Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic Effects of HIV/AIDS Prevalence and Policy in Nigeria: A Simulation Analysis

This study develops a macroeconometric model of the Nigerian economy to examine the potential impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) on key macroeconomic outcomes in Nigeria. The baseline model of the Nigerian economy is estimated using data from 1980 to 2000. The simulated values of key endogenous macroeconomic outcomes are shown to closely follow actual historical data and also future macroeconomic outcomes from 2001 to 2006. Simulations are conducted to examine (1) the potential effects of an increase in HIV/AIDS prevalence and (2) the potential effects of increased government expenditure for treatment and prevention of HIV. The simulations show increased HIV/AIDS prevalence will reduce output in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors and will have little or even a positive effect on output in the oil and gas sector. The simulations also show that increased government spending on HIV treatment and prevention will increase output across all industries; however, it will reduce gross fixed capital formation and capital expenditures.
Making a Difference? Exposure to Political Ads and Perceptions of Parties

An active aperture radar antenna includes a plurality of T/R modules and a plurality of radiators, each being supported upon an intermediate support structure disposed therebetween for holding the modules and the radiators at predetermined positions relative to one another. The support structure is a composite structure formed by ribbed support housings and joined by a central plate. The ribs in the support housings defining channels for accommodating coolant tubes and for stiffening the structure. The T/R modules contact the support structure proximate the transmit amplifier chains for enhanced cooling. The radiator array is formed upon a circuit board, is independent of the T/R modules and is disposed upon an opposing surface of the support structure. The T/R modules can be removed and replaced without disturbing any radiators or their relative coplanarity.
Framing the Context of Use for Mobile HCI

The need to better understand the role of context has emerged after the revolution of mobile computing, as such devices are used in heterogeneous circumstances. However, it is difficult to say what context of use in mobile human-computer interaction actually means. This study summarises past research in mobile contexts of use and not only provides a deeper understanding of the characteristics associated with it, but also indicates a path for future research. This article presents an extensive and systematic literature review of more than 100 papers published in five high-quality journals and one main conference in the field of HCI during the years 2000-2007. The authors' results show that context of use is still explored as a relatively static phenomenon in mobile HCI. Its most commonly mentioned characteristics are linked to social, physical, and technical components, while transitions between the contexts were rarely listed. Based on this review, a descriptive model of context of use for mobile HCI CoU-HMCI summarising five components, their subcomponents and descriptive properties is presented. The model can help both practitioners and academics to identify broadly relevant contextual factors when designing, experimenting with, and evaluating, mobile contexts of use.
Predicting visual function from the measurements of retinal nerve fiber layer structure.

PURPOSE To develop and validate a method of predicting visual function from retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) structure in glaucoma. METHODS RNFL thickness (RNFLT) measurements from scanning laser polarimetry (SLP) and visual field (VF) sensitivity from standard automated perimetry were made available for 535 eyes from three centers. In a training dataset, structure-function relationships were characterized by using linear regression and a type of neural network: radial basis function customized under a Bayesian framework (BRBF). These two models were used in a test dataset to (1) predict sensitivity at individual VF locations from RNFLT measurements and (2) predict the spatial relationship between VF locations and positions at a peripapillary RNFLT measurement annulus. Predicted spatial relationships were compared with a published anatomic structure-function map. RESULTS Compared with linear regression, BRBF yielded a nearly twofold improvement (P < 0.001; paired t-test) in performance of predicting VF sensitivity in the test dataset (mean absolute prediction error of 2.9 dB [SD 3.7] versus 4.9 dB [SD 4.0]). The predicted spatial structure-function relationship showed better agreement (P < 0.001; paired t-test) with anatomic prior knowledge when the BRBF was compared with the linear regression (median absolute angular difference of 15° vs. 62°). CONCLUSIONS The BRBF generates clinically useful relationships that relate topographical maps of RNFL measurement to VF locations and allows the VF sensitivity to be predicted from structural measurements. This method may allow clinicians to evaluate structural and functional measures in the same domain. It could also be generalized to use other structural measures.
A search for the most massive galaxies – II. Structure, environment and formation

