Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Capital, Finance, and Consumption: Evidence from a Representative Sample of Chinese Households

Using a new, nationally representative sample of Chinese households, this paper studies how social capital affects access to credit and its implications for consumption levels. The paper focuses on two specific forms of social capital: private social networks and membership in the Communist Party. Although party affiliation is linked to higher consumption in rural areas, those benefits are direct and thus do not work through credit markets. The main finding is a strong link between private social networks, use of informal credit, and household consumption. Instrumental variable regressions indicate that the link is causal. However, the study finds no evidence that social capital has facilitated formal credit market development in China, as it has in countries with higher levels of private sector development.
Transforming Work Through Information Technology: A Comparative Case Study of Geographic Information Systems in County Government

A comparative case study was designed to assess the consequences of implementing a particular geographic information system (GIS) in two neighboring county government organizations. Respondents reported radically different experiences with, and consequences of, the GIS technology. In North County, participants considered GIS to be responsible for transforming the way that work was accomplished and for changing patterns of communication among departments. In South County, the same GIS technology was implemented with little social consequence. These divergent outcomes are associated with differences in four specific processes related to the implementation of the GIS in the two organizations: initiation, transition, deployment, and spread of knowledge. In North County, implementation was initiated by an influential group of users (geographers) who positioned the technology as a shared resource that built upon existing competencies. A distributed configuration was deployed in North County, and conceptual know.
Epidemiological analysis and economic impact assessment of foot-and-mouth disease at Landhi dairy colony Karachi

Epidemiology of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was studied at Landhi Dairy Colony (LDC), Karachi, Pakistan and its economic impact was assessed. Of 4528 buffaloes surveyed, 3.6% animals were infected with FMD. The causative agent was confirmed from the clinical samples by indirect sandwich ELISA. The estimated milk loss was 307.8 liters per animal in 45 days. The total damage due to FMD in sampled buffaloes was found to be Rs. 6.7 million and extrapolated price for entire animal population at Landhi Dairy Colohy (LDC) and Karachi was Rs. 290.8 and Rs. 1454.4 million, respectively. The present study indicated that FMD is prevalent in dairy animals at Landhi Cattle Colony, Karachi causing huge economic looses to the farmers. An effective control strategy with a focus on education of farmers regarding proper husbandry practices and use of efficient FMD vaccination strategy may be helpful in reducing the burden of diseases.
Towards a Bayesian Model of Data Visualization Cognition

—Data visualizations are often used to assist decision making with probabilistic data. Different cognitive biases can affect the accuracy of user insights gained during the visual analytics process. However, evaluating bias in visualization usage is challenging and difﬁcult to quantify. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian inference model based on cognitive science research to ﬁll this gap. We outline the details for this model and the evaluation steps, including an end-to-end demonstration experiment that we performed. The results provide initial validation for using a Bayesian inference model to quantitatively measure bias in visual analytics.
Seroprevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B virus infection among health care workers at the Institute of Neurology.

OBJECTIVES To define the seroepidemiology of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among health care workers (HCWs) in the Institute of Neurology, and to evaluate the risk factors of HBV markers. MATERIAL AND METHOD Blood samples were taken from 548 HCWs for HBV profiling (HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc) by Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay (MEIA) methods. Questionnaires of demographics, type, and duration of work, history of blood exposure, HBV vaccination, and non-occupational risks of HBV infection were interviewed. RESULTS Twenty-nine (5.3%) HCWs were HBsAg positive, 135 (24.6%) had anti-HBc with anti-HBs suggesting immunity acquired from a previous HBV infection, 232 (42.3%) had totally negative profiles, 40 (7.3%) had anti-HBc only, 105 (19.2%) had protective levels of anti-HBs, 7 (1.3%) had low anti-HBs levels. The significant risk factors included not having received the hepatitis B vaccine, male gender, past history of jaundice, viral hepatitis, family history of hepatoma, spouse with hepatitis B, and duration of employment in a clinical environment exceeding 5 years. No significant differences were found among HCWs regarding frequency of exposure to blood products. CONCLUSION Base on the significant risk factors of hepatitis B virus infection among HCWs, these findings will help implement effective measures aimed at preventing HBV infection.
ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL MARINE PARK OF ALONISOS IN NORTH SPORADES ISLANDS

