Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutions, economic structure and economic policy: What lies beneath inflation in Latin America?

In this paper we examine the importance of institutional arrangements and factors related to the economic structure to explain inflation outcomes in Latin America. We perform a dynamic panel data analysis with an ample set of variables that allowed us to consider the temporal dimension of the data, and to control for endogeneity. Results lead us to believe that institutional arrangements –other than central bank independence– have played an important role in terms of inflation outcomes in Latin America. Variables that may affect inflation via time consistency problems seem somewhat more relevant than those suggested by optimal tax considerations. In particular, the negative correlation between political constraints to changes in public policies and inflation in Latin America is quite suggestive. We find that less flexible exchange rate regimes, advances in structural policies, and better government institutions have contributed to the reduction in inflation rates in the region. Faster growing countries exhibited lower inflation rates. Openness to trade seems to be positively correlated with inflation, suggesting that more open economies are more exposed to external shocks, allowing countries to benefit in terms of importing lower international inflation rates in recent years. Other variables did not prove to be significant. JEL #: E31, E63
EUROPEAN COMMON COCKCHAFER (MELOLONTHA MELOLONTHA L.): PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ATTRACTION TO GREEN LEAF ODOURS

A synthetic mixture of typical compounds from green-leaf odours [(3Z)-3-hexenyl acetate : (3Z)-3-hexen-1-ol : benzaldehyde : (2E)-2-hexen-1-ol : 1-hexanol; 100:20:10:1:1] or freshly damaged oak leaves (Quercus sessiliflora SALISB.) were tested for field attraction using funnel traps in Hungary. Males of the European common cockchafer Melolontha melolontha L. (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae) were significantlyattracted to both baits, confirm ing recent findings of RUTHER et al. (2000) on the closelyrelated M. hippocastani FABR. The phenomenon that volatiles from damaged leaves from host plants are attractive towards adult males seems to be widespread in the genus Melolontha. The present results mayform a good basis for starting the development of a monitoring trap for M. melolontha.
The Impact of Annual and Seasonal Rainfall Patterns on Growth and Phenology of Emergent Tree Species in Southeastern Amazonia, Brazil

Understanding tree growth in response to rainfall distribution is critical to predicting forest and species population responses to climate change. We investigated inter‐annual and seasonal variation in stem diameter by three emergent tree species in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southeast Pará, Brazil. Annual diameter growth rates by Swietenia macrophylla demonstrated strong positive correlation with annual rainfall totals during 1997–2009; Hymenaea courbaril growth rates demonstrated weak positive correlation, whereas Parkia pendula exhibited weak negative correlation. For both Swietenia and Hymenaea, annual diameter growth rates correlated positively and significantly with rainfall totals during the first 6 mo of the growing year (July to December). Vernier dendrometer bands monitored at 4‐wk intervals during 3–5 yr confirmed strong seasonal effects on stem diameter expansion. Individuals of all three species expanded in unison during wet season months and were static or even contracted during dry season months. Stems of the deciduous Swietenia contracted as crowns were shed during the early dry season, expanded slightly as new crowns were flushed, and then contracted further during 3–5 wk flowering periods in the late dry season by newly mature crowns. The three species’ physiographic distribution patterns at the study site may partially underlie observed differences in annual and seasonal growth. With most global circulation models predicting conditions becoming gradually drier in southeast Amazonia over the coming decades, species such as Swietenia that perform best on the ‘wet end’ of current conditions may experience reduced growth rates. However, population viability will not necessarily be threatened if life history and ecophysiological responses to changing conditions are compensatory.
Cognitive Ability and Bidding Behavior in Second Price Auctions: An Experimental Study

