Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil

Oil is a curse, it is often said, that condemns the countries producing it to an existence defined by war, corruption and enormous inequality. Carbon Democracy tells a more complex story, arguing that no nation escapes the political consequences of our collective dependence on oil. It shapes the body politic both in regions such as the Middle East, which rely upon revenues from oil production, and in the places that have the greatest demand for energy. Timothy Mitchell begins with the history of coal power to tell a radical new story about the rise of democracy. Coal was a source of energy so open to disruption that oligarchies in the West became vulnerable for the first time to mass demands for democracy. In the mid-twentieth century, however, the development of cheap and abundant energy from oil, most notably from the Middle East, offered a means to reduce this vulnerability to democratic pressures. The abundance of oil made it possible for the first time in history to reorganize political life around the management of something now called "the economy" and the promise of its infinite growth. The politics of the West became dependent on an undemocratic Middle East.In the twenty-first century, the oil-based forms of modern democratic politics have become unsustainable. Foreign intervention and military rule are faltering in the Middle East, while governments everywhere appear incapable of addressing the crises that threaten to end the age of carbon democracy - the disappearance of cheap energy and the carbon-fuelled collapse of the ecological order. In making the production of energy the central force shaping the democratic age, Carbon Democracy rethinks the history of energy, the politics of nature, the theory of democracy, and the place of the Middle East in our common world.
Neural substrates involved in imitating finger configurations: an fMRI study

Imitation plays a very important role in human cognition. Because previous neuroimaging studies on human imitation used rather simple actions as target stimuli, some aspects of imitation such as perceiving target actions or manipulating one's own mental image could not be studied. We used complicated non-symbolic (S−) and symbolic (S+) finger configurations as target stimuli in order to study the neural substrates involved in the perception of target actions and mental image manipulation during imitation. Bilateral supramarginal gyrus activation was detected when the S− condition was compared with the S+ condition. Our result suggests the involvement of the supramarginal gyrus especially for the imitation of novel actions.
ANALISIS KINERJA KEUANGAN USAHA TAHU – TEMPE “WENWIN” DI DESA SEA KECAMATAN PINELENG KABUPATEN MINAHASA

ABSTRACT Winanda Pangestu. Financial Performance Analysis of Tahu – Tempe Business “Wenwin” at Sea Village Pineleng Subdistrict of Minahasa Regency (under the guidance of Vicky R.B. Moniaga, as a Chairman, and Theodora M. Katiandagho and Benu Olfie L.S. as Members). The objective of this reserch to determine the financial performance of the Tahu – Tempe business "Wenwin" based on the level of liquidity, solvency, and profitability. The study was conducted for four months starting from February 2015 until May 2015 at the Tahu – Tempe Business "Wenwin" Sea Village Pineleng Subdistrict of Minahasa Regency. The data used in this study are primary data obtained directly from the Tahu – Tempe business "Wenwin". Data collection was done by interview directly to the owner of the business. Analysis of the data used is descriptive analysis presented in the form of financial statement balance sheet and income statement were then analyzed by looking at the ratio of financial ratios. The research results showed that Tahu – Tempe business "Wenwin" has a very good financial performance, seen from the measurement of financial ratios, liquidity ratios in 2013 is based on the measurement of the current ratio of 5.16 and a quick ratio of 5.15 measurement results and in 2014 current ratio increased to 22.92 and quick ratio increased to 22.91. The solvency ratio in 2013 showed that debt financing as much as 14%, and in 2014 decreased to 3% because most of the debt has been paid. The ratio of profitability by the year 2013 shows Gross profit margin amounted to 46 %, net profit margin of 37%, an ROI of 91% and a ROE of 107%. In 2014 gross profit margin decreased to 41%, net profit margin of 35%, an ROI of 64% and ROE of 67%. However it does not affect the ability of this business to make profits, because it is on a good criteria. Key Words : Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Ratio Analysis, Financial Performance
Cross-wavelet analysis of wall pressure fluctuations beneath incompressible turbulent boundary layers

