Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stochastic and mesoscopic models for tropical convection

A new way to parametrize certain aspects of tropical convection through stochastic and mesoscopic models is developed here. The technical idea is to adapt tools from statistical physics and materials science to model important unresolved features of tropical convection. This new strategy consists of modeling the unresolved effects of convective inhibition in a coarse mesh mesoscopic parametrization through a “heat bath” model involving a stochastic spin flip model with very natural interaction rules for convective inhibition combined with a suitable external potential defined by the coarse mesh values. In turn, the values of the order parameter from this heat bath alter the vertical mass flux in regions of deep convection. Both stochastic and systematic deterministic mesoscopic parametrizations are developed here. The deterministic mesoscopic models derived in this fashion exhibit new phenomena such as multiple radiative equilibria in suitable parameter regimes. The simplest first numerical experiments reported here with the mesoscopic deterministic parametrization qualitatively reproduce several key features of the observational record regarding convectively coupled tropical waves. The systematic stochastic modeling strategy proposed here could also be very useful for capturing other features of tropical convection such as those involving cloud radiation feedbacks.
THE MECHANISM OF COUPLING IN THE MODULATED STRUCTURE OF NEPHELINE

The crystal structures of a nepheline, K0.54Na3. 24Ca0.03{square}0.19Al3. 84Si4.16O16, and that of the same sample annealed at high temperature to induce K-vacancy disorder, have been determined at several temperatures down to 15 K by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The largest structural change in both crystals with decreasing temperature is the decrease of the T1-O1-T2 angle, corresponding to an increase in the tilt of the T1 and T2 tetrahedra within the framework. The tetrahedra in the annealed sample have a smaller tilt than in the natural sample at any given temperature. The correlation of the tilts of the tetrahedra with changes in the intensities of satellite reflections confirms that the satellites arise from a displacive modulation of the framework of tetrahedra. Distance-least-squares simulations suggest that the modulation creates larger and smaller cavities within the extra-framework channels that contain the K atoms. Analysis of the K-O bond lengths with both the state of K-{square} order and temperature indicate that the coupling between K-{square} order and the framework modulation occurs through the K-O2 bond. An increase in the average K-O2 bond length with decreasing temperature or increasing K-{square} order supports the modulation of the framework. Shortening of the K-O2 bond leads to rotations of the tetrahedra that are opposite to those associated with the modulation, and thus suppresses it.
Error Protection of 3D Wavelet Video Streaming Using Wyner-Ziv Video Coding for Lossy Network Transmission

In this paper we propose a novel method that is motivated by distributed source coding to correct the errors of significant sections in 3D wavelet video streaming. Extra information is generated by Wyner-Ziv codec and is sent to the decoder. While errors occur, the relevant parts in the same frames from EZBC decoder are used as side information to decode the Wyner-Ziv bits to produce a refined replacement of the corrupted ones. Finally the rest parts of these frames are combined with refined parts from the Wyner-Ziv description to yield a correct sequence. We present the simulation results to demonstrate that our scheme can achieve significant gains in error-resilient performance compared with Forward Error Correction scheme.
Comparing the Determinants of Internet and Cell Phone Use in Africa: Evidence from Gabon

Within developed countries, the penetration of cell phones and the Internet has risen in tandem and the point of market saturation has nearly been reached in both markets. In contrast, the African continent has been characterized by more uneven progress, with the penetration of cell phones (41% in 2010) considerably outpacing the penetration of the Internet (9.6%). The question is then raised as to whether cell phone and Internet adoption processes in Africa are different as compared to other regions. To address this question, we compare the determinants and hindrances of both Internet and cell phone use in Gabon, using household survey data. Our econometric results show that the primary factors stimulating Internet use consist of a high level of education and computer skills. As regards cell phone use, the main obstacles are economic. Finally, an individual's age has a positive impact on cell phone use and a negative impact on Internet use. The differences identified in both penetration and user profiles between Internet and cell phone service should motivate African governments to develop digital policies more heavily focused on a wider dissemination of cell phones in order to make innovative services and applications (e.g. in the field of health or education) available to as broad a population as possible.
Essays in climate policy and exhaustible resource economics

