Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Business Cycle Spillovers in the EU15: What is the message transmitted by the periphery?

We examine business cycle spillovers in the EU15 countries by employing the spillover index approach of Diebold and Yilmaz (2009, 2012) over the period 1977{2012. The propagation mechanisms of business cycle shocks among EU15 is becoming a major interest due to unprecedented recent economic turbulence. The results of our analysis reveal the following empirical regularities: (i) the total spillover index suggests that 53.55% of the forecast error variance in all EU15 countries’ business cycles can be attributed to spillovers. (ii) The index is very responsive to extreme economic events. (iii) The direction of spillovers between the Eurozone core and the Eurozone periphery is changing over time. (iv) In terms of country specic results, we nd that Spain followed by Portugal and Greece, are the dominant transmitters of business cycle shocks among the EU15 countries. (v) Finally, the widening of the European debt crisis can be explained by business cycle shocks in the whole Eurozone periphery. Thus, appropriate policy measures aiming to steer peripheral economies towards growth, away from turbulence and close to recovery, should be formulated.
SMEI observations of previously unseen pulsation frequencies in γ Doradus

Aims. As g-mode pulsators, gamma-Doradus-class stars may naively be expected to show a large number of modes. Taking advantage of the long photometric time-series generated by the solar mass ejection imager (SMEI) instrument, we have studied the star gamma Doradus to determine whether any other modes than the three already known are present at observable amplitude. Methods. High-precision photometric data from SMEI taken between April 2003 and March 2006 were subjected to periodogram analysis with the PERIOD04 package. Results. We confidently determine three additional frequencies at 1.39, 1.87, and 2.743 d -1 . These are above and beyond the known frequencies of 1.320, 1.364, and 1.47 d -1 . Conclusions. Two of the new frequencies, at 1.39 and 1.87 d -1 , are speculated to be additional modes of oscillation, with the third frequency at 2.743 -1 a possible combination frequency.
Cool URIs for the DDC: Towards Web-scale Accessibility of a Large Classification System

The report discusses metadata strategies employed and problems encountered during the first step of transforming the DDC into a Web information resource. It focuses on the process of URI design, with regard to W3C recommendations and Semantic Web paradigms. Special emphasis is placed on usefulness of the URIs for RESTful web services.
The Impact of Need for Closure on Conservative Beliefs and Racism: Differential Mediation by Authoritarian Submission and Authoritarian Dominance

The present study explores the influence of need for closure as well as authoritarian submission (Right-Wing Authoritarianism [RWA]) and authoritarian dominance (Social Dominance Orientation [SDO]) on the genesis of conservative beliefs and racism. For this purpose, two structural equation models were compared. In Model 1, RWA and SDO were entered as independent variables and the need for closure facets Decisiveness and Need for Simple Structure acted as mediator variables. In Model 2, the need for closure facets served as independent variables and RWA and SDO acted as mediators. In two student samples (Sample 1, N = 399, Sample 2, N = 330) and one adult sample (Sample 3, N = 379), Model 2 showed superior fit to the data. These results corroborate the hypothesis that authoritarianism should be interpreted in terms of generalized beliefs rather than in terms of personality characteristics. In addition, analyses show that the effects of Need for Simple Structure on conservative beliefs and racism are fully mediated by RWA but only partly by SDO. These results suggest a differential genesis of RWA and SDO.
Designing interactive life story multimedia for a family affected by alzheimer's disease: a case study