Behavioral biases are more pronounced for individuals with lower cognitive abilities. This paper examines what connection if any there is between cognitive ability and bidding strategy in second price auctions. Despite truthful revelation being a weakly dominant strategy, previous experiments have consistently observed overbidding, which makes use of such auctions for inferring homegrown value problematic. Examining the effect of cognitive ability is important as it may help identify when one can reliably recover values from bids. The results indicate that more cognitively able subjects behave in closer accordance with theory, and that cognitive ability partially explains heterogeneity in bidding behavior.
Liquefaction Response of Partially Saturated Sands. I: Experimental Results

The liquefaction response of partially saturated loose sandswas experimentally investigatedto assess theeffect of partial saturation on thegenerationof excessporewater pressures.Anexperimental setup includingacyclicsimpleshearliquefaction boxwas devisedandman- ufactured.Theboxincludesporepressureanddisplacementtransducersaswellasbenderelementsandbendingdiskstomonitortheresponseof partially saturated specimens. Uniform partially saturated specimens with controlled density and degree of saturation were prepared by wet pluviationofpowderedsodiumperboratemonohydratemixedwithOttawasand.Thereactionofthesodiumperboratewithporewaterreleased minute oxygen bubbles, thus reducing the degree of saturation of the specimens. The uniformity of a specimen was confirmed with S wave velocity measurements and a high-resolution digital camera. The P wave velocity measurements could only confirm the presence of partial saturation but not the degree of saturation. Partially saturated specimens with varying relative densities and degrees of saturation when tested under a range of cyclic shear strains do not achieve initial liquefaction defined by maximum pore pressure ratio (ru,max) being 1.0. For a given degree of saturation and cyclic shear strain amplitude, the larger the relative density, the smaller is ru,max. For a given degree of saturation and relative density, the larger the shear strain amplitude, the larger is ru,max. The excess pore pressure ratio (ru) can be significantly smaller than ru,max depending on the number of cycles of shear strain. Tests on the sustainability of partial saturation under upward flow gradient and base excitation led to the conclusion that the specimens remained partially saturated without significant change in the degree of saturation. Based on the experimental test results presented in this paper, an empirical model for the prediction of ru in partially saturated sands under earthquake excitation is presented in a companion paper. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000815. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Soil liquefaction; Soil treatment; Saturated soils; Sand (soil type); Pore pressure; Cyclic tests; Entrainment; Bubbles; Experimentation. Authorkeywords:Soilliquefaction;Soiltreatment;Saturation;Porepressure;Cyclictests;Entrainment;Bubbles;Inducedpartialsaturation; Liquefaction mitigation; Bender elements; Bending disks.
Fixed-point iterations in determining the Tikhonov regularization parameter

We review a Tikhonov parameter criterion based on the search for local minima of the function Ψμ(λ) = x(λ)yμ(λ), μ > 0 where x(λ) and y(λ) are the squared residual norm and the squared solution norm, respectively, proposed earlier by Regińska (1996, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 3 740). As a consequence, we demonstrate that extreme points of Ψμ(λ) are fixed points of a related function, and then propose a fixed-point algorithm for choosing the Tikhonov parameter. The algorithm constructs a regularization parameter associated with the corner of the L-curve in log–log scale, thus yielding solutions with accuracy comparable to that of the L-curve method but at a lower computational cost. The performance of the algorithm on representative discrete ill-posed problems is evaluated and compared with results obtained by the L-curve method, generalized cross-validation and another fixed-point algorithm from the literature.
INFLUENCE OF METHODS OF PRIVATIZATION ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF FIRMS LISTED IN NAIROBI STOCK EXCHANGE

