1980-2000 to examine the extent to which the growth difference between China and other countries can be explained by the augmented Solow model. The estimates are based on system GMM estimation which allows for unobserved country-specific effects, measurement error, and endogeneity problems of regressors. We find that, in spite of the restrictive assumptions involved, the Solow model augmented by both human capital and structural change provides a fairly good account of international variation in economic growth. In particular, physical capital investment, changes in the structure of employment, conditional convergence, and population growth are the main sources of the growth difference between China and many other countries.
Fatty Acid Regulation of Voltage- and Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Function

Free fatty acids (FFA) are essential components of the cell, where they play a key role in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and most particularly in cell membranes, where they are central actors in shaping the physicochemical properties of the lipid bilayer and the cellular adaptation to the environment. FFA are continuously being produced and degraded, and a feedback regulatory function has been attributed to their turnover. The massive increase observed under some pathological conditions, especially in brain, has been interpreted as a protective mechanism possibly operative on ion channels, which in some cases is of stimulatory nature and in other cases inhibitory. Here we discuss the correlation between the structure of FFA and their ability to modulate protein function, evaluating the influence of saturation/unsaturation, number of double bonds, and cis vs. trans isomerism. We further focus on the mechanisms of FFA modulation operating on voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channel function, contrasting the still conflicting evidence on direct vs. indirect mechanisms of action.
Safety and efficacy of gatifloxacin therapy for children with recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) and/or AOM treatment failure.

BACKGROUND Because of concerns about arthrotoxicity, fluoroquinolones are restricted for use in children. This study describes the safety and efficacy of gatifloxacin when used for treatment of children with recurrent acute otitis media (ROM) or acute otitis media (AOM) treatment failure (AOMTF). METHODS We performed an analysis of 867 children included in 4 clinical trials who had ROM and/or AOMTF and were treated with gatifloxacin (10 mg/kg once daily for 10 days). RESULTS Gatifloxacin had adverse event rates that were similar overall to those of a comparator antibiotic (amoxicillin-clavulanate), except for increased diarrhea in children <2 years old receiving amoxicillin-clavulanate. There was no evidence of arthrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, alteration of glucose homeostasis, or central nervous system toxicity acutely or during 1 year follow-up in any child. Regarding efficacy, in 2 noncomparative trials, the gatifloxacin cure rate of AOM was 89% (95% confidence interval [CI], 83%-95%) at the test of cure (TOC) visit, 3-10 days after completion of therapy. In 2 comparative trials of gatifloxacin versus amoxicillin-clavulanate, the efficacy of gatifloxacin was 88% (95% CI, 82%-94%). Gatifloxacin led to better clinical outcomes than amoxicillin-clavulanate for AOMTF (91% vs. 81%; P=.029), for AOMTF and age <2 years old (89% vs. 69%; P=.009), and for severe AOM in children <2 years old (90% vs. 75%; P=.012). Among children with AOMTF previously treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate or ceftriaxone injections, gatifloxacin cure rates were high (88% and 75%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Gatifloxacin appears to be safe for children, with no evidence of producing arthrotoxicity in 867 children exposed to the antibiotic when used as treatment for ROM and AOMTF.
Motility of cultured fish epidermal cells in the presence and absence of direct current electric fields

The motile behavior and cytoskeletal structures of fish epidermal cells (keratocytes) in the presence and absence of direct current (DC) electric fields were examined. These cells spontaneously show highly directional locomotion in culture, migrating at rates of up to 1 micron/s. When DC electric fields between 0.5 and 15 V/cm are applied, single epidermal cells as well as cell clusters and cell sheets migrate towards the cathode. Cell clusters and sheets break apart into single migratory cells in the upper range of these field strengths. Cell shape and morphology are unaltered when the keratocytes are guided by an electric field. Neither the spontaneous locomotion nor the electrically guided motility were found to be microtubule dependent. 1 mM La3+, 10 mM Co2+, 50 microM verapamil, and 50 microM nitrendipine (calcium channel antagonists) reversibly inhibited lamellipod formation and cell locomotion in both spontaneously migrating and electrically guided cells. Ciba-Geigy Product 28392, which stimulates the opening of calcium channels, and is a competitive inhibitor of nitrendipine, has no effect on the locomotion of keratocytes. Cell motility was also unaffected by hyperpolarizing and depolarizing (low and high K+) media. It is argued that while a tissue cell may accommodate changes in resting membrane potential without becoming more or less motile, the cell may not be able to counterbalance the effects of depolarization and hyperpolarization simultaneously. In this context, a gradient of membrane potential, which is induced by an external DC electric field, will serve as a persistent stimulus for cell locomotion.
Comparison of electrodiagnostic abnormalities and criteria in a cohort of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

