Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Much is Transfer and How Much is Insurance in a Pay‐as‐you‐go System? The German Case

Pay-as-you-go pension systems provide insurance against longevity-related old-age poverty and related risks. They are commonly also used as instruments for redistribution. This paper provides several estimates of the insurance and transfer share of the German public pension system. Estimating these shares is important because they are indicative of taxation-related deadweight losses and influence public acceptance of the pension system. We also disentangle intragenerational from intergenerational transfers. Although our estimate of intragenerational transfers is smaller than recent semi-official estimations, such transfers create substantial deadweight losses. Intergenerational transfers are much larger, thereby contributing to strong negative participation incentives for the younger generation. Copyright 2001 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
A Sequential Signalling Model of Convertible Debt Call Policy

In this paper we attempt to resolve two puzzles concerning convertible debt calls. The first is that although it has been shown that conversion of these bonds should optimally be forced as soon as this is feasible, actual calls are significantly delayed relative to this prescription. The second is that common stock returns are significantly negative around the announcement of the call of a convertible debt issue. Our purpose is to simultaneously rationalize managers' observed call decisions and the market's reaction to them in a framework in which managers behave optimally given their private information, compensation schemes, and investors' reactions to their call decisions. Moreover, investors' reactions are rational in the sense of Bayes' rule given managers' call policy. In equilibrium, a decision to call is (correctly) perceived by the market as a signal of unfavorable private information. In addition to rationalizing observed call delays and negative stock returns at call announcement, several other testable implications are derived.
Automated multivariate profiling of drug effects from fluorescence microscopy images

Fluorescence microscopy is a useful tool for building quantitative profiles of drug effects. Although features with rich information can be extracted from fluorescence microscopy images, most current profiling methods build profiles from the extracted features using either univariate or non-automated methods. We propose a new multivariate, automated and scalable method for building drug profiles by using a decision hyperplane. The method was evaluated by using 23 compounds belonging to four groups of known mechanisms. We produced quantitative profiles that group drugs with similar mechanisms together, and separate drugs with dissimilar mechanisms from each other. These profiles resulted in better characterizations of the drug effects than profiles obtained from a previous univariate method
Comparative Study Between Mechanical and Magnetic Planetary Gears

The paper deals with the possibility of replacing a mechanical planetary gear system by a magnetic planetary gearbox. The magnetic planetary gearbox has many advantages such as contact-free, no gear lubrication, high-speed-reduction ratio and high durability. Firstly, the principle of operation, design equations and Willis relation for the magnetic and the mechanical planetary gears are given. A comparative study between the two systems in terms of torque transmission capabilities is presented.
Concurrent Validity of the Anxiety Disorders Section of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Child and Parent Versions

Evaluated the concurrent validity of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV], American Psychiatric Association, 1994): Child and Parents Versions (ADIS for DSM-IV-C/P; Silverman & Albano, 1996) social phobia, separation anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder diagnoses. Children referred to an outpatient anxiety disorder clinic (N = 186; ages 8 to 17), and their parents completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; March, 1998) and the ADIS-C/P interview. There was no convergence between MASC scores and ADIS-C/P GAD diagnoses. However, there was strong correspondence between ADIS-C/P social phobia, SAD, and panic disorder diagnoses and the empirically derived MASC factor scores corresponding to these disorders. These results provide support for the concurrent validity of the anxiety disorders section of the ADIS-C/P.
Challenges facing higher education as a service industry in a developing country

Developments in education generally and higher education in particular cannot afford to be static. The technology explosion had ensured that higher education is not immune to forced development as well. Observations seem to indicate that the inertia preventing change is so great that relatively little change has happened despite the proliferation of Education Reform White Papers and international deliberations over a number of decades already. The question now is how long could higher education continue to resist change without losing its place in society? This paper proposes a 'Higher Education Change Cube' to ensure balanced development in higher education and will show how the model is an obvious one for developing countries. In considering the model, this paper also discusses quality assurance in higher education, the disparity between a country's economic composition and what its higher education is offering and how to address these.
Vitamin E and Selenium Levels are Within Normal Range in Pigs Diagnosed with Mulberry Heart Disease and Evidence for Viral Involvement in the Syndrome is Lacking

