Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essays on the Political Economy of Trade Policy

My thesis develops three models of political economy, examining different factors that affect equilibrium in political markets. The first paper develops a model based on that of Moutos (2001) whereby a government must choose between a tariff and an income tax in order to raise revenue to finance redistribution from rich to poor. I use a simple median voter model of political economy to show that an income tax may be preferred if it can raise more money than the tariff. This result links well with the empirical observation that more liberal trade regimes are often associated with larger government sizes. The second paper explores the idea of interactions between different parts of a political party’s platform and the benefit that different groups can receive from those policies. I show that even when parties have no predisposition towards any particular policy their policy announcements may differ due to the difference in demand for policy favours from special interests. I also discuss how this difference in demand can affect the relative success of interests groups and of the political parties themselves, and apply these results to a simple model of trade policy to show that left-wing parties proposing higher income tax rates may attract support from groups who support trade protection in developed countries. My third paper provides an extension to the well known model of special interest politics by Grossman and Helpman (1996). I introduce costly informative spending that special interests can use to convert uninformed voters into informed ones. This is advantageous to special interests when those being informed are of a similar political persuasion to the interest group members, thus skewing equilibrium policies towards the group’s objectives.
Research Paper No . 2006 / 60 Does the WTO Agreement on Agriculture Endanger Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa ?

The paper examines the state of food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), based on an analysis of a selection of indicators of food security and nutritional wellbeing during the period 1990-2002 within the context of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. It argues that it may be advisable for those SSA countries with both static and dynamic comparative advantage in agriculture to pursue policies towards ‘food self-sufficiency’ as a means to attaining food security, considering their large rural farming population, at least until such time that international trade in agriculture is fully integrated into the WTO disciplines. This is particularly relevant in view of the fact that high agricultural protectionism in the north currently distorts price signals and thus the opportunity costs of allocating factors of production in these economies. The SSA countries that lack comparative advantage in agriculture may want to aim for a ‘food self-reliance’ strategy to attain food security.
Developing a process re-engineering-oriented organizational change exploratory simulation system (PROCESS)

In the past two decades, business process re-engineering (BPR) and organizational restructuring (OR) have been two of the most popular approaches to improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of an organization. However, a review of the relevant literature reveals that the two approaches have been studied in isolation. The theoretical gap in academic research is also reflected in practice. The present paper therefore proposes a customer-oriented and process-focused two-stage framework, entitled the ‘process re-engineering-oriented organizational change exploratory simulation system’ (‘PROCESS’), to address these theoretical deficiencies. Two key concepts are introduced in this two-stage framework. The first is the ‘process module’ (PM), which indicates a set of common sequential activities that can be grouped as a subunit of a business process. The second is the ‘macro-process’ (MP), which indicates that a set of business processes have similar characteristics or functions. The two concepts serve as ‘stepping stones’ between BPR and OR. Based on these two concepts, the decision rules and the mathematical/simulation model can be developed under this two-stage framework. The paper then presents a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ‘PROCESS’.
Low-Rank Linear Dynamical Systems for Motor Imagery EEG

The common spatial pattern (CSP) and other spatiospectral feature extraction methods have become the most effective and successful approaches to solve the problem of motor imagery electroencephalography (MI-EEG) pattern recognition from multichannel neural activity in recent years. However, these methods need a lot of preprocessing and postprocessing such as filtering, demean, and spatiospectral feature fusion, which influence the classification accuracy easily. In this paper, we utilize linear dynamical systems (LDSs) for EEG signals feature extraction and classification. LDSs model has lots of advantages such as simultaneous spatial and temporal feature matrix generation, free of preprocessing or postprocessing, and low cost. Furthermore, a low-rank matrix decomposition approach is introduced to get rid of noise and resting state component in order to improve the robustness of the system. Then, we propose a low-rank LDSs algorithm to decompose feature subspace of LDSs on finite Grassmannian and obtain a better performance. Extensive experiments are carried out on public dataset from “BCI Competition III Dataset IVa” and “BCI Competition IV Database 2a. ” The results show that our proposed three methods yield higher accuracies compared with prevailing approaches such as CSP and CSSP.
Work on Statistical Methods for Word Sense Disambiguation

Table 1: Sample Concordances of duty (split into two senses) Sense Examples (from Canadian Hansards) tax fewer cases of companies paying duty and then claiming a refund and impose a countervailing duty of 29,1 per cent on candian exports of the united states imposed a duty on canadian salttish last year obligation it is my honour and duty to present a petition duly approved working well beyond the call of duty ? SENT i know what time they start in addition, it is my duty to present the government’s comments
Semi-Supervised Learning for Imbalanced Sentiment Classification 1826