In this paper we present a design project involving primary end users who have declining cognitive abilities such as memory, communication, and problem solving. We are designing interactive multimedia with personalized life stories for individuals with Alzheimer's disease. We conducted a case study to discover and address the design challenges for this project. A particular challenge is a limited ability to communicate with the primary end users. In this paper, we present design methods that take this challenge into consideration. Our goal is to contribute insight into designing for users with cognitive disabilities, and to present methodologies that are useful for designers who have a limited ability to interact or communicate with end users.
Multi-Sensor Approach for the Monitoring of Halitosis Treatment via Lactobacillus brevis (CD2)—Containing Lozenges—A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate whether a recently described multi-sensor approach called BIONOTE® is accurate enough to verify the efficacy of treatment of patients with halitosis. A treatment with Lactobacillus brevis (CD2)–containing lozenges, compared with placebo was tested. The BIONOTE® was compared with traditional techniques used to detect halitosis: OralChroma™ and two calibrated odor judges enrolled for the organoleptic assessments. Twenty patients (10 treated and 10 placebo), suffering from active phase halitosis were included in the study. Treatment consisted of Lactobacillus brevis (CD2)—containing lozenges or placebo, 4 tablets/day for 14 days. t0 was before the beginning of the study; t1 was day 7 and t2 was day 14. The effectiveness of treatment was assessed through: (1) Rosenberg score; (2) Winkel tongue coating index (WTCI) anterior and posterior; (2) OralChroma™; (3) the new developed multi-sensor approach, called BIONOTE® (test technique). Only the WTCI anterior revealed statistically significant changes between t0 and t2 data (p = 0.014) in the treated group. Except for the WTCI anterior, all diagnostic methods revealed the lack of effectiveness for halitosis of a 14-days treatment with Lactobacillus brevis (CD2)–containing lozenges. The BIONOTE® multisensor system seems accurate in addition to OralChroma™ to assess the initial condition of halitosis and its mitigation during treatment.
Xenobiotics and the Evolution of Multicellular Animals: Emergence and Diversification of Ligand-Activated Transcription Factors1

Abstract Multicellular animals, which evolved about 700 to 1,000 myr ago, contain many of the genes found in yeast. Important for the evolution of multicellular animals were new pathways for intercellular signaling that regulated more complex physiological responses. Here we focus on the contribution to this process of lipophilic molecules that interact with nuclear receptors and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, as well as enzymes that regulate the concentrations of these molecules. Both nuclear receptors and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor are found in invertebrates and vertebrates. We propose that environmental chemicals (xenobiotics) have been an important influence on the evolution of multicellular animals through a process involving the co-evolution of ligand-activated transcription factors and enzymes that detoxify xenobiotics. Indeed, this conversion of “xenobiotic swords” into “adaptive plowshares” contributed to the diverse physiology found in multicelluar animals. An important implication of this analysis is that enzymes as well as hormone receptors are vulnerable targets for endocrine disruptors. That is, some toxic chemicals act by inhibiting the enzymes that catalyze the formation or degradation of lipophilic signals, such as steroids, thus, disrupting hormone action.
Anatomy of Carrier Backscattering in Silicon Nanowire Transistors

We study the physics of carrier backscattering in silicon nanowire transistors by using the numerical solution of the multisubband Boltzmann transport equation, where relevant scattering mechanisms by acoustic and intervalley phonons, surface roughness, and ionized impurities are included, accounting for intrasubband and intersubband, and elastic and inelastic transitions. The validity of several assumptions in the virtual source model is checked against the numerical solution. We have found that scattering processes make it difficult to model the macroscopic quantities at the virtual source without self-consistent simulations.
Synaptic Organization of Perisomatic GABAergic Inputs onto the Principal Cells of the Mouse Basolateral Amygdala