Summary Mulberry heart disease (MHD) in pigs is characterized by lesions of acute haemorrhagic myocarditis and myocardial necrosis. The objectives of this study were to determine the levels of vitamin E and selenium and 13 other trace minerals in heart and liver tissues and to determine the prevalence of certain viral infections in heart tissues from MHD‐affected and MHD‐unaffected pigs and the vitamin E and selenium concentration in feed samples from selected farms with MHD. Based on the pathological examination, 114 pigs were separated into MHD lesion‐negative (L‐NEG) (n = 57) and MHD lesion‐positive (L‐POS) (n = 57) groups. Seventy‐three samples (40 L‐NEG and 33 L‐POS) were subjected to chemical analysis, and 66 (32 L‐NEG and 34 L‐POS) were subjected to PCR detection for viral pathogens. Lower (P < 0.05) levels of myocardial copper, lower (P < 0.05) levels of hepatic magnesium and higher (P < 0.05) levels of myocardial and hepatic sodium were detected in the L‐POS cases. Although lower (P < 0.05) levels of hepatic selenium were detected in L‐POS group, all were within the normal range. Analysis of feed samples (n = 22) revealed that selenium levels in all the samples were above the legal limit (0.3 ppm) for pigs. Vitamin E levels in all feed samples were above 20 IU/kg. Among the 66 pigs subjected to PCR detection, there were 19, 4, 13, 8, 2 and 1 animals positive for porcine circovirus type 2, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, pan‐herpes virus, porcine enterovirus, pan‐pestivirus and porcine parvovirus, respectively. Clear evidence of viral association with L‐POS was lacking.
Seed models combination and state level mappings of cross-lingual transfer for rapid HMM development: from English to Mandarin

The practice of cross-lingual transfer of speech technology is of increasing concern as the demand for recognition systems in multiple languages grows. Previous work has proved that: firstly, if there is a big difference between the source language and the target language, cross-lingual adaptation may not outperform scratch training even if the training set is limited; secondly, cross-lingual seed models achieve lower word error rates than flat starts or random models. Based on these two points, this paper improved the approach of generating cross-lingual seed models through two ways: (1) using a combination of cross-lingual seed models and “flat-start” models, and (2) using phoneme mappings on an HMM state level in a new language to reduce mismatched coarticulation. All simulations are carried out with limited available training data, and the effectiveness of the approach was proved using English-Mandarin as a test case.
Book Reading Behavior on Goodreads Can Predict the Amazon Best Sellers

Success of a book depends on various intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. We perform a cross-platform study of book reading behavior on Goodreads and attempt to establish the connection between the Goodreads entities and the Amazon best sellers. We analyze the collective reading behavior on Goodreads platform and quantify various characteristic features of the Goodreads entities to identify differences between the Amazon best sellers (ABS) and the other non-best selling books. Using these features we devise a model to predict if a book shall become a best seller after one month (15 days) since its publication. On a balanced set, we are able to achieve a very high avg. accuracy of 88.72% (85.66%) for the prediction where the other competitive class contains books which are randomly selected from the Goodreads dataset. Our method primarily based on features derived from user posts and genre related characteristic properties achieves an improvement of 16.4% over the traditional popularity factors (ratings, reviews) based baseline methods.
Rational Dictators and the Killing of Innocents: Data from Stalin's Archives

We posit a rational choice model of dictatorship to explain the tendency of dictators to repress innocent citizens. This model demonstrates that, when the quality of information about regime enemies is low, a rational dictator will knowingly kill and imprison citizens who are not real enemies. We use the formerly secret Stalin archives to test this proposition against the stylized facts of Stalin’s three major repressions.
Molecular recognition of live methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus cells using DNA aptamers.

AIM To generate DNA-aptamers binding to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). METHODS The Cell-Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) technology was used to run the selection against MRSA bacteria and develop target-specific aptamers. MRSA bacteria were targeted while Enterococcus faecalis bacteria were used for counter selection during that process. Binding assays to determine the right aptamer candidates as well as binding assays on clinical samples were performed through flow cytometry and analyzed using the FlowJo software. The characterization of the aptamers was done by determination of their Kd values and determined by analysis of flow data at different aptamer concentration using SigmaPlot. Finally, the recognition of the complex Gold-nanoparticle-aptamer to the bacteria cells was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS During the cell-SELEX selection process, 17 rounds were necessary to generate enrichment of the pool. While the selection was run using fixed cells, it was shown that the binding of the pools with live cells was giving similar results. After sequencing and analysis of the two last pools, four sequences were identified to be aptamer candidates. The characterization of those aptamers showed that based on their Kd values, DTMRSA4 presented the best binding with a Kd value of 94.61 ± 18.82 nmol/L. A total of ten clinical samples of MRSA , S. aureus and Enterococcus faecalis were obtained to test those aptamers and determine their binding on a panel of samples. DTMRSA1 and DTMRSA3 showed the best results regarding their specificity to MRSA , DTMRSA1 being the most specific of all. Finally, those aptamers were coupled with gold-nanoparticle and their binding to MRSA cells was visualized through TEM showing that adduction of nanoparticles on the aptamers did not change their binding property. CONCLUSION A total of four aptamers that bind to MRSA were obtained with Kd values ranking from 94 to 200 nmol/L.
Government-to-Government Contracting: Stewardship, Agency, and Substitution

