Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simplifying Choices in Defined Contribution Retirement Plan Design

In view of the growth and popularity of defined contribution pensions, along with the government’s growing attention to retirement plan costs and investment choices provided, it is important to understand how people select their retirement plan investments. This paper shows how employees in a large firm altered their fund allocations when the employer streamlined its pension fund menu and deleted nearly half of the offered funds. Using administrative data, we examine the changes in plan participant investment choices that resulted from the streamlining and how these changes might affect participants’ eventual retirement wellbeing. We show that streamlined participants’ new allocations exhibited significantly lower within-fund turnover rates and expense ratios, and we estimate this could lead to aggregate savings for these participants over a 20-year period of $20.2M, or in excess of $9,400 per participant. Moreover, after the reform, streamlined participants’ portfolios held significantly less equity and exhibited significantly lower risks by way of reduced exposures to most systematic risk factors, compared to their non-streamlined counterparts.
Product Di ff erentiation , Multi-Product Firms and Estimating the Impact of Trade Liberalization on Productivity ∗

In this paper I analyze the productivity gains from trade liberalization in the Belgian textile industry. So far, empirical research has established a strong relationship between opening up to trade and productivity, relying almost entirely on deflated sales to proxy for output in the production function. The latter implies that the resulting productivity estimates still capture price and demand shocks which are most likely to be correlated with the change in the operating environment, which invalidate the evaluation of the welfare implications. In order to get at the true productivity gains I propose a simple methodology to estimate a production function controlling for unobserved prices by introducing an explicit demand system. I combine a unique data set containing matched plant-level and product-level information with detailed product-level quota protection information to recover estimates for productivity as well as parameters of the demand side (markups). I find that when correcting for unobserved prices and demand shocks, the estimated productivity gains from relaxing protection are only half (from 6 to only 3 percent) of those obtained with standard techniques.
Catching the WAVE The Weight-Adjusting Account of Values and Evidence

It is commonly argued that values “fill the logical gap” of underdetermination of theory by evidence, namely, values affect our choice between two or more theories that fit the same evidence. The underdetermination model, however, does not exhaust the roles values play in evidential reasoning. I introduce WAVE – a novel account of the logical relations between values and evidence. WAVE states that values influence evidential reasoning by adjusting evidential weights. I argue that the weight-adjusting role of values is distinct from their underdetermination gap-filling role. Values adjust weights in three ways. First, values affect our trust in the testimony of others. Second, values influence the evidential thresholds required for justified epistemic judgments. Third, values influence the relative weight of a certain type of evidence within a body of multimodal discordant evidence. WAVE explains, from an epistemic perspective, rather than psychological, how smokers, for example, can find the same evidence about the dangers of smoking less persuasive than non-smokers. WAVE allows for a wider effect of values on our accepted scientific theories and beliefs than the effect for which the underdetermination model allows alone; therefore, science studies scholars must consider WAVE in their research and analysis of evidential case studies.
Assessing toxic impacts on aquatic ecosystems in life cycle assessment (LCA)

__________________________________________________________ VII Résumé ___________________________________________________________ XII CHAPTER 1: General introduction__________________________________________ 1 Foreword____________________________________________________________ 2 Problem Setting _____________________________________________________ 3 Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Toxic Substances on Ecosystems _____ 7 Aim of the Thesis ___________________________________________________ 10 References _________________________________________________________ 14 CHAPTER 2: Life Cycle Impact Assessment on Aquatic Ecosystems: The AMI method [Assessment of the Mean impact]___________________________________________ 17 Abstract____________________________________________________________ 18___________________________________________________________ 18 Introduction ________________________________________________________ 19 Ecotoxicological measures __________________________________________ 22 Statistical estimator and uncertainty__________________________________ 24 Extrapolation from acute to chronic __________________________________ 28 Data availability and selection________________________________________ 30 Description of the AMI method _______________________________________ 33 Conclusions________________________________________________________ 44 References _________________________________________________________ 47 Appendix__________________________________________________________ 52 CHAPTER 3: Comparison of existing methods for LCIA on aquatic ecosystems _____ 59 Abstract____________________________________________________________ 60___________________________________________________________ 60 Introduction ________________________________________________________ 61 Description of Current Methods ______________________________________ 62 Results ____________________________________________________________ 67 Discussion _________________________________________________________ 71 Conclusions________________________________________________________ 77 References _________________________________________________________ 80 Appendix___________________________________________________________ 85 CHAPTER 4: Statistical estimator for assessing impact on aquatic ecosystems in LCA 91 Abstract____________________________________________________________ 92___________________________________________________________ 92 Introduction ________________________________________________________ 93 Presentation of the parametric and non-parametric methods ___________ 95
An Analysis of Neptune's Stratospheric Haze Using High-Phase-Angle Voyager Images

