Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How does poverty decline? Evidence from India, 1983-1999

This paper attempts to assess the relative contributions of the farm and non-farm sectors to the increase in agricultural wage earnings in India between 1983-1999. Cross-section analysis of NSS data for 1983 and 1993 confirm the importance of farm productivity growth, consistent with the predictions of our theoretical model. A counterfactual exercise that attempts to estimate the relative contribution of the non-farm sector to the increase in the agricultural wage earnings during the period 1983-1999 suggests that this figure is no more than 25 at the all-India level, though it is higher in some states. Thus the bulk of the growth in wage earnings and the attendant decline in poverty during this period appears to be due to the farm sector.
Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) and Motor Rehabilitation in Parkinson’s Disease: New Frontiers in Assessment and Intervention Protocols

Previous studies have demonstrated that physical therapy accompanied by Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) can improve the motor skills of patients with Parkinson's disease and, in particular, their gait disturbances. In the present work we describe the neurological bases and perceptual-motor deficits generally associated with Parkinson's dis- ease, with a specific focus on gait disturbances. Within this framework, we review the role of auditory cueing in the modulation of patients' gait, addressing this issue from the cognitive, neurological and biomechanical perspectives. In particular, we focus on the new frontiers of both assessment and intervention. With regards to the assessment, we describe the advantages of the three-dimensional quantitative multifactorial gait analysis. As concerns the intervention, we illus- trate the potential impact of the administration of ecological footstep sounds as rhythmic cues.
Can Manipulators Mislead Prediction Market Observers

We study experimental markets where privately informed traders exchange simple assets, and where uninformed third parties are asked to forecast the values of these assets, guided only by market prices. Although prices only partially aggregate information, they significantly improve the forecasts of third parties. In a second treatment, a portion of traders are given preferences over the forecasts made by observers. Although we find evidence that these traders attempt to manipulate prices in order to influence the beliefs of observers, we find no evidence that observers make less accurate forecasts as a result.
How Immigration Reduced Social Capital in the US: 2005-2011

Putnam (1995)'s seminal work was one of the first to describe the decline of social capital in the US after the 1960s, a period that saw a large increase in the flow of immigrants into the US. Using the Volunteer Supplement of the September Sample of the Current Population Survey (CPS) between 2004 and 2011, we examine the relationship between immigration and social capital in the US, measured by membership of organizations, volunteering and hours volunteered. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to address this question. Once we correct for immigrants' self-selection to different destinations using a supply-push instrumental variable, we find that a one standard deviation increase in the number of immigrants decreases volunteering by 0.08 to 0.12 standard deviations, or that the 8.7 million legal immigrants who entered the US between 2005 and 2011 reduced the probability Americans volunteered between 27.8% and 35.7%. From our robustness checks we argue that the reduction in volunteering by natives is driven by the the fact that new immigrants have a lower social capital, reducing the benefits of volunteering. Our results have important implications for public policy. We show that migrants' social capital has an impact on receiving communities. Therefore immigrants' social capital (such as having relatives living at the receiving community) should be taken into consideration. Future research should focus on what is the optimal weight to give to the presence of family members versus, for instance, educational level of the immigrants.
Distributed radio resource allocation for aeronautical short messages in LDACS1

Aeronautical short message (ASM), as a critical service for the future 4 dimensional trajectory data link (4DTRAD), will meet a great challenge of transmission efficiency. In order to achieve an efficient usage of wireless resources, in this paper a preempting transmission strategy based on the distributed mapping algorithm (PT-DMA) is proposed for the L-band digital aeronautical communication system type-1 (LDACS1). By using the proposed PT-DMA, allocated continuous time slots could be re-mapped discretely within a multiframe. Then, a preempting strategy is further studied based on distributed time slots, with which the real time performance and capacity improvement of ASM on LDACS1 could be expected. Note that the discrete mapping will not change the fundamental framework of LDACS1 request-allocation mechanism. Numerical results confirm that the PT-DMA will meet less time delay and obvious capacity improvement in ASM transmission.
Design And Measurement of Tensor Impedance Transmitarrays For Chiral Polarization Control

Tensor impedance transmitarrays consist of tensor impedance surfaces, separated by dielectric spacers. In this paper, we present a design method for realizing tensor impedance transmitarrays that are capable of controlling the reflection and transmission of circularly polarized waves, referred to as chiral polarization control. To achieve this, we implement a multi-conductor transmission-line (MTL) model to characterize how vertically and horizontally polarized waves are transmitted and reflected through the surface and to synthesize the desired tensor impedances, which comprise the array. Using this MTL model, we show how to synthesize two different chiral transmitarrays. This includes a polarization rotator, which rotates any linear polarization by 90 ° and a circular polarization selective surface (CPSS), which transmits one hand of circular polarization while reflecting the other. This is verified with full-wave simulation showing that our proposed model works. We also fabricate and measure the CPSS at X-band based on our design procedure. To measure the CPSS, we use a novel four-port quasi-optical system to characterize both the reflection and transmission of vertically and horizontally polarized fields off of the surface. We achieve a good agreement with our simulated results though we have -1.7 dB more loss than expected due to the use of FR-4 as our substrate.
An Anthropomorphic Phantom Study of Brain Dopamine Transporter SPECT Images Obtained Using Different SPECT/CT Devices and Collimators

