Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of nominal wage rigidity and wage setting from Icelandic microdata

This paper presents new evidence about wage stickiness and the nature of wage setting. We use a unique micro dataset on monthly frequency, covering wages in the Icelandic private sector for the period from 1998-2010, and draw the following conclusions. First, the mean frequency of wage change is 10.8% per month. When weighted for heterogeneity across industries and occupations the result is almost identical; the frequency of change is 10.5% per month. Second, only 0.5% of monthly wage changes are decreases. Third, the mean duration of wage spells is 8.9 months. Onefifth of wage spells last longer than a year while other spells last for one year or shorter. Fourth, wage setting displays strong features of time-dependence: half of all wage changes are synchronised in January, but other adjustments are staggered through the year. Fifth, there is limited evidence of state-dependence: frequency of wage increases, size of increases, frequency of wage decreases and size of decreases do not correlate with inflation. However, both frequency and size of wage decreases have significant correlation with unemployment. Sixth, the hazard function for wages is mostly flat during the first months but has a large twelve-month spike. These facts align with a model of time-dependent wage contracts of fixed duration.
The predictive validity of the selection battery used for junior leader training within the South African National Defence Force

The principal objective of the study was to determine the predictive validity of the test battery used for the selection of junior leaders in the South African National Defence Force. A sample of 96 respondents completed certain indices of the SPEEX-Battery as well as the Advanced Ravens Progressive Matrices test. The test results were compared with the course results. Using canonical correlation analysis, a highly significant relationship was found between the independent variables and the dependent variables (r = 0,787; p is less than 0,00005). The predictors with the highest loadings were cognitive ability, conceptualisation, reading comprehension, listening potential, physical stress, and mental stress. Opsomming Die hoofdoelwit van die studie was om die voorspellingsgeldigheid van die toetsbattery vir keuring van junior leiers in die Suid Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag te evalueer. ’n Steekproef van 96 respondente het sekere indekse van die SPEEX-Battery asook die Advanced Ravens Progressive Matrices toets voltooi. Die toetsresultate is vervolgens vergelyk met die kursusuitslae. Die veranderlikes is aan kanoniese korrelasie-ontleding onderwerp wat ’n betekenisvolle verwantskap opgelewer het tussen die onafhanklike veranderlikes en die afhanklike veranderlikes (r = 0,787; p is kleiner as 0,00005). Die voorspellers met die hoogste ladings was kognitiewe vermoe, konseptualisering, leesbegrip, luisterpotensiaal, fisieke stres en psigiese stres.
Pathogenesis of common glomerular diseases – role of the podocyte cytoskeleton

Glomerulus is the filtration unit of the kidney where the first step of urine formation takes place. In the glomerulus, water and small molecules including waste products of the body are filtered into the urine, while large molecules essential for body function such as albumin are retained. When this barrier function of the kidney is impaired, protein leakage into the urine (proteinuria) occurs. Proteinuria is not only a hallmark of many glomerular diseases but also a prognostic marker of kidney disease progression. Visceral glomerular epithelial cells (commonly called podocytes) are known to have an important role in the maintenance of glomerular barrier function. In the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in podocyte biology, mainly led by the discoveries of important proteins that work together to maintain the intricate morphology and function of podocytes. Most of these so-called podocyte proteins modulate the actin cytoskeleton either directly or indirectly. The aim of the current review is to discuss the pathogenesis of common glomerular diseases with a particular focus on the role of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes. The diseases covered include minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (idiopathic and hereditary), membranous nephropathy, hypertensive glomerulosclerosis, and diabetic nephropathy.
A PROPERTY RIGHTS THEORY OF THE FIRM AND MIXED COMPETITION: A COUNTER-EXAMPLE REVISITED

The property rights theory of the firm argues that nonproprietary firms operate inefficiently and can not successfully compete against for profit firms without subsidies, government enforced protection, or some other intervention. Friesner and Rosenman (2001) provided an alternative explanation for the persistence of mixed competition, basing it on preferences of the administrators of nonproprietary firms. If the management of a nonproprietary firm is willing to trade profit and compensation for other goals, the firm can effectively compete in a mixed market. In this note we show that, in general, their model is unstable, thus making it an inadequate explanation for the persistence of mixed competition markets. However, we offer a pair of simple changes to their model that we believe may better reflect market reality, that provides the necessary stability for mixed competition to persist, and discuss how this change alters the policy implications of their original work.
Exceptional points in Faddeev scattering problem