Owners of exhaustible resources will respond to climate policies, and these policies have to take such responses into account. This thesis considers three separate instances in which market power and exhaustible resources interact with climate policy. Chapter 2 considers research and development (R&D) into green substitutes to oil as a climate policy instrument. Oil exporters will respond to such R&D efforts in ways which reduce the effectiveness of the policy. Making substitute technologies competitive against current oil prices is not sufficient. R&D efforts will only force higher oil supplies, aggravating short-term pollution. Eventually, the oil age will end as the substitutes become competitive against the marginal cost of producing oil. This motive encourages an R&D push to leave more oil underground. Strategic gaming between the importers and exporters may reduce both oil supply and R&D efforts. Chapter 3 considers fixed costs into opening a deposit of an exhaustible resource. Counterintuitively, a monopolist may invest too early, into too much capacity. I then apply this model to an unconventional exhaustible resource: empty space underground, in which to store captured carbon emissions. I focus on the case of storing European emissions under the North Sea. Monopolistic storage is only a concern if storage space is sufficiently abundant. In this case, the monopolist will not invest enough, to cut back the cumulative storage capacity. Duopolistic storage may involve tacit collusion. Chapter 4 considers an unconventional climate policy instrument: capital income taxes imposed on oil exporters. Such taxes can motivate conservation of polluting resources and allow oil importers to appropriate some oil wealth. These benefits come at the cost of inducing productive distortions, which diminish overall economic output. This thesis contains approximately 70,000 words (using page 14 as a representative page).
Chapter 3: Early Career Outcomes of NRSA Predoctoral Training in the Biomedical Sciences

This chapter chronicles the early careers of NRSA predoctoral recipients in the biomedical sciences, contrasting them with those of their Ph.D. counterparts who did not receive such support. The outcomes examined range from the time required to earn the doctorate to the number of publications authored and citations received by 1995. Of interest are those Ph.D.s who earned their degrees between FY 1981 and 1992. The rationale is twofold. First, members of the NRSA study group who received their degrees prior to 1981 were likely to have had their NIH training support from pre-NRSA training programs, which may or may not have been similar to those funded after enactment of the NRSA legislation. Second, given the prevalence of postdoctoral study and the availability of data through 1995, this allowed sufficient time for most cohorts to have made some initial progress toward establishing a research career in their chosen field.
Asia-Pacific Stock Market Integration: New Evidence by Incorporating Regime Changes

ABSTRACT This work provides new evidence of Asia-Pacific stock market integration by incorporating the regime changes of each stock market through the smooth transition autoregressive (STAR) model. According to empirical results, most Asia-Pacific stock market returns follow STAR dynamics to a significant degree with more rapid and frequent regime changes of a shorter nature compared with G7 markets. A series of STAR-based Granger causality tests reveal evidence of stronger equity market integration compared with linear Granger causality tests. We also find that Asia-Pacific stock markets are integrated in different levels. Finally, we provide evidence that in the early twenty-first century the influence of China and the United States on Asia-Pacific stock markets has been maintained while that of Japan has been weakened.
Subtle Linguistic Cues Affect Children's Motivation

Are preschoolers’ reactions to setbacks influenced by whether their successes are rewarded with generic or nongeneric praise? Previous research has focused on the role of category-referring generics (e.g., ‘‘Dogs are friendly’’) in shaping children’s knowledge about natural kinds (see Gelman, 2004). Generic sentences can, however, refer to individuals as well as categories. For example, ‘‘John is friendly’’ is generic because it reports a general regularity—albeit about a single person—rather than a particular fact or episode (Carlson & Pelletier, 1995). In contrast, the nongeneric ‘‘John was friendly at the party’’ refers to a specific past event. Generic sentences about an individual imply that the particular behavior commented on (e.g., John smiling warmly) stems from a stable trait (e.g., friendliness) or skill (see Gelman & Heyman, 1999). Are children sensitive to this subtle connotation with respect to their own behavior? If so, then generic praise may lead children to think in trait terms, such that later mistakes could signal a negative trait or low ability and therefore undermine motivation (Dweck, 1999, 2006). Preliminary support for this claim comes from a study by Kamins and Dweck (1999). Praising the whole person (e.g., ‘‘You are a good boy/girl’’) after success on a task fostered helpless responses to subsequent mistakes more than praising the process through which success was achieved (e.g., ‘‘You found a good way to do it’’). We suggest that children’s behavior was in part driven by the fact that the person praise was generic, connoting a stable trait of the child, while the process praise was nongeneric, focusing on one specific episode. Would manipulating only the genericness of the praise result in similar patterns of coping? For example, would children’s motivation be affected differently by ‘‘You are a good drawer’’ (generic) than by ‘‘You did a good job drawing’’ (nongeneric)? Note that these sentences are much more similar than the person-process pairs used by Kamins and Dweck—so similar, in fact, that adults may not be aware of their contrasting implications and are thus likely to use them interchangeably in interactions with children. Demonstrating that children praised in these two ways react differently to a challenge would be evidence for the importance of the generic/nongeneric distinction in shaping young children’s conceptions of their abilities.
Determinants of Business Cycle Synchronisation Across Euro Area Countries