ABSTRACT This paper provides empirical evidence detailing the distinctive nature of service delivery provided through contracts with other governments. The results of a survey of Ohio city and county managers both confirm and stand in contrast to implications derived from stewardship theory. Consistent with stewardship, our data demonstrate that contracts with public sector service partners generate less intensive monitoring by contracting governments than do services contracted with private entities. In contrast to stewardship theory, we find that contracting governments do not use other governments for services requiring intensive monitoring. In an era of accountability and results-oriented management, reliance on trust may not satisfy constituents who seek evidence of effective service delivery. The inability of the contracting government to affect another government's service delivery reduces the attractiveness of that government as a contracting partner. If the tools of stewardship prove to be inadequate, the imposition of carrots and sticks appropriate for a principal-agent relationship could undermine the trust central to stewardship. Given these tensions, it is not surprising that governments are contracting less with other governments.
Destination competitiveness through the lens of brand positioning: the case of Australia's Sunshine Coast

The purpose of the paper is to provide a collaborative practitioner/academic interpretation of a destination's competitiveness through the lens of brand positioning in the domestic short break drive market. A 173 item questionnaire, which was mailed to a systematic random sample of 3000 households in the target market, attracted a 17% useable response. The paper compares how one destination, the Sunshine Coast, is positioned in its most important market, in relation to the brand identity intended by the destination marketing organisation (DMO). Key constructs were brand salience, brand associations and brand resonance. The Sunshine Coast was found to hold a leadership position in the minds of consumers, and the results indicated a strong level of congruence between actual market perceptions and the brand identity intended by the DMO. There were strong associations between brand salience, brand associations and brand resonance. The findings provided the destination of interest with both a measure of past marketing effectiveness as well as positive indicators of future performance. The paper represents collaboration between a tourism practitioner and a tourism academic, and attempts a contribution to the emerging literature on destination competitiveness through the lens of positioning theory.
A LABORATORY STUDY OF C3H+ AND THE C3H RADICAL IN THREE NEW VIBRATIONALLY EXCITED 2Σ STATES USING A PIN-HOLE NOZZLE DISCHARGE SOURCE

Rotational lines of the positive molecular ion C3H+ and of the neutral C3H radical in three new vibrationally excited states with 2Σ symmetry have been detected in a supersonic molecular beam in the centimeter-wave band. The fundamental rotational line of the ion is quite weak, but is observed with similar intensity in a dc discharge through several different hydrocarbon gases when helium is the buffer gas. Under these conditions, the fractional abundance of C3H+ relative to C3H is estimated to be of order 10−4, i.e., toward the lower end of the ratio (10−3–10−4) found for protonated ions using the same discharge nozzle. For each new 2Σ state of the C3H radical, spectroscopic constants, including those describing hydrogen hyperfine structure, have been determined to high precision. Lines of one 2Σ state (B = 11271 MHz) are particularly intense in our molecular beam; for this state and a second one (B = 11306 MHz), millimeter-wave transitions have also been observed between 180 and 340 GHz using a long path dc glow absorption spectrometer. On the basis of intensity measurements with this spectrometer, the inferred rotation–vibration constant α, and theoretical calculations, the state with B = 11271 MHz is tentatively assigned to the ν5 bending mode, predicted to lie ∼300 cm−1 above ground.
Community Profiling of Fusarium in Combination with Other Plant-Associated Fungi in Different Crop Species Using SMRT Sequencing

Fusarium head blight, caused by fungi from the genus Fusarium, is one of the most harmful cereal diseases, resulting not only in severe yield losses but also in mycotoxin contaminated and health-threatening grains. Fusarium head blight is caused by a diverse set of species that have different host ranges, mycotoxin profiles and responses to agricultural practices. Thus, understanding the composition of Fusarium communities in the field is crucial for estimating their impact and also for the development of effective control measures. Up to now, most molecular tools that monitor Fusarium communities on plants are limited to certain species and do not distinguish other plant associated fungi. To close these gaps, we developed a sequencing-based community profiling methodology for crop-associated fungi with a focus on the genus Fusarium. By analyzing a 1600 bp long amplicon spanning the highly variable segments ITS and D1–D3 of the ribosomal operon by PacBio SMRT sequencing, we were able to robustly quantify Fusarium down to species level through clustering against reference sequences. The newly developed methodology was successfully validated in mock communities and provided similar results as the culture-based assessment of Fusarium communities by seed health tests in grain samples from different crop species. Finally, we exemplified the newly developed methodology in a field experiment with a wheat-maize crop sequence under different cover crop and tillage regimes. We analyzed wheat straw residues, cover crop shoots and maize grains and we could reveal that the cover crop hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) acts as a potent alternative host for Fusarium (OTU F.ave/tri) showing an eightfold higher relative abundance compared with other cover crop treatments. Moreover, as the newly developed methodology also allows to trace other crop-associated fungi, we found that vetch and green fallow hosted further fungal plant pathogens including Zymoseptoria tritici. Thus, besides their beneficial traits, cover crops can also entail phytopathological risks by acting as alternative hosts for Fusarium and other noxious plant pathogens. The newly developed sequencing based methodology is a powerful diagnostic tool to trace Fusarium in combination with other fungi associated to different crop species.
The use of Tunneled Central Venous Catheters: Inevitable or System Failure?

