Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Empirical Analysis of Speculative Attacks with Contractionary Real Effects

The effects of a currency crisis on a country's economy depend on nonlinear relations among several variables that characterize the economic, financial, legal and socio-political structure of the country at the onset of the crisis. Those effects can be associated with contractions or expansions in output. Historically, contractionary speculative attacks are more frequent. This paper uses a parametric censored heteroscedastic TOBIT model to empirically analyse how different economic and financial variables determine the real effects of a contractionary speculative attack. Variables describing the banking sector, the international trade, the severity of the crisis and foreign interest rates are found to be significant in explaining the size of currency crises' contractionary real effects. The TOBIT's results are compared with alternative modelling strategies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The ZmASR1 Protein Influences Branched-Chain Amino Acid Biosynthesis and Maintains Kernel Yield in Maize under Water-Limited Conditions1[W][OA]

Abscisic acid-, stress-, and ripening-induced (ASR) proteins were first described about 15 years ago as accumulating to high levels during plant developmental processes and in response to diverse stresses. Currently, the effects of ASRs on water deficit tolerance and the ways in which their physiological and biochemical functions lead to this stress tolerance remain poorly understood. Here, we characterized the ASR gene family from maize (Zea mays), which contains nine paralogous genes, and showed that maize ASR1 (ZmASR1) was encoded by one of the most highly expressed paralogs. Ectopic expression of ZmASR1 had a large overall impact on maize yield that was maintained under water-limited stress conditions in the field. Comparative transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of wild-type and ZmASR1-overexpressing leaves led to the identification of three transcripts and 16 proteins up- or down-regulated by ZmASR1. The majority of them were involved in primary and/or cellular metabolic processes, including branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) biosynthesis. Metabolomic and transcript analyses further indicated that ZmASR1-overexpressing plants showed a decrease in BCAA compounds and changes in BCAA-related gene expression in comparison with wild-type plants. Interestingly, within-group correlation matrix analysis revealed a close link between 13 decreased metabolites in ZmASR1-overexpressing leaves, including two BCAAs. Among these 13 metabolites, six were previously shown to be negatively correlated to biomass, suggesting that ZmASR1-dependent regulation of these 13 metabolites might contribute to regulate leaf growth, resulting in improvement in kernel yield.
Orthogonal Hierarchical NÉdÉlec Elements

An orthogonalization procedure for a set of high-order hierarchical (curl)-conforming basis functions or tangential vector elements which retains the span of the Nedelec space is proposed as an alternative to the Gram-Schmidt procedure which cannot be used without compromising the Nedelec space. The resulting basis functions are compared with published basis functions in terms of conditioning and solution performance. Relatively better conditioned element matrices and improved convergence speed of an iterative solver have been observed.
OIL PRICES CHANGES AND VOLATILITY IN SECTOR STOCK RETURNS: EVIDENCE FROM AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CHINA, GERMANY AND NORWAY

The paper examines the exposure of sectoral stock returns to oil price changes in Australia, China, Germany, New Zealand and Norway over the period 2000-2015 using weekly data drawn from DataStream. The issue of volatility has important implications for the theory of finance and as is well-known accurate volatility forecasts are important in a variety of settings including option and other derivatives pricing, portfolio and risk management (e.g. in the calculation of hedge ratios and Value-at-Risk measures), and trading strategies (David and Ruiz, 2009). This study adopts GARCH and EGARCH to understand the relationship between the returns and volatility. The findings using GARCH (EGARCH) models suggests that in the case of Germany eight (nine) out of ten sectors returns can be explained by the volatility of past oil price in Germany, while in the case of Australia, six (seven) out of ten sector returns are sensitive to the oil price changes with the exception of Industrials, Consumer Goods, Health care and Utilities. While in China and New Zealand five sectors are found sensitive to oil price changes and three sectors in Norway, namely Oil & Gas, Consumer Services and Financials. Secondly, this paper also investigated the exposure of the stock returns to oil price changes using market index data as a proxy using GARCH or EGARCH model. The results indicated that the stock returns are sensitive to the oil price changes and have leverage effects for all the five countries. Further, the findings also suggests that sector with more constituents is likely to have leverage effects and vice versa. The results have implications to market participants to make informed decisions about a better portfolio diversification for minimizing risk and adding value to the stocks.
Membrane-binding domains and cytopathogenesis of the matrix protein of vesicular stomatitis virus