We study a sample of 43 early-type galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) because they appeared to have velocity dispersions of σ≥ 350 km s−1. High-resolution photometry in the SDSS i passband using the High-Resolution Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope shows that just less than half of the sample is made up of superpositions of two or three galaxies, so the reported velocity dispersion is incorrect. The other half of the sample is made up of single objects with genuinely large velocity dispersions. None of these objects has σ larger than 426 ± 30 km s−1. These objects define rather different size–, mass– and density–luminosity relations than the bulk of the early-type galaxy population; for their luminosities, they are the smallest, most massive and densest galaxies in the Universe. Although the slopes of the scaling relations they define are rather different from those of the bulk of the population, they lie approximately parallel to those of the bulk at fixed σ. This suggests that these objects are simply the large-σ extremes of the early-type population; they are not otherwise unusual. These objects appear to be of two distinct types. The less luminous (Mr > −23) objects are rather flattened, and their properties suggest some amount of rotational support. While this may complicate interpretation of the SDSS velocity dispersion estimate, and hence estimates of their dynamical mass and density, we argue that these objects are extremely dense for their luminosities, suggesting merger histories with abnormally large amounts of gaseous dissipation. The more luminous objects (Mr < −23) tend to be round and to lie in or at the centres of clusters. Their circular isophotes, large velocity dispersions and environments are consistent with the hypothesis that they are brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Models in which BCGs form from predominantly radial mergers having little angular momentum predict that they should be prolate. If viewed along the major axis, such objects would appear to have abnormally large velocity dispersions for their sizes, and to be abnormally round for their luminosities. This is true of the objects in our sample, once we account for the fact that the most luminous galaxies (Mr < −23.5), and BCGs, become slightly less round with increasing luminosity. Thus, the shapes of the most luminous galaxies suggest that they formed from radial mergers, and the shapes of the most luminous objects in our large-σ sample suggest that they are the densest of these objects, viewed along the major axis.
The Elasticity of Taxable Income

This paper provides an introduction to the concept of the elasticity of taxable income with respect to the net-of-tax rate. This elasticity aims to capture all potential responses to income taxation in a single elasticity measure, without the need to specify the nature of the various adjustment processes involved or consider the details of tax regulations. These adjustments include, as well as labour supply changes, income shifting between sources which are taxed at different rates, and tax evasion through non-declaration of income. The use of such a ‘reduced form’ approach has proved to be very attractive. The elasticity of taxable income has the added attraction that, under certain assumptions, it is sufficient to obtain a measure of the excess burden of income taxation. Emphasis is placed on the assumptions behind the approach.
Managing technical debt: An industrial case study

Technical debt is the consequence of trade-offs made during software development to ensure speedy releases. The research community lacks rigorously evaluated guidelines to help practitioners characterize, manage and prioritize debt. This paper describes a study conducted with an industrial partner during their implementation of Agile development practices for a large software development division within the company. The report contains our initial findings based on ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews. The goal is to identify the best practices regarding managing technical debt so that the researchers and the practitioners can further evaluate these practices to extend their knowledge of the technical debt metaphor. We determined that the developers considered their own taxonomy of technical debt based on the type of work they were assigned and their personal understanding of the term. Despite management's high-level categories, the developers mostly considered design debt, testing debt and defect debt. In addition to developers having their own taxonomy, assigning dedicated teams for technical debt reduction and allowing other teams about 20% of time per sprint for debt reduction are good initiatives towards lowering technical debt. While technical debt has become a well-regarded concept in the Agile community, further empirical evaluation is needed to assess how to properly apply the concept for various development organizations.
The immediate effects of a single bout of aerobic exercise on oral glucose tolerance across the glucose tolerance continuum

