Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation and North-South Technology Transfer in a Cash-in-Advance Economy

This study analyzes the cross-country effects of monetary policy on innovation and international technology transfer via cash-in-advance (CIA) constraints on R&D investment. We consider a scale-invariant North-South quality-ladder model that features innovative R&D in the North and adaptive R&D in the South. We find that an increase in the Southern nominal interest rate causes a permanent decrease in the rate of international technology transfer, a permanent increase in the North-South wage gap, and a temporary decrease in the rate of Northern innovation. An increase in the Northern nominal interest rate causes a temporary decrease in the rate of Northern innovation, a permanent decrease in the North-South wage gap, and an ambiguous effect on the rate of international technology transfer depending on the relative size of the two economies. We also calibrate the model to China-US data and find that the cross-country welfare effects of the CIA constraints are quantitatively significant. Specifically, permanently decreasing the nominal interest rate to zero in China leads to a welfare gain of 3.37% in China and a welfare gain of 1.25% in the US. Permanently decreasing the nominal interest rate to zero in the US leads to welfare gains of 0.33% in the US and 1.24% in China.
Contribution ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY ON THE EFFECT OF BACTERIOCINS ON TARGET CELLS : A NEW METHOD FOR VISUALISING ITS MODE OF ACTION

The aim of this study was to visualise the effect of various bacteriocins on target cells using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and to evaluate this method as a standard in the determination of the mode of action of bacteriocins. The interaction between various bacteriocins and target cells was studied using different methods, such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), cell lysis, and extracellular leakage of β-galactosidase. Vesiculation was clearly visible on cells of Lactobacillus sakei DSM 20017 after treatment with bacteriocin ST62BZ, bacteriocin ST63BZ, bacteriocin ST611BZ and bacteriocin ST612BZ produced by E. faecium and Lactococcus lactis, respectively. Changes in morphology, such as collapse and the formation of pores of Enterococcus faecium HKLHS, were observed after treatment with bacteriocin ST69BZ produced by L. plantarum. An inhibitory effect as observed by reduced growth of sensitive strains in presence of bacteriocins or as result of detection of extracellular levels of β-galactosidase was recorded when L. sakei DSM 20017 and E. faecium HKLHS were treated with bacteriocins ST62BZ, ST63BZ, ST611BZ,
Monetary Policy and Nigeria’s Economy: An Impact Investigation

The major objective of this study is to empirically analyze the impact of monetary policy on the economy of Nigeria. To achieve this major objective, the study made use of broad money supply (M2) and credit to the private sector (CPS) as the independent variables explaining the dependent variable which is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The time series data employed cover the period of 1996 to 2016 and have been collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin. The statistical tool used in this study is the multi regression and student t-test with the aid of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) to analyze the impact of the individual explanatory variables on the economy. The result indicates that the monetary policy in Nigeria does not have significant impact on the economy. At 5% level of significance, the broad money supply (M2) is 0.36 > 0.05 while the CPS shows 0.22 > 0.05. The result proves that the broad money supply has not been properly regulated and the bank lending rate to the private sectors so high that the economy has been adversely affected. The study therefore, recommends that the Central Bank of Nigeria should put every machinery in place to ensure that the monetary policy is geared towards economic growth through substantial reduction of bank lending rate to the private sector and proper regulation of broad money supply.
Agricultural biotechnology: how big is it globally?