Various semi-supervised learning methods have been proposed recently to solve the long-standing shortage problem of manually labeled data in sentiment classification. However, most existing studies assume the balance between negative and positive samples in both the labeled and unlabeled data, which may not be true in reality. In this paper, we investigate a more common case of semi-supervised learning for imbalanced sentiment classification. In particular, various random subspaces are dynamically generated to deal with the imbalanced class distribution problem. Evaluation across four domains shows the effectiveness of our approach.
Electro-Plating and Characterisation of CdTe Thin Films Using CdCl2 as the Cadmium Source

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films have been successfully prepared from an aqueous electrolyte bath containing cadmium chloride (CdCl2)·H2O and tellurium dioxide (TeO2) using an electrodeposition technique. The structural, electrical, morphological and optical properties of these thin films have been characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, optical profilometry, DC current-voltage (I-V) measurements, photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. It is observed that the best cathodic potential is 698 mV with respect to standard calomel electrode (SCE) in a three electrode system. Structural analysis using XRD shows polycrystalline crystal structure in the as-deposited CdTe thin films and the peaks intensity increase after CdCl2 treatment. PEC cell measurements show the possibility of growing p-, i- and n-type CdTe layers by varying the growth potential during electrodeposition. The electrical resistivity of the as-deposited layers are in the order of 104 Ω·cm. SEM and AFM show that the CdCl2 treated samples are more roughness and have larger grain size when compared to CdTe grown by CdSO4 precursor. Results obtained from the optical absorption reveal that the bandgap of as-deposited CdTe (1.48–1.52) eV reduce to (1.45–1.49) eV after CdCl2 treatment. Full characterisation of this material is providing new information on crucial CdCl2 treatment of CdTe thin films due to its built-in CdCl2 treatment during the material growth. The work is progressing to fabricate solar cells with this material and compare with CdTe thin films grown by conventional sulphate precursors.
Exploring the Interrelationship between Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) and its Stakeholders, and CVB Performance from the Perspective of Stakeholders

ABSTRACT This study examines the interrelationship between the convention and visitor bureau (CVB) and its stakeholders by identifying the respective relationships between relationship constructs (information asymmetry, goal conflict, and interdependence) and collaborative relationship. This study also develops CVB performance measurements using the balanced scorecard (BSC) and identifies the underlying dimensions of the measurements. The findings show that information asymmetry between CVBs and stakeholders does not necessarily influence stakeholders’ perceptions of CVBs’ performance via collaborative relationship. Meanwhile, goal conflict and interdependence are found to affect collaborative relationship which, in turn, impacts CVB performance. Implications are discussed.
EFEKTIFITAS ALOKASI DANA DESA (ADD) DAN KEMISKINAN DI PROVINSI SUMATERA SELATAN

This study aims to acquire an overview of the distribution of funds allocation in rural South Sumatra Province, and its relationship with the level of poverty. Data used time series data from 2006 to 2012. Statistical method used is qualitative and quantitative, with a simple regression model. The results showed that the Rural Fund Allocation (ADD) is not in accordance with the applicable provisions. When viewed from the extended to the year 2012 no one ever meets the applicable provisions (at least 10% of funds for revenue minus expenses plus tax officials). However, the district has been doing distributing ADD showed increasing, when in 2006 of 35.71%, increasing to 90% in the year 2012 This is due, government regulations on the ADD does not provide sanctions for non-distribution returning ADD. When an area it has not been able to estimate ADD provincial and central government can do strictly the sanctions. Simple regression results indicate a negative influence on the level of poverty among ADD, as well as the simulation results with ADD at least 10% of the poverty even show a negative correlation. Keywords: Distribution of Funds Allocation, Poverty
Nucleic Acid Aptamer-Guided Cancer Therapeutics and Diagnostics: the Next Generation of Cancer Medicine

Conventional anticancer therapies, such as chemo- and/or radio-therapy are often unable to completely eradicate cancers due to abnormal tumor microenvironment, as well as increased drug/radiation resistance. More effective therapeutic strategies for overcoming these obstacles are urgently in demand. Aptamers, as chemical antibodies that bind to targets with high affinity and specificity, are a promising new and novel agent for both cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Aptamer-based cancer cell targeting facilitates the development of active targeting in which aptamer-mediated drug delivery could provide promising anticancer outcomes. This review is to update the current progress of aptamer-based cancer diagnosis and aptamer-mediated active targeting for cancer therapy in vivo, exploring the potential of this novel form of targeted cancer therapy.
Consolidation in Neural Networks and in the Sleeping Brain

