Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of the Impact of Government Size On Economic Growth of Pakistan: An Endogenous Growth

Keeping in view the importance of economic growth in a country’s development, this study intended to examine the relationship between the government size and other determinants on economic growth using a time series data over the period 1973-2012. To specify the growth equation, we have followed the Barro (1990) model of endogenous growth. The exogenous variables in the model consisted of the government size, employment, inflation, capital and trade openness. To examine the impact of the 9/11 incident, the earth quake in 2005 and financial crises, we have introduced three dummies in our growth equation. Keeping in view the nature of variables and possible endogenity in the model, we have used the VAR methodology which is believed to overcome the possible endogenity. The estimation strategy comprised of two steps. In the first step, we have estimated the long run growth equation using the Johansen co-integration technique. In the second step, we have estimated the ECM model to arrive at the short run growth elasticities with respect to the variables concerned. The long run results indicated that almost all the variables have found out to be significant with their expected signs except for trade openness which carried negative coefficient. The negative and significant coefficient of the government size suggested that large government size negatively affect economic growth of Pakistan. On the other hand, the positive and significant coefficient of capital indicated that increase in capital holdings enhances economic growth. The positive and significant long run coefficients of inflation and employment highlight that economic growth increase along with increase in inflation and employment. The trade openness variable was found to be significant with positive sign which is the only significant variable in the ECM model except the dummies. The ECM term in the error correction model has carried out significant coefficient with negative sign and plausible magnitude that highlights the stability of the model.
What induces firms to license foreign technologies? International survey evidence

The paper provides firm-level insights into the drivers of foreign technology licensing from the perspective of the licensee, using data across 114 nations. Drawing on the theoretical foundations related to knowledge spillovers, results show that manufacturing firms with own R&D capabilities were more likely to license foreign technologies, as were larger firms and those situated in the nations' main business city. Greater literacy facilitated foreign technology licensing, while overall economic prosperity of a nation did not have a significant impact. Interestingly, higher domestic interest rates, related to capital costs and to overall monetary policy, induced firms to license technology from abroad. Finally, some institutions like greater economic freedom aided technology licensing, while others like strong patent protection were not found to have a sizable impact.
Visual Psychophysics and Physiological Optics Higher Order Aberrations in Children with Down Syndrome

PURPOSE. Down syndrome (DS) is associated with ocular abnormalities and reduced visual function. Studies report atypical optical structures in the DS eye such as thinner, steeper corneae and thinner crystalline lenses and, functionally, a degrading influence of the optics on acuity. This study further investigates optical quality in DS by comparing higher order ocular aberrations (HOAs) in DS and control eyes.
Assessment of the Physicochemical and Thermal Characterization of Biofield Energy Treated Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) is a biodegradable copolymer. It has many applications in the pharmaceuticals and biomedical industries, but its degradation and stability is a major concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the Trivedi Effect® on the physicochemical and thermal properties of PLGA using modern analytical techniques. The PLGA sample was divided into control and Biofield Energy Treated parts. The control sample did not obtain the Biofield Energy Treatment, whereas the treated PLGA was received the Trivedi Effect®-Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment remotely by a renowned Biofield Energy Healer, Alice Branton. The particle size values of the treated PLGA were increased by 8.97%(d10), 8.79%(d50), 4.72%(d90), and 6.61%{D(4,3)}; thus, the surface area of treated PLGA was significantly decreased by 6.84% compared with the control sample. The latent heat of evaporation and fusion of the treated PLGA were significantly increased by 29.60% and 230.93%, respectively compared with the control sample. The residue amount was significantly increased by 21.99% in the treated PLGA compared to the control sample. The maximum thermal degradation temperature of the treated PLGA was increased by 2.30% compared with the control sample. It was concluded that the Trivedi Effect®-Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment might have generated a new form of PLGA which may show better powder flow ability, thermal stability, and minimize the hydrolysis of the ester linkages of PLGA. This improved quality of PLGA would be a better choice for the pharmaceutical formulations (i.e., the drug like simvastatin, amoxicillin, and minocycline loaded PLGA nanoparticles) and manufacturing of biomedical devices, i.e., grafts, sutures, implants, surgical sealant films, prosthetic devices, etc., in the industry using it as a raw material.
Global asteroseismic properties of solar-like oscillations observed by Kepler: a comparison of complementary analysis methods

