Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supply Side Shocks, Near Rational Expectations, Cost Channel, and Monetary Policy

This paper examines the effectiveness of interest rate policy to stabilize the economy in general and to control inflation in particular. The paper utilizes a dynamic model which has firmer microeconomic foundations. The model is used to establish links between inflation and other variables such as wages, interest rate, and expected output. The paper highlights the importance of supply-side effects of interest rate and the role of near rational expectations in determining both nominal and real variables. The dynamic model is used to calculate the impulse response function and welfare loss to the society. The impulse response emanating from supply-side shock was used to examine various interest rate polices. Interest rate policies were distinguished based on their ability to control inflation and minimization of the overall welfare loss. This paper supports the policy of inflation targeting. It is further argued that it is unwise to increase interest rate in line with inflation as suggested by the Taylor rule.
Developing a Wireless, High Precision and Processing Speed Pulse Monitoring Headset Using Photoplethysmography

In this paper, thorough improvement of pulse monitoring and analysis equipment with a headset structure is presented. In order to study the most suitable infrared wavelength for the acquisition of the pulse wave at the earlobe, Monte Carlo simulation was adapted. Both high frequency noise and baseline drift, generated in the signal acquisition process, are considered. To further optimize the system design and improve accuracy, for the sensor’s dimensional drift, the corresponding compensation was carried on in the software. This paper introduced nonlinear quantization, especially in terms of very weak pulse signal, in the time domain analysis process. A quick extraction method named table look-up combing with interpolation was utilized to obtain frequency domain information whose processing speed can be increased by about 30 times compared with fast Fourier transformation setting the sampling point as 300. The results demonstrated the sensor’s excellent performance in pulse signal acquisition whose maximum residual is less than 0.004 mV. The test on a random sample of 300 people indicates that the system had high correlation with reference, validating the system accuracy is extremely high. Overall, this paper provides a practical pulse monitoring and analysis system with high precision and processing speed that can be widely applied in the field of health management or medical measurement.
Acetaminophen-induced cytotoxicity on human normal liver L-02 cells and the protection of antioxidants

In vitro cell models, which can partially mimic in vivo responses, offer potentially sensitive tools for toxicological assessment. The objective of this study was to explore the possible mechanisms of acetaminophen (AP)-induced toxicity in human normal liver L-02 cells. The expression of the CYP2E1 enzyme, which is reported to transform AP to its toxic metabolites, was higher in L-02 than in Hep3B cells. Further cell viability and reduced glutathione (GSH) depletion after AP treatment were examined. After exposure to AP for 24 h, cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Concentration-dependent GSH depletion was also observed after AP treatment for 48 h, indicating oxidative stress had occurred in L-02 cells. The effects of D, L-buthionine-(S, R)-sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of GSH synthesis, on the cytotoxicity induced by AP were also investigated. BSO aggravated the cytotoxicity induced by AP while NAC ameliorated such cell death. Further results showed that 10 mM AP caused cell apoptosis after 48 h treatment based on the DNA fragmentation assay and western blot of caspase-3 activation, respectively. In addition, the protective effects of various well-known antioxidants against AP-induced hepatotoxicity were observed. Taken together, these results indicate that oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis are involved in AP-induced toxicity in human normal liver L-02 cells, and this cell line is a suitable in vitro cell model for AP hepatotoxicity study.
A Twin Study of Genetic Contributions to Hippocampal Morphology in Schizophrenia

Our goal was to establish whether altered hippocampal morphology represents a trait marker for genetic vulnerability in schizophrenia. We outlined the hippocampi on high-resolution MR images obtained from matched samples of control and discordant monozygotic and dizygotic co-twins (N = 40 pairs). Hippocampal measures were used in statistical tests specifically designed to identify disease-associated genetic and nongenetic influences on morphology. 3D surface average maps of the hippocampus were additionally compared in biological risk groups. Smaller hippocampal volumes were confirmed in schizophrenia. Dizygotic affected co-twins showed smaller left hippocampi compared to their healthy siblings. Disease-associated effects were not present between monozygotic discordant co-twins. Monozygotic, but not dizygotic, unaffected co-twins exhibited smaller left hippocampi compared to control twins, supporting genetic influences. Surface areas and posterior volumes similarly revealed schizophrenia and genetic liability effects. Results suggest that hippocampal volume reduction may be a trait marker for identifying individuals possessing a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia.
Acquisition and Accumulation of Life Insurance in Early Married Life

This study of life insurance purchases of young couples over time finds the primary determinant of such purchases to be some measure of financial status, particularly the stock of assets or, in the case of term insurance, of debts. Certain behavior and attitudinal variables are also important, particularly the existence of systematic spending and saving practices, participation of the wife in the labor market and attitudes toward saving. This pilot study examines the acquisition and accumulation of life insurance by couples in the first eight years of marriage. ' The data were collected as part of a larger effort undertaken to study the financial behavior of young married couples. The data base is a sample of couples married in the Summer of 1968 in Decatur and Peoria, Illinois, and interviewed every six to nine months thereafter. The data were obtained from 149 couples who were interviewed on the first 13 waves (or rounds of interviews), corresponding to the first eight years of marriage. The sample, therefore, is highly restricted