Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Policies for Shock-Prone Developing Countries

Many developing countries periodically face large adverse shocks to their economies. We study two distinct types of such shocks - large declines in the price of a country’s commodity exports and severe natural disasters - , both of which have occurred frequently in the recent past. Unsurprisingly, adverse shocks reduce the short-term growth of constant-price GDP and we analyze which structural policies help to minimize these losses. Structural policies are incentives and regulations that are maintained for long periods, contrasting with policy responses to shocks, the analysis of which has dominated the literature. We show that some previously neglected structural policies have large effects that are specific to particular types of shock. In particular, regulations which reduce the speed of firm exit substantially increase the short-term growth loss from adverse non-agricultural export price shocks and so are particularly ill-suited to mineral exporting economies. Natural disasters appear to be better accommodated by labour market policies, perhaps because such shocks directly dislocate the population.
Stimulus-secretion coupling in the developing exocrine pancreas: secretory responsiveness to cholecystokinin

We have studied the onset of secretory responsiveness to cholecystokinin (CCK) during development of the rat exocrine pancreas. Although acinar cells of the fetal pancreas (1 d before birth) are filled with zymogen granules containing the secretory protein, alpha- amylase, the rate of amylase secretion from pancreatic lobules incubated in vitro was not increased in response to CCK. In contrast, the rate of CCK-stimulated amylase discharge from the neonatal pancreas (1 d after birth) was increased four- to eightfold above that of the fetal gland. The postnatal amplification of secretory responsiveness was not associated with an increase in the number or cell surface expression of 125I-CCK binding sites. When 125I-CCK-33 binding proteins were analyzed by affinity crosslinking, two proteins of Mr 210,000 and 100,000-160,000 were labeled specifically in both fetal and neonatal pancreas. To determine if cell surface receptors for CCK in the fetal pancreas are functional and able to generate a rise in the cytosolic [Ca++], we measured 45Ca++ efflux from tracer-loaded lobules. 45Ca++ efflux from both fetal and neonatal pancreas was comparably increased by CCK, indicating CCK-induced Ca++ mobilization and elevated cytosolic [Ca++]. The Ca++ ionophore A23187 also stimulated the rate of 45Ca++ extrusion from pancreas of both ages. Increased amylase secretion occurred concurrently with A23187-stimulated 45Ca++ efflux in neonatal pancreas, but not in the fetal gland. A23187 in combination with dibutyryl cAMP potentiated amylase release from the neonatal gland, but not from fetal pancreas. Similarly, the protein kinase C activator, phorbol dibutyrate, did not increase the rate of secretion from the fetal gland when added alone or in combination with A23187 or CCK. We suggest that CCK-receptor interaction in the fetal pancreas triggers intracellular Ca++ mobilization. However, one or more signal transduction events distal to Ca++ mobilization have not yet matured. The onset of secretory response to CCK that occurs postnatally may depend on amplification of these transduction events.
Message in Message (MIM): A Case for Shuffling Transmissions in Wireless Networks

Message in Message (MIM) is an exciting development at the physical layer of IEEE 802.11. Two transmissions that otherwise conﬂict with each other, may be made concurrent with MIM. However, the beneﬁts from MIM are not immediate. Higher layer protocols need to be explicitly designed to enable its inherent concurrency. This paper investigates the opportunities and challenges with MIM, and demonstrates a link layer framework to harness its potential. We believe that our framework can accommodate emerging physical layer capabilities, such as successive interference cancellation (SIC)
Why M Heads are Better than One: Training a Diverse Ensemble of Deep Networks

Convolutional Neural Networks have achieved state-of-the-art performance on a wide range of tasks. Most benchmarks are led by ensembles of these powerful learners, but ensembling is typically treated as a post-hoc procedure implemented by averaging independently trained models with model variation induced by bagging or random initialization. In this paper, we rigorously treat ensembling as a first-class problem to explicitly address the question: what are the best strategies to create an ensemble? We first compare a large number of ensembling strategies, and then propose and evaluate novel strategies, such as parameter sharing (through a new family of models we call TreeNets) as well as training under ensemble-aware and diversity-encouraging losses. We demonstrate that TreeNets can improve ensemble performance and that diverse ensembles can be trained end-to-end under a unified loss, achieving significantly higher "oracle" accuracies than classical ensembles.
Space-time matrix modulation: extension to unknown doubly selective MIMO channels