Transgenic crops were first grown commercially on a large scale in 1996 when 1.7 million hectares (Mha) were planted. During the intervening years, the area in transgenic crops grew to 67.7 Mha in 2003. This rate of adoption of a new technology is remarkable, but similar to rapid adoption of other breakthrough technologies of the past (James, 2003). While many different types of transgenic plants have been grown experimentally, relatively few have been grown commercially, and only soybean, maize, cotton and canola are grown on a large scale. The limited number of transgenic crops grown, and their concentration in just a few countries, is a reflection of the resistance shown by consumers in some parts of the world to this new technology (Alston, 2004). Each year since transgenic crops were first planted, it has been anticipated by some that the adoption of this technology will plateau and eventually decline because of consumer resistance and governmental barriers in some regions of the world. This does not seem to be happening and an analysis of recent trends suggests that widespread adoption will continue to expand beyond the United States. The United States remains the largest producer of transgenic crops, with more than half of the world-wide area in 2003. Rates of adoption of transgenic crops in some developing countries, however, have been rapid. Argentina was one of the early adopters of herbicide-tolerant soybean. In 1996–1997, 1% of the crop was genetically modified (GM), but by 2001–2002 more than 90% of the crop was transgenic. An even more-rapid adoption of transgenic maize has occurred in Argentina (Trigo and Cap, 2003). Approval for planting of transgenic soybean in Brazil was given in 2003, and it was conservatively estimated that more than 3 Mha would be planted in 2003–2004 (James, 2003). Agricultural Biotechnology: How Big is it Globally?
Global study of quadrupole correlation effects

We discuss the systematics of ground-state quadrupole correlations of binding energies and mean-square charge radii for all even-even nuclei, from {sup 16}O up to the superheavies, for which data are available. To that aim we calculate their correlated J=0 ground state by means of the angular-momentum and particle-number projected generator coordinate method, using the axial mass quadrupole moment as the generator coordinate and self-consistent mean-field states restricted only by axial, parity, and time-reversal symmetries. The calculation is performed within the framework of a nonrelativistic self-consistent mean-field model by use of the same Skyrme interaction SLy4 and to a density-dependent pairing force to generate the mean-field configurations and to mix them. These are the main conclusions of our study: (i) The quadrupole correlation energy varies between a few 100 keV and about 5.5 MeV. It is affected by shell closures, but varies only slightly with mass and asymmetry. (ii) Projection on angular momentum J=0 provides the major part of the energy gain of up to about 4 MeV; all nuclei in the study, including doubly magic ones, gain energy by deformation. (iii) The mixing of projected states with different intrinsic axial deformations adds a few 100 keV up to 1.5 MeVmore » to the correlation energy. (iv) Typically nuclei below mass A{<=}60 have a larger correlation energy than static deformation energy whereas the heavier deformed nuclei have larger static deformation energy than correlation energy. (v) Inclusion of the quadrupole correlation energy improves the description of mass systematics, particularly around shell closures, and of differential quantities, namely two-nucleon separation energies and two-nucleon gaps. The correlation energy provides an explanation of 'mutually enhanced magicity'. (vi) The correlation energy tends to decrease the shell effect on binding energies around magic numbers, but the magnitude of the suppression is not large enough to explain the relative overbinding at N=82 and N=126 neutron-shell closures in mean-field models. (vii) Charge radii are also found to be sensitive to the quadrupole correlations. Static quadrupole deformations lead to a significant improvement of the overall systematics of charge radii. The dynamical correlations improve the local systematics of radii, in particular around shell closures. Although the dynamical correlations might reduce the charge radii for specific nuclei, they lead to an overall increase of radii when included, in particular in light nuclei. « less
Medicinal Plants: Rescuing a Global Heritage

This report gives a global view of the importance of medicinal plants in international development. It examines issues that are economic, political, legal, and social; and covers fields in human and animal health and medicine, agriculture, and forestry. The experiences and efforts of China and India are highlighted. During the past decade, dramatic sales increases attest to a renaissance of both medicinal plants and the traditional health practitioners who prescribe them. Over the last five years in China, sales have more than doubled, while during the last decade in India, exports have soared almost three-fold. This booming trade -most of it fueled by citizens of the developing world but some of it serving affluent customers in wealthy nations- is damaging the supplies. A number of medicinal plants are so overharvested that they feature high on the lists of threatened or endangered species. Unless action is taken, more are headed towards extinction. At the same time, the global clamor for more herbal ingredients created possibilities for the local cultivation of medicinal crops as well as for the regulated and sustainable harvest of wild stands. Such endeavors could help raise rural employment in the developing countries, boost commerce around the world, and contribute to the health of millions. However, creating a regularized production of these species also raises many difficult issues. Some of these issues relate to medical efficacy and its proof. Some relate to the protecton of fragile tropical habitats. Yet others relate to local empowerment, gender equity, regulatory measures, and the rights to traditional knowledge.
Adaptive Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Inference System for Facial Expression Recognition