BACKGROUND Current electrodiagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) are research oriented favoring specificity over sensitivity. Application of such criteria in clinical practice may miss the diagnosis in potentially treatable patients. OBJECTIVES To analyze the electrophysiologic abnormalities in a cohort of patients with clinically defined CIDP, to compare these data with published electrodiagnostic criteria, and to identify a set of abnormalities that is shared by all patients with CIDP. DESIGN Retrospective medical record review. SETTING Academically based neuromuscular clinic. Patients Fifteen patients with clinically diagnosed relapsing sensorimotor CIDP. INTERVENTIONS Administration of intravenous immunoglobulin or prednisone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Electrodiagnostic studies. RESULTS All patients had electrodiagnostic abnormalities in at least 3 nerves with possible partial conduction block or demyelinating range abnormalities in at least 1 nerve. The diagnostic sensitivities of 5 published CIDP criteria were as follows: the Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology AIDS Task Force (40%), Saperstein et al (47%), Nicolas et al (53%), Hughes et al for the Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment Group (60%), and Thaisetthawatkul et al (70%). CONCLUSIONS Current electrodiagnostic criteria for CIDP are insensitive and may fail to diagnose the condition in a substantial number of patients. More inclusive criteria that allow identification of patients in routine clinical practice are needed.
Human endothelial cells are chemotactic to endothelial cell growth factor and heparin

The response of human endothelial cell migration to various extracellular matrix components and growth factors has been assessed. Human endothelial cells demonstrate increased chemotaxis and chemokinesis when placed in a modified Boyden chamber with endothelial cell growth factor (ECGF) used at a concentration of 10(-9) M. Anti- ECGF antibody inhibits the chemotactic response. Heparin (10(-8) to 10(- 10) M) was also chemotactic and was shown to potentiate the chemotactic activity of ECGF. Although laminin, fibronectin, the polypeptide (epidermal, fibroblast, and nerve) growth factors, and collagen types I, II, III, IV, and V demonstrate a chemotactic response, these activities were one third to one half less than observed with ECGF. These data suggest that ECGF and heparin may play a significant role as response modifiers of human endothelial cell migration which may be relevant to tumor metastasis, wound healing, and atherogenesis.
Production , dynamics and demography of an Amphiura filiformis population

Secondary product~on and popula t~on dynamics of the bnttle star Amphiura fillformis (0 F Muller) were studied between June 1990 and November 1991 at 40 m depth In the Skagerrak west Sweden Mean abundance of individuals > 1 mm in disc diameter was stable around 280 ind m After a spawnlng maximum In June and July settling post-larvae (ca 7000 ind m-2) occurred In autumn 1991 DISC growth and gonad product~on accounted for ca 68 9 % (1 8 g AFDW m-' yr-l) of the total annual product~on in the populat~on About 13 3 % (0 34 g AFDW m-2 yr.') of the total production was allocated to regeneration of arms probably a result of cropping by predators Mean regenerated b ~ o mass In percent of total blomass for adult A hliformls was between 12 and 30% (mean 22 %) Annual production/b~omass ratio was 0 46 yr. ' The Input of energy to arm regeneration indicates the m p o r tance of A fi l l forms as an ~mportant food source
Language and Identity in Modern Egypt

Introduction 1. Identity and beyond: Setting the framework of analysis 2. A historical overview of the development of national identity in modern Egypt with reference to language: The formative period 3. "Arabic" indexes amidst a nation and a nation-state: Ideologies, attitudes and linguistic realities 4. Social attributes of Egyptian identity 5. Narration and identity construction 6. The politics of identity and linguistic unrest: The case of the Egyptian revolution 7. Conclusions List of abbreviations
Mixed reality for development of spatial skills of first-year engineering students

This paper follows up on the validation and usability study done on augmented reality, which is based on an application for the development of spatial skills in engineering students. In this phase, the training has been implemented in new Engineering degrees adapted to the new European Higher Education framework at a Spanish University. In this paper, the results obtained by students when improving spatial ability while carrying out their training, are shown and related to academic performance and drop-out rates, which are from current academic courses as well as previous ones. Additionally, a pilot study is introduced where a group of students use Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) for visualizing the real scene with augmented objects, so spatial ability improvement results and time spent, are compared to others belonging to the group using the PC monitor instead. Results confirm the training's validity and technical data which are collected to improve the interface's application as well as the augmented book. This has allowed the training to be made available to education centers which are waiting for the academic implementation through a commercial edition.
Robust Image Watermarking Technique Based on Genetic Algorithm Optimization and Even Odd Modulation

