Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
indication$of$how$large$ τ$can$be$and$still$give$meaningful$estimates.$Such$error$ estimates$are$presented$for$logFbinned$spectra$in$Figures$9,11,12,$and$13$in$the$ms.$ $ Similar$MC$estimates$were$done$for$instrumental$data$and$multiproxyF reconstructions$in$Rypdal$and$Rypdal$(2014)$with$DFA,$and$wi

The concept of multiple scaling regimes in temperature time series is examined, with emphasis on the question whether or not a mono-scaling model with one single scaling regime can be rejected from observation data from the Holocene. A model for internal variability with only one regime is simpler, and allows more certain predictions on time scales of centuries when combined with existing knowledge of radiative forcing. Our analysis of spectra from stable isotope ratios from 5 Greenland and Antarctica ice cores shows that a scale break around centennial time scales is evident for the last glacial period, but not for the Holocene. Spectra from a number of late Holocene multiproxy temperature reconstructions, and one from the entire Holocene, have also been analysed, without identifying a significant scale break. Our results indicate that a single-regime scaling climate noise, with some non-scaling fluctuations on millennial time scale superposed, cannot be rejected 10 as a null model for the Holocene climate. The scale break observed from the glacial time ice core records is likely caused by the influence of Dansgaard-Oeschger events and teleconnections to the Southern hemisphere on centennial time scales. From our analysis we conclude that the two-regime model is not sufficiently justified for the Holocene to be used for temperature prediction on centennial time scales. 15
Genes of renin-angiotensin system, growth factors and - lipoxygenase pathway and atherosclerosis of carotid arteries in type 2 diabetes

6 Uvod . 8 Geni renin-angiotenzinskega sistema . 10 Geni rastnih dejavnikov . 10 Geni lipooksigenazne poti . 10 Hipoteze doktorske disertacije . 11 Cilji in namen doktorske disertacije . 11 Raziskava 1. 12 Polimorfizmi genov za žilni endotelijski rastni dejavnik (rs2010963) in njegov receptor (rs2071559) in markerji karotidne ateroskleroze pri bolnikih s sladkorno boleznijo tipa 2 Raziskava 2. 19 Povezava polimorfizmov ACE rs4646994 in rs 4341 z napredeovanjem karotidne ateroskeroze pri slovenskih bolnikih s sladkorno boleznijo tipa 2 Raziskava 3. 26 Polimorfizem gena arahidonske 5-lipooksigenaze (ALOX5) in polimorfizem gena arahidonske 5-lipooksigenaze aktivacijskega proteina (ALOX5AP) in označevalci karoitdne ateroskleroze pri bolnikih s sladkorno boleznijo tipa 2 Raziskava 4. 33 Polimorfizma rs699 in rs4762 angiotenzin gena in napredovanje karotidne ateroskleroze pri bolnikih s sladkorno boleznijo tipa II Raziskava 5. 39 Povezava polimorfizmov (rs275651, rs931490 in rs 5182) angiotenzin II tip 1 receptorja z napredovanjem karotidne ateroskeroze pri kavkazijski rasi s sladkorno boleznijo tipa II Literatura . 50 Zaključek . 52
Working Paper Series No 84 / September 2018 Reconstructing and stress testing credit networks by

Financial networks are an important source of systemic risk, but often only partial network information is available. In this paper, we use data on bank-firm credit relationships in Japan and conduct a horse race between different network reconstruction methods in terms of their ability to reproduce the actual credit networks. We then compare the different reconstruction methods in terms of their implied systemic risk levels. In most instances we find that the observed credit network significantly displays the highest systemic risk level. Lastly, we explore different policies to improve the robustness of the system.
Consumers ’ Knowledge of and Preference for Indigenous Vegetables : A Market Demand and Consumption Behavior Analysis