In this paper we explore the topic of the consolidation of information in neural network learning. One problem in particular has limited the ability of a broad range of neural networks to perform ongoing learning and consolidation. This is 'catastrophic forgetting', the tendency for new information, when it is learned, to disrupt old information. We will review and slightly extend the rehearsal and pseudorehearsal solutions to the catastrophic forgetting problem presented in Robins (1995). The main focus of this paper is to then relate these mechanisms to the consolidation processes which have been proposed in the psychological literature regarding sleep. We suggest that the catastrophic forgetting problem in artificial neural networks (ANNs) is a problem that has actually occurred in the evolution of the mammalian brain, and that the pseudorehearsal solution to the problem in ANNs is functionally equivalent to the sleep consolidation solution adopted by the brain. Finally, we review related work by McCle.
Bins Formation using CG based Partitioning of Histogram Modified Using Proposed Polynomial Transform ‘Y=2X-X2’for CBIR

This paper proposes a novel polynomial transform to modify the original histogram of the image to adjust the pixel density equally towards the high intensity levels so that uniform distribution of the pixels can be obtained and the image can be enhanced. We have shown the efficient use of this modified histogram for Content Based Image Retrieval. According to the CBIR system described in this paper each image is separated into R, G and B plane and for each plane a modified histogram is calculated. This modified histogram is partitioned into two parts by calculating the Center of gravity and using it 8 bins are formed on the basis of R, G and B values. These 8 bins are holding the count of pixels falling into particular range of intensity levels separated into two parts of the histogram. This count of pixels in 8 bins is used as feature vector of dimension 8 for comparison to facilitate the image retrieval process. Further these bins data is used to form the new variations of feature vectors ; Total (sum) and Mean of pixel intensities of all the pixels counted in each of the 8 bins. These feature vector variation has also produced good image retrieval. This paper compares the proposed system designed using the CG based partitioning of the original and histogram modified using the polynomial transform for formation of the 8 bins which are holding the Count of pixels and Total and Mean of intensities of these pixels. This CBIR system is tested using 200 query images from 20 different classes over database of 2000 BMP images. Query and database image feature vectors are compared using three similarity measures namely Euclidean distance, Cosine Correlation distance and Absolute distance. Performance of the system is evaluated using three parameters PRCP (Precision Recall Cross-over Point), LSRR (Length of String to Retrieve all Relevant images) and Longest String
Osteopontin: A Fibrosis-Related Marker Molecule in Cardiac Remodeling of Enterovirus Myocarditis in the Susceptible Host

The characteristics of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) resulting from chronic viral myocarditis are remodeling processes of the extracellular matrix. Based on our findings of enhanced osteopontin (OPN) expression in inflamed human hearts, we further investigated in the murine model of acute and chronic coxsackievirus (CV)B3-myocarditis the role of OPN regarding its involvement in resolution of cardiac virus infection and fibrosis. In hearts of A.BY/SnJ mice susceptible to chronic CVB3-myocarditis, a pronounced increase of OPN expression levels was detected by microarray analysis and quantitative RT-PCR during acute stages of myocarditis. Combined immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization identified infiltrating macrophages as main OPN producers. In contrast to resistant C57BL/6 and OPN gene–deficient mice, transcription levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3, TIMP1 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1), uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator), and transforming growth factor β1 were elevated in susceptible mice, and as a consequence, procollagen-1α mRNA expression and fibrosis was considerably enhanced. Treatment of infected susceptible mice with the vitamin D analog ZK 191784 led to decreased myocardial expression levels of OPN, metalloproteinase-3, TIMP1, uPA, and procollagen-1α and subsequently to reduced fibrosis. Concurrently, the fibrosis-relevant signaling molecules pERK (phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and pAkt (phosphorylated Akt), increased in A.BY/SnJ mice, were diminished in ZK 191784–treated mice. Here, we show that high expression levels of OPN in acute myocarditis are associated with consecutive development of extensive fibrosis that can be reduced by treatment with a vitamin D analog. Thus, OPN may serve as a diagnostic tool as well as a potential therapeutic target to limit cardiac remodeling in chronic myocarditis.
Linear precoding for downlink massive MIMO with delayed CSIT and channel prediction

We consider a multi-cell multi-user downlink channel of a time-division duplex (TDD) MIMO system, where the base stations (BSs) employ the concept of massive MIMO, i.e., they are equipped with a large number of antennas. In addition, the number of users increases with the same speed. Focusing on the practical impairments of the channel such as pilot contamination and, in particular, delayed channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT), we derive an approximation of the sum rate with regularized zero-forcing (RZF) precoding, which provides a quantification of the capacity loss. As a result, it is deemed necessary to obtain the deterministic equivalent sum rate by incorporating in our analysis channel prediction circumventing the degradation due to delayed CSIT. The proposed results are accurate for realistic system dimensions, as simulations testify. Finally, we show the benefits of applying RZF in the sum rate against using eigenbeamforming (BF) for the same Doppler shift with no extra computational complexity.
Trastuzumab decreases the incidence of clinical relapses in patients with early breast cancer presenting chemotherapy-resistant CK-19mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells: results of a randomized phase II study.