We present the asteroseismic analysis of 1948 F-, G- and K-type main-sequence and subgiant stars observed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Kepler mission. We detect and characterize solar-like oscillations in 642 of these stars. This represents the largest cohort of main-sequence and subgiant solar-like oscillators observed to date. The photometric observations are analysed using the methods developed by nine independent research teams. The results are combined to validate the determined global asteroseismic parameters and calculate the relative precision by which the parameters can be obtained. We correlate the relative number of detected solar-like oscillators with stellar parameters from the Kepler Input Catalogue and find a deficiency for stars with effective temperatures in the range 5300 ≲Teff≲ 5700 K and a drop-off in detected oscillations in stars approaching the red edge of the classical instability strip. We compare the power-law relationships between the frequency of peak power, νmax, the mean large frequency separation, Δν, and the maximum mode amplitude, Amax, and show that there are significant method-dependent differences in the results obtained. This illustrates the need for multiple complementary analysis methods to be used to assess the robustness and reproducibility of results derived from global asteroseismic parameters.
On the supersolubility of a group with semisubnormal factors

Abstract A subgroup A of a group G is called seminormal in G if there exists a subgroup B such that G=A⁢B{G=AB} and AX is a subgroup of G for every subgroup X of B. We introduce the new concept that unites subnormality and seminormality. A subgroup A of a group G is called semisubnormal in G if A is subnormal in G or seminormal in G. A group G=A⁢B{G=AB} with semisubnormal supersoluble subgroups A and B is studied. The equality G𝔘=(G′)𝔑{G^{\mathfrak{U}}=(G^{\prime})^{\mathfrak{N}}} is established; moreover, if the indices of subgroups A and B in G are relatively prime, then G𝔘=G𝔑2{G^{\mathfrak{U}}=G^{\mathfrak{N}^{2}}}. Here 𝔑{\mathfrak{N}}, 𝔘{\mathfrak{U}} and 𝔑2{\mathfrak{N}^{2}} are the formations of all nilpotent, supersoluble and metanilpotent groups, respectively; H𝔛{H^{\mathfrak{X}}} is the 𝔛{\mathfrak{X}}-residual of H. Also we prove the supersolubility of G=A⁢B{G=AB} when all Sylow subgroups of A and of B are semisubnormal in G.
Cool to Be Smart or Smart to Be Cool? Understanding Peer Pressure in Education

Concerns about social image may negatively affect schooling behavior. We identify two potentially important peer cultures: one that stigmatizes effort (thus, where it is “smart to be cool”) and one that rewards ability (where it is “cool to be smart”). We build a model showing that either may lower the takeup of educational activities when takeup and performance are potentially observable to peers. We design a field experiment allowing us to test whether students are influenced by these concerns at all, and then which they are more influenced by. We examine high schools in two settings: a low-income, high minority share area and a higher-income, lower minority share area. In both settings, peer pressure reduces takeup of an SAT prep package. We show that this is consistent with a greater concern for hiding effort in the lower-income school, and a greater concern with hiding low ability in the higher-income schools.
Transition to the quantum hall regime in InAs nanowire cross-junctions