We investigated glucose tolerance and postprandial glucose fluxes immediately after a single bout of aerobic exercise in subjects representing the entire glucose tolerance continuum. Twenty‐four men with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or type 2 diabetes (T2D; age: 56 ± 1 years; body mass index: 27.8 ± 0.7 kg/m2, P > 0.05) underwent a 180‐min oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) combined with constant intravenous infusion of [6,6‐2H2]glucose and ingestion of [U‐13C]glucose, following 1 h of exercise (50% of peak aerobic power) or rest. In both trials, plasma glucose concentrations and kinetics, insulin, C‐peptide, and glucagon were measured. Rates (mg kg−1 min−1) of glucose appearance from endogenous (RaEndo) and exogenous (oral glucose; RaOGTT) sources, and glucose disappearance (Rd) were determined. We found that exercise increased RaEndo, RaOGTT, and Rd (all P < 0.0001) in all groups with a tendency for a greater (~20%) peak RaOGTT value in NGT subjects when compared to IGT and T2D subjects. Accordingly, following exercise, the plasma glucose concentration during the OGTT was increased in NGT subjects (P < 0.05), while unchanged in subjects with IGT and T2D. In conclusion, while a single bout of moderate‐intensity exercise increased the postprandial glucose response in NGT subjects, glucose tolerance following exercise was preserved in the two hyperglycemic groups. Thus, postprandial plasma glucose responses immediately following exercise are dependent on the underlying degree of glycemic control.
KADINLARIN İŞGÜCÜNE KATILIMININ BELİRLEYİCİLERİ: EKONOMETRİK BİR ANALİZ THE DETERMINANTS OF FEMALE PARTICIPATION TO THE LABOUR FORCE: AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS

OZET: Bu calismada 2002-2008 doneminde Turkiye genelinde, kentsel ve kirsal alanlarda yasayan evli ve bekar kadinlarin isgucune katilimini etkileyen unsurlarin neler olabileceginin belirlenmesi, baska bir deyisle, kadinlarin calisma kararlarini etkileyen faktorlerin arastirilmasi amaclanmistir. Bu amacla 2002-2008 yillarina ait Hanehalki Butce Anketlerinden elde edilen veriler bir araya getirilerek birlestirilmis veri seti ile calisilmistir. Uygulamada logit model analizleri yapilmistir. Analiz sonuclari; evli ve bekar kadinlarin isgucune katilma kararlari uzerinde egitim duzeyinin, hanehalki gelirinin, bagimlilik oraninin, oturulan konutun mulkiyetinin ve kadinin yasinin en onemli faktorler oldugunu gostermistir. Ayrica, cocuk sayisi kentsel alanda isgucune katilimi azaltirken kirsal alanda arttirmaktadir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kadin Isgucu; Birlestirilmis Veri Analizi; Logit model ABSTRACT: The goal of this study is to determine the reasons of why the single and married women living in Turkey, in urban and rural areas do participate the labour force through the 2002-2008 period. In other words, this study aims to search the reasons affecting the women's decision of working. To this end, the study is conducted via a pooled data set merged by putting together the data gathered from Household Budget Surveys of the years 2002-2008. Logit model analysis is conducted for application. The results of the analysis illustrated that, education level, household income, dependency ratio, ownership of the property and women's age are the most important factors as to the women's decision of participating to labour force regarding the married and single women. Furthermore, the number of children reduces the labour force participation in urban areas while increases in rural areas.
Visual Activation and Audiovisual Interactions in the Auditory Cortex during Speech Perception: Intracranial Recordings in Humans