The National Marine Park of Alonisos in North Sporades was established in 1983. Its purpose was mainly to protect the threatened by extinction population of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus. In the present work we attempt to assess the effectiveness of the management of this marine park, which is active for almost 30 years. We tried to assess the pollution of the marine environment, as well as to record the public opinion about the operation of the Marine Park. A sampling cruise was carried out in the area during the summer of 2011. Water samples were collected from 18 sampling points around the area. In addition, appropriate questionnaires were distributed to the residents and tourists of the island of Alonnissos in order to investigate the public opinion. 78 residents and 86 tourists responded to the appeal to participate to our investigation. Very low values were determined for PO4 (0.00 – 0.08 μmol/l) and NO2 (0.01 – 0.09 μmol/l). The values of NO3 fluctuated between 0.00 and 4. 35μmol/l and the ones of silicates between 0.03 and 0. 40μmol/l. According to the eutrophication criteria used, the water of the marine park is characterized as oligothrophic to low mesotrophic. Low values were also determined for the dissolved heavy metals (the mean values for Cu, Mn, Cd and Pb were 0.32, 0.64, 0.04 and 0.15 μg/l respectively) with the exception of Zn where quite elevated values were found (mean value 3.83 μg/l). In conclusion, according to our determinations, the marine park is in a fair environmental condition from the chemical point of view. According to the questionnaires, the common resident’s profile consists of a person about 40 years old which has received secondary education. The majority of the residents (64%) can be characterized as not very sensitive regarding the protection of marine environment, although they harbor an opposite opinion (up to 90%) about themselves. The residents’ opinion about the contribution of the Marine Park to their life quality is divided as 33% believe that it is positive, 36% believe that it is negative and the rest 31% believe that it is neutral. On the other hand, a high percentage (80%) believes that the management of the Marine Park is inadequate. The common tourist’s profile consists of a persons about 40 years old with university education and being well informed about the Marine Park, which is an attraction for him. The tourists of the area have the willingness to contribute to the protection of the Marine Park by abiding to the regulations and having good environmental behaviour. The majority of them are satisfied with the management of the Marine Park. They are less environmentally sensitive than expected, and also in comparison to what they believe for themselves
P o S ( N O W 2 0 1 6 ) 0 0 8 Estimation of reactor neutrino fluxes

Reactor antineutrinos have been indispensable for our understanding of neutrino mass and mixing. At the same time, discrepancies between the observed and predicted reactor νe rate and energy spectra have grown as the precision of these measurements has improved. Measurements of the electrons emitted following fission result in the most precise predictions for the corresponding νe flux, and our understanding of the potential systematic differences between the fission e− and νe fluxes has improved. Measurements of individual fission daughter isotopes and their decays are fraught with uncertainties, yet still provide insight into these discrepancies. Detailed comparisons of νe measurements among reactors are also shedding new light on this topic.
STANDARD AND SCANNING LASER HARDENING PROCEDURE

Laser hardening is one of the most common laser applications. The standard “wide-spot” method uses a direct diode laser with a large spot which moves evenly along a treated area. The scanning method uses a small laser spot in combination with a laser scanning head, which allows very fast laser spot displacements. This technique is based on very fast laser beam sweeping which is perpendicular to main laser treatment trajectory. The fast sweeping beam acts like a continuous wide laser spot. These two laser hardening techniques are described and compared in this contribution. Experimental procedures and results examples are introduced. HPDD (High Power Direct Diode) laser with spot dimensions 6 x 12 mm was used for widespot hardening and a solid state disc laser with spot diameter 800 μm and laser scanning head allowing spot displacement speed up to 21.5 m/s were used for scanning method hardening. Results comparison and main advantages or drawbacks of both the methods are discussed in this contribution.
VLF Electromagnetic Waves Observed by DEMETER

of Doctoral Thesis Frantǐsek Němec Department of Surface and Plasma Science V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 Study branch: f2 – Physics of Plasmas and Ionized Media Supervisors: Doc. RNDr. Ondřej Santoĺık, Dr. and Dr. Michel Parrot Prague, September 2009 Univerzita Karlova v Praze Matematicko–fyzikálńı fakulta Elektromagnetické vlny v pásmu VLF pozorované družićı DEMETER Autoreferát disertačńı práce Frantǐsek Němec Katedra fyziky povrch̊u a plazmatu V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 Obor: f2 – Fyzika plazmatu a ionizovaných prostřed́ı Školitelé: Doc. RNDr. Ondřej Santoĺık, Dr. a Dr. Michel Parrot Praha, zář́ı 2009 Disertačńı práce byla vypracována na základě výsledk̊u vědecké práce na Katedře fyziky povrch̊u a plazmatu, Ústavu fyziky atmosféry Akademie věd ČR a laboratoři LPC2E/CNRS v Orléans ve Francii v letech 2006–2009 během mého doktorandského studia na Matematicko-fyzikálńı fakultě Univerzity Karlovy v Praze a Univerzitě v Orléans ve Francii. Uchazeč: RNDr. Frantǐsek Němec Katedra fyziky povrch̊u a plazmatu MFF UK V Holešovičkách 2 180 00 Praha 8 Školitelé: Doc. RNDr. Ondřej Santoĺık, Dr. Katedra fyziky povrch̊u a plazmatu MFF UK V Holešovičkách 2 180 00 Praha 8 Dr. Michel Parrot LPC2E/CNRS 3A Avenue de la Recherche Scientifique 45071 Orléans Cedex 2 France Oponenti: RNDr. Vladimı́r Fiala, CSc. Ústav fyziky atmosféry Akademie věd ČR Bočńı II 1401 141 31 Praha 4 Dr. Jacques Zlotnicki Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand 24 av des Landais 63177 Aubière Cedex France
Chapter 1 Mitochondrial Cardiomyopathy