Exceptional points are values of the spectral parameter for which the homogeneous Faddeev scattering problem has a non-trivial solution. We study the existence/absence of exceptional points for small perturbations of conductive potentials of arbitrary shape and show that problems with absorbing potentials do not have exceptional points in a neighborhood of the origin. A criterion for existence of exceptional points is given.
Every Binary Self-Dual Code Arises From Hilbert Symbols

In this paper we construct binary self-dual codes using the \'etale cohomology of $\mathbb{Z}/2$ on the spectra of rings of $S$-integers of global fields. We will show that up to equivalence, all self-dual codes of length at least 4 arise from Hilbert pairings on rings of $S$-integers of $\Q$. This is an arithmetic counterpart of a result of Kreck and Puppe, who used cobordism theory to show that all self-dual codes arise from Poincar\'e duality on real three manifolds.
Effect of Oenotannin Addition on the Composition of Sangiovese Wines from Grapes with Different Characteristics

Different types of oenotannins were added to Vitis vinifera cv. Sangiovese grapes of various composition and the resulting wine color parameters were measured, including intensity, hue, total phenol index, monomer anthocyanin content, and colored polymeric pigment content. Oenotannins were also tested during pre- and postfermentation on grapes harvested in 2003 from two growing areas. Grapes from the 2004 harvest were tested at different ripeness using only oenotannins exhibiting the best wine color stabilization in 2003. The response of different oenotannins varied according to grape characteristics, with gallnut and grape seed tannins most reliably stabilizing and increasing color intensity even after six months of storage. The same tannins positively affected wine color stabilization, an effect further enhanced in wine produced from less ripe grapes. Timing of oenotannin addition and grape characteristics had a significant effect on color intensity and stabilization. The estimation of grape phenolic maturity may allow for improved wine color characteristics by tailoring the use of oenotannins.
Time-dependent brittle creep in Darley Dale sandstone

[1] The characterization of time-dependent brittle rock deformation is fundamental to understanding the long-term evolution and dynamics of the Earth's crust. The chemical influence of pore water promotes time-dependent deformation through stress corrosion cracking that allows rocks to deform at stresses far below their short-term failure strength. Here, we report results from a study of time-dependent brittle creep in water-saturated samples of Darley Dale sandstone (initial porosity, 13%) under triaxial stress conditions. Results from conventional creep experiments show that axial strain rate is heavily dependent on the applied differential stress. A reduction of only 10% in differential stress results in a decrease in strain rate of more than two orders of magnitude. However, natural sample variability means that multiple experiments must be performed to yield consistent results. Hence we also demonstrate that the use of stress-stepping creep experiments can successfully overcome this issue. We have used the stress-stepping technique to investigate the influence of confining pressure at effective confining pressures of 10, 30, and 50 MPa (while maintaining a constant 20 MPa pore fluid pressure). Our results demonstrate that the stress corrosion process appears to be significantly inhibited at higher effective pressures, with the creep strain rate reduced by multiple orders of magnitude. The influence of doubling the pore fluid pressure, however, while maintaining a constant effective confining pressure, is shown to influence the rate of stress corrosion within the range expected from sample variability. We discuss these results in the context of microstructural analysis, acoustic emission hypocenter locations, and fits to proposed macroscopic creep laws.
A reevaluation of crystal-size distributions in chromite cumulates

Abstract Although studies have shown that igneous cumulates can form by in situ crystallization without requiring crystal settling, it has not been demonstrated that crystal-size distributions (CSDs) are consistent with such a process. Plots of crystal-size fractions per unit volume vs. crystal size for chromite grains from the Stillwater complex show a log-linear distribution with negative slope at larger sizes and a concave-down distribution at smaller sizes. The log-linear portion of these trends is similar to previously reported trends for other silicate and oxide phases in crystallizing magmas. However, the lack of smaller grain sizes indicates that the original population was altered during a postnucleation crystalaging period that resulted in the loss of the smaller size fractions, an interpretation consistent with textural and volume-balance evidence. The CSD trends imply that Cr was not concentrated by settling of chromite but was brought to the site of the growing chromite grains. Similarities between the Stillwater data and CSD trends for garnet in metapelites suggest that such trends are a characteristic feature of any geologic system undergoing crystal aging after an initial period of nucleation and crystal growth.
La promoción de la actividad física relacionada con la salud en el ámbito escolar: implicaciones y propuestas a partir de un estudio realizado entre adolescentes