BACKGROUND Since the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) which express HER2 is an adverse prognostic factor in early breast cancer patients, we investigated the effect of trastuzumab on patients' clinical outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy five women with HER2 (-) breast cancer and detectable CK19 mRNA-positive CTCs before and after adjuvant chemotherapy, were randomized to receive either trastuzumab (n=36) or observation (n=39). CK19 mRNA-positive CTCs were detected by RT-PCR and double stained CK(+)/HER2(+) cells by immunofluorescence. The primary endpoint was the 3-year disease-free survival rate. RESULTS Fifty-one (89%) of the 57 analyzed patients had HER2-expressing CTCs. After trastuzumab administration, 27 of 36 (75%) women became CK19 mRNA-negative compared to seven of 39 (17.9%) in the observation arm (p=0.001). After a median follow up time of 67.2 months, four (11%) and 15 (38%) relapses were observed in the trastuzumab and observation arm, respectively (p=0.008); subgroup analysis indicated that this effect was mainly confined to women with >3 involved axillary lymph nodes (p=0.004). The median DFS was also significantly higher for the trastuzumab-treated patients (p=0.008). CONCLUSION Administration of trastuzumab can eliminate chemotherapy-resistant CK19 mRNA-positive CTCs, reduce the risk of disease recurrence and prolong the DFS.
Leaf Age-Dependent Photoprotective and Antioxidative Response Mechanisms to Paraquat-Induced Oxidative Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Exposure of Arabidopsis thaliana young and mature leaves to the herbicide paraquat (Pq) resulted in a localized increase of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the leaf veins and the neighboring mesophyll cells, but this increase was not similar in the two leaf types. Increased H2O2 production was concomitant with closed reaction centers (qP). Thirty min after Pq exposure despite the induction of the photoprotective mechanism of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in mature leaves, H2O2 production was lower in young leaves mainly due to the higher increase activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Later, 60 min after Pq exposure, the total antioxidant capacity of young leaves was not sufficient to scavenge the excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) that were formed, and thus, a higher H2O2 accumulation in young leaves occurred. The energy allocation of absorbed light in photosystem II (PSII) suggests the existence of a differential photoprotective regulatory mechanism in the two leaf types to the time-course Pq exposure accompanied by differential antioxidant protection mechanisms. It is concluded that tolerance to Pq-induced oxidative stress is related to the redox state of quinone A (QA).
Preliminary investigation of Brain Network Activation (BNA) and its clinical utility in sport-related concussion

ABSTRACT Background: The clinical diagnosis and management of patients with sport-related concussion is largely dependent on subjectively reported symptoms, clinical examinations, cognitive, balance, vestibular and oculomotor testing. Consequently, there is an unmet need for objective assessment tools that can identify the injury from a physiological perspective and add an important layer of information to the clinician’s decision-making process. Objective: The goal of the study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the EEG-based tool named Brain Network Activation (BNA) as a longitudinal assessment method of brain function in the management of young athletes with concussion. Methods: Athletes with concussion (n = 86) and age-matched controls (n = 81) were evaluated at four time points with symptom questionnaires and BNA. BNA scores were calculated by comparing functional networks to a previously defined normative reference brain network model to the same cognitive task. Results: Subjects above 16 years of age exhibited a significant decrease in BNA scores immediately following injury, as well as notable changes in functional network activity, relative to the controls. Three representative case studies of the tested population are discussed in detail, to demonstrate the clinical utility of BNA. Conclusion: The data support the utility of BNA to augment clinical examinations, symptoms and additional tests by providing an effective method for evaluating objective electrophysiological changes associated with sport-related concussions.
Rapidly progressive atypical parkinsonism associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and motor neuron disease

Objective To report the rare but distinct clinical and neuropathological phenotype of non-familial, rapidly progressive parkinsonism and dementia associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration with motor neuron disease (FTLD-MND). Methods Subjects included two 70-year-old women presenting with rapidly progressive severe postural instability, axial-predominant parkinsonism, oculomotor dysfunction and frontal-predominant dementia with language impairment and pseudobulbar palsy. One had diffuse weakness without signs of lower motor neuron disease. Post-mortem evaluations included immunohistochemistry with antiphospho-TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) and genetic analysis of the TARDBP and PGRN genes. Results Subjects died within 14 months from symptom onset. TDP-43-positive neuronal intracytoplasmic inclusions were prominent in the primary motor cortex, granule cell layer of the hippocampus, and several cranial and spinal cord nuclei. TDP-43 globular glial inclusions (GGI) were identified in one case. There were no mutations in PGRN or TARDBP genes. Conclusions FTLD-MND due to TDP-43-proteinopathy should be considered in patients with rapidly progressive parkinsonism and dementia phenotype, especially when aphasia and/or weakness are also present.