Pressure fluctuations measured at the wall of a turbulent boundary layer are analysed using a bi-variate continuous wavelet transform. Cross-wavelet analyses of pressure signals obtained from microphone pairs are performed and a novel post-processing technique aimed at selecting events with strong local-in-time coherence is applied. Probability density functions and conditionally averaged equivalents of Fourier spectral quantities, usually introduced for modelling purposes, are computed. The analysis is conducted for signals obtained at low Mach numbers from two different non-equilibrium turbulent boundary layer experiments. It is found that that the selected events, though statistically independent, exhibit bi-modal statistics while the conditional coherence function coincides with its non-conditional Fourier equivalent. The physical nature of the selected events has been further explored by the computation of ensemble-averaged pressure time signatures and the results have been physically interpreted with the aid of numerical and experimental results from the literature. In both experiments, it has been found that the major physical mechanisms responsible for the observed conditional statistics are represented by sweep-type events which can be ascribed to the effect of streamwise vortices in the near-wall region. More precisely, the wavelet analysis highlights the convection of the selected structures in both cases. Conversely, compressibilty effects could be related to these events only in one case.
Redistribution Policy in Europe and the United States: Is the Great Recession a 'Game Changer' for Working-age Families?

Working-age individuals and their families have experienced increases in relative income poverty before the Great Recession (GR), and they have also seen significant income losses since the beginning of the downturn in 2007/8. This paper examines the effects of benefit and tax reforms on the distribution of incomes of non-elderly individuals in Europe and in the United States both before and after the GR. We aim to place recent policy responses in context of both the broader trends in redistribution patterns observed since the 1980s, and the immediate crisis-related challenges, including a much greater need for government support, and large and rapidly growing government debt. Analysis of historical household income data confirms the common finding that redistribution reduces income inequalities by much less in the US than in much of Europe. Since more redistributive tax-transfer systems tend to be more effective as a backstop to widening earnings gaps, redistribution in the US was also less effective at offsetting the substantial increase in the market-income inequality in the 2-3 decades leading up to the GR. Focussing on more recent policy changes, we then calculate income gains and losses that can be attributed to reforms shortly before and after the GR at different points in the earnings spectrum. The results show that a combination of discretionary and automatic policy changes in the US have significantly narrowed the pre-GR gap between the equalising capacities of US and European redistribution measures, and between their abilities to cushion the effects of economic shocks on household income. We argue, however, that this is unlikely to signify any longer-term convergence, and that Europe/US comparisons need to go beyond the common focus on differences in redistribution levels. In our view, an equally important question is how well redistribution measures respond and adapt to evolving social and fiscal challenges at different points in the economic cycle.
Consensus A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Modifications to the Angoff Method on Cutoff Scores and Judgment

s International , 59(3-B), 1402. *Woehr, D. J., Arthur, W. , Jr., & Fehrmann, M. L. (1991). An empirical comparison of cutoff score methods for content-related and criterion-related validity settings. Educational and Psychological Measurement , 51, 1029-1039. References marked with an asterisk indicate studies that contributed data to the meta-analysis. HURTZ AND AUERBACH 601 © 2003 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution. at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on April 17, 2008 http://epm.sagepub. com Downloaded from
Sink or link? The bacterial role in benthic carbon cycling in the Arabian Sea's oxygen minimum zone