Spike generation is most effectively controlled by inhibitory inputs that target the perisomatic region of neurons. Despite the critical importance of this functional domain, very little is known about the organization of the GABAergic inputs contacting the perisomatic region of principal cells (PCs) in the basolateral amygdala. Using immunocytochemistry combined with in vitro single-cell labeling we determined the number and sources of GABAergic inputs of PCs at light and electron microscopic levels in mice. We found that the soma and proximal dendrites of PCs were innervated primarily by two neurochemically distinct basket cell types expressing parvalbumin (PVBC) or cholecystokinin and CB1 cannabinoid receptors (CCK/CB1BC). The innervation of the initial segment of PC axons was found to be parceled out by PVBCs and axo-axonic cells (AAC), as the majority of GABAergic inputs onto the region nearest to the soma (between 0 and 10 μm) originated from PVBCs, while the largest portion of the axon initial segment was innervated by AACs. Detailed morphological investigations revealed that the three perisomatic region-targeting interneuron types significantly differed in dendritic and axonal arborization properties. We found that, although individual PVBCs targeted PCs via more terminals than CCK/CB1BCs, similar numbers (15–17) of the two BC types converge onto single PCs, whereas fewer (6–7) AACs innervate the axon initial segment of single PCs. Furthermore, we estimated that a PVBC and a CCK/CB1BC may target 800–900 and 700–800 PCs, respectively, while an AAC can innervate 600–650 PCs. Thus, BCs and AACs innervate ~10 and 20% of PC population, respectively, within their axonal cloud. Our results collectively suggest, that these interneuron types may be differently affiliated within the local amygdalar microcircuits in order to fulfill specific functions in network operation during various brain states.
Perception of tactile sensation using vibrotactile glove interface

This paper proposes a vibrotactile glove interface that enabled users to perceive tactile sensations of virtual objects. The proposed vibrotactile interface was designed to be easy-to-use, easily portable, and lightweight. Active touch might also be useful to realize informative tactile communication. To provide tactile stimuli based on movement of the fingers, five bending sensors were installed on the glove. In this study, the relationship of the correspondence between vibrotactile stimuli and tactile mental imagery was investigated. Subjects' mental impressions of vibrotactile stimuli were measured by using the semantic differential (SD) method. Distinctive imagery from subjects' answers was extracted for factor analysis. After that, a vibration stimuli model was applied to active touch. The tactile mental imagery of users was evaluated for both passive and active touches.
Women Offenders’ Criminal Narrative Experience

Purpose Although there is a vast array of theories on crime, one area that is largely under-represented is that of the actual experience of the offender engaged in criminal acts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the individual and phenomenological experiences of crime amongst women offenders. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 128 women who had committed a criminal offence, with an average age of 36.40 years (SD=11.12). Participants were recruited to take part in the study by answering a questionnaire exploring the emotions and narrative roles they experienced during commission of a crime. From this, participants’ Criminal Narrative Experience (CNE) was determined. Findings Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) analyses revealed that emotional experiences and narrative roles were thematically associated, and when both were subjected to SSA analysis, two main themes of CNE were identified: Avenging Angel and Choiceless Victim. The Choiceless Victim experience was the most representative of women’s experiences in this study. Practical implications The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Future directions for research are also outlined. Originality/value The findings offer an alternative perspective and theoretical framework for examining women offenders’ criminal experiences.
Does Loan Loss Provision Signal Income Smoothing? - An Empirical Investigation of Indian Banking Industry

The concept and legality of income smoothing is a much debated topic in the field of accounting. It is carried out to suit the requirements of a firm when it is to declare its financial results. There are many tools used by firms to smooth the income, and loss provision is one of them. Since it does not involve any cash outflow, firms find it a very potential tool for smoothing. This paper makes an attempt to study this behavior of firms (banks) in India. It finds that Indian banks too involve in smoothing necessitated by regulatory requirements, stock prices and most important of all, persistent performance. The smoothing behavior of public sector banks is quite different from that of the private sector banks. It is found that the loss provisions in public sector banks are higher than in its counterparts in the private sector. In the study, the pooled regression is found to
Increased Upper and Lower Tract Urothelial Carcinoma in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Taiwan during 1997–2008