Fuzzy Inference systems have been successfully applied for different pattern recognition problems. However, in some real-world applications such as facial expression recognition, the uncertainties related to the feature space may be so high that it is hard to model the feature space by fuzzy membership functions. On the other hand, it is believed that type-2 fuzzy sets have high potentials of uncertainty management in the space of features. However, adjusting the parameters of Type 2 membership functions is a difficult task. In this paper, we analyze the effect of incorporating type-2 fuzzy system into facial expression recognition problem. In this regard, two adaptive type-2 fuzzy models are proposed. The first model employs interval type-2 Mamdani fuzzy system for constructing fuzzy face space and uses Genetic Algorithm for optimizing the membership functions parameters. The second model is an interval type-2 Neuro-Fuzzy system which contains interval type-2 fuzzy sets as membership functions. In this case, the gradient descent algorithm is utilized for tuning the parameters of this system. Numerical results demonstrate the superiority of type-2 fuzzy systems with respect to the corresponding type 1 systems and show that the proposed systems can better cope with the uncertainties in facial expression recognition.
Strong impacts on aerosol indirect effects from historical oxidant changes

Abstract. Uncertainties in effective radiative forcings through aerosol–cloud interactions (ERFaci, also called aerosol indirect effects) contribute strongly to the uncertainty in the total preindustrial-to-present-day anthropogenic forcing. Some forcing estimates of the total aerosol indirect effect are so negative that they even offset the greenhouse gas forcing. This study highlights the role of oxidants in modeling of preindustrial-to-present-day aerosol indirect effects. We argue that the aerosol precursor gases should be exposed to oxidants of its era to get a more correct representation of secondary aerosol formation. Our model simulations show that the total aerosol indirect effect changes from −1.32 to −1.07 W m−2 when the precursor gases in the preindustrial simulation are exposed to preindustrial instead of present-day oxidants. This happens because of a brightening of the clouds in the preindustrial simulation, mainly due to large changes in the nitrate radical (NO3). The weaker oxidative power of the preindustrial atmosphere extends the lifetime of the precursor gases, enabling them to be transported higher up in the atmosphere and towards more remote areas where the susceptibility of the cloud albedo to aerosol changes is high. The oxidation changes also shift the importance of different chemical reactions and produce more condensate, thus increasing the size of the aerosols and making it easier for them to activate as cloud condensation nuclei.
Antiferromagnetism and single-particle properties in the two-dimensional half-filled Hubbard model: A nonlinear sigma model approach

We describe a low-temperature approach to the two-dimensional half-filled Hubbard model which allows us to study both antiferromagnetism and single-particle properties. This approach ignores amplitude fluctuations of the antiferromagnetic ~AF! order parameter and is valid below a crossover temperature TX which marks the onset of AF short-range order. Directional fluctuations ~spin waves! are described by a nonlinear sigma model (NLsM) that we derive from the Hubbard model. The parameters of the NLsM—the spin stiffness and spin-wave velocity—are calculated as a function of the Coulomb repulsion U. The NLsM is solved by a saddle-point approximation within the CP 1 representation where the Neel field is parametrized by two Schwinger bosons. At zero temperature, there is always Bose condensation of the Schwinger bosons, which signals AF long-range order for any value of the Coulomb repulsion. At finite temperature, the AF long-range order is suppressed ~in agreement with the Mermin-Wagner theorem! , but the AF correlation length remains exponentially large. In the CP 1 representation, the fermion field is naturally expressed as the product of a Schwinger boson and a pseudofermion whose spin is quantized along the ~fluctuating ! Neel field. This allows us to write the fermion Green's function as the product ~in direct space! of the Schwinger boson propagator ~which is derived from the NLsM) and the pseudofermion propagator. At zero temperature and weak coupling, our results are typical of a Slater antiferromagnet. The AF gap is exponentially small; there are well-defined Bogoliubov quasiparticles ~QP's ! ~ carrying most of the spectral weight! coexisting with a high-energy inco- herent excitation background. As U increases, the Slater antiferromagnet progressively becomes a Mott- Heisenberg antiferromagnet. The Bogoliubov bands evolve into Mott-Hubbard bands separated by a large AF gap. A significant fraction of spectral weight is transferred from the Bogoliubov QP's to incoherent excitations. At finite temperature, there is a metal-insulator transition between a pseudogap phase at weak coupling and a Mott-Hubbard insulator at strong coupling. Finally, we point out that our results straightforwardly translate to the half-filled attractive Hubbard model, where the q5(p,p) charge and q50 pairing fluctuations combine to form an order parameter with SO~3! symmetry.
Electrical Conductivity of Polyaniline{Silver Nanocomposites