The membrane-binding affinity of the matrix (M) protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was examined by comparing the cellular distribution of wild-type (wt) virus M protein with that of temperature-sensitive (ts) and deletion mutants probed by indirect fluorescent-antibody staining and fractionation of infected or plasmid-transfected CV1 cells. The M-gene mutant tsO23 caused cytopathic rounding of cells infected at permissive temperature but not of cells at the nonpermissive temperature; wt VSV also causes rounding, which prohibits study of M protein distribution by fluorescent-antibody staining. Little or no M protein can be detected in the plasma membrane of cells infected with tsO23 at the nonpermissive temperature, whereas approximately 20% of the M protein colocalized with the membrane fraction of cells infected with tsO23 at the permissive temperature. Cells transfected with a plasmid expressing intact 229-amino-acid wt M protein (M1-229) exhibited cytopathic cell rounding and actin filament dissolution, whereas cells retained normal polygonal morphology and actin filaments when transfected with plasmids expressing M proteins truncated to the first 74 N-terminal amino acids (M1-74) or deleted of the first 50 amino acids (M51-229) or amino acids 1 to 50 and 75 to 106 (M51-74/107-229). Truncated proteins M1-74 and M51-229 were readily detectable in the plasma membrane and cytosol of transfected cells as determined by both fluorescent-antibody staining and cell fractionation, as was the plasmid-expressed intact wt M protein. However, the expressed doubly deleted protein M51-74/107-229 could not be detected in plasma membrane by fluorescent-antibody staining or by cell fractionation, suggesting the presence of two membrane-binding sites spanning the region of amino acids 1 to 50 and amino acids 75 to 106 of the VSV M protein. These in vivo data were confirmed by an in vitro binding assay in which intact M protein and its deletion mutants were reconstituted in high- or low-ionic-strength buffers with synthetic membranes in the form of sonicated unilammelar vesicles. The results of these experiments appear to confirm the presence of two membrane-binding sites on the VSV M protein, one binding peripherally by electrostatic forces at the highly charged NH2 terminus and the other stably binding membrane integration of hydrophobic amino acids and located by a hydropathy plot between amino acids 88 and 119.
Frequency-hop transmission for satellite packet switching and terrestrial packet radio networks

The performance of frequency-hop transmission in a packet communication network is analyzed. Satellite multiple-access broadcast channels for packet switching and terrestrial packet radio networks are the primary examples of the type of network considered. An analysis of the effects of multiple-access interference in frequency-hop radio networks is presented. New measures of "local" performance are defined and evaluated for networks of this type, and new concepts that are important in the design of these networks are introduced. In particular, error probabilities and local throughput are evaluated for a frequency-hop radio network which incorporates the standard slotted and unslotted ALOHA channel-access protocols, asynchronous frequency hopping, and Reed-Solomon error-control coding. The performance of frequency-hop multiple access with error-control coding is compared with the performance of conventional ALOHA random access using narrow-band radios.
Effects of gender-typed tasks and gender roles on cardiovascular reactivity

This study explored the effects of gender-typing of a task on cardiovascular reactivity among 60 men and 58 women, who were preselected on the basis of their “masculinity” and “femininity” scores on the Personal Attribute Questionnaire (PAQ; Spence & Helmreich, 1978). Both gender-role orientation and gender-typing of (he task (but not sex of participant) accounted for a significant amount of variance in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity. Femininity scores predicted increases in SBP responses to the task in the entire sample. HR responses were determined by a significant interaction of sex of participant, a “feminine” gender-role orientation, and gender-typing of the task. Among men, gender-typing of task interacted with gender-role orientation: men whose personality did not fit the situation (e.g., men scoring high on “femininity” who worked on a male-typed task) exhibited elevated MR reactivity. There were no significant effects for HR reactivity among women. These findings underscore the role of psychosocial factors as determinants of SBP and HR responses, especially among men.
What makes a city smart? Identifying core components and proposing an integrative and comprehensive conceptualization

This study represents two critical steps forward in the area of smart city research and practice. The first is in the form of the development of a comprehensive conceptualization of smart city as a resource for researchers and government practition- ers; the second is in the form of the creation of a bridge between smart cities research and practice expertise. City governments increasingly need innovative arrangements to solve a variety of technical, physical, and social problems. "Smart city" could be used to represent efforts that in many ways describe a vision of a city, but there is little clarity about this new concept. This paper proposes a comprehensive conceptualization of smart city, including its main components and several specific elements. Academic literature is used to create a robust framework, while a review of practical tools is used to identify specific elements or aspects not treated in the academic studies, but essential to create an integrative and comprehensive conceptualization of smart city. The paper also provides policy implications and suggests areas for future research in this topic.
The Effect of Market Variables and Herding Effect on Investment Decision as Factor Influencing Investment Performance in Iran