Background. Urothelial cancer (UC) is the leading cancer of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Taiwan. The aims of this study were to explore the time trends of UC incidences and propose possible etiologic factors. Methods. Abstracting from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), there were 90,477 newly diagnosed cases of ESRD between 1997 and 2008 covering the patients aged 40–85. Among them, 2,708 had developed UC after diagnosis of ESRD. The CIR40–85 (cumulative incidence rate) of upper tract UC (UTUC) and lower tract UC (LTUC) were calculated for ESRD patients and general population, as well as SIR40–85 (standardized incidence ratio) for comparison. Results. Female ESRD patients were found to have 9–18 times of elevated risks of UC, while those of males were increased up to 4–14 times. The time trends of CIR40–84 and SIR40–84 of UTUC in females appear to decline after calendar year 2000. These trends may be related to AA associated herbal products after 1998. Conclusions. Patients with ESRD are at increased risks for both LTUC and UTUC in Taiwan. We hypothesize that the time trends associate with the consumption of aristolochic acid in Chinese herbal products (female predominant).
Green Management Matters Regardless

Executive Overview Today, it is undeniable that a new enthusiasm exists for green management, not only among managers but among business school students, though this enthusiasm is just starting to be tapped in a more formal way in curriculum, instructional materials, and faculty careers and advancement. Green management matters for many reasons, but fundamentally it matters because people expect managers to use resources wisely and responsibly; protect the environment; minimize the amounts of air, water, energy, minerals, and other materials found in the final goods people consume; recycle and reuse these goods to the extent possible rather than drawing on nature to replenish them; respect nature's calm, tranquility, and beauty; and eliminate toxins that harm people in the workplace and communities. From a moral or normative perspective the obligation for green management is absolute, and whether it “pays” to be green is only partly relevant.
The clustering of hot and cold IRAS galaxies: the redshift-space correlation function

We measure the autocorrelation function, ξ, of galaxies in the IRAS Point Source Catalogue galaxy redshift (PSCz) survey and investigate its dependence on the far-infrared colour and absolute luminosity of the galaxies. We find that the PSCz survey correlation function can be modelled out to a scale of 10 h−1 Mpc as a power law of slope 1.30±0.04 and correlation length 4.77±0.20. At a scale of 75 h−1 Mpc we find the value of J3 to be 1500±400. We also find that galaxies with higher 100 μm/60 μm flux ratio, corresponding to cooler dust temperatures, are more strongly clustered than warmer galaxies. Splitting the survey into three colour subsamples, we find that, between 1 and 10 h−1 Mpc, the ratio of ξ is a factor of 1.5 higher for the cooler galaxies compared with the hotter galaxies. This is consistent with the suggestion that hotter galaxies have higher star formation rates, and correspond to later-type galaxies which are less clustered than earlier types. Using volume-limited subsamples, we find a weak variation of ξ as a function of absolute luminosity, in the sense that more luminous galaxies are less clustered than fainter galaxies. The trend is consistent with the colour dependence of ξ and the observed colour–luminosity correlation, but the large uncertainties mean that it has a low statistical significance.
Validity of palatal superimposition of 3-dimensional digital models in cases treated with rapid maxillary expansion and maxillary protraction headgear

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the 3-dimensional (3D) superimposition method of digital models in patients who received treatment with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and maxillary protraction headgear. Methods The material consisted of pre- and post-treatment maxillary dental casts and lateral cephalograms of 30 patients, who underwent RME and maxillary protraction headgear treatment. Digital models were superimposed using the palate as a reference area. The movement of the maxillary central incisor and the first molar was measured on superimposed cephalograms and 3D digital models. To determine whether any difference existed between the 2 measuring techniques, intra-class correlation (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were analyzed. Results The measurements on the 3D digital models and cephalograms showed a very high correlation in the antero-posterior direction (ICC, 0.956 for central incisor and 0.941 for first molar) and a moderate correlation in the vertical direction (ICC, 0.748 for central incisor and 0.717 for first molar). Conclusions The 3D model superimposition method using the palate as a reference area is as clinically reliable for assessing antero-posterior tooth movement as cephalometric superimposition, even in cases treated with orthopedic appliances, such as RME and maxillary protraction headgear.
Structure and composition of rat precorneal tear film. A study by an in vivo cryofixation.