The bacterial loop, the consumption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by bacteria and subsequent transfer of bacterial carbon to higher trophic levels, plays a prominent role in pelagic food webs. However, its role in sedimentary ecosystems is not well documented. Here we present the results of isotope tracer experiments performed under in situ oxygen conditions in sediments from inside and outside the Arabian Sea's oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) to study the importance of the microbial loop in this setting. Particulate organic matter, added as phytodetritus, was processed by bacteria, protozoa and metazoans, while dissolved organic matter was processed only by bacteria and there was very little, if any, transfer to higher trophic levels within the 7 day experimental period. This lack of significant transfer of bacterial-derived carbon to metazoan consumers indicates that the bacterial loop is rather inefficient, in sediments both inside and outside the OMZ. Moreover, metazoans directly consumed labile particulate organic matter resources and thus competed with bacteria for phytodetritus.
Overdoing Gender: A Test of the Masculine Overcompensation Thesis1

The masculine overcompensation thesis asserts that men react to masculinity threats with extreme demonstrations of masculinity, a proposition tested here across four studies. In study 1, men and women were randomly given feedback suggesting they were either masculine or feminine. Women showed no effects when told they were masculine; however, men given feedback suggesting they were feminine expressed more support for war, homophobic attitudes, and interest in purchasing an SUV. Study 2 found that threatened men expressed greater support for, and desire to advance in, dominance hierarchies. Study 3 showed in a large-scale survey on a diverse sample that men who reported that social changes threatened the status of men also reported more homophopic and prodominance attitudes, support for war, and belief in male superiority. Finally, study 4 found that higher testosterone men showed stronger reactions to masculinity threats than those lower in testosterone. Together, these results support the masculine overcompensation thesis, show how it can shape political and cultural attitudes, and identify a hormonal factor influencing the effect.
Are African stock markets integrated with the rest of the world

This paper examined equity market integration within the emerging and frontier stock markets of south and east Africa, and the rest of the world. Using maximum likelihood based cointegration we showed that there are weak stochastic trends between African markets and world markets. With the exception of South Africa and Mauritius, African markets are not integrated regionally either. However, analysis of the short run dynamics indicates that size and extent of financial market development drives equity market interdependence, with South Africa accounting for most of the innovations to and, from global markets. Importantly, our results indicate that while diversification potential exists in Africa’s emerging exchanges, the scope of deepening the structural relations both regionally, and with the rest of the world should be of concern to policy makers.
Physiological and proteomic analysis of the response to drought stress in an inbred Korean maize line

Understanding the response of a crop to water deficiency is the first step towards breeding drought-tolerant varieties. In this study, inbred maize (Zea mays L.) line KS140 was subjected to drought stress by withholding water for 10 days at the V5 or V6 leaf stage. Water-deficient plants experienced a decrease in relative leaf water content, stomatal conductance, net CO2 assimilation rate, and water use efficiency compared to well-watered plants. This was accompanied by a decrease in the relative water content that resulted in severe growth retardation (75% decrease in leaf area, and 64% and 56% decrease in aerial tissue and root dry matter, respectively). Leaf chlorophyll content was unchanged. Two-dimensional electrophoresis protein expression profiles were compared between wellwatered and water-deficient plants. Differential expression was observed for 29 protein spots, and these were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Of these proteins, 34% were involved in metabolism, 24% in response to stress, 14% in photosynthesis, 7% in protein modification, and 14% were proteins of unknown function. Of the 29 differentially expressed proteins, 24 and 5 protein spots were up- and down-regulated in water-deficient plants, respectively. Two pathogenesis-related proteins, an abscisic stress-ripening protein and heat shock protein 1, were expressed only under drought conditions. This study provides a protein profile of a Korean maize inbred line during drought stress, which will be valuable for future studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying drought resistance and for development of selective breeding markers for drought tolerance in maize.
Bubbles in Real Estate? A Longer-Term Comparative Analysis of Housing Prices in Europe and the Us