Mitochondrial diseases are multisystem disorders, resulting from mitochondrial electron transport chain dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation due to pathogenic variants in mitochondrial or nuclear DNA. The clinical presentations are variable in the age of onset, symptoms, and range and severity of organ involvement. Diagnosis requires a multidisciplinary approach and is based on clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, histopathological findings, and genetic analysis. Due to the multi-organ involvement, the evaluation of mitochondrial diseases should include a systemic screening for all targeted organs, including neuroimaging, ophthalmology, and hearing examinations. Cardiac involvement should be evaluated at the time of diagnosis, as cardiac involvement is an independent predictor of morbidity and early mortality, even in asymptomatic cases. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common cardiac manifestation; however, mitochondrial cardiomyopathy might also present as left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) or as dilated, histiocytoid, or restrictive cardiomyopathy. The precise evaluation of cardiac involvement is of clinical use in predicting future cardiac events and prognosis. Despite advancements in molecular biology, no satisfactory treatments for mitochondrial diseases exist. Treatment remains largely symptomatic and does not significantly alter disease progression.
Spline-based frames for image restoration

We present a design scheme to generate tight and semi-tight frames in the space of discrete-time periodic signals, which are originated from four-channel perfect reconstruction periodic filter banks. The filters are derived from interpolating and quasi-interpolating polynomial splines. Each filter bank comprises one linear phase low-pass filter (in most cases interpolating) and one high-pass filter, whose magnitude response mirrors that of a low-pass filter. In addition, these filter banks comprise two band-pass filters. In the semi-tight frames case, all the filters have linear phase and (anti)symmetric impulse response, while in the tight frame case, some of band-pass filters are slightly asymmetric. We introduce the notion of local discrete vanishing moments (LDVM). In the tight frame case, analysis framelets coincide with their synthesis counterparts. However, in the semi-tight frames, we have the option to swap LDVM between synthesis and analysis framelets. The design scheme is generic, and it enables to design framelets with any number of LDVM. The computational complexity of the framelet transforms, which consists of calculation of the forward and the inverse fast Fourier transforms and simple arithmetic operations, practically does not depend on the number of LDVM and on the size of the impulse response of filters. The designed frames are used for restoration of images, which are degraded by blurring, random noise and missing pixels. The images were restored by the application of the Split Bregman Iterations (SBI) method.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR AND EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE WITH LOCAL CULTURE MODERATION ” PELA GANDONG ”

This study aims to analyze the factors that influence OCB and employee’s performance with moderation of local heritage pela gandong culture. The population is the employees of the banking industry in Ambon City, Maluku province, Indonesia with amount of sample which are 187. To analyze the data, the researcher using structural equation model with the help of lisrel software. The results showed that: 1) personality had positive and significant effect on OCB, 2) transformational leadership had negative and significant effect on OCB, 3) organizational justice had positive and significant effect on OCB, 4) personality had no significant effect on employee performance, 5) transformational leadership has positive and significant impact on employee performance, 6) organizational fairness has no significant effect on employee performance, 7) OCB has positive and significant effect on employee performance, 8) There is indirect positive influence between personality and employee performance through OCB, 9) There are indirect negative effects between transformational leadership and employee performance through OCB, 10) There is an indirect positive influence between organizational fairness and employee performance through OCB, 11) local culture of pela gandong strengthens personality relationship with OCB, 12) local culture pela gandong does not affect transformational leadership relationships with OCB, 13) local culture pela gandong weakens the relationship of organizational justice with OCB.
Fiber-based architecture for NFV cloud databases

The telco industry is gradually shifting from using monolithic software packages deployed on custom hardware to using modular virtualized software functions deployed on cloudified data centers using commodity hardware. This transformation is referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). The scalability of the databases (DBs) underlying the virtual network functions is the cornerstone for reaping the benefits from the NFV transformation. This paper presents an industrial experience of applying shared-nothing techniques in order to achieve the scalability of a DB in an NFV setup. The special combination of requirements in NFV DBs are not easily met with conventional execution models. Therefore, we designed a special shared-nothing architecture that is based on cooperative multi-tasking using user-level threads (fibers). We further show that the fiber-based approach outperforms the approach built using conventional multi-threading and meets the variable deployment needs of the NFV transformation. Furthermore, fibers yield a simpler-to-maintain software and enable controlling a trade-off between long-duration computations and real-time requests.
Scattered Versus Shared Wavelength Path Operation , Application to Output Buffered Optical Packet Switches . A comparative study