PURPOSE To visualize the in vivo structure and to investigate the composition of rat precorneal tear film. METHODS An in vivo cryofixation with freeze substitution method of electron microscopy was used for the study. For light and transmission electron microscopy, a small amount of aluminum powder was used as a tracer spread on the corneal surface. The eyeballs were immediately and quickly frozen by pouring an isopentane-propane mixture cooled by liquid nitrogen directly over the eyes. For scanning electron microscopy, the corneal surface was freeze-fractured after the cryofixation. The specimens were then freeze-substituted and prepared conventionally for microscopic observation. RESULTS The tear film appeared as a layer of homogeneous and fine network-like structures varying from 2 to 6 microns in thickness on the corneal surface, with a membrane-like layer covering its surface. The aluminum powder was located on the surface of the tear film. The tear film could be removed completely by applying 10% or 20% acetylcysteine, but not by phosphate buffer. CONCLUSIONS The in vivo structure of the rat tear film is composed primarily of mucus, with a lipid layer covering its surface but without a free aqueous layer. The "three layers theory" of tear film structure requires revisions.
Moment analysis of the equal gain combiner output in equally correlated fading channels

Moments of the multibranch equal gain combiner (EGC) output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are only known for independent fading channels or exponentially correlated Nakagami-m fading channels. In this paper, we derive the moments of the EGC output SNR in equally correlated Rayleigh, Rician, and Nakagami-m fading channels. Our moment expressions can be used to evaluate the outage and the average error rate as well as purely moments-based measures such as the average output SNR and the amount of fading as functions of the fading correlation. Numerical results that illustrate the effect of fading correlation on the distribution of the EGC output SNR are also provided.
Diva: A dataflow programming model and its runtime support in Java virtual machine

Microprocessors have turned to multicore, i.e. multiple processor cores, along with some levels of on-chip caches and interconnection networks, integrated on a singe chip. However, it brings challenges on how to program these processors effectively and efficiently, which is known as the ldquoWallrdquo. This paper proposes a systematic approach to attack problem. We describe an extension of Java programming language with dataflow paradigm and transactional memory. Our approach alleviates the difficulties of parallel programming by providing a higher level of abstraction and relieving programmers of low-level threading and locking details. We also describe the design of a runtime system to support and optimize for the extension. We have implemented a prototype based on Apache Harmony DRL Virtual Machine. Preliminary experimental results on a 16-core SMP machine show that our approach achieves reasonable scalability and can adapt to the variance of available hardware resources.
High-Performance Communication Architecture for System-on-Chip Designs

This paper presents LOTTERYBUS, a novel high-performance communication architecture for system-on-chip (SoC) designs. The LOTTERYBUS architecture was designed to address the following limitations of current communication architectures: (i) lack of control over the allocation of communication bandwidth to different system components or data flows (e.g., in static priority based shared buses), leading to starvation of lower priority components in some situations, and (ii) significant latencies resulting from variations in the time-profile of the communication requests (e.g., in time division multiplexed access (TDMA) based architectures), sometimes leading to larger latencies for high-priority communications. We present two variations of LOTTERYBUS: the first is a low overhead architecture with statically configured parameters, while the second variant is a more sophisticated architecture, in which values of the architectural parameters are allowed to vary dynamically. Our experiments investigate the performance of the LOTTERYBUS architecture across a wide range of communication traffic characteristics. In addition, we also analyze its performance in a 4x4 ATM switch sub-system design. The results demonstrate that the LOTTERYBUS architecture is (i) capable of providing the designer with fine grained control over the bandwidth allocated to each SoC component or data flow, and (ii) well suited to provide high priority communication traffic with low latencies (we observed upto 85.4% reduction in communication latencies over conventional onchip communication architectures).