Hemodynamic studies have shown that the auditory cortex can be activated by visual lip movements and is a site of interactions between auditory and visual speech processing. However, they provide no information about the chronology and mechanisms of these cross-modal processes. We recorded intracranial event-related potentials to auditory, visual, and bimodal speech syllables from depth electrodes implanted in the temporal lobe of 10 epileptic patients (altogether 932 contacts). We found that lip movements activate secondary auditory areas, very shortly (≈10 ms) after the activation of the visual motion area MT/V5. After this putatively feedforward visual activation of the auditory cortex, audiovisual interactions took place in the secondary auditory cortex, from 30 ms after sound onset and before any activity in the polymodal areas. Audiovisual interactions in the auditory cortex, as estimated in a linear model, consisted both of a total suppression of the visual response to lipreading and a decrease of the auditory responses to the speech sound in the bimodal condition compared with unimodal conditions. These findings demonstrate that audiovisual speech integration does not respect the classical hierarchy from sensory-specific to associative cortical areas, but rather engages multiple cross-modal mechanisms at the first stages of nonprimary auditory cortex activation.
ANALISIS PENGARUH TINGKAT SUKU BUNGA (SBI), NILAI TUKAR (KURS) RUPIAH, INFLASI, DAN INDEKS BURSA INTERNASIONAL TERHADAP IHSG (STUDI PADA IHSG DI BEI PERIODE 2008-2012)

This study aimed to test the influence of Interest Rate (SBI), Exchange Rate of Rupiah, Inflation, and International Exchange Index (Nikkei 225 Index and Hang Seng Index) on Composite Stock Price Index in The Period 2008-2012. Analytical techniques used were linear regression, while hypothesis test used t - test and F - test with significance level of 5%. The classical assumptions test used in this study include normality, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation test. The research prove that Interest Rate (SBI) and Exchange Rate of Rupiah had a negative effect and significant to Composite Stock Price Index, Inflation had a negative effect and not significant to Composite Stock Price Index Meanwhile, Nikkei 225 Index and Hang Seng Index had a positive and significant effect to Composite Stock Price Index.
Transforming growth factor‐beta induces skeletal muscle atrophy and fibrosis through the induction of atrogin‐1 and scleraxis

Introduction: Transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) is a well‐known regulator of fibrosis and inflammation in many tissues. During embryonic development, TGF‐β signaling induces expression of the transcription factor scleraxis, which promotes fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in tendons. In skeletal muscle, TGF‐β has been shown to induce atrophy and fibrosis, but the effect of TGF‐β on muscle contractility and the expression of scleraxis and atrogin‐1, an important regulator of muscle atrophy, were not known. Methods: We treated muscles from mice with TGF‐β and measured force production, scleraxis, procollagen Iα2, and atrogin‐1 protein levels. Results: TGF‐β decreased muscle fiber size and dramatically reduced maximum isometric force production. TGF‐β also induced scleraxis expression in muscle fibroblasts, and increased procollagen Iα2 and atrogin‐1 levels in muscles. Conclusion: These results provide new insight into the effect of TGF‐β on muscle contractility and the molecular mechanisms behind TGF‐β–mediated muscle atrophy and fibrosis. Muscle Nerve 45: 55–59, 2012
On sparse representations in arbitrary redundant bases

The purpose of this contribution is to generalize some recent results on sparse representations of signals in redundant bases. The question that is considered is the following: given a matrix A of dimension (n,m) with m>n and a vector b=Ax, find a sufficient condition for b to have a unique sparsest representation x as a linear combination of columns of A. Answers to this question are known when A is the concatenation of two unitary matrices and either an extensive combinatorial search is performed or a linear program is solved. We consider arbitrary A matrices and give a sufficient condition for the unique sparsest solution to be the unique solution to both a linear program or a parametrized quadratic program. The proof is elementary and the possibility of using a quadratic program opens perspectives to the case where b=Ax+e with e a vector of noise or modeling errors.
The consequence of modernisation reform: does DG COMP have more bureaucratic autonomy since the modernisation reform?