Commercial application of Optical Packet Switching (OPS) to backbone WDM networks is far from reality mainly due to hardware costs. The two envisaged alternatives for network control and operation of this type of networks, proposed under the WASPNET project, are Scattered Wavelength Path (SCWP) and Shared Wavelength Path (SHWP). The advantages and drawbacks of both approaches involve many different issues, some of them still open. In this paper, the impact of SCWP and SHWP switching modes on performance and hardware costs is discussed and evaluated for three different prominent OPS switch fabric designs: KEOPS switch, space switch, and output-buffered wavelength-routed switch. To achieve it, we conduct a necessary set of modifications for these architectures, which were not originally conceived with SCWP/SHWP modes in mind. This normalization process is unavoidable to provide a fair comparison among the switch fabric designs, and to advance to a global comparison between SCWP and SHWP operational modes, which to the knowledge of the authors does not exist yet.
Islamic Investment : Evidence From Dow Jones and FTSE Indices

Despite the increasing attention to Islamic investment, the empirical studies on Islamic indices and/or funds are scarce. Due to increased monitoring costs, availability of a smaller investment universe, and restricted potential for diversification, it has been argued that unscreened benchmarks should outperform Islamic (ethical) investment. This paper examines the impact of the Shari[ah screening on the performance of FTSE Global Islamic index and Dow Jones Islamic Market Index (DJIMI) using a number of performance measurement techniques. We particularly examine whether returns earned by investors who purchases shares in the FTSE Global Islamic and DJIMI indices are significantly different from their indices counterparts, both in the short-run and long-run. In order to capture the impact of the changes in the economic conditions on the indices performance, we divide the sample period into bull and bear market periods. Our findings provide strong evidence to reject the assumption that shari[ah investing offer inferior investment performance compared to unscreened portfolios.
Prediction equations for nonlinear SDOF response from the ITalian ACcelerometric Archive : preliminary results

Modern earthquake resistant design procedures are based on inelastic deformation of structures as the primary source of seismic energy dissipation. On the other hand, design actions are based on probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), which refers to elastic acceleration response spectrum ordinates. Reconciliation between reference elastic demand and required inelastic performance is made via relationships calibrated on single degree of freedom (SDoF) systems, developed in the last decades and widely adopted by codes (mostly in approximate forms). Recently, is earning interest the possibility to develop PSHA directly in terms of nonlinear structural response to improve accuracy in definition of structural design targets. This may require a prediction equation (also referred to as attenuation model) for the structural response measure of interest. In this paper, the possibility to develop an attenuation law for nonlinear SDOF responses based on the recent Italian Accelerometric Archive (ITACA) is explored. Other than being specifically based on Italian data, the study has the advantage of considering more than one hysteretic loops, at different oscillation periods, for one strength reduction factor. Moreover, cyclic response is also considered, together with prediction of peak structural deformation. Interestingly, preliminary results indicate that standard deviation of residuals is practically not changing passing from elastic to inelastic response.
A METHODOLOGY FOR THE EMPIRICAL IDENTIFICATION OF DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES – THE CASE OF LOCAL BANKING DRAFT !

In this paper we propose a two-stage methodology for the empirical identification of dynamic capabilities. The first stage of the methodology aims to identify the competitive advantage of the firm and to control the effect of market power on firm success. The purpose of the first stage is to identify the existence of competitive advantage that is sustained over a period of time in a changing competitive environment. The second stage concentrates on the in-depth identification of the capability. The first stage of the methodology is applied in an analysis of Finnish banking markets. In order to find out the competitive advantage of the firm we estimate differences both in production costs and in the pressure of competition faced by bank groups. The analysis is based on a panel analysis of the local banking markets during 2002–2005.
On the lack of thermal percolation in carbon nanotube composites

Recent experiments demonstrated very low percolation thresholds for carbon nanotube composites signified by steep increases in electrical conductivity at very low nanotube loadings. By contrast, thermal transport measurements, even on the same samples, showed no signature of the percolation threshold. These contrasting behaviors are particularly intriguing considering that both transport processes are described by the same continuum equation. In this letter we present a theoretical analysis based on finite element calculations that expose the underlying reasons for markedly different behaviors of electrical and thermal transport in high aspect ratio fiber composites.