Katuk (Sauropus androgynous), kucai (Allium odorum), honje (Etlingera elatior) and tebu telor (Saccharum officinarum) are four indigenous vegetables that have a high market demand in greater Bogor and Jakarta, Indonesia. Demand for all four commodities exceeds existing supply in village, subdistrict and city markets. A consumers’ preference survey was conducted to inform local smallholder farmers, traders and other stakeholders on opportunities for expanding production and commercialization of those indigenous vegetables. Data was collected from 150 shoppers in three village markets, Leuwiliang subdistrict market, and Bogor city market. Results indicated that city and subdistrict consumers are more affluent, quality conscious, and willing to pay higher prices if commodities are perceived to be scarce. City and subdistrict consumers visit markets a minimum of weekly. They prefer markets as the main source of vegetables to meet their household needs. Village consumers are price conscious and quality aware. They visit markets less than monthly and will decrease their purchases if they perceive prices are high or if quality low. Village consumers prefer to purchase vegetables directly from neighboring farmers rather than go to the market themselves for both convenience and to save time and money. Consumers at all levels are generally satisfied with commodity prices, availability and quality, but would increase their purchases if availability and quality improved. City and subdistrict consumers are willing to pay premium prices one to four times higher for high quality commodities. This would provide farmers and traders the opportunity to increase the production, processing and marketing of quality commodities. Commercialization opportunities are better in lucrative city and subdistrict markets. In serving this demand, farmers and traders need to be mindful of the additional costs related to producing and transporting higher quality commodities. Katuk and kucai are familiar to all consumers and demand for these products is strong. Honje and tebu telor have positive market recognition, but are less familiar and available to consumers in the lucrative markets. Efforts to expand marketing of honje and tebu telor should include enhancing consumer awareness.
Cross-VM Cache Timing Attacks on Virtualized Network Functions

SUMMARY Network function virtualization (NFV) achieves the ﬂex-ibility of network service provisioning by using virtualization technology. However, NFV is exposed to a serious security threat known as cross-VM cache timing attacks. In this letter, we look into real security impacts on network virtualization. Speciﬁcally, we present two kinds of practical cache timing attacks on virtualized ﬁrewalls and routers. We also pro-pose some countermeasures to mitigate such attacks on virtualized network functions.
Effects of Economic Growth on Poverty Reduction In Nigeria

This paper explored the effect of economic growth on poverty reduction in Nigeria using a time series data spanning from 1980-2016. Unit Root and Johansen Cointegration tests were carried out to determine stationarity and long-run relationship among the variables respectively, while the VAR was carried out to determine the effect of Government expenditure, unemployment growth rate and Real GDP on poverty incidence. The result shows that Government expenditure is positively related to poverty incidence. This suggests that the poor are not benefitting from the economy at large, especially from total government expenditure. The GDP coefficient (a proxy for economic growth) conforms to the a-priori expectation, which depicts a negative relationship between economic growth and poverty incidence, while unemployment relates positively to poverty reduction. Therefore, the government should work more on job creations by focusing more on the labour -intensive sectors, basically, Agricultural and Industrial sectors. Also, economic growth and government spending should be directed at the pro-poor projects, mostly the Bottom-40 percent by providing the essential amenities, especially good infrastructures, financial benefits and aids to families with dependant children, and old people, also, medical aids should be available for the poor.
The Value of Color Doppler Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis

Objective: To explore the diagnostic function of color Doppler ultrasonography for senile arteriosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS). Methods: We selected 85 patients suffered from atherosclerotic hypertension and analyze ultrasound parameters of renal artery, which include peak systolic velocity ( PSV ), end diastolic velocity ( EDV ), resistance index ( RI ), accelerate time ( AT ) and acceleration ( AC ). We calculated the PSV ratio of the renal artery to the abdominal aorta (RAR), the PSV ratio of the renal artery to the interleaf artery (RIR). Double blind method was used in this study and renal arteriography was used as the gold standard. Result: Color Doppler ultrasound is a useful diagnostic technique for atherosclerotic RAS. PSV≥160 cm/s, RAR>2.3 is an indicator of stenosis ≥ 50%, while interlobular artery AT>0.07s suggests more than 75% of RAS.
Antifungal Activity of Capsicum frutescens and Allium cepa against Aspergillus spp . : An Application of Scientific Process Skills by High School Students

Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus are known to induce risks including aspergillosis in humans and common crop drought to plants. Allium cepa (white onion) and Capsicum frutescens (cayenne pepper) have been reported as having some antifungal potential. Thus, to practice scientific process skills, high school biology students investigated whether A. cepa and C. frutescens extracts are effective antifungal agents against these two pathogens. Sensitivity testing using Kirby-Bauer assay revealed that C. frutescens was more effective against A. niger and A. flavus. C. frutescens extract alone produced an inhibition zone of 19.29 mm for A. niger and 10.47 mm for A. flavus. Using t-test and repeated measures ANOVA (95% level of confidence), the results were comparable to an antifungal drug miconazole. It is therefore concluded that C. frutescens or the mixture of C. frutescens and A. cepa extracts (50-50 v/v) can be effectively used as antifungal agent against A. niger. This study possibly serves as a model for students to learn the scientific method practically and to experience different process skills essential in biological research tangibly.
Antioxidant and Detoxification Activities of Gill and Digestive Gland of Lamellidens Marginalis ( Mollusca : Bivalvia ) Exposed to Azadirachtin

Thyroid hormones regulate a number of physiological functions in the body (Fujita, 1988). We hypothesized thyroid hormone may have an important role in regulating the function and cytomorphology of retina of eye and bicep muscle in rat. We treated experimental group of rat with methimazole intraperitoneally to induce hypothyroid like conditions. Methimazole induced hypothyroid rat exhibited drastic changes of retinal tissue. Hypothyroid rat exhibited the changes in the architecture of rat biceps. Therefore, hypothyroidism may be an important cause for visual problem as well as thyroid myopathy.
Time Zone Difference and Employee Coordination: Evidence from Mergers

I study the impact of time zone differences (TZDs) among firm segments on employee coordination in a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) setting. A model describing the synergy generated from real-time cooperation among employees suggests that TZDs impede employee coordination and reduce productivity. The model predicts negative market reactions to cross-timezone M&A announcements. Using a sample of 3228 public M&A deals in the US, I find that the TZDs between acquirers and targets have a substantial negative effect on combined firm announcement returns: A one-hour TZD is associated with a decrease of 0.52-0.62% in the announcement return of the combined firm. Neither geographic distance nor cultural difference drives the negative effect. Consistent with the model predictions, the negative effect is stronger if the combining firms have high labor intensity or small employee numbers, or if they are similar in labor size or are in high-technology industries. I also find that, after cross-time-zone M&A, firms experience significant decline in operating performance and are more likely to conduct employee layoffs. Firms that conduct layoffs can recover their performance. Additional tests suggest that acquirers do not lower their offer price in cross-time-zone M&A and therefore, bear most of the costs caused by TZDs.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Detection of Solar-like oscillations in the G7 giant star ξ Hya

We report the ﬁrm discovery of solar-like oscillations in a giant star. We monitored the star ξ Hya (G7III) continuously during one month with the CORALIE spectrograph attached to the 1.2m Swiss Euler telescope. The 433 high-precision radial-velocity measurements clearly reveal multiple oscillation frequencies in the range 50 – 130 µ Hz, corresponding to periods between 2.0 and 5.5 hours. The amplitudes of the strongest modes are slightly smaller than 2 ms − 1 . Current model calculations are compatible with the detected modes.
Effect of different herbicides on growth and yield of onion ( Allium cepa L . )