We have inverted high-phase-angle Voyager images of Neptune to determine the atmospheric extinction coefficient as a function of altitude and the scattering phase function at a reference altitude. Comparisons between theoretical models and observations help separate the contributions from molecular Rayleigh and aerosol scattering and help determine the variation of the aerosol size, concentration, and scattering properties with altitude. Further comparisons between models and data allow us to place constraints on the location and composition of the hazes, the concentration and downward flux of certain condensible hydrocarbon gases, the eddy diffusion coefficient in the lower stratosphere, and the thermal profile in parts of Neptune's stratosphere. We find that a distinct stratospheric haze layer exists near 12+_ mbar in Neptune's lower stratosphere, most probably due to condensed ethane. The derived stratospheric haze production rate of a+0.2 10-IS •v-o.3 x g cm -2 see -1 is substantially lower than photochemical model predictions. Evidence for hazes at higher altitudes also exists. Unlike the situation on Uranus, large particles (0.080.11/zm) may be present at high altitudes on Neptune (e.g., near 0.5 mbar), well above the region in which we expect the major hydrocarbon species to condense. Near 28 mbar, the mean particle size is about a t_+0.o2 v. ,_-0.o2 ttm with a concentration of 5+] particles cm -3. The cumulative haze extinction optical depth above 15 mbar in the clear filter is -3 x 10 -3, and much of this extinction is due to scattering rather than absorption; thus, if our limb-scan sites are typical, the hazes cannot account for the stratospheric temperature inversion on Neptune and may not contribute significantly to atmospheric heating. We compare the imaging results with the results from other observations, including those of the Voyager Photopolarimeter Subsystem, and discuss differences between Neptune and Uranus. © 1995 Academic Press, Inc.
Removal of Hormones and Pharmaceuticals in the “Advanced Water Recycling Demonstration Plant” in Queensland, Australia

An advanced water recycling demonstration plant was employed to investigate the effectiveness of a number of treatment technologies in the removal of some residuals of commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals as well as natural and synthetic hormones found in sewage. Analysis of targeted compounds was carried out by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Initial tests were undertaken to determine the background concentrations of the analytes during various stages of treatment. Subsequent tests, undertaken by spiking with standard solutions of the target compounds provided further information on the removal efficiencies of some selected treatment modules. The results of the study indicate that while ozonation, microfiltration and nanofiltration were partially effective; treatment by reverse osmosis was the most universally successful in the removal of the target residuals. While significantly more data is required for a full evaluation, this initial investigation suggests that reverse osmosis may be an effective means of removing a wider range of pharmaceutically active residuals and hormones from treated sewage.
STRATIGRAPHIC CONTROLS ON RESERVOIR ATTRIBUTES IN CONTINENTAL STRATA

在相同沉积相和沉积环境中，沉积记录中作为地层位置函数的不同尺度的地层学与沉积学性质的变化是有序的并可以预测，诸多沉积学和地层学性质，从孔隙度、渗透率到地质体的规模和非均质性对于储集性能和产能都是重要的，地层导致的上术性质的变化与由于原始沉积环境的差异产生的变化同等重要。 运用地层观战对沉积物某咱或多种性质变化进行分析，表明这些变化具有规律性并有向一些界限呈单向变化的趋势。 与此对照，运用对照时间和地层位置并不敏感的“相”对这些性质进行分绵会发现数值具明显的非相关离散特征，因此，仅根据沉积环境或相组成对储集性能进行评价会造成预测的准确性和精确性变差。 由此，文中提出了能够提高储层表征准确性和精确性的一种新的分析思路，即运用地层观战评价相的储多性质，上述原理可用陆相地层中的一些实例加以说明。 以河道砂储层为例，在地层剖面上
Sequence – Dynamics – Function Relationships in Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases

Protein tyrosine phosphatases are crucial regulators of cellular signaling. Their activity is regulated by the motion of a conserved loop, the WPD-loop, from a catalytically inactive open to a catalytically active closed conformation. WPD-loop motion optimally positions a catalytically critical residue into the active site, and is directly linked to the turnover number of these enzymes. Crystal structures of chimeric PTPs constructed by grafting parts of the WPD-loop sequence of PTP1B onto the scaffold of YopH showed WPD-loops in a wide-open conformation never previously observed in either parent enzyme. This wide-open conformation has, however, been observed upon binding of small molecule inhibitors to other PTPs, suggesting the potential of targeting it for drug discovery efforts. Here, we have performed simulations of both enzymes and show that there are negligible energetic differences in the chemical step of catalysis, but significant differences in the dynamical properties of the WPD-loop. Detailed interaction network analysis provides insight into the molecular basis for this population shift to a wide-open conformation. Taken together, our study provides insight into the links between loop dynamics and chemistry in these YopH variants specifically, and how WPD-loop dynamic can be engineered through modification of the internal protein interaction network.
New Findings in Education: Primary Data Entry in Shaping Intentionality and Cognition

— One of the most intriguing questions in cognitive science is the Primary Data Entry (PDE) problem: where does social knowledge come from? After birth, an organism meets with reality, which is transcendental, staying beyond any experience and understanding of this pure reason. Basic approaches to the study of cognition are cognitivism, connectionism, and embodied dynamicism, The weakness of cognitivism and connectionism is the need to introduce an initial set of social phenomena of the specific community to trigger this system: the PDE problem. There is also a same gap in knowledge in embodied dynamicism approach, this interpretation of a dynamic system is not accurate. The current paper presents the Model of Coherent Intelligence (MCI) and its neural foundation. The analysis of recent empirical data proposes new insights on the origin of intentionality: (i) cognition begins from separating sensory stimuli: Long-Term Potentiation can be induced in neurons of particular Modality-Specific gateways (ignoring other stimuli)–selective induction promotes selective sensitivity to the chaos of stimuli. (ii) Neurons can learn spike-timing-dependent plasticity in social interaction: immature neurons learn the timing code to modulate certain synaptic strength, which triggers either Long-Term Potentiation or Long-Term Depression. The hypothesis of the MCI argues that social interaction shapes organisms' intentionality, promoting similar categorization of stimuli in intimately related individuals with shared social routine and interests. This approach provides a wide range of possibilities for developing a human-computer interface.
Parameterized Proof Complexity

We propose a proof-theoretic approach for gaining evidence that certain parameterized problems are not fixed-parameter tractable. We consider proofs that witness that a given propositional CNF formula cannot be satisfied by a truth assignment that sets at most k variables to true, considering k as the parameter (we call such a formula a parameterized contradiction). One could separate the parameterized complexity classes FPT and W(M. Cesati, 2006) by showing that there is no fpt-bounded parameterized proof system, i.e., that there is no proof system that admits proofs of size f(k)nO(1) where f is a computable function and n represents the size of the propositional formula. By way of a first step, we introduce the system of parameterized tree-like resolution, and show that this system is not fpt-bounded. Indeed we give a general result on the size of shortest tree-like resolution proofs of parameterized contradictions that uniformly encode first-order principles over a universe of size n. We establish a dichotomy theorem that splits the exponential case of Riis's complexity-gap Theorem into two sub-cases, one that admits proofs of size f(k)nO(1) and one that does not. We also discuss how the set of parameterized contradictions may be embedded into the set of (ordinary) contradictions by the addition of new axioms. When embedded into general (DAG-like) resolution, we demonstrate that the pigeonhole principle has a proof of size 2kn2. This contrasts with the case of tree-like resolution where the embedded pigeonhole principle falls into the "non-FPT" category of our dichotomy.
Estimating the Effects of Large Shareholders Using a Geographic Instrument

Abstract Large shareholders may play an important role for firm performance and policies, but identifying this empirically presents a challenge due to the endogeneity of ownership structures. We develop and test an empirical framework that allows us to separate selection from treatment effects of large shareholders. Individual blockholders tend to hold blocks in public firms located close to where they reside. Using this empirical observation, we develop an instrument (the density of wealthy individuals near a firm’s headquarters) for the presence of large, nonmanagerial individual shareholders in firms. These shareholders have a large impact on firms, controlling for selection effects.
Value , confidence , deliberation : a functional partition of the medial prefrontal cortex demonstrated across valuation and choice tasks

Deciding about courses of action involves minimizing costs and maximizing benefits. Decision neuroscience studies have implicated both the ventral and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC and dmPFC) in signaling goal value and action cost, but the precise functional role of these regions is still a matter of debate. Here, we suggest a more general functional partition that applies not only to decisions but also to judgments about reward and effort. In this conceptual framework, cognitive representations related to the valuation of goals and actions are dissociated from metacognitive representations related to providing a judgment or making a choice. Thus, we used an original approach with the goal of identifying consistencies across several preference tasks, from likeability ratings to binary decisions involving both attribute integration and option comparison. FMRI results confirmed the vmPFC as a generic valuation system, its activity increasing with reward value and decreasing with effort cost. In contrast, more dorsal regions were not concerned with the valuation of option attributes but with metacognitive variables, confidence level being reflected in mPFC activity and deliberation time in dmPFC activity. Thus, assessing commonalities across preference tasks might help reaching a unified view of the neural mechanisms underlying the cost/benefit tradeoffs that drive human behavior.
Modeling for control of an inflatable space reflector, the linear 2-D case