Most transmission schemes for MIMO channels assume (i) a block fading channel without delay spread and (ii) availability of channel state information at the receiver. Here, we extend the space-time matrix modulation (STMM) scheme and the iterative demodulation algorithm that we introduced previously (Arte/spl acute/s, H. and Hlawatsch, F., Proc. IEEE ICASSP-2001, p.2153-6, 2001; Proc. IEEE ICASSP-2002, p.2225-8, 2002; Arte/spl acute/s et al., Proc. 39th Allerton Conf. Commun., Contr, Comput., p.466-75, 2001) to unknown, doubly selective MIMO channels, i.e., delay/Doppler-spread MIMO channels that are unknown to the receiver. We show that the structure inherent in STMM allows perfect reconstruction of the data when transmitting over an unknown doubly selective channel (apparently, this is not currently possible with other transmission schemes). Numerical simulations demonstrate significant performance advantages of STMM over Cayley differential unitary space-time modulation.
Dynamic migration of rotating neutron stars due to a phase transition instability

Using numerical simulations based on solving the general relativistic hydrodynamic equations with the CoCoNuT code, we study the dynamics of a phase transition in the dense core of isolated rotating neutron stars, triggered by the back bending instability reached via angular momentum loss. In particular, we investigate the dynamics of a migration from an unstable configuration into a stable one, which leads to a mini-collapse of the neutron star and excites sizeable pulsations in its bulk until it acquires a new stable equilibrium state. We consider two equations of state which exhibit softening at high densities, a simple analytic one with a mixed hadron-quark phase (where the hadron pressure is approximated by a polytrope) in an intermediate pressure interval and pure quark matter at very high densities, and a microphysical one that has a first-order phase transition at constant pressure with a jump in density, originating from kaon condensation. Although the marginally stable initial models are rigidly rotating, we observe that during the collapse (albeit little) differential rotation is created. We analyze the emission of gravitational radiation in such an event, which in some models is amplified by mode resonance effects, and assess its prospective detectability by current and future interferometric detectors. We expect that the most favourable conditions for dynamic migration exist in very young magnetars. The rate of such events in our Galaxy is of the order of one per century and rises to about one per year if the Virgo cluster of galaxies is considered. We find that the damping of the post-migration pulsations and, accordingly, of the gravitational wave signal amplitude strongly depends on the character of the equation of state softening (either via a density jump or continuous through a mixed state). The damping of pulsations in the models with the microphysical equation of state is caused by dissipation associated with matter flowing through the density jump at the edge of the dense core. If at work, this mechanism dominates over all other types of dissipation, like bulk viscosity in the exotic-phase core, gravitational radiation damping or numerical viscosity.
Assessing the reliability of journal data in syntax : Linguistic Inquiry 2001-2010

There has been a consistent pattern of criticism of the reliability of acceptability judgment data in syntax for at least 50 years (e.g., Hill 1961), culminating in several high-profile criticisms within the past ten years (e. Gibson and Fedorenko 2010a, 2010b). The fundamental claim of these critics is that traditional acceptability judgment collection methods, which tend to be relatively informal compared to methods from experimental psychology, lead to an intolerably high number of false positive results. In this paper we empirically assess this claim by formally testing a random sample of 292 sentence types that form 146 two-condition phenomena taken from the most recent ten years of articles in a leading journal of theoretical linguistics (Linguistic Inquiry 2001-2010). We report the results of two experiments designed to assess the replication rate of these 146 phenomena under formal experimental methods (Experiment 1 used the magnitude estimation task and 168 participants, Experiment 2 used the forced-choice task and 96 participants). 139 of the 146 phenomena, or 95%, replicated in the formal experiments (with a margin of error of ±5%). This means that even under the (likely unwarranted) assumption that all of the discrepant results are false positives that have found their way into the syntactic literature due to the shortcomings of traditional methods, the maximum proportion of such false positives in LI 2001-2010 is 5% (±5%). We discuss the implications of these results for questions about the reliability of syntactic data, as well as the practical consequences of these results for the methodological options available to syntacticians. 2
Performance of optimum combining with channel estimation errors

Optimum combining (OC) is an effective way of suppressing interference in receive antenna diversity systems. In this paper, we examine the effect of channel estimation error on bit error probability (BEP) performance of optimum combining with BPSK modulation. The final expression is dependent on channel estimation error vari- ance. Therefore, our analysis is independent of any specific estimation scheme. First, the conditional BEP is derived in terms of eigenvalues of interference and noise covariance matrix. Then, the final BEP expression is obtained using an approximate approach, where each random eigenvalue is replaced by its empirical average over the fading distribu- tion (9). The numerical results for an arbitrary number of antennas and interfering users are presented.
Refinery Wastewater Treatment : A true Technological Challenge