The downturn in the US housing market has attracted a lot of attention as it has sparked a global financial crisis. It is generally assumed that the eurozone does not face a similar problem. This paper shows that this assumption is wrong. 1) The euro area average index of real housing prices has risen almost as much as that of the US and is now (as that of the US) about 40% above its 30-year average. This is similar to the overvaluation of Japanese real estate at the height of the Japanese bubble, which was then followed by over a decade of continuous decline. 2) Over the last 30 years, the euro area index for real housing prices has tended to follow that of the US quite closely. The lag is now much shorter than in the 1970s or 1980s. The euro area market is thus likely to turn soon as well. One feature of housing price cycles that tends to be forgotten is their extraordinary. This persistence means that the downswing many last for more than ten years.
Arginine Vasopressin Inhibits N Cytokine-Stimulated Vascular itric Oxi Smooth de Synthesis Muscle Cells in

(NO) synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We measured the production of nitrite, a stable metabolite of NO, and the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA in cultured rat VSMCs. Incubation of VSMCs for 24 h with interleukin-1 j9 (IL-1 f) caused a significant increase in NO production. Both AVP and the Via receptor agonist [Phe2, Ilea, Orn8]vasopressin inhibited NO synthesis in IL-1,8-stimulated cells, but not in unstimulated cells, in a dose-dependent manner. The Via receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5', O-Me-Tyre, Arg8]vasopressin completely inhibited the effect of AVP. Incubation with IL-19 for 24 h induced the expression of iNOS mRNA in VSMCs, while AVP suppressed its ex-
An InSAR‐based survey of volcanic deformation in the central Andes

We extend an earlier interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) survey covering about 900 remote volcanos of the central Andes (14°–27°S) between the years 1992 and 2002. Our survey reveals broad (10s of km), roughly axisymmetric deformation at 4 volcanic centers: two stratovolcanoes are inflating (Uturuncu, Bolivia, and Hualca Hualca, Peru); another source of inflation on the border between Chile and Argentina is not obviously associated with a volcanic edifice (here called Lazufre); and a caldera (Cerro Blanco, also called Robledo) in northwest Argentina is subsiding. We explore the range of source depths and volumes allowed by our observations, using spherical, ellipsoidal and crack‐like source geometries. We further examine the effects of local topography upon the deformation field and invert for a spherical point‐source in both elastic half‐space and layered‐space crustal models. We use a global search algorithm, with gradient search methods used to further constrain best‐fitting models. Inferred source depths are model‐dependent, with differences in the assumed source geometry generating a larger range of accepted depths than variations in elastic structure. Source depths relative to sea level are: 8–18 km at Hualca Hualca; 12–25 km for Uturuncu; 5–13 km for Lazufre, and 5–10 km at Cerro Blanco. Deformation at all four volcanoes seems to be time‐dependent, and only Uturuncu and Cerro Blanco were deforming during the entire time period of observation. Inflation at Hualca Hualca stopped in 1997, perhaps related to a large eruption of nearby Sabancaya volcano in May 1997, although there is no obvious relation between the rate of deformation and the eruptions of Sabancaya. We do not observe any deformation associated with eruptions of Lascar, Chile, at 16 other volcanoes that had recent small eruptions or fumarolic activity, or associated with a short‐lived thermal anomaly at Chiliques volcano. We posit a hydrothermal system at Cerro Blanco to explain the rate of subsidence there. For the last decade, we calculate the ratio of the volume of magma intruded to extruded is between 1–10, and that the combined rate of intrusion and extrusion is within an order of magnitude of the inferred geologic rate.
Analysis of Volatility Spillover Effects: Two-Stage Procedure Based on a Modified Garch-M

With the beginning of global financial integration in the mid-1980s, co-movements of volatilities were also observed. These co-movements suggest that financial markets’ volatilities spillover from one market to another. This study has been undertaken to establish the soundness of this proposition, focusing on Iran, through an analysis of the international transmission of financial volatility movements among six selected countries, considering unidirectional effects coming from the U.S., Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to Iran. The selection of these countries was based on the recycling of petrodollars. The analysis has been conducted using two stage procedure based on GARCH-M model; whilst data took the form of monthly financial returns derived from equity, money and foreign exchange markets of the selected countries. Results indicate existence of significant volatility interdependencies among Iranian financial markets within the Middle East and with the rest of the world. Interestingly, this paper also sheds light on the fact that while financial markets may not be integrated in levels, they can still be integrated in variances.
Portable and Reusable Optofluidics-Based Biosensing Platform for Ultrasensitive Detection of Sulfadimidine in Dairy Products