El presente articulo tiene el objetivo fundamental de presentar una serie de implicaciones y propuestas para la promocion de la actividad fisica relacionada con la salud en el ambito escolar, a partir de un estudio realizado con adolescentes escolares (12-18 anos) de la provincia de Teruel sobre sus niveles de actividad fisica (Cantera-Garde y Devis-Devis, 2000). Las implicaciones que se presentan se derivan de los resultados mas significativos del estudio relativos a los niveles de actividad fisica, tanto globales como por genero, edad, epoca del ano, dia de la semana e intensidad de las actividades. El articulo termina con una propuesta de fases encadenadas en el proceso de promocion de la actividad fisica relacionada con la salud, como paso previo a la creacion de una linea especifica de investigacion en la materia. Estas fases son las siguientes: 1. Necesidad de realizar estudios para comparar resultados; 2. Unificacion de criterios a la hora de definir lo que es "activo" y "actividad fisica apropiada"; 3. Elaboracion de recomendaciones de actividad fisica basadas en estudios espanoles; 4. Desarrollo de programas de promocion de la actividad fisica relacionada con la salud, y 5. Evaluacion de los programas y publicacion de los resultados. El sector educativo, en general, y la asignatura de Educacion Fisica, en particular, juegan un papel importante en todo este proceso.
A Model of Monetary Policy Shocks for Financial Crises and Normal Conditions

In late 2008, deteriorating economic conditions led the Federal Reserve to lower the federal funds rate to near zero and inject massive liquidity into the financial system through novel facilities. The combination of conventional and unconventional measures complicates the challenging task of characterizing the effects of monetary policy. We develop a novel method of identifying these effects that maintains the classic assumptions that a central bank reacts to output and the price level contemporaneously and may only affect these variables with a lag. A New-Keynesian DSGE model augmented with a representative financial structure motivates our empirical specification. The equilibrium model provides theoretical support for our choice of different series to replace variables that were popular in models of monetary policy but became problematic in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. One of our most important innovations is to utilize the Divisia M4 index of money as the policy indicator variable. The model is bolstered by its ability to produce plausible responses to a monetary policy shock in samples that include or exclude the recent crisis period.
Influence of Seed Orientation on Bean Seedling Emergence1

Observation from an unrelated field bean experiment indicated that certain seed orientations might reduce emergence. Consequently, studies were initiated to determine if orientation variations occur in planting and if these variations influence emergence. Orientation of bean seeds, dropped into both "V" and flat-bottom furrows, were classified and tabulated. In "V" furrows almost all orientations were possible; 36% assumed the "lay-flat" orientation. In the flat-bottom furrow 85% of the beans were in the "lay-flat" position. The influence of 11 different seed orientations on emergence was evaluated in greenhouse studies. With crusted soils seeds planted "hypocotyl end down" produced significantly less emerged seedlings (1% level) and a lower emergence rate. Orientation effects were observed to a lesser degree in noncrusted soils. The adverse influence of "hypocotyl end down" orientations was attributed to seed rotation within the soil. For controlled plantings the "lay-flat" orientation is recommended due to both its high frequency of occurrence and high emergence.
The Epidemiology ofMood Disorders

Research in epidemiology is critical to understanding mood disorders for several reasons. First, on a societal level, health care planning can be assisted by assessing the magnitude of the burden of disease in the population. Mood disorders are among the major health problems world wide for two reasons: they are highly prevalent in the general population, and they cause significant loss of quality of life and social functioning in the affected individual. Further, mood disorders contribute to a poorer outcome of comorbid mental as well as somatic conditions. On the basis of epidemiological data and health economic measures based on clinical severity ratings it has been projected that major depression will be responsible for the largest burden of disease of any illness by the year 2020 (Murray and Lopez, 1996). With regard to health care planning, the assessment of the effectiveness of intervention programs in the community is important. Second, in addition to the mere reporting of prevalence or incidence rates in a circumscribed population (descriptive epidemiology), analytical epidemiology supplements clinical research in identifying vulnerabilities as well as factors that trigger the onset, and influence the course of the condition under study. This is particularly applicable to mental disorders. It is well known that subjects with mental disorders often do not seek psychiatric consultation (Goldberg and Huxley, 1980); therefore, cases that come under the observation of specialists cannot be considered fully representative of the characteristics of psychiatric disorders in the general population. Epidemiological community surveys consistently show that the number of cases referred to psychiatrists is relatively small and unlikely to be representative of psychiatric disorders as they occur in the
Segmental Bayesian estimation of model parameters from neuronal spike train data ( )