Purpose To evaluate reasons for tunneled central venous catheter (TCVC) usage in our prevalent hemodialysis population and assess the impact of a surgically aggressive approach to definitive access creation. Methods Clinical review of all patients in the West of Scotland dialyzing via a TCVC in November 2010 was performed. Reasons for TCVC usage and TCVC complications were evaluated. Over the subsequent year, aggressive intervention was undertaken to achieve definitive access in all suitable patients and outcomes re-evaluated a year later (November 2011). Results There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients dialyzing via a TCVC in 2010 compared to 2011 (30.3% (n=193) vs. 31.7% (n=201), respectively; p=0.56). All patients now have a “vascular access plan. ” Of patients dialyzing via a TCVC in 2010, 37% had died by 2011, 22% remained on long-term line, 20% had successful arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation, 1% had an arteriovenous graft and 2% were transplanted; 10.4% developed complications of vascular access and required ligation of a functioning AVF. A further 6.5% died within 28 days of surgery. The incidence of culture-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia was 1.6 per 1,000 catheter days. Conclusions Aggressive strategies of AVF creation resulted in one-fifth of patients on a long-term TCVC having successful creation of an AVF. This was offset against high failure and significant complication rate from AVF creation in this population. One-third of patients dialyzing via a TCVC died in the subsequent year. Correct patient selection for AVF creation is essential and predialysis care must be optimized to avoid the need for TCVCs entirely.
Pattern separation performance is decreased in patients with early multiple sclerosis

Hippocampal‐dependent memory impairment is frequent and occurs early during the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). While mechanisms responsible for episodic memory dysfunction in patients with MS remain largely unknown, dentate gyrus structure has been suggested as particularly vulnerable at the early stage of the disease. If true, we hypothesized that the pattern separation component of episodic memory (a function known to be critically dependent to dentate gyrus function) would be impaired in patients with early MS (PweMS).
Fingerprint matching using M Band Wavelet transform

This paper illustrates the use of M - band wavelet transform for fingerprint matching. M - band Wavelet transform is applied on small portion of fingerprint image around the core point. Standard database of Bologna University is used to evaluate the performance of M - band wavelet transform. Results of M - band wavelet transform compared with standard two-band wavelet transform. M - band wavelet transform gives better genuine acceptance rate (GAR) at low false acceptance rate (FAR) over the standard two-band wavelet transform.
Growth patterns of temperature-sensitive mutants of Western equine encephalitis virus in cultured Aedes albopictus (mosquito) cells.

Several temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) have been isolated previously from persistently infected cultures of mosquito cells and divided into three groups: early passage RNA- mutants, early passage RNA+ mutants and late passage RNA- mutants (Maeda et al., 1979(. The growth patterns of these groups, as well as of several ts mutants isolated after chemical mutagenesis and of wild-type (wt) WEEV, have been compared in BHK cells and in two strains of mosquito cells. The late passage ts mutants grew much better in mosquito cells than either the wt WEEV or the chemically induced mutants. When mosquito cells were co-infected with a late passage mutant (A125) and Wt WEEV, infectious virions of both parental types as well as phenotypically mixed particles were produced. Infection of mosquito cells with WEEV resulted in a slight suppression of host DNA and protein synthesis during the acute stage of the infection (the first 1 or 2 days). Virus growth in a line of cloned mosquito in which WEEV produced a cytopathic infection (c.p.e.) was analysed with the result that the viruses could be divided into two groups: one in which wt WEEV, chemically induced ts mutants and early passage RNA+ mutants all induced maximal c.p.e. , and another in which late passage RNA- mutants and one early passage RNA- mutant induced very little c.p.e. , but released much more infections virus into the culture fluid. Electron microscopy showed that in these cloned mosquito cells infected with a virus of the first group, large amounts of virus accumulated on or in the plasma membrane.