Sulfadimidine (SM2) is a highly toxic and ubiquitous pollutant which requires rapid, sensitive and portable detection method for environmental and food monitoring. Herein, the use for the detection of SM2 of a portable optofluidics-based biosensing platform, which was used for the accurate detection of bisphenol A, atrazine and melamine, is reported for the first time. The proposed compact biosensing system combines the advantages of an evanescent wave immunosensor and microfluidic technology. Through the indirect competitive immunoassay, the detection limit of the proposed optofluidics-based biosensing platform for SM2 reaches 0.05 μg·L−1 at the concentration of Cy5.5-labeled antibody of 0.1 μg·mL−1. Linearity is obtained over a dynamic range from 0.17 μg·L−1 to 10.73 μg·L−1. The surface of the fiber probe can be regenerated more than 300 times by means of 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate solution (pH = 1.9) washes without losing sensitivity. This method, featuring high sensitivity, portability and acceptable reproducibility shows potential in the detection of SM2 in real milk and other dairy products.
Money supply, interest rate, liquidity and share prices: A test of their linkage using panel data of G-7 countries

There is a body of received theories which suggest that tax policy changes actually influence the value of corporations, and affect capital market values. There is strong evidence of share price being changed whenever good or bad news from tax changes occur. This paper provides a very short review of well-known theories, with the aim of showing how tax changes relating to dividends in Malaysia and in the USA do actually affect the values of shares in one mid-income and one high-income economy. Malaysia’s policy change in 2007 to streamline the dividend credit system into a single-tier tax system led to share price increases in Bursa Malaysia. Tax effect in the USA was tested using the good news of dividend tax cuts passed into law on three dates over 2003 and 2010. These findings are very much policy relevant for the ongoing debate, for example, in Malaysia on introducing future goods and sales tax to reduce other taxes.
Export behavior and productivity growth: Evidence from Italian manufacturing firms

Export Behavior and Productivity Growth: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms. — This paper provides econometric evidence supporting the hypothesis that exporting implies learning effects. Learning-by-exporting is modeled as a change, induced by export behavior, in the stochastic process governing firms’ productivity. Empirically, this is implemented by specifying cross-section regressions of labor productivity growth on measures of export behavior, controlling for past productivity growth and other firms’ characteristics. Using a sample of Italian manufacturing firms, it is found that exporters do not exhibit faster productivity growth. Nevertheless, growth in value added per worker has a positive and significant relation with firms’ export intensity. In other words, only firms substantially involved in exporting have a significantly higher rate of productivity growth. This result suggests that learning-by-exporting is by no means simply the outcome of the presence in the export market.
Pathways to Successful Economic Integration: The Dynamics of Low Income and Low Wages among New Immigrants to Canada

Contemporary research on immigrant economic integration identifies growing economic disadvantages faced by immigrants and probes sources of the disadvantages by focusing on immigrants’ pre-migration and ascriptive characteristics. However, little empirical evaluation exists on how immigrants overcome their initial economic disadvantages over time. This dissertation departs from previous research by studying the roles of two post-migration factors – schooling (formal education and language training) and the employment of female spouses – in the exits from low wages and low family income (poverty) among recent immigrants. The analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) – a three-wave survey of immigrants who arrived in Canada in 2000-2001 – produces three main findings. First, investing in host country formal education is beneficial for the economic advancement of new immigrants – especially highly educated ones. This finding confirms the role of skill upgrading programs for adult immigrants as an effective immigrant settlement policy, given that the majority of recent immigrants have postsecondary education but that they increasingly face economic hardships