We present a low-temperature electrical transport study on four-terminal ballistic InAs nanowire cross-junctions in magnetic fields aligned perpendicular to the cross-plane. Two-terminal longitudinal conductance measurements between opposing contact terminals reveal typical 1D conductance quantization at zero magnetic field. As the magnetic field is applied, the 1D bands evolve into hybrid magneto-electric sub-levels that eventually transform into Landau levels for the widest nanowire devices investigated (width = 100 nm). Hall measurements in a four-terminal configuration on these devices show plateaus in the transverse Hall resistance at high magnetic fields that scale with (ve2/h)−1. e is the elementary charge, h denotes Planck’s constant and v is an integer that coincides with the Landau level index determined from the longitudinal conductance measurements. While the 1D conductance quantization in zero magnetic field is fragile against disorder at the NW surface, the plateaus in the Hall resistance at high fields remain robust as expected for a topologically protected Quantum Hall phase.
Present Practices and Background to Teaching and Learning at the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB): A Pilot Study

Summary of Findings The overall analyses of the first research question presented a picture of mixed practices in planning, teaching and assessment among the lecturers across the different subject departments. In the planning component, there was relatively more teacher-centeredness. In the teaching component, where lessons were likely to be the best possible, approaches to teaching and learning varied where some were visibly teacher-centered and others more learner-centered though it could be interpreted that lessons were more teacher-centered in nature than observed in this study. Surface learning characteristics were evident in some of the lessons. For the evaluation component, the practices were largely teacher-centered with summative forms of assessment being used most commonly. RUB policy documents indicate a move toward learner-centeredness. The mix of practices indicated that some congruence of practice with policy had been achieved as many lecturers had incorporated learner-centered ideas though some still maintained the teacher-centered approach. Perhaps with time, the focus will be more on the students’ learning and in that way the lecturers will be modeling such practices for their student teachers.
An Adaptive Region Growing Method to Segment Inferior Alveolar Nerve Canal from 3D Medical Images for Dental Implant Surgery

AbstractIn implant surgeries, dentists need to consider the depth and angle of the fixture and density around the bone. Dentists must also consider the distance between the fixture and the inferior alveolar nerve canal. If the distance to a nerve is not taken into account, serious injury may result, leading to medical problems. Therefore, we use a method that automatically or semi-automatically finds nerves in computed tomography images. This method can help dentists find the inferior alveolar nerve canal before implant surgery, thereby reducing the risk of injury to patients. This research concerns the application of the seeded region growing method. We segment the inferior alveolar nerve canal from computed tomography images and show it in three dimensions. This will help dentists find the inferior alveolar nerve canal when they plan for implant surgery.
Role of mTORC 2-Akt Signaling in TGF-b 1-Induced Myofibroblast Differentiation of Human Pterygium Fibroblasts

Citation: Kim SW, Kim H-I, Thapa B, Nuwromegbe S, Lee K. Critical role of mTORC2-Akt signaling in TGF-b1-induced myofibroblast differentiation of human pterygium fibroblasts. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019;60:82–92. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.18-25376 PURPOSE. Profibrotic activation is essential for pterygium development. In this study, we investigated the role of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) in regulating TGF-b1induced myofibroblastic responses in human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs) and elucidated the relative contributions of mTOR signaling components.
Computational structural and functional genomics and transcriptomics 193 Chapter # ANALYSIS OF THE NUCLEOTIDE CONTEXT OF HIGHER PLANT MITOCHONDRIAL mRNA EDITING SITES

Motivation: C→U deamination ranks among the most widespread mechanisms of mitochondrial mRNA editing in higher plants. In the overwhelming majority of cases, editing affects the first and second positions of codons and results in "correction" of the codon, replacement in the amino acid sequence, and synthesis of normally functioning proteins. Experimental studies have shown that the 5'and 3'-regions flanking an editing site are essential for precise and efficient editing. Nevertheless, no significant motifs have been found in the surrounding regions, and the editing mechanism still remains a mystery. Results: We analyzed editing sites in mitochondrial mRNAs of Arabidopsis thaliana by the methods of region-specific degenerate oligonucleotide motifs and trinucleotide weight matrices. Significant oligonucleotide regularities were detected in the region [–50;50] with respect to editing sites. As shown by the jackknife method, these signals can be important for editing. However, it was shown that the features detected were insufficient for efficient recognition of editing sites in higher plant mitochondrial mRNAs. Availability: http://wwwmgs2.bionet. nsc.ru. /argo/.
Taxonomic review of Sibaria Stål, 1872 (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Carpocorini), with description of a new species.