The experiment was carried out at ‘C’ Block Farm of BCKV, Nadia,West Bengal, India for two consecutive years to study the efficacy of some herbicides on growth and yield of onion cv. Sukhsagar. Eight treatments were included. The experiment was laid out in RBD with 3 replications. The treatments were: T1Oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC as preplanting and at 30 DAT, T2Oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC as pre-planting + Quizalofop Ethyl 5% EC at 30 DAT, T3Oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC + Quizalofop Ethyl 5% EC at planting and at 30 DAT, T4Pendimethalin 30% EC as preplanting and at 30 DAT,T5Pendimethalin 30% EC as pre-planting + Quizalofop Ethyl 5% EC at 30 DAT,T6Pendimethalin 30% EC + Quizalofop Ethyl 5% EC at planting and at 30 DAT, T7Oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC as preplanting + hand weeding at 30 DAT and T8Weedy check. The results revealed that application of pendimethalin (T4) recorded maximum plant height (59.42cm), leaf number (7.17), bulb weight (76.06g), marketable yield (22.95t ha-1) as compared to minimum values of 50.08, 5.33, 54.44g and 13.81 t ha-1 under weedy check plots. The total dry weight of weeds was lowest (10.94g m-2) under T7 treatment followed by T4 (16.66 g m-2) and T5 (19.51 g m-2). The same trend was also noticed in case of weed control efficiency i.e., maximum value (90.21%) in T7 followed by T4 (85.12%) and T5 (82.44%). The highest additional benefit (Rs. 45750.00 per ha) over control was recorded in T4 treatment. The pendimethalin may be recommended as most effective herbicide for onion cultivation under alluvial zone of West Bengal.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF COMPRESSED STABILIZED EARTH BLOCKS AND WALLS

The use of compacted stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) in load bearing masonry is largely developed during the last decades. This paper reports on an experimental study of the chemical and mechanical stabilization effects on the compressive strength of earth blocks and triplet/walls. The blocks prepared with a high sandy soil mixed with rising cement and/or lime contents and compacted at 7 MPa, are tested in uniaxial compression. The triplet and walls built with these CSEB units were joined with a cement/earth mortar. Static uniaxial compression tests have been performed on samples of small triplets/walls made of CSEB. The results show that the compressive strength values of earth blocks treated with stabilisers were generally increased by rising the additive content. The increase of earth/cement blocks resistances was found more marked in comparison with those of earth/lime. It was also observed that the blocks prepared with an optimal content of lime along with cement have led to continuous increases of mechanical strength up to values greater than 5MPa. The relationship between the blocks and triplets compressive strengths as function of stabilizer content (cement/lime) is linear. In the range of cement content from 6 to 8 %, the compressive strength of triplets are respectively 16 %and 20 % higher than those of walls.
Image Multi-scale feature maps Convolutional backbone Cls Loc Regress

Recently, a lot of single stage detectors using multi-scale features have been actively proposed. They are much faster than two stage detectors that use region proposal networks (RPN) without much degradation in the detection performances. However, the feature maps in the lower layers close to the input which are responsible for detecting small objects in a single stage detector have a problem of insufficient representation power because they are too shallow. There is also a structural contradiction that the feature maps have to deliver low-level information to next layers as well as contain high-level abstraction for prediction. In this paper, we propose a method to enrich the representation power of feature maps using Resblock and deconvolution layers. In addition, a unified prediction module is applied to generalize output results and boost earlier layers’ representation power for prediction. The proposed method enables more precise prediction, which achieved higher score than SSD on PASCAL VOC and MS COCO. In addition, it maintains the advantage of fast computation of a single stage detector, which requires much less computation than other detectors with similar performance.
Nudging the Digital Pirate : An Empirical Investigation of the Conversion of Digital Pirates to Paying Customers

Piracy is a significant source of concern facing content developers, including video game developers, music labels, and movie production companies. Firms continue to invest in digital rights management (DRM) technologies to thwart piracy, but their efforts are quickly defeated by hackers and pirates. In the context of piracy, we also observe a surprising phenomenon: pirates often choose to purchase the digital good after pirating it. From an economic standpoint, one would expect the pirates to not gain any additional utility by converting to a paying customer. In light of this observation, we explore the integration of construal level theory with other theories from the digital piracy literature to determine the impact that exogenous construal level manipulation may have on the pirate’s decision to convert, allowing us to observe how intentions are impacted when high or low levels are activated. We find that the manipulation of construal level does have an impact on the decision to pirate or purchase. We also find that construal level interacts with other variables such as perceived behavioral control and attitude among others, thereby providing management with useful insights to combat digital piracy.
Self-Description Questionnaire : Adaptation to Emirati High Schools