Multi-electrode recording is now a common technique to simultaneously collect neuronal spike data of a population of the neurons in a brain region, and thus allows exploring various underlying functions of the brain. Computational modeling usually emerges when the parameters of interest can not be directly measured by the experiments. However, the inverse problem of estimating parameters from spike trains is severely ill-posed due to the huge mismatch in the system complexity between the brain and the model, and thus needs a stochastic approach to find most likely solutions among many possible ones. Since the brain typically exhibits complicated dynamics that is difficult for the model to reproduce, the modeling errors are inevitable. In the present thesis, we introduce a novel methodology based on the Bayesian inference framework to overcome that challenging issue. The experimental spike data is fractioned into short time segments and the model parameters are estimated segment by segment in the constraint that the segmental estimates are fluctuated around the neuronal estimates. By relaxing the parameter search, the segmental Bayes has been hypothesized to compensate the modeling errors and thus improve the estimation accuracy. The performance evaluation on experimental data indicated that the segmental Bayes outperforms the conventional Bayes and the minimum error method by minimizing the fitting errors in the feature space. It also had a strong robustness against non-stationarity of the spike data. To enable its further applications, verification of our proposed methods using simulation spike data was conducted. Unlike the experimental data, it is straightforward to measure the estimation errors because the true parameter values of the simulation data are known. Superiority of the segmental Bayes was also confirmed by the simulation data. We thus argue that the segmental Bayes provides a useful tool in neuroscience to estimate model parameters from spike trains with complicated dynamics. Thesis Supervisor: Tokuda T. Isao Title: Professor
Noncommercial Trading in the Energy Futures Market

This paper utilizes a new approach to an examination of price impacts of speculators on futures markets. It focuses initially on specially obtained data on commodity “pools,” which are large funds of money that may move quickly between and across futures markets and other financial markets; it then broadens the scope to include large noncommercial traders in general. This research also differs from previous work in its comparison and analysis of the holdings of large commercial and noncommercial traders, and demonstrates that changes in noncommercial positions in energy futures markets are closely related to price changes in those markets. The paper concludes that noncommercial traders are likely to switch between markets and add to “hot money” flows, and that noncommercial traders follow price trends in energy markets rather than set them.
Excess volume and viscosity of ethoxy ethanol with n-butylamine, sec-butylamine, tert-butylamine, n-hexylamine, n-octylamine and cyclohexylamine

Densities and viscosities of ethoxy ethanol (EEL) with n-butylamine (NBA), sec-butylamine (SBA), tert-butylamine (TBA), n-hexylamine (NHA), n-octylamine (NOA) and cyclohexylamine (CHA) have been measured at 308.15 K. Fromthe experimental data the excess volume (V E ), deviation in viscosity (η E ) and the excess molar Gibb's free energy of the activation of viscous flow (G* E ) have been computed and presented as function of composition. The parameter d' of the Grunberg and Nissan has been calculated. The observed variations of the properties for the above mixtures conclude that the interactions between unlike molecules predominate over the dissociation effects in the individual components. It is also evident that the presence of strong interactions between unlike molecules is predominant and characterized by the negative V E and positive η E , G* E and d 1 values. The excess volume, deviation in viscosity and excess molar Gibb's free energy of the activation of viscous flow have been fitted to Redlich-Kister equation to derive the coefficients and standard deviations.
PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION AMONG PILGRIMS VISITING ER AT ALMADINAHALMONAWARRH , 2016 .

Yousef AbdulazizEkhmimi, Wala'a AbdulmalikAlraddadi, Abdullah Hasan Alhojaili, Bashaer AbdulfattahAlrehaili, Mohammed MuznAlharbi, Afnan Ahmed Alfraidy, Mohammed A Kareem and Alhassan Ali Alghamdi. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taibah University, College of medicine. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History
Incision and channel morphology across active structures along the Peikang River, central Taiwan: Implications for the importance of channel width

River morphology and dynamics are strongly influenced by active tectonics. We report channel dynamics for the Peikang River, which flows through the Hsuehshan Range in central Taiwan. Using a digital elevation model and field surveys, we constrain channel morphology for an ∼90 km stretch of river to calculate unit stream power and boundary shear stress along the river path. Incision rates are estimated with optically stimulated luminescence dating of sand deposited on strath terraces. We find a strong correlation between unit stream power/shear stress and incision rate, but only if variation in channel width is considered. A calibrated river incision rule implies river incision rates of ∼9–13.5 mm/yr upstream of the Meiyuan and Tili faults and suggests that one or both of these structures are presently active. Our results indicate that the Shuilikeng fault is also actively deforming, as incision rates increase to ∼6–10 mm/yr across it, compared to 1–4 mm/yr in adjacent reaches. Prominent narrowing across the Shuilikeng fault, and the absence of significant gradient variation indicate that channel width is a first-order morphological adjustment to differential incision. Only when the channel width-to-depth ratio reaches a minimum does the channel slope significantly adjust to local changes in base level, as is the case upstream of the Meiyuan and Tili faults.