Sibaria Stål is a genus of Pentatomidae occurring exclusively in the Neotropical region. Since its description, little information has been added to the knowledge of the taxon. The hypothesis of monophyly of Sibaria was recently supported by a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological and molecular data. The purpose of this study is to provide a review of Sibaria, redescribe the valid species, and describe a new species. The genus includes four species: S. andicola Breddin, S. armata (Dallas), S. englemani Rolston, and S. amazonica sp. nov. Diagnoses, macrophotographs (habitus, external and internal genitalia), an identification key, and distribution records of the species are also provided.
A simplified endogenous economic growth model with social capital: Evidence for Ecuador

The paper presents a simplified economic growth model with social capital, as an alternative for sustained long-term growth. The intuition behind the model suggests its application for developing economies that historically have focused their attention on the accumulation of physical capital and not on endogenous factors such as human capital and social capital. The model is considered as a Cobb-Douglas production function that includes three types of capital: physical, human and social. From the model, we obtain evidence from estimates for the Ecuadorian economy in the period 1980-2015, which underlie the main endogenous sources regarding physical capital. As a result, some policy implications are highlighted.
A NOTE ON HARMONIC FORMS ON COMPLETE MANIFOLDS

In this note, we will prove that under certain conditions, the space of polynomial growth harmonic functions and harmonic forms with a fixed growth rate on manifolds which are asymptotically nonnegatively curved is finite dimensional. This is a partial generalization of the works of Li and Colding-Minicozzi. We will also give an explicit estimate for the dimension in case the manifold is a complete surface of finite total curvature. This is a generalization to harmonic forms of the work of Li and the author. 0. Introduction After the work [Y], it was conjectured by Yau that the space of harmonic functions of polynomial growth of degree at most d on a complete noncompact manifold with nonnegative Ricci curvature is finite dimensional. This conjecture has stimulated many interesting works; see [L 2] for details. Finally, the conjecture was proved to be true in [L-T 1] for the case of linear growth, and by Colding and Minicozzi for the general case in a series of papers [C-M 1]–[C-M 6]. In fact, they prove that the the conjecture is also true if we only assume the manifold satisfy volume doubling and that Poincaré inequality holds on the manifold. It is well-known that these two properties are satisfied by manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature. In [L 1], Li gives a very simple proof of a more general result. He proves that on a complete manifold M satisfying volume doubling and on which mean value inequality for positive subharmonic functions holds, then the space of harmonic functions of polynomial growth of degree at most d is finite dimensional. Note that if a manifold satisfies volume doubling and that Poincaré inequality holds on the manifold then mean value inequality will hold on such a manifold [G, SC], but the converse is not true [L 1]. In [C-M 7], simple proofs of the main results in their previous works [C-M 1]–[C-M 6] are also given. Sharp estimates on the dimension are obtained under various assumptions; see [C-M 6], [C-M 7] and in particular [L 1]. Using similar methods, results on harmonic sections can also be obtained. For example, in [L 1], Li proves that on a complete noncompact manifold with nonnegative curvature operator, then the space of harmonic forms with polynomial growth of order at most d is finite dimensional, and sharp bound on the dimension is also obtained; see also [C-M 7]. Received by the editors February 19, 1997. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 58E20. Research partially supported an Earmarked grant of Hong Kong. c ©1998 American Mathematical Society 3097 License or copyright restrictions may apply to redistribution; see https://www.ams. org/journal-terms-of-use
Contractual arrangements and food quality certifications in the Mexican avocado industry