Privatization policy was recommended by the World Bank and officially adopted by the Kenya government in 1991. Since, 1991 over 140 of the 207 former state owned Enterprises earmarked for privatization have been private. Different methods have been employed to privatize these state owned enterprises (SOEs). The main objective of carrying out this study was to find out whether the method employed in divesting from these SOEs does have an impact on the post divestiture financial performance of the said enterprises in terms of profit, liquidity, solvency and productivity using expost facto survey design. The target population was 11 companies; eight privatized by public floatation, one by competitive bidding and two by preemptive rights listed in Nairobi stock exchange by 2005. A sample of six companies, one sold by competitive bidding and two sold by pre-emptive rights were purposively selected while three out of eight were sold by public floatation were selected by simple random. Secondary data was collected from records in Nairobi Stock Exchange. Data was analyzed through working out mean ratios on financial performance five years for the prior and post privatization period for the selected firms. Paired t-test was used to examine whether mean differences on performance are significant. The findings indicated that; the firm privatized by competitive sale showed significant improvement on profit, liquidity, solvency and productivity. In firms privatized by public floating one firm recorded significant improvement on liquidity, the second on in liquidity and solvency and third on profitability, liquidity, and productivity. In firms privatized by pre
A critical review on special forming processes and associated research for lightweight components based on sheet and tube materials

Lightweight materials, such as ultra-high strength steel, titanium alloys and aluminum alloys, are used widely in aerospace and automobile industries leading to increasing demands for advanced forming technologies. Recently many innovative sheet- and tube-forming methods have been proposed by researchers and R&D facilities around the word. These methods can greatly improve the formability of materials with low plasticity and can produce complex-shaped parts with good surface qualities. This review aims at providing an insight into the latest developments of particular sheet- or tubular-metal forming process and shows basic applications in modern industry.
ARCSECOND RESOLUTION MAPPING OF SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSION IN THE CIRCUMSTELLAR ENVELOPE OF VY CANIS MAJORIS

We report Submillimeter Array observations of SO2 emission in the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of the red supergiant VY Canis Majoris, with an angular resolution of ≈1″. SO2 emission appears in three distinct outflow regions surrounding the central continuum peak emission that is spatially unresolved. No bipolar structure is noted in the sources. A fourth source of SO2 is identified as a spherical wind centered at the systemic velocity. We estimate the SO2 column density and rotational temperature assuming local thermal equilibrium (LTE) as well as perform non-LTE radiative transfer analysis using RADEX. Column densities of SO2 are found to be ∼1016 cm−2 in the outflows and in the spherical wind. Comparison with existing maps of the two parent species OH and SO shows the SO2 distribution to be consistent with that of OH. The abundance ratio is greater than unity for all radii larger than 3 × 1016 cm. SO2 is distributed in fragmented clumps compared to SO, PN, and SiS molecules. These observations lend support to specific models of circumstellar chemistry that predict 1$? > and may suggest the role of localized effects such as shocks in the production of SO2 in the CSE.
Taxonomic and ecological aspects of Myrceugenia mesomischa (Myrtaceae), an endemic tree from southern Brazil

Myrceugenia mesomischa (Burret) D. Legrand & Kausel (Myrtaceae), a tree species poorly cited in floristic and phytosociological surveys in its area of known occurrence, was recorded as one of the species with the highest importance value in a fragment of Araucaria forest in Sao Francisco de Paula municipality, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The species was abundant in the understory strata of the forest, showing the highest frequency and density of the survey. Considering the paucity of data on the species, its degree of rarity and endemism (occurring only in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, Brazil), more studies are needed to evaluate the true current state of conservation of populations of this species.
YOUNG STARS IN AN OLD BULGE: A NATURAL OUTCOME OF INTERNAL EVOLUTION IN THE MILKY WAY

The center of our disk galaxy, the Milky Way, is dominated by a boxy/peanut-shaped bulge. Numerous studies of the bulge based on stellar photometry have concluded that the bulge stars are exclusively old. The perceived lack of young stars in the bulge strongly constrains its likely formation scenarios, providing evidence that the bulge is a unique population that formed early and separately from the disk. However, recent studies of individual bulge stars using the microlensing technique have reported that they span a range of ages, emphasizing that the bulge may not be a monolithic structure. In this Letter we demonstrate that the presence of young stars that are located predominantly nearer to the plane is expected for a bulge that has formed from the disk via dynamical instabilities. Using an N-body+ smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation of a disk galaxy forming out of gas cooling inside a dark matter halo and forming stars, we find a qualitative agreement between our model and the observations of younger metal-rich stars in the bulge. We are also able to partially resolve the apparent contradiction in the literature between results that argue for a purely old bulge population and those that show a population comprised of a range in ages; the key is where to look.
Aggregation equations with fractional diffusion : preventing concentration by mixing