Robustness is one of the important issues in watermarking. In particular, robustness against JPEG compression is especially actual. Nowadays there are many different applications requiring image compression, such as Internet, satellite imaging, remote sensing, multimedia, preservation of art work and so on. In this paper, an effective watermarking technique based on the genetic algorithm optimization and even-odd modulation in frequency domain is presented. The genetic algorithm finds the optimum watermark strength and location for its embedding in a spectrum of the cover image. Experimental results have demonstrated high values of robustness and fidelity of the proposed scheme.
AGN Outflows and the Matter Power Spectrum

We have investigated the effects of AGN outflows on the amplitude of the matter power spectrum in a simple model of spherically symmetric outflows around realistically clustered AGN population. We find that two competing effects influence the matter power spectrum in two opposite directions. First, AGN outflows move baryons from high to low density regions, decreasing the amplitude of the matter power spectrum by up to 20%. Second, high clustering of the AGN transfers the power from small to larger scales. The exact balance between these two effects depends on the details of outflows on small scales, and quantitative estimates will require much more sophisticated modeling than presented here.
The Desensitization Gating of the MthK K+ Channel Is Governed by Its Cytoplasmic Amino Terminus

The RCK-containing MthK channel undergoes two inactivation processes: activation-coupled desensitization and acid-induced inactivation. The acid inactivation is mediated by the C-terminal RCK domain assembly. Here, we report that the desensitization gating is governed by a desensitization domain (DD) of the cytoplasmic N-terminal 17 residues. Deletion of DD completely removes the desensitization, and the process can be fully restored by a synthetic DD peptide added in trans. Mutagenesis analyses reveal a sequence-specific determinant for desensitization within the initial hydrophobic segment of DD. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy analyses with synthetic peptides and isolated RCK show interactions between the two terminal domains. Additionally, we show that deletion of DD does not affect the acid-induced inactivation, indicating that the two inactivation processes are mutually independent. Our results demonstrate that the short N-terminal DD of MthK functions as a complete moveable module responsible for the desensitization. Its interaction with the C-terminal RCK domain may play a role in the gating process.
Bayesian model selection for D‐vine pair‐copula constructions

In recent years analyses of dependence structures using copulas have become more popular than the standard correlation analysis. Starting from Aas et al. ( 2009 ) regular vine pair‐copula constructions (PCCs) are considered the most flexible class of multivariate copulas. PCCs are involved objects but (conditional) independence present in data can simplify and reduce them significantly. In this paper the authors detect (conditional) independence in a particular vine PCC model based on bivariate t copulas by deriving and implementing a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. However, the methodology is general and can be extended to any regular vine PCC and to all known bivariate copula families. The proposed approach considers model selection and estimation problems for PCCs simultaneously. The effectiveness of the developed algorithm is shown in simulations and its usefulness is illustrated in two real data applications. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 39: 239–258; 2011 © 2011 Statistical Society of Canada
The spatial correlation function from an X-ray selected sample of Abell clusters

We present here the spatial two-point correlation function for a complete sample of 67 X-ray-selected Abell clusters of galaxies. We find a correlation length of 16.1±3.4 h −1 Mpc, with no significant clustering beyond ≃40 h −1 Mpc. This is the lowest uncorrected value for the correlation length ever derived from the Abell catalogue of clusters. In addition, we have investigated the anisotropy of the correlation function between the radial and tranverse directions. This can be characterized by the magnitude of pairwise cluster peculiar velocities such anisotropy predicts, which we find to be ≃800 km s −1 for our sample. Again this is the lowest uncorrected value ever seen for the Abell catalogue
Investment Philosophies: Successful Strategies and the Investors Who Made Them Work