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of market variables and herding effect on investment decision as factor influencing investment performance in Iran. Behavioral finance which considers the human behaviors in finance is a quite new area. Behavioral finance theories, which are based on the psychology, attempt to understand how emotions and cognitive errors influence individual investors’ behaviors (investors mentioned in this study are referred to individual investors). Totally, 300 questionnaires were distributed to investors in Tehran stock change, that 275 questionnaires were used for the final analysis, which the results from analysis of them based on structural equation modeling (SEM) show that market variables has a positive influence on investment decision; and also, herding effect has a positive influence on investment decision; that market variables has high influence. Finally, investment decision has a positive influence on investment performance in Tehran stock change. Our findings provide support for the behavioral approach to portfolio theory and shed new light on the traditional approach to portfolio theory. This suggests when buying stocks, investors would choose companies with higher cash/stock dividends, as well as invest in short/mid/long term stock with adequate capital allocation. Investors with higher amounts of investment have multiple gains, investors with more cash reserved for the next investing opportunity would likely gain. This indicates investment decision and capital allocation play important roles.
Use of the Conners-Wells Adolescent Self-Report Scale (Short Form) with Children

The short form of the Conners-Wells Adolescent Self-Report Scale (CASS:Short) is administered to 319 children and 844 adolescents to investigate whether the instrument can be used with respondents under the age of 12. Mothers of all respondents are asked to rate each child using a measure designed to assess a parallel set of problem behaviors. The factor structure of the CASS:Short is tested in both samples and is found to have good fit to the data. Mean levels ofADHDsymptomatology are also examined for possible sex and age effects, as was the relationship between parent and self-report ratings. The overall results provide empirical support for the use of the CASS:Short with children ages 7 to 11.
Situating Learning in the Workplace – Having Another Look at Apprenticeships

Examines the acquisition of vocational skills through apprenticeship‐type situated learning. Presents findings from studies of skilled workers revealing that learning processes that were consonant with the apprenticeship model of learning were highly valued as a means of acquiring and maintaining vocational skills. Supported by current research and theorizing, describes some conditions by which situated learning through apprenticeship can be utilized to develop vocational skills. These conditixons include the nature of the activities learners engage in, the agency of the learning environment and mentoring role of experts. Addresses conditions which may inhibit the effectiveness of an apprenticeship approach to learning. Concludes by suggesting that situated approaches to learning, such as the apprenticeship model, may address problems of access to effective vocational skill development within the workforces.
FET-R-C Circuits: A Unified Treatment—Part II: Extension to Multi-Paths, Noise Figure, and Driving-Point Impedance

In Part I of this paper, we introduce useful analysis that leads to a simple signal flow graph (SFG), which captures the FET-R-C circuit's action completely across a wide range of design parameters. Part I focuses on the analysis of a single-path FET-R-C circuit's signal transfer characteristics and gives us guidelines for sample-and-hold (S/H) and passive sampling mixer (P-M) designs. Part II extends the analysis to multi-path FET-R-C circuit configurations, e.g., a complex I-Q passive mixer that is common in RF applications. Then the noise and driving-point impedance analyses are carried out to provide valuable insights of practical S/H and P-M designs.
The Time Course of Interpretation in Speech Comprehension

Determining how language comprehension proceeds over time has been central to theories of human language use. Early research on the comprehension of speech in real time put special emphasis on the sequential property of speech, by assuming that the interpretation of what is said proceeds at the same rate that information in the speech signal reaches the senses. The picture that is emerging from recent work suggests a more complex process, one in which information from speech has an immediate influence while enabling later-arriving information to modulate initial hypotheses. “Right-context” effects, in which the later portion of a spoken stimulus can affect the interpretation of an earlier portion, are pervasive and can span several syllables or words. Thus, the interpretation of a segment of speech appears to result from the accumulation of information and integration of linguistic constraints over a larger temporal window than the duration of the speech segment itself. This helps explain how human listeners can understand language so efficiently, despite massive perceptual uncertainty in the speech signal.
Equipment use and equipment provision services for people after stroke: A mixed methods study