We investigate a class of aggregation-diffusion equations with strongly singular kernels and weak (fractional) dissipation in the presence of an incompressible flow. Without the flow the equations are supercritical in the sense that the tendency to concentrate dominates the strength of diffusion and solutions emanating from sufficiently localised initial data may explode in finite time. The main purpose of this paper is to show that under suitable spectral conditions on the flow, which guarantee good mixing properties, for any regular initial datum the solution to the corresponding advection-aggregation-diffusion equation is global if the prescribed flow is sufficiently fast. This paper can be seen as a partial extension of [Kiselev & Xu, Arch. Rat. Mech. Anal. , 222(2):1077-1112, 2016], and our arguments show in particular that the suppression mechanism for the classical 2D parabolic-elliptic Keller–Segel model devised by Kiselev and Xu also applies to the fractional Keller–Segel model (where Δ is replaced by −(−Δ)γ2) requiring only that γ>1. In addition, we remove the restriction to dimension d<4. As a by-product, a characterisation of the class of relaxation enhancing flows on the d-torus is extended to the case of fractional dissipation.
An integral involving general polynomials and the $H$-function of several complex variables

The aim of this paper is to derive an integral pertaining to a product of Fox's $ H $-function [1], general polynomials given by Srivastava [6, p.185, Eq.(7)] and $ H $-function of several complex variables given by Srivastava and Panda [7, p.271, Eq. (4.1)] with general arguments of quadratic nature. The integral thus obtained is believed to be one of the most general integral established so far. The findings of this paper are sufficiently general in nature and are capable of yielding numerous (known or new) results involving classical orthogonal polynomials hitherto scattered in the literature.
FACTORS AFFECTING EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: EVIDENCE FROM SPANISH PISA 2006 RESULTS

Recently published results from PISA 2006 Report show the existence of significant divergences in test scores among students from different Spanish regions participating in this evaluation. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential causes of those divergences. For this purpose, an efficiency approach is adopted in order to determine in what extent the students make the most of the resources they have at their disposal. Subsequently, the effect of multiple variables on results is tested through a two-stage procedure. Results show that students enrolled in private or subsidized schools have lower levels of efficiency. In contrast, neither class nor school size has influence on students´ efficiency levels. Galicia and La Rioja are identified as the most efficient regions, while the Basque Country and Catalonia are considered the most inefficient ones. However, those divergences cannot be only attributable to schools, which only account for an average of 15 percent of inefficiency with no significant divergences among regions.
Evaluation of the relationship between venous function and post exercise oxygen consumption recovery kinetics

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) has been attributed to metabolic, hemodynamic, neuroendocrine, and pulmonary factors. In one particular study, Barclay (J Appl Physiol 1986;61(3):1084-90) suggested that a lower rate of fatigue and hyperperfusion following a bout of exercise was due to a mechanism other than increased oxygen and substrate delivery. Interestingly, few studies have examined the influence of venous function on EPOC. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between measures of vascular function and EPOC. Measures of vascular function and VO2 recovery kinetics were examined in 20 individuals [age=22+2.41 yrs]. Nondominant forearm arterial inflow, venous capacitance and venous outflow were evaluated at rest and after 5 minutes of upper arm occlusion, using strain gauge plethysmography. VO2 recovery kinetics was assessed using gas exchange analysis following a six-minute constant work rate protocol at 60 percent of VO2peak, on a cycle ergometer. The average VO2peak was 33.48+8.22 ml/kg/min (Range: 18.7 to 46.1 ml/kg/min). Recovery half-time (T1/2VO2) and Tao were 17.01+3.51 seconds and 54.45+11.28 seconds, respectively. Resting inflow was 2.77+1.51 ml/100ml/min, reactive hyperemic blood flow was 17.72+3.65 ml/100ml/min, venous capacitance was 2.86+0.72 percent, and venous outflow was 34.19+10.03 ml/100ml/min. Bivariate correlations revealed significant associations between T1/2VO2 and the reactive hyperemic response (r=-0.48, p=0.03) and T1/2VO2 and venous outflow post-occlusion (r=-0.50, p=0.02). In conclusion, these findings suggest an important role of both the arterial and venous circulation on EPOC. iv
Semantic-based operators to support car sketching