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in dopamine transporter SPECT images among different SPECT/CT devices and to determine the most appropriate region of interest (ROI) for semiquantitative evaluation. Methods: An anthropomorphic striatal phantom was filled with 123I solutions of different striatum-to-background radioactivity ratios. Data were acquired using 2 SPECT/CT devices equipped with low- to medium-energy general-purpose and low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) collimators. The SPECT images were reconstructed by filtered backprojection with both attenuation and scatter correction and then were analyzed using specific binding ratio (SBR). The most appropriate of 7 ROI types was determined, and we then compared the linearity and recovery of SBR among the different SPECT/CT devices and collimators. Results: The linearity of SBR was excellent for all types of ROIs. The ROI contouring the striatum based on the CT images showed the best recovery of SBR using mean activity in the striatal ROI (SBRmean) (47.8%). For this ROI, the recovery of SBRmean for SPECT/CT with a LEHR collimator with thick septa and a long hole length was 61.6%—significantly higher than that of other devices. Conclusion: The ROI contouring the striatum based on CT images was considered appropriate for evaluating dopamine transporter SPECT/CT. Among the different SPECT/CT devices, an LEHR collimator designed for 123II imaging is recommended.
Extensional rheology and elastic instabilities of a wormlike micellar solution in a microfluidic cross-slot device

Wormlike micellar surfactant solutions are encountered in a wide variety of important applications, including enhanced oil recovery and ink-jet printing, in which the fluids are subjected to high extensional strain rates. In this contribution we present an experimental investigation of the flow of a model wormlike micellar solution (cetyl pyridinium chloride and sodium salicylate in deionised water) in a well-defined stagnation point extensional flow field generated within a microfluidic cross-slot device. We use micro-particle image velocimetry (μ-PIV) and full-field birefringence microscopy coupled with macroscopic measurements of the bulk pressure drop to make a quantitative characterization of the fluid's rheological response over a wide range of deformation rates. The flow field in the micromachined cross-slot is first characterized for viscous flow of a Newtonian fluid, and μ-PIV measurements show the flow field remains symmetric and stable up to moderately high Reynolds number, Re ≈ 20, and nominal strain rate, nom ≈ 635 s−1. By contrast, in the viscoelastic micellar solution the flow field remains symmetric only for low values of the strain rate such that nom ≤ λM−1, where λM = 2.5 s is the Maxwell relaxation time of the fluid. In this stable flow regime the fluid displays a localized and elongated birefringent strand extending along the outflow streamline from the stagnation point, and estimates of the apparent extensional viscosity can be obtained using the stress-optical rule and from the total pressure drop measured across the cross-slot channel. For moderate deformation rates (nom ≥ λM−1) the flow remains steady, but becomes increasingly asymmetric with increasing flow rate, eventually achieving a steady state of complete anti-symmetry characterized by a dividing streamline and birefringent strand connecting diagonally opposite corners of the cross-slot. Eventually, as the nominal imposed deformation rate is increased further, the asymmetric divided flow becomes time dependent. These purely elastic instabilities are reminiscent of those observed in cross-slot flows of polymer solutions, but seem to be strongly influenced by the effects of shear localization of the micellar fluid within the microchannels and around the re-entrant corners of the cross-slot.
An analysis of document clustering algorithms

Document clustering organizes documents into groups such that each group contains documents with similar content. This paper presents the results of an experimental study of some common document clustering techniques. In particular, comparison of Euclidean K-means (K-Means), Spherical K-means(SK-Means) and unsupervised Principal Direction Divisive Partitioning (PDDP) algorithms is done. A comparative analysis of the algorithms is performed using the evaluation measures, Entropy and F-measure. The experiments were conducted on the standard dataset. Clustering algorithms such as K-means and SK-means are easy to implement but their answers strongly depend on their initialization. PDDP is comparatively difficult to implement since it is a hierarchical algorithm. On the other hand its performance does not depend on initial clusters. The results indicate that for certain initial clusters, the K-means and SK-means performed well than PDDP. When there are equal numbers of documents in all the classes, the clusters produced by the algorithms were very effective to that of when different classes had different number of documents. Also with no stop word removal the quality of PDDP degraded compared to K-Means.
Occupational exposure to pesticides and lymphoid neoplasms among men: results of a French case-control study