We present a brief overview of the electrical properties of conductive composites containing silver and conducting polymer{polyaniline. Composites were produced by oxidation of aniline with silver nitrate in the presence of various acids playing the role of doping agents. A semiconducting behaviour was observed under the threshold about 21{27 vol.% of silver in composite and a metallic one above. From the temperature dependence of conductivity several charge transport mechanisms were proposed to explain experimental data with the most likely option of a superposition of the variable range hopping or the charging energy limited tunnelling model with the Arrhenius-like activated transport. An eect of dynamic vacuum on conductivity was discussed in terms of moisture removal and possible structural changes. The dierences due to various dopants were found to be negligible.
volcanic rocks in Java , Sunda arc , Indonesia 7 8 9 10

Publisher's copyright statement: NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be re ected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A de nitive version was subsequently published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 139, August 2014, 10.1016/j.gca. 2014.04. 025.
External Validity of WTP Estimates: Comparing Preference and WTP-Space Model Results

We introduce a protocol for measuring the external validity of competing Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) distributions derived from Random Parameter models for a given set of Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) data. This protocol is illustrated by comparing two recent advances in the field of choice modeling: the cost-income ratio in preference space approach and the willingness-to-pay space approach. The protocol is based on a two-round survey. Round one consists in a standard DCE survey at the end of which different competing models are estimated. Round two introduces new respondents from the same survey area. In addition to the DCE survey, these new respondents are asked to repeatedly choose, among random values derived from the competing models previously estimated, the one that are the closest to their true preferences. Respondents finally state, among the chosen values, the interval that reflects their true preferences. An external validity criterion is then obtained by using a new non-parametric test based on the common area of kernel density estimates. Results indicate that 72 % of the respondents prefer values from the willingness-to-pay space model. Moreover, test results indicate that the willingness-to-pay distribution derived from this model is 1.72 times closer to respondent’s true preferences in comparison to the preference space model.
Using seascape types to explain the spatial patterns of fish in the mangroves of SW Puerto Rico

Many of the most abundant fish species using mangroves in the Caribbean also use other habitat types through daily home range movements and ontogenetic habitat shifts. Few studies, however, have considered the structure of the surrounding seascape when explaining the spatial distribution of fish within mangroves. This study develops an exploratory seascape approach using the geographical location of mangroves and the structure of the surrounding seascape at multiple spatial scales to explain the spatial patterns in fish density and number of species observed within mangroves of SW Puerto Rico. Seascape structure immediately surrounding mangroves was most influential in determining assemblage attributes and the density of juvenile Haemulon flavolineatum, which were significantly higher in mangroves with high seagrass cover (>40%) in close proximity ( 40 and >15%, respectively) in close proximity ( 40%) of seagrass within 600 m of the mangrove edge. We argue that there is an urgent need to incorporate information on the influence of seascape structure into a wide range of marine resource management activities, such as the identification and evaluation of critical or essential fish habitat, the placement of marine protected areas and the design of habitat restoration projects.
Investigation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Some Streptomyces Isolates