Background: As people live longer with more complex disability in their own homes, adaptive equipment is one way to enable their safety and participation. However, it is not well understood how people with stroke use adaptive equipment and how they interact with the services which provide equipment. The reasoning used by therapists who issue equipment, the outcomes achieved by equipment provision and the cost of equipment remain ambiguous. A theoretical framework which explains how services for equipment provision currently operate, with specific attention to the relationships between health policy, health provider behaviour, and equipment user experiences and outcomes was required. Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to explore whether the policies and procedures for provision of adaptive equipment to people with stroke are fit for purpose in terms of maximising safety, independence and choice. The objectives for this research were to: 1) describe who is more likely to receive publicly-funded equipment after stroke and what outcomes are achieved by them using equipment, 2) estimate the annual cost of adaptive equipment prescription for people with stroke, 3) explore the experiences of people with stroke about equipment provision services and, 4) explore the perspectives of therapists who prescribe equipment. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to gather data over three phases, initially from people with stroke who use equipment (n = 258 surveyed using a postal survey, with n = 15 interviewed using a semi-structured schedule) and then therapists via six focus groups (n = 30). Results: Findings indicated that no one demographic characteristic significantly increased the likelihood of equipment receipt. The most valued equipment after stroke was mobility related which made people feel safer, more confident and in control. The cost of new equipment for people who had a stroke in 2012 was estimated to be NZD $1.2 million. Overall satisfaction with equipment provision services was high. People with stroke initially relied on their therapist to guide equipment choice as they transitioned out of hospital; thereafter they assumed greater control for decision making regarding equipment. As time passed, equipment became more meaningful in the context of their lives, often happening when equipment enabled community participation. A theoretical framework was developed
Sleep and Fatigue Differences in the Two Most Common Types of Commercial Flight Operations.

BACKGROUND Sleep and fatigue management is one of the main challenges in airline operations scheduling. Our aim was to compare the differences regarding fatigue, sleep, and labor specificities between the two most common types of flight, short/medium haul (SM-H) and long haul (L-H), in a large sample of airline pilots. METHODS A self-report questionnaire was developed, composed of socio-economic and labor questions, and psychological assessment scales for fatigue and sleep. Associations of these variables and type of flight were tested. RESULTS Of the total sample of Portuguese airline pilots (N = 435), 313 (72%) were from SM-H and 122 (28%) were from L-H. For SM-H, the values obtained for sleep complaints were 34.2%, daytime sleepiness 61.6%, and fatigue 93.0%. For L-H, 36.9%, 53.3%, and 84.4%, respectively. Looking at labor variables, the differences between the two types of flights were evident, with SM-H pilots' having statistically significant higher mean values of duty and flight hours, numbers of sectors, and early mornings. Only the mean number of night periods was higher in L-H pilots. All values were reported for 28 consecutive scheduling days. CONCLUSION Night periods and time-zone crossing may explain higher prevalence levels of sleep disturbances in L-H pilots. However, the values for daytime sleepiness were higher in SM-H pilots, which may be attributed to diminished sleep caused by a combination of frequent early starts and long duty periods. Taking into account the large differences between the two types of flights, different regulatory limits should be considered by aviation authorities. Reis C, Mestre C, Canhão H, Gradwell D, Paiva T. Sleep and fatigue differences in the two most common types of commercial flight operations. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2016; 87(9):811-815.
Systematic design of low-density parity-check code ensembles for binary erasure channels

We propose a systematic method to design irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes for binary erasure channels (BEC). Compared to the existing methods, which are based on the application of asymptotic analysis tools such as density evolution or Extrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) charts in an optimization process, the proposed method is much simpler and faster. Through a number of examples, we demonstrate that the codes designed by the proposed method perform very closely to the best codes designed by optimization. An important property of the proposed designs is the flexibility to select the number of constituent variable node degrees P. The proposed designs include existing systematic designs as a special case with P = N - 1, where N is the maximum variable node degree. Compared to the existing systematic designs, for a given rate and a given ¿ > 0, the designed ensembles can have a threshold in ¿-neighborhood of the capacity upper bound with smaller values of P and N. They can also achieve the capacity of the BEC as N, and correspondingly P and the maximum check node degree tend to infinity.
Achieving non-transferability in a digital identity management system

i In this work, we study the use of digital credentials in an online digital identity management setting. We focus on the problem of users sharing their digital credentials with one another, a problem called the "transferability" or "lending" problem. Further, we present the detailed mathematics showing how non-transferability can be achieved through biometrics. By tying the physical identity of a user to their digital identity, we are better able to prevent users from sharing their credentials. Additionally, we implement a state of the art biometric key generation algorithm and apply it to voice biometrics. In our results, we found that we are able to generate cryptographic keys significantly stronger than those of previous work.