Self-concept is now a recognized worldwide research topic and even in the Gulf region, where the lack of studies is still evident, there are studies that analyzed the generalizability of the multifaceted and hierarchal Marsh/Shavelson model. However, Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQIII especially designed for late adolescents and adults) was never object of study in this context. Therefore, this instrument was translated into Arabic and adapted to Emirati high schools and respective psychometric qualities will be presented. In this research 990 students from three private schools in Dubai answered SDQIII, being the majority female students (53.7%), with ages between 13 and 20 years old (M=15.66; SD=1.03), and evenly distributed across the three grades: 31.8% from 10 grade, 33.4% from 11 grade, and 34.7% from 12 grade. The instrument revealed positive correlations between the majority of its dimensions, Cronbach’s alphas between . 66 and . 92, and extracted 52% of total variance (distributed amongst 8 factors). Overall, SDQIII showed satisfactory psychometric qualities, but it is recommended that dimensions as Problem Solving and Academic Self-Concept to be revised. Key-Words: Self-Description Questionnaire; Self-concept; high school; United Arab Emirates; Dubai; psychometric qualities.
Adolescents ’ conceptualisations of kindness and its links with well being : a focus group study

There has been a recent surge of interest from researchers, policymakers, and the general public in how kindness can promote well-being. Even though adolescence is a key period for the development of relevant value systems and mental health, little is known about adolescents’ understanding of kindness. Six focus groups were conducted with 11to 15year-olds, exploring their conceptualisations of kindness. Thematic analysis revealed a multifaceted understanding, identifying ten different categories of kind behaviour that are influenced by situational antecedents as well as specific selfand other-focused goals. Crucially, participants also identified a number of moderators, including contextual and dispositional factors (e.g., features of social relationships, levels of empathy) that support and extend current theoretical frameworks. Responses from participants reinforced the idea that kindness contributes to well-being for the recipient and the giver. These findings have implications for the future design and efficacy of kindness-based well-being interventions for adolescents.
Firms ’ exporting , employment and wages : evidence from Chile

This paper uses plant-level microdata from the Chilean National Manufacturing survey matched with administrative customs records for the period 1995-2007 to investigate the impact of starting to export on the dynamics of employment and wages of skilled and unskilled labor at the firm level. I develop a model of international trade with two dimensions of firm heterogeneity and sorting across destinations that predicts that trade liberalization should increase demand for unskilled labor and average wages of skilled labor through an upgrading in the skill composition, and that these effects are increasing in the income of destination countries. Using matched sampling techniques to control for self selection, I find that firms that start exporting increase their employment of low-skilled workers on average by 12%, but that exporting has no statistically significant effect on average low-skilled wages. On the other hand, exporting has on average a 10% positive effect on high-skill wages, and as predicted by the theoretical model, skill upgrading is stronger for firms exporting to high-income destinations. These results are qualitatively confirmed using a triple difference estimator which compares firms experiencing above versus below-median tariff reductions during Chile’s trade liberalization between 1996 and 2007, highlighting an important mechanism that may have contributed to the persistence of high levels of income inequality in the country.
Pietro Scodiero Consonni Bolsa Família and formal employment: evidence from Brazilian municipalities

Consonni, Pietro Scodiero; Souza, Pedro Carvalho Loureiro de (Advisor); Zilberman, Eduardo (Co-Advisor). Bolsa Família and formal employment: evidence from Brazilian municipalities. Rio de Janeiro, 2018. 79p. Dissertação de mestrado – Departamento de Economia , Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. In this paper we study the impact of Bolsa Família’s CCTs on the number of formal jobs at the municipality level. We find a highly heterogeneous effect across municipalities. Previous works on this topic considered only the effect on the average municipality. We show evidence that the program’s effect can be five times higher on the poorest municipalities, corresponding to 1% increase in formal jobs for a 10% increase in the number of beneficiaries. To accomplish so, we combine administrative data on the program enrollment with data on the universe of formal jobs. This allows us to overcome the problem of measurement error in the treatment variable. Robustness checks indicate that the effect remains significant after controlling for health, educational, climatic shocks, financial and political factors.