Seventy-four different Streptomyces isolates were obtained from the soils of Mugla province. Antimicrobial activity was determined in 45.9% of the isolates. Fifteen isolates showed strong activity against coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS). These isolates were extensively studied for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. The results indicated that five isolates were highly active against CoNS and yeast with an inhibition zone at ? 20 mm. Three of these isolates were identified as Streptomyces antibioticus (MU106, MU107) and S. rimosus (MU114). The UV spectra of the culture extracts for the active isolates showed absorbance peaks ranging between 212 and 260 nm. Two bioactive regions were detected on the TLC plate (Rf 0.60 and 0.80). The UV spectrum of the active compounds in methanol showed peaks at 211 and 215 nm.
Family of people with spina bifida: goals and strategies

We aim to describe the goals and strategies of action that parents have established for their child and young adults with spina bifida. Participants were 17 families who answered an online questionnaire. The instrument included topics about sociodemographic characteristics and the following questions: "How do you imagine your son’s or daughter’s life in the future? ” and "What do you think he or she needs to develop these characteristics? ". Data of socialization goals were analyzed according to the categories: Self-improvement, Self-control, Emotionality, Social Expectations and Good Behavior. Data of strategies of action were classified in the categories: Self-centered, Context-centered and Person-centered. Main results showed that the most valued socialization goal is selfimprovement which is similar to other German families, suggesting that the disability condition does not interfere in the culturally shared beliefs. In order to achieve their goals, parents use, primarily, the self-centered strategy, which represents parents want to serve as a model to their son or daughter with spina bifida. In addition, it was possible to identify that those mothers and fathers also tend to combine different strategies in order not only to maximize the developmental gains, but also to obtain social support in the parental role. In fact, parents of people with spina bifina should be supported in their needs since disability condition seems to be the major factor in the establishment of goals and strategies.
Species Distribution and Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida Species Isolated From Blood Cultures (2012-2015)

DOI: 10.4328/JCAM.3754 Received: 10.07. 2015 Accepted: 31.07. 2015 Published Online: 02.08. 2015 Corresponding Author: Şule Çolakoğlu, Tıbbi Mikrobiyoloji ABD, Başkent Üniversitesi, Adana Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi, Yüreğir, Adana, Türkiye. GSM: +905332394006 e-posta: sulecolakoglu@yahoo.com Özet Kandidemi önemli bir kan kaynaklı enfeksiyondur ve yüksek oranda mortalite ve morbidite ile ilişkilidir. Uygulanan kompleks medikal ve cerrahi prosedürlere paralel olarak insidansı artmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Şubat 2012 ile Mart 2015 tarihleri arasında saptanan kandidemilerin tür dağılımı ve antifungal duyarlılıkları retrospektif olarak incelenmiştir. Hastanemizde, Şubat 2012 ile Mart 2015 tarihleri arasında 157 kandidemi olgusu saptanmıştır. Kandideminin toplam insidansı, 0.09/1,000 başvuru olarak bulunmuştur ve 3 yıllık analizde değişiklik saptanmamıştır (P=0,238). Candida albicans en sık izole edilen enfeksiyon ajanıdır (%39.5). C. albicans’ ı, C. parapsilosis (%22.9), C. tropicalis (%14,1), C. famata (%7.6) ve C. glabrata (%5.7) izlemektedir. En sık kandidemi olgusu yoğun bakım ünitesinde (%50,3) saptanmış, bunu pediatri ve hematoloji onkoloji servisleri izlemektedir. Test edilen 157 izolatın %14.6 ‘sı flukonazole dirençli olarak saptanmıştır. CLSI ve EUCAST sınır değerleri kullanılarak, izolatların sırasıyla %12.7 ve %7.6’ si varikonazole dirençli veya doza bağlı duyarlı olarak bulunmuştur. En yüksek MIK değerleri C. tropicalis suşlarında saptanmıştır (MIK90, 128 μg/ml). En düşük MIK değerleri Amfoterisin B için bulunmuştur.