CHAPTER 1: Introduction. What Is an Investment Philosophy? Why Do You Need an Investment Philosophy? The Big Picture of Investing. Categorizing Investment Philosophies. Developing an Investment Philosophy: The Step. Conclusion. CHAPTER 2: Upside, Downside: Understanding Risk. What Is Risk? Equity Risk and Expected Return. A Comparative Analysis of Risk and Return Models. Models of Default Risk. Conclusion. CHAPTER 3: Numbers Do Not Lie-or Do They? The Basic Accounting Statements. Asset Measurement and Valuation. Measuring Financing Mix. Measuring Earnings and Profitability. Measuring Risk. Differences in Accounting Standards and Practices. Conclusion. CHAPTER 4: Show Me the Money: The Basics of Valuation. Intrinsic Value. Relative Valuation. Valuing an Asset with Contingent Cash Flows (Options). Conclusion. CHAPTER 5: Many a Slip: Trading, Execution, and Taxes. The Trading Cost Drag. The Components of Trading Costs: Traded Financial Assets. Trading Costs with Non-Traded Assets. The Management of Trading Costs. Taxes. Conclusion. CHAPTER 6: Too Good to Be True? Testing Investment Strategies. Market Efficiency and Investment Philosophies. Market Efficiency: Definition and Implications. Closing Thoughts. Conclusion. CHAPTER 7: Smoke and Mirrors? Charting and Technical Analysis. Random Walks and Price Patterns. Investor Irrationality. The Foundations of Technical Analysis. Technical Indicators and Charting Patterns. Conclusion. CHAPTER 8: Graham's Disciples: Value Investing. Who Is a Value Investor? The Passive Screener. The Contrarian Value Investor. Activist Value Investing. Conclusion. CHAPTER 9: The Allure of Growth: Small Cap and Growth Investing. Who Is a Growth Investor? Passive Growth Investing. Activist Growth Investing. Conclusion. CHAPTER 10: Information Pays: Trading on News. Information and Prices. Trading on Private Information. Trading on Public Information. Implementing an Information-Based Investment Strategy. Conclusion. CHAPTER 11: A Sure Profit: The Essence of Arbitrage. Pure Arbitrage. Near Arbitrage. Speculative Arbitrage. Long Short Strategies-Hedge Funds. Conclusion. CHAPTER 12: The Impossible Dream? Timing the Market. Market Timing: Payoff and Costs. Market Timing Approaches. The Evidence for Market Timing. Market Timing Strategies. Connecting Market Timing to Security Selection. Conclusion. CHAPTER 13: Ready to Give Up? The Allure of Indexing. The Mechanics of Indexing. A History of Indexing. The Case for Indexing. Why Do Active Investors not Perform Better? Alternative Paths to Indexing. Conclusion. CHAPTER 14: A Road Map to Choosing an Investment Philosophy. A Self-Assessment. Finding an Investment Philosophy. Conclusion. REFERENCES. INDEX.
Property Rights, Warfare and the Neolithic Transition

This paper explains the multiple adoption of agriculture around ten thousand years ago, in spite of the fact that the first farmers suffered worse health and nutrition than their hunter gatherer predecessors. If output is harder for farmers to defend, adoption may entail increased defense investments, and equilibrium consumption levels may decline as agricultural productivity increases over a significant range, before eventually increasing thereafter. Agricultural adoption may have been a prisoners’ dilemma in that adoption was individually attractive even though all groups would have been better off committing not to adopt while the initial productivity advantage of agriculture remained low.
Agility from First Principles: Reconstructing the Concept of Agility in Information Systems Development

Awareness and use of agile methods has grown rapidly among the information systems development (ISD) community in recent years. Like most previous methods, the development and promotion of these methods have been almost entirely driven by practitioners and consultants, with little participation from the research community during the early stages of evolution. While these methods are now the focus of more and more research efforts, most studies are still based on XP, Scrum, and other industry-driven foundations, with little or no conceptual studies of ISD agility in existence. As a result, this study proposes that there are a number of significant conceptual shortcomings with agile methods and the associated literature in its current state, including a lack of clarity, theoretical glue, parsimony, limited applicability, and naivety regarding the evolution of the concept of agility in fields outside systems development. Furthermore, this has significant implications for practitioners, rendering agile method comparison and many other activities very difficult, especially in instances such as distributed development and large teams that are not conducive to many of the commercial agile methods. This study develops a definition and formative taxonomy of agility in an ISD context, based on a structured literature review of agility across a number of disciplines, including manufacturing and management where the concept originated, matured, and has been applied and tested thoroughly over time. The application of the texonomy in practice is then demonstrated through a series of thought trials conducted in a large multinational organization. The intention is that the definition and taxonomy can then be used as a starting point to study ISD method agility regardless of whether the method is XP or Scrum, agile or traditional, complete or fragmented, out-of-the-box or in-house, used as is or tailored to suit the project context.
Fiscal Transparency in Transition Economies

Fiscal transparency became a topic of lively public and academic debate in the aftermath of the Mexican and Asian financial crises. The concept of fiscal transparency is, however, largely of a qualitative nature and is therefore something of a challenge to measure. This paper proposes an index of fiscal transparency that comprises various aspects of fiscal policy formulation, such as medium-term budgeting and analysis, accounting and data quality, off-budgetary activity, intergovernmental relations and auditing. The index is compiled for twenty seven transition economies and is based on a detailed analysis of the actual information disclosed. Analysis of the fiscal transparency index shows a clear pattern indicating that CEE countries stand out from the other two groups across all categories. This seems to be the result of the anchoring of the New Member States in the EU’s structures and procedures. SEE countries are behind the first group, experiencing serious difficulties in budgetary process and reporting standards. The CIS countries still have a long way to go to meet international standards. They must enhance budgetary practices and accounting procedures, as they lag behind the above groups most clearly in this regard.