The adoption of private quality certifications in agrifood supply chains often requires specific investments by producers which can be safeguarded by choosing specific contractual arrangements. Based on a survey data from avocado producers in Mexico, this paper aims to analyze the impact of transaction costs and relationship characteristics of the joint choice of contractual arrangements and quality certifications. Using a bivariate probit model, it shows that a producer’s decision to adopt private quality certifications is directly linked to high levels of asset specificity and price. In order to ensure the high level of specificity under the presence of low levels of price uncertainty, producers have relied on relational governance supported by the expectation of continuity in their bilateral relationships with buyers.
The Role of Subnational Politicians in Distributive Politics

This article examines how the partisanship of empowered subnational politicians can affect within-district benefit distribution. I present a theory of the role of subnational politicians in distributive politics, and then test this theory on a distributive Venezuelan land reform initiative by leveraging unique individual-level data on revealed voter preferences and the receipt of particularistic benefits. Using data from a list of millions of voters who signed petitions to recall former President Chávez, I match information on recent land grant applicants to petition signers to measure how political preferences affect the likelihood of applying for and receiving land, and how state governors condition this relationship. I find evidence for both strategic core voter targeting and blockage of benefits to opposition voters. These effects, however, are modified by the political affiliation of governors. The findings point to the importance of considering how intervening subnational politicians influence distributive politics, particularly under federal structures.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mucoid Phenotype , and Biofilm Formation by Iron-Regulated Expression of Alginate Production , 2014

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains of non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) origin do not produce significant amounts of extracellular alginate and are nonmucoid. In CF, such isolates can become mucoid through mutation of one of the genes (mucA, mucB, mucC, or mucD) that produce regulatory factors that sequester AlgU, required for increased expression of alginate genes. Mutation of the muc genes in the nonmucoid PAO1, PA14, PAKS-1, and Ps388 strains led to increased levels of extracellular alginate and an obvious mucoid phenotype, but only under iron-limiting growth conditions (<5 M), not under iron-replete conditions (>10 M). In contrast, >50% of P. aeruginosa isolates from chronic CF pulmonary infections expressed increased levels of alginate and mucoidy both under iron-limiting and iron-replete conditions (i.e., iron-constitutive phenotype). No single iron regulatory factor (e.g., Fur, PvdS) was associated with this loss of iron-regulated alginate expression and mucoidy in these CF isolates. However, the loss of only pyoverdine production, or its uptake, abrogated the ability of P. aeruginosa to produce a robust biofilm that represents the Psl-type of biofilm. In contrast, we show that mutation of the pyoverdine and pyochelin biosynthesis genes and the pyoverdine receptor (FpvA) lead to iron-constitutive expression of the key alginate biosynthesis gene, algD, and an explicitly mucoid phenotype in both iron-limiting and iron-replete conditions. These data indicate that alginate production and mucoidy, in contrast to other types of biofilms produced by P. aeruginosa, are substantially enhanced under iron limitation. These results also have compelling implications in relation to the use of iron chelators in the treatment of P. aeruginosa
The Effect of BI Rate, USD to IDR Exchange Rates, and Gold Price on Stock Returns Listed in the SRI KEHATI Index

This study aims to determine the effect of BI rate, USD to IDR exchange rates, and gold price on stock returns listed in the SRI KEHATI Index for the period January to December 2018. The population in this research is companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sample is determined by using a purposive sampling method. Some criteria of the sample are companies that: had entered to the SRI KEHATI index respectively from January to December 2018, reported the 2018 monthly financial report, were not suspended by the IDX during the study period, so that obtained a sample of 23 companies with total data is 268. This study used quantitative data analysis in the form of time-series data from January to December 2018. The data collection method used in this study is the documentation method. The analytical tool in this study is the multiple regression analysis. In this study, data is processed by using the SPSS program 21. The results show that the BI rate has a significant positive effect on stock returns, the USD to IDR exchange rate has a significant negative effect on stock returns, and gold price does not have a significant effect on stock returns.