We investigate the key factors underlying business cycle synchronisation in the euro area applying the extreme-bounds analysis. We examine both traditional determinants and new, EMU-specific policy and structural indicators over the past 25 years. Our evidence seems to support the endogeneity hypothesis of the optimum currency area criteria. The implementation of the single market intensified bilateral trade across euro area countries and contributed to higher business cycle symmetry. The introduction of the single currency led to an intensification of intra-industry trade which has become the main driving force ensuring the coherence of business cycles. In addition, the set of robust determinants of business cycle synchronisation has varied over time, depending on the difference phases of the European construction, with fiscal policy, in addition to industrial and financial structures, playing a greater role during the completion of the Single Market, while short-term interest rate differentials and cyclical services have become more determinant since Economic and Monetary Union. JEL Classification: C21, E32, F15
Causality and Comovement Between Tax Rate and Budget Deficits: Further Evidence from Developing Countries

This paper examines the relationship between increasing budget deficits and tax rate for Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger and Togo. This investigation is based on Johansen cointegration approach and Granger causality tests. The findings suggest firstly that these variables are not cointegrated for the countries under study, and the bootstrap simulations of the relation show more evidence for the robustness of the results to small sample size effects, and secondly that there is a bidirectional impact between tax rate and budget deficits. Given this bidirectional causality between these variables, variance decomposition and impulse responses are calculated to better understand the question of which effect is greater than the other.
On authorship authentication of Arabic articles

In this work, we consider the authorship authentication problem, a historical problem in linguistics that has been made more difficult with the explosion of the Internet and the increase in the amount of unverified texts and hard to check claims posted online. We focus on the Arabic language for which this problem is still largely understudied despite its importance. We experiment with two classifiers and the results obtained so far are almost perfect.
Capitalism, Not Globalism: Capital Mobility, Central Bank Independence, and the Political Control of the Economy

An original, empirically supported explanation of the domestic consequences of recent changes in the global economy While much has been made of recent changes in the international economy, the mechanisms by which politicians control the economy have not fundamentally changed in the postwar period. In Capitalism, Not Globalism, William Roberts Clark challenges both traditional and revisionist globalization theorists with his assertion that increased financial integration has led to neither a widening nor a narrowing of partisan differences in macroeconomic policies and outcomes. Clark shows that the absence of partisan differences is a long-standing feature of democratic capitalist societies, arising from policymakers' attempts to use the economy to guarantee their political survival. Structural changes such as increased capital mobility and central bank independence do not necessarily diminish politicians' ability to control the economy, but they do shape the range of available strategies. In a world of highly mobile capital, politicians use monetary policy to create macroeconomic expansions prior to elections only if the exchange rate is flexible and the central bank is subservient. But they use fiscal policy to induce favorable business cycles when the exchange rate is fixed or the central bank is independent. By considering how capital mobility, the exchange rate regime, and central bank independence limit the range of incentives available to policymakers, Clark shows that macroeconomic policies and outcomes are tied to the electoral calendar rather than to the prevailing ideology.
Measuring Capital and Technology: An Expanded Framework

Business outlays on intangible assets are usually expensed in economic and financial accounts. Following Hulten (1979), this paper develops an intertemporal framework for measuring capital in which consumer utility maximization governs the expenditures that are current consumption versus those that are capital investment. This framework suggests that any business outlay that is intended to increase future rather than current consumption should be treated as capital investment. Applying this principle to newly developed estimates of business spending on intangibles, we find that, by about the mid-1990s, business investment in intangible capital was as large as business investment in traditional, tangible capital. Relative to official measures, our framework portrays the U.S. economy as having had higher gross private saving and, under plausible assumptions, fractionally higher average annual rates of change in real output and labor productivity from 1995 to 2002.
Two Forms of Synaptic Plasticity with Distinct Dependence on Age, Experience, and NMDA Receptor Subtype in Rat Visual Cortex

In visual cortex, NMDA receptor (NMDAR) properties depend primarily on NR2A and NR2B subunits, and NR2 subunit composition changes with age and visual experience. We examined the roles of these NR2 subunits in activity-dependent long-term modification of synaptic responses, which were evoked in layer 2/3 cells by stimulation of layer 4 in rat visual cortical slices. We used theta-burst stimulation (TBS) of presynaptic fibers or low-frequency stimulation paired with postsynaptic depolarization, which has been commonly used to induce NMDAR-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) in visual cortex. In pyramidal cells, however, TBS produced long-term depression (LTD) at inhibitory synapses rather than LTP at excitatory synapses. This was observed in association with LTP of extracellular field potentials that reflect postsynaptic potentials in a population of cells (field-LTP). This result is inconsistent with the previous view that field-LTP reflects LTP of excitatory connections. However, pairing stimulation produced LTP at excitatory synapses of pyramidal cells frequently during development but rarely in adulthood. In contrast, inhibitory LTD and field-LTP occurred similarly in both developing and mature cortex. Experiments using NR2B selective and NR2 subunit nonselective NMDAR antagonists demonstrated that NR2A- and NR2B-containing NMDARs contribute selectively to inhibitory LTD-field-LTP and excitatory LTP, respectively. In addition, we found that the developmental decline in the NR2B component was paralleled by a decline in the incidence of excitatory LTP, and these declines were both prevented by dark rearing. These results implicate NR2 subunit composition in the regulation of neocortical plasticity and demonstrate differential subunit regulation at inhibitory and excitatory connections.
Learning hybrid linear models via sparse recovery