This paper presents a first step in the elaboration of a semantic-based modelling environment addressed to the conceptual design phase of an industrial product. Up to now, shape generation and manipulation in aesthetic design are still based on low-level geometric tools that come from the classical computer-aided design paradigm. On the other hand, the design of a product is mainly driven by designers’ creativity and high-level constraints. To capture and structure the semantics embedded in the first sketches representing the product, an ontology has been devised to guide more easily the generation and manipulation of curves that are basic elements of the product description in the early design phase. This ontology includes a taxonomy of the aesthetic curves in the automotive field and a curve manipulation setting based on a shape grammar, creating explicit connection between the two contexts.
NEW CONSTRAINTS ON QUANTUM GRAVITY FROM X-RAY AND GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS

One aspect of the quantum nature of spacetime is its “foaminess” at very small scales. Many models for spacetime foam are defined by the accumulation power α, which parameterizes the rate at which Planck-scale spatial uncertainties (and the phase shifts they produce) may accumulate over large path lengths. Here α is defined by the expression for the path-length fluctuations, δ ℓ ? > , of a source at distance ℓ, wherein δ ℓ ≃ ℓ 1 − &agr; ℓ P &agr; ? > , with ℓ P ? > being the Planck length. We reassess previous proposals to use astronomical observations of distant quasars and active galactic nuclei to test models of spacetime foam. We show explicitly how wavefront distortions on small scales cause the image intensity to decay to the point where distant objects become undetectable when the path-length fluctuations become comparable to the wavelength of the radiation. We use X-ray observations from Chandra to set the constraint &agr; ≳ 0.58 ? > , which rules out the random-walk model (with &agr; = 1 / 2 ? > ). Much firmer constraints can be set by utilizing detections of quasars at GeV energies with Fermi and at TeV energies with ground-based Cerenkov telescopes: &agr; ≳ 0.67 ? > and &agr; ≳ 0.72 ? > , respectively. These limits on α seem to rule out &agr; = 2 / 3 ? > , the model of some physical interest.
Psychosocial Predictors of Post-traumatic Growth in Patients after Myocardial Infarction

The present research was conducted to investigate the psychosocial predictors of post-traumatic growth in patients after myocardial infarction. A sample of 90 patients with myocardial infarction (Men = 53; Women = 37) were recruited with an age range of 45-65 years using cross-sectional research design and purposive sampling technique. Urdu translations of Big Five Inventory (Raiha, 2012; originally developed by John and Srivastava, 1999), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Qureshi, 2011; originally developed by Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet and Farley, 1988), Brief COPE (Akhtar, 2005; originally developed by Carver, 1997) and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (Arif, 2011; originally developed by Tedeschi and Calhoun,1996) were used to assess personality traits, perceived social support, coping strategies and post-traumatic growth, respectively. Post-traumatic growth was found to be positively related with personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience and negatively related with neuroticism. Post-traumatic growth and perceived social support were positively correlated with each other. Post-traumatic growth was also found to be positively related with the use of problem focused and active emotional coping and negatively related with the use of avoidant emotional coping. Moreover, personality trait of openness to experiences and high perceived social support predicted high post-traumatic growth; while, use of avoidant emotional coping predicted low post-traumatic growth. These findings provide an important insight into the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth which can be utilized for the benefit of people in enhancing and promoting positive psychological growth after experiencing heart attack.