Objectives: Investigating the relationship between occupational exposure to pesticides and the risk of lymphoid neoplasms (LNs) in men. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in six centres in France between 2000 and 2004. The cases were incident cases with a diagnosis of LN aged 18–75 years. During the same period, controls of the same age and sex as the cases were recruited in the same hospital, mainly in the orthopaedic and rheumatological departments. Exposures to pesticides were evaluated through specific interviews and case-by-case expert reviews. Four hundred and ninety-one cases (244 cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), 87 of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), 104 of lymphoproliferative syndromes (LPSs) and 56 of multiple myeloma (MM) cases) and 456 controls were included in the analyses. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI were estimated using unconditional logistic regressions. Results: Positive associations between HL and occupational exposure to triazole fungicides and urea herbicides were observed (OR = 8.4 (2.2 to 32.4), 10.8 (2.4 to 48.1), respectively). Exposure to insecticides, fungicides and herbicides were linked to a threefold increase in MM risk (OR = 2.8 (1.2 to 6.5), 3.2 (1.4 to 7.2), 2.9 (1.3 to 6.5)). For LPS subtypes, associations restricted to hairy-cell leukaemia (HCL) were evidenced for exposure to organochlorine insecticides, phenoxy herbicides and triazine herbicides (OR = 4.9 (1.1 to 21.2), 4.1 (1.1 to 15.5), 5.1 (1.4 to 19.3)), although based on small numbers. Lastly, despite the increased ORs for organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides, carbamate fungicides and triazine herbicides, no significant associations were evidenced for NHL. Conclusions: The results, based on case-by-case expert review of occupation-specific questionnaires, support the hypothesis that occupational pesticide exposures may be involved in HL, MM and HCL and do not rule out a role in NHL. The analyses identified specific pesticides that deserve further investigation and the findings were consistent with those of previous studies.
When Can School Inputs Improve Test Scores?

The relationship between school inputs and educational outcomes is critical for educational policy. The authors recognize that households will respond optimally to changes in school inputs and study how such responses affect the link between school inputs and cognitive achievement. To incorporate the forward-looking behavior of households, the authors present a household optimization model relating household resources and cognitive achievement to school inputs. In this framework, if household and school inputs are technical substitutes in the production function for cognitive achievement, the impact of unanticipated inputs is larger than that of anticipated inputs. The authors test the predictions of the model for nonsalary cash grants to schools using a unique data set from Zambia. They find that household educational expenditures and school cash grants are substitutes with a coefficient of elasticity between -0.35 and -0.52. Consistent with the optimization model, anticipated funds have no impact on cognitive achievement, but unanticipated funds lead to significant improvements in learning. This methodology has important implications for educational research and policy.
Molecular Diagnosis of Chagas Disease in Colombia: Parasitic Loads and Discrete Typing Units in Patients from Acute and Chronic Phases

Background The diagnosis of Chagas disease is complex due to the dynamics of parasitemia in the clinical phases of the disease. The molecular tests have been considered promissory because they detect the parasite in all clinical phases. Trypanosoma cruzi presents significant genetic variability and is classified into six Discrete Typing Units TcI-TcVI (DTUs) with the emergence of foreseen genotypes within TcI as TcIDom and TcI Sylvatic. The objective of this study was to determine the operating characteristics of molecular tests (conventional and Real Time PCR) for the detection of T. cruzi DNA, parasitic loads and DTUs in a large cohort of Colombian patients from acute and chronic phases. Methodology/Principal Findings Samples were obtained from 708 patients in all clinical phases. Standard diagnosis (direct and serological tests) and molecular tests (conventional PCR and quantitative PCR) targeting the nuclear satellite DNA region. The genotyping was performed by PCR using the intergenic region of the mini-exon gene, the 24Sa, 18S and A10 regions. The operating capabilities showed that performance of qPCR was higher compared to cPCR. Likewise, the performance of qPCR was significantly higher in acute phase compared with chronic phase. The median parasitic loads detected were 4.69 and 1.33 parasite equivalents/mL for acute and chronic phases. The main DTU identified was TcI (74.2%). TcIDom genotype was significantly more frequent in chronic phase compared to acute phase (82.1% vs 16.6%). The median parasitic load for TcIDom was significantly higher compared with TcI Sylvatic in chronic phase (2.58 vs.0.75 parasite equivalents/ml). Conclusions/Significance The molecular tests are a precise tool to complement the standard diagnosis of Chagas disease, specifically in acute phase showing high discriminative power. However, it is necessary to improve the sensitivity of molecular tests in chronic phase. The frequency and parasitemia of TcIDom genotype in chronic patients highlight its possible relationship to the chronicity of the disease.
OPTIMIZING SP-FRAMES FOR ERROR RESILIENCE IN VIDEO STREAMING