The modernisation reform is the most important policy development in the European competition history. Council Regulation 1/2003 has replaced longlived Council Regulation 17/62 with three main changes in the competition enforcement. First, the reform decentralises the enforcement by introducing national competition authorities (NCAs), alongside Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP), to apply Article 81 and 82 (now 101 and 102). Second, a quasi-binding European Competition Network (ECN) is established for the purpose of better allocation of cases and the consistent enforcement. Third, competition authorities are further equipped with the substantial power of enquiry and punishment to tackle the most serious infringements. These changes draw the attention to the possibility of paradigm shift and the relationships between DG COMP and NCAs. As the reform in many ways changes the enforcement of competition rules, the role of DG COMP would be very important to the studies of modernisation reform and to resolve the puzzles regarding the impact of reform and the actual enforcement of Council Regulation 1/2003. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to assess the autonomy change of DG COMP and to reconfigure the role of DG COMP in the modernised European competition regime. In this regard, this research has to draw on a large body of literature, in particular, the principal-agent theory and the bureaucratic autonomy approach, to assess the bureaucratic autonomy of DG COMP in six aspects: political differentiation, organisational capacity, personal capacity, multiple networks, financial capacity and changes in legal status. Overall, this research has three main findings. First, DG COMP has increased its bureaucratic autonomy, with some reservations. Second, DG COMP holds a new ʻsupervisoryʼ role, along with its administrative and ʻjuryjudge- prosecutorʼ role. Third, two levels of principal-agent relationship have emerged and the leading role of DG COMP in the ECN is confirmed. As this research adapts the U.S. bureaucratic autonomy model to the EU context, the assessment may further be applicable to other public policy studies about institutional changes or competence reforms.
MODELLING AND SIMULATION UTILIZED IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE HYDRAULICS

Mobile hydraulics include fluid power components and systems utilized in mobile machinery such as forest machines, excavators and hydraulic lifts. It has special features compared to the stationary i.e. industrial hydraulics. This paper gives an overview of mobile hydraulics and presents the benefits that can be achieved by employing modelling and simulation in order to carry out R&D of such machines.
Selection, Characterization and Application of Nucleic Acid Aptamers for the Capture and Detection of Human Norovirus Strains

Human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis and an important cause of foodborne disease. Despite their public health significance, routine detection of HuNoV in community settings, or food and environmental samples, is limited, and there is a need to develop alternative HuNoV diagnostic reagents to complement existing ones. The purpose of this study was to select and characterize single-stranded (ss)DNA aptamers with binding affinity to HuNoV. The utility of these aptamers was demonstrated in their use for capture and detection of HuNoV in outbreak-derived fecal samples and a representative food matrix. SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) was used to isolate ssDNA aptamer sequences with broad reactivity to the prototype GII.2 HuNoV strain, Snow Mountain Virus (SMV). Four aptamer candidates (designated 19, 21, 25 and 26) were identified and screened for binding affinity to 14 different virus-like particles (VLPs) corresponding to various GI and GII HuNoV strains using an Enzyme-Linked Aptamer Sorbant Assay (ELASA). Collectively, aptamers 21 and 25 showed affinity to 13 of the 14 VLPs tested, with strongest binding to GII.2 (SMV) and GII.4 VLPs. Aptamer 25 was chosen for further study. Its binding affinity to SMV-VLPs was equivalent to that of a commercial antibody within a range of 1 to 5 µg/ml. Aptamer 25 also showed binding to representative HuNoV strains present in stool specimens obtained from naturally infected individuals. Lastly, an aptamer magnetic capture (AMC) method using aptamer 25 coupled with RT-qPCR was developed for recovery and detection of HuNoV in artificially contaminated lettuce. The capture efficiency of the AMC was 2.5–36% with an assay detection limit of 10 RNA copies per lettuce sample. These ssDNA aptamer candidates show promise as broadly reactive reagents for use in HuNoV capture and detection assays in various sample types.
UFAT-a particle tracer for time-dependent flow fields

Time-dependent (unsteady) flow fields are commonly generated in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations; however, there are very few flow visualization systems that generate particle traces in unsteady flow fields. Most existing systems generate particle traces in time-independent flow fields. A particle tracing system has been developed to generate particle traces in unsteady flow fields. The system was used to visualize several 3D unsteady flow fields from real-world problems, and it has provided useful insights into the time-varying phenomena in the flow fields. The design requirements and the architecture of the system are described. Some examples of particle traces computed by the system are also shown. <<ETX>>