We introduce new methods to tackle the problem of hybrid linear learning—learning the number and dimensions of the subspaces present in a collection of high-dimensional data and then determining a basis or overcomplete dictionary that spans each of the subspaces. To do this, we pose this problem as the estimation of a set of points on the Grassmanian manifold G(k, n), i.e., the collection of all k-dimensional subspaces in Rn. In order to estimate the subspaces present in the data, we couple the use of consensus methods for robust parameter estimation with sparse recovery for intelligent selection of sample sets. We demonstrate that the coupling of these two ideas is essential for: (1) extending the performance of current subspace learning methods to settings where shared structures exist between subspaces, as well as (2) providing concrete guarantees that specify when consensus will be formed on the true subspace structures present in the data in polynomial time. We demonstrate the utility of these methods for segmenting multispectral images and learning block-sparse dictionaries.
Prevalence and Predictors of Major Depression in HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Bamenda, a Semi-Urban Center in Cameroon

Recent blue-ribbon panel reports have concluded that HIV treatment programs in less wealthy countries must integrate mental health identification and treatment into normal HIV clinical care and that research on mental health and HIV in these settings should be a high priority. We assessed the epidemiology of depression in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy in a small urban setting in Cameroon by administering a structured interview for depression to 400 patients consecutively attending the Bamenda Regional Hospital AIDS Treatment Center. One in five participants met lifetime criteria for MDD, and 7% had MDD within the prior year. Only 33% had ever spoken with a health professional about depression, and 12% reported ever having received depression treatment that was helpful or effective. Over 2/3 with past-year MDD had severe or very severe episodes. The number of prior depressive episodes and the number of HIV symptoms were the strongest predictors of past-year MDD. The prevalence of MDD in Cameroon is as high as that of other HIV-associated conditions, such as tuberculosis and Hepatitis B virus, whose care is incorporated into World Health Organization guidelines. The management of depression needs to be incorporated in HIV-care guidelines in Cameroon and other similar settings.
Growth, Corporate Profitability, and Shareholder Value Creation

Associating corporate performance and shareholder value creation to growth in earnings (or sales) has been the modus operandi in the investment industry, greatly influencing managerial compensation schemes and portfolio decisions. This paper sheds light on the relationship between growth and performance by addressing two broad questions. First, what is the relationship between corporate profitability metrics, such as EVA, ROE, or ROI, and the firm's earnings (sales) growth rate? Second, does maximizing corporate profitability necessarily enhance shareholder value (as measured by Jensen's alpha)? Using multivariate analysis, we show that while these measures generally rise with earnings and sales growth, there exists an optimal point beyond which further growth destroys shareholder value and adversely impacts profitability. Moreover, the analysis shows that firms with moderate growth in earnings (sales) show the highest rates of return and value creation for their owners, supporting Fuller and Jensen (2002) warnings about the "dangers of conforming to market pressures for growth. "
Anisakiasis: Report of 15 Gastric Cases Caused by Anisakis Type I Larvae and a Brief Review of Korean Anisakiasis Cases

The present study was performed to report 15 anisakiasis cases in Korea and to review the Korean cases reported in the literature. Total 32 Anisakis type I larvae were detected in the stomach of 15 patients by the endoscopy. Single worm was detected from 12 cases, and even 9 larvae were found from 2 cases. Epigastric pain was most commonly manifested in almost all cases, and hemoptysis and hematemesis were seen in 1 case each. Symptom manifestations began at 10-12 hr after eating fish in 73.3% cases. Endoscopy was performed 1-2 days after the symptom onset in most cases. The common conger, Conger myriaster, was the probable infection source in 7 cases. In the review of Korean anisakiasis cases, thus far, total 645 cases have been reported in 64 articles. Anisakis type I larva was the most frequently detected (81.3%). The favorable infection site of larvae was the stomach (82.4%). The common conger was the most probable source of human infections (38.6%). Among the total 404 cases which revealed the age and sex of patients, 185 (45.8%) were males, and the remaining 219 (54.2%) were female patients. The age prevalence was the highest in forties (34.7%). The seasonal prevalence was highest in winter (38.8%). By the present study, 15 cases of gastric anisakiasis are added as Korean cases, and some epidemiological characteristics of Korean anisakiasis were clarified.