SP-frame is a new picture type of H.264 that can be perfectly reconstructed using one of several reference frames. In this paper, we discuss how this property of SP-frame can be exploited for controlling error propagation caused by packet losses. We first illustrate the benefits of the scheme through example. We then present results for optimized streaming where PSNR performance of proposed usage of SP-frame is compared to that of P-frames only. Results show that SPframes can noticeably reduce distortion caused by packet losses compare to schemes based on P-frames only.
Properties of V1 Neurons Tuned to Conjunctions of Visual Features: Application of the V1 Saliency Hypothesis to Visual Search behavior

From a computational theory of V1, we formulate an optimization problem to investigate neural properties in the primary visual cortex (V1) from human reaction times (RTs) in visual search. The theory is the V1 saliency hypothesis that the bottom-up saliency of any visual location is represented by the highest V1 response to it relative to the background responses. The neural properties probed are those associated with the less known V1 neurons tuned simultaneously or conjunctively in two feature dimensions. The visual search is to find a target bar unique in color (C), orientation (O), motion direction (M), or redundantly in combinations of these features (e.g., CO, MO, or CM) among uniform background bars. A feature singleton target is salient because its evoked V1 response largely escapes the iso-feature suppression on responses to the background bars. The responses of the conjunctively tuned cells are manifested in the shortening of the RT for a redundant feature target (e.g., a CO target) from that predicted by a race between the RTs for the two corresponding single feature targets (e.g., C and O targets). Our investigation enables the following testable predictions. Contextual suppression on the response of a CO-tuned or MO-tuned conjunctive cell is weaker when the contextual inputs differ from the direct inputs in both feature dimensions, rather than just one. Additionally, CO-tuned cells and MO-tuned cells are often more active than the single feature tuned cells in response to the redundant feature targets, and this occurs more frequently for the MO-tuned cells such that the MO-tuned cells are no less likely than either the M-tuned or O-tuned neurons to be the most responsive neuron to dictate saliency for an MO target.
Mine Your Own Business: Market-Structure Surveillance Through Text Mining

Web 2.0 provides gathering places for Internet users in blogs, forums, and chat rooms. These gathering places leave footprints in the form of colossal amounts of data regarding consumers' thoughts, beliefs, experiences, and even interactions. In this paper, we propose an approach for firms to explore online user-generated content and “listen” to what customers write about their and their competitors' products. Our objective is to convert the user-generated content to market structures and competitive landscape insights. The difficulty in obtaining such market-structure insights from online user-generated content is that consumers' postings are often not easy to syndicate. To address these issues, we employ a text-mining approach and combine it with semantic network analysis tools. We demonstrate this approach using two cases---sedan cars and diabetes drugs---generating market-structure perceptual maps and meaningful insights without interviewing a single consumer. We compare a market structure based on user-generated content data with a market structure derived from more traditional sales and survey-based data to establish validity and highlight meaningful differences.
A Model of Conflict, Appropriation and Production in a Two-Sector Economy

This paper presents a model of conflict in an economy characterized by two sectors. In a first sector labelled as contested sector two agents struggle in order to appropriate the maximum possible fraction of a contestable output. In a second sector, the uncontested sector, each agent holds secure property rights over the production of some goods. Both agents maximize an income function which can be defined as a function of contributions of both sectors. Results show that the degree of returns in the uncontested sector is a powerful force which countervails the impact of destructive and unproductive interaction in the contested sector.
Correlation of global N-acetyl aspartate with cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Whole-brain N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), a measure of neuronal function, can be assessed by multislice echo-planar spectroscopic imaging. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that the global brain NAA/creatine (Cr) ratio is a better predictor of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis than conventional magnetic resonance imaging measures. DESIGN Survey. SETTING Research-oriented hospitals. PATIENTS Twenty patients, 16 women and 4 men (mean age, 36 years), with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score, 2.5). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Correlation between the global NAA/Cr ratio and a cognitive dysfunction factor comprising 16 measures from an extensive neuropsychological test battery that best distinguished patients with multiple sclerosis from healthy control subjects. RESULTS A significant partial correlation between the global NAA/Cr ratio and the cognitive dysfunction factor was found (partial r = 0.62, P = .01), and 9 cognitively impaired patients had significantly lower global NAA/Cr ratios than 11 unimpaired patients (P = .04). No significant correlations were found between the cognitive dysfunction factor and conventional magnetic resonance imaging measures (ie, brain parenchymal fraction and lesion volume). CONCLUSIONS Multislice echo-planar spectroscopic imaging provides global metabolic measures that distinguish between cognitively impaired and unimpaired patients with multiple sclerosis and correlate with a global cognitive measure. Standardization of the technique is needed, and larger-scale studies that include healthy controls are suggested.