In this paper we develop a mathematical model for the dynamics of a linear plate with piezoelectric actuation. This model can then be used to design controllers with the goal of achieving a desired shape of the plate. This control scheme can be used for several applications, e.g., vibration control in structures or shape control for high precision structures like inflatable space reflectors. The starting point of the control design is modeling for control. We will do this in the framework of port-Hamiltonian (pH) modeling, since the pH modeling framework has very nice properties which can be exploited if one wants to design a controller for a specific task. One property for example is that it facilitates modeling multi physics systems or systems which consist of several systems by first modeling all parts separate and then interconnecting them. This is possible because any interconnection of pH systems yields again a pH system. Hence, the pH framework is useful for our multi-domain modeling purpose.
Experimentally calibrated thermal stator modelling of AC machines for short-duty transient operation

This paper presents an approach to the thermal design of an AC machine where the application requires a low-duty transient operation. To provide accurate temperature predictions the design process has been informed with experimental data from tests on a stator-winding sector (motorette). These have been shown to be a time and cost-effective means of calibrating the thermal model of a full machine assembly, prior to manufacture of the final design. Such an approach is usually adopted in design analysis of machines with a concentrated winding topology. Here, the motorette testing has been extended to machines with distributed windings. In the interest of improving heat transfer from the winding body into the machine periphery, several alternative slot liner and impregnating materials have been compared. A total of nine stator section samples have been manufactured and evaluated. The performance trade-offs between the various combinations are discussed in detail alongside their ability to satisfy the design requirements. Based upon these experimental results three stator segment samples have been selected for transient duty analysis. A lumped parameter thermal model has been used and calibrated to match the performance of the experimental samples. This is turn has been used to predict the transient thermal performance of the full machine assembly, for the design specification. The most promising motorette variant has been selected for machine prototyping.
Resource and crowd management in mobile networks

The Internet was initially conceived to serve fix and sedentary usages, while current socio-technological trends clearly show that future Internet users will be increasingly mobile and nomadic. At present, the speed at which this evolution takes place and the inadequate management of access networks represent a major obstacle in the development of advanced services. To solve these problems and to meet the needs of mobile Internet, service providers need to master the needed capacity expansion in their backhauling network, otherwise the data traffic will clog their networks in the future. Next-generation network deployments promise to deliver higher bandwidth and speed, but they often imply high capital and operational expenditures. An alternative economically and technically viable way is represented by mobile data offloading solutions. These solutions can reduce the load on radio spectrum, on base stations and on backhauling network. The most commonly used offloading solutions are over small-networks and over Wi-Fi networks. In the same context, and in order to solve the problem of congestion in the cellular network, a new solution has emerged recently : Information Centric Networking for in-network caching that permits to minimize content access latency. The objective of this thesis is to study these new traffic and content offloading solutions in cellular networks while taking into account the mobility patterns and human behavior.
International Migration, Remittances, and the Brain Drain: A Study of 24 Labor-Exporting Countries

While the level of international migration and remittances continues to grow, data on international migration remains unreliable. At the international level, there is no consistent set of statistics on the number or skill characteristics of international migrants. At the national level, most labor-exporting countries do not collect data on their migrants. Adams tries to overcome these problems by constructing a new data set of 24 large, labor-exporting countries and using estimates of migration and educational attainment based on United States and OECD records. He uses these new data to address the key policy question: How pervasive is the brain drain from labor-exporting countries? Three basic findings emerge: With respect to legal migration, international migration involves the movement of the educated. The vast majority of migrants to both the United States and the OECD have a secondary (high school) education or higher. While migrants are well-educated, international migration does not tend to take a very high proportion of the best educated. For 22 of the 33 countries in which educational attainment data can be estimated, less than 10 percent of the best educated (tertiary-educated) population of labor-exporting countries has migrated. For a handful of labor-exporting countries, international migration does cause brain drain. For example, for the five Latin American countries (Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and Mexico) located closest to the United States, migration takes a large share of the best educated. This finding suggests that more work needs to be done on the relationship between brain drain, geographical proximity to labor-receiving countries, and the size of the (educated) population of labor-exporting countries.