Crude oil and condensate refineries generate a large amount of wastewater that has both process and non-process origins. Depending on the type of crude oil, composition of condensate and treatment processes, the characteristics of refinery wastewater vary according to a complex pattern. The design and operation of modern refinery wastewater treatment plants are challenging and are essentially technology driven. In this investigation, the sources of wastewater pollutants have been traced to specific sources and operations, and suitable treatment technologies identified. Modern powerful tools such image analysis have been employed to characterize oil droplet sizes in oily wastewater and immobilized cell technology considered in biological reactor design for wide spectrum chemical pollutant degradation. A biomass extraction method was developed to harvest Pseudomonas P. and Baccili S. cells from a commercial biological product and acclimate them to a source of carbon rich in phenol, prior to immobilizing them in a suitable gel.
Arylacetamide κ-Opioid Receptor Agonists Produce a Tonic- and Use-Dependent Block of Tetrodotoxin-Sensitive and -Resistant Sodium Currents in Colon Sensory Neurons

We have previously reported that U50,488 [(trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl]benzeneacetamide] enantiomers contribute to visceral antinociception by a nonopioid receptor-mediated blockade of sodium currents in colon sensory neurons. The present experiments were undertaken to examine the effect of arylacetamide κ-opioid receptor agonists (κ-ORAs) U50,488 and EMD 61,753 [(N-methyl-N-[1S)-1-phenyl)-2-(13S))-3-hydroxypyrrolidine-1-yl)-ethyl]-2,2-diphenylacetamide HCl] on tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) and -resistant (TTX-R) sodium currents, and the mechanism of their sodium channel-blocking actions. Whole cell patch-clamp experiments were performed on colon sensory neurons from the S1 dorsal root ganglion identified by content of retrograde tracer 1.1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine metanesulfonate. The concentration-response curves of U50,488 and EMD 61,753, for tonic inhibition of total, TTX-S, and TTX-R sodium currents were similar (EC50 values for U50,488 and EMD 61,753 were 8.4 ± 1.69 and 1.2 ± 1.78 μM, respectively). In contrast, the peptide κ-ORA dynorphin was without effect in these experiments. U50,488 (10 μM) shifted the voltage dependence of steady-state inactivation curves for total, TTX-S, and TTX-R currents to more negative potentials. Inhibition was present at holding potentials of –100 to –20 mV. After the tonic block elicited by 10 μM U50,488, repetitive stimulation with 5-ms depolarizing pulses at a frequency of 3 Hz further enhanced the inhibition of total, TTX-R, and TTX-S currents by 43.8 ± 4.9, 46.2 ± 4.9, and 40 ± 3.2%, respectively. These results demonstrate that arylacetamide κ-ORAs nonselectively inhibit voltage-evoked sodium currents in a manner similar to local anesthetics, by enhancing closed-state inactivation and induction of use-dependent block.
Age and closeness of death as determinants of health and social care utilization: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND We used case-control design to compare utilization of health and social services between older decedents and survivors, and to identify the respective impact of age and closeness of death on the utilization of services. METHODS Data were derived from multiple national registers. The sample consisted of 56,001 persons, who died during years 1998-2000 at the age of > or = 70, and their pairs matched on age, gender and municipality of residence, who were alive at least 2 years after their counterpart's death. Data include use of hospitals, long-term care and home care. Decedents' utilization within 2 years before death and survivors' utilization in the same period of time was assessed in three age groups (70-79, 80-89 and > or = 90 years) and by gender. RESULTS Decedents used hospital and long-term care more than their surviving counterparts, but the time patterns were different. In hospital care the differences between decedents and survivors rose in the last months of the study period, whereas in long-term care there were clear differences during the whole 2-year period. The differences were smaller in the oldest age group than in younger age groups. CONCLUSION Closeness of death is an important predictor of health and social service use in old age, but its influence varies between age groups. Not only the changing age structure, but also the higher average age at death affects the future need for services.
Cellular and Pharmacological Targets to Induce Coronary Arteriogenesis

The formation of collateral vessels (arteriogenesis) to sustain perfusion in ischemic tissue is native to the body and can compensate for coronary stenosis. However, arteriogenesis is a complex process and is dependent on many different factors. Although animal studies on collateral formation and stimulation show promising data, clinical trials have failed to replicate these results. Further research to the exact mechanisms is needed in order to develop a pharmalogical stimulant. This review gives an overview of recent data in the field of arteriogenesis.
Effects of lamotrigine on cognitive function and quality of life in epilepsy patients

Objective To explore the effects of lamotrigine on the cognitive function and the quality of life in epilepsy patients.Methods This was a prospective study and 91 newly diagnosed epilepsy patients were enrolled.The neuropsychological tests score and the quality of life in epilepsy inventory(QOLIE-31) were obtained before and after the treatment with lamotrigine.A battery of neuropsychological tests comprised the auditory verbal learning test(AVLT), the logical memory test(LMT), the digital symbol test(DST), the stroop color word test(SCWT), the trail making test(TMT), the verbal fluency test(VFT), the WAIS block design test(WBDT), the WAIS digital span test(WDST)and the Boston naming test(BNT). Results The repeated assessments in the patients taking lamotrigine were associated with significant improvements in many domains.The greatest changes were observed in the immediate and delayed recall of AVLT, DST, the time consuming of SCWT card C and TMT test A and B, the immediate and delayed recall of LMT, VFT, WBDT and BNT.For the quality of life, significant improvements were recorded in the fields of the seizure worry(38.81±16.06 vs 45.68±15.18), the overall quality of life(59.12±13.50 vs 64.99±13.33), the social function(64.59±25.14 vs 69.41±22.70)and the self-health evaluation (71.18±13.73 vs 76.75±11.30). Conclusion Improvements of the cognitive function and the quality of life can be observed in the initial period of medication with lamotrigine in epilepsy patients.
Semi-supervised Spectral Clustering for Classification

We propose a Classification Via Clustering (CVC) algorithm which enables existing clustering methods to be efficiently employed in classification problems. In CVC, training and test data are co-clustered and class-cluster distributions are used to find the label of the test data. To determine an efficient number of clusters, a Semi-supervised Hierarchical Clustering (SHC) algorithm is proposed. Clusters are obtained by hierarchically applying two-way NCut by using signs of the Fiedler vector of the normalized graph Laplacian. To this end, a Direct Fiedler Vector Computation algorithm is proposed. The graph cut is based on the data structure and does not consider labels. Labels are used only to define the stopping criterion for graph cut. We propose clustering to be performed on the Grassmannian manifolds facilitating the formation of spectral ensembles. The proposed algorithm outperformed state-of-the-art image-set classification algorithms on five standard datasets.
Risk of malnutrition and zinc deficiency in community-living elderly men and women: the Tromsø Study

Abstract Objective Elderly people may be at particular risk of Zn deficiency due to an increased prevalence of malnutrition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Zn status in community-living elderly people at risk of malnutrition. Design Cross-sectional population-based survey. Individuals at risk of malnutrition were identified by the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool. Zn status was assessed by measuring serum Zn. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between the risk of malnutrition and Zn deficiency. Setting Municipality of Tromsø, Norway. Subjects Random sample of 743 men and 778 women aged 65–87 years. Results Zn deficiency was found in 10·1 % of the participants, including 13·1 % of the men and 7·3 % of the women. Among the men and women at risk of malnutrition, 31·0 % and 12·7 %, respectively, had Zn deficiency. In a model adjusted for age, gender, serum albumin and smoking status, Zn deficiency was positively associated with the risk of malnutrition (OR=2·2; 95 % CI 1·3, 3·6). Conclusions Overall, Zn deficiency was found in one out of ten community-living elderly people and was associated with the risk of malnutrition. Our results encourage the assessment of Zn status in elderly people at risk of malnutrition, with a special emphasis on elderly men.
Phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor (cilostazol) attenuates oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the heart

Background Cilostazol is a type 3 phosphodiesterase inhibitor which has been previously demonstrated to prevent the occurrence of tachyarrhythmia and improve defibrillation efficacy. However, the mechanism for this beneficial effect is still unclear. Since cardiac mitochondria have been shown to play a crucial role in fatal cardiac arrhythmias and that oxidative stress is one of the main contributors to arrhythmia generation, we tested the effects of cilostazol on cardiac mitochondria under severe oxidative stress. Methods Mitochondria were isolated from rat hearts and treated with H2O2 to induce oxidative stress. Cilostazol, at various concentrations, was used to study its protective effects. Pharmacological interventions, including a mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) blocker, cyclosporine A (CsA), and an inner membrane anion channel (IMAC) blocker, 4′-chlorodiazepam (CDP), were used to investigate the mechanistic role of cilostazol on cardiac mitochondria. Cardiac mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial membrane potential change and mitochondrial swelling were determined as indicators of cardiac mitochondrial function. Results Cilostazol preserved cardiac mitochondrial function when exposed to oxidative stress by preventing mitochondrial depolarization, mitochondrial swelling, and decreasing ROS production. Conclusions Our findings suggest that cardioprotective effects of cilostazol reported previously could be due to its prevention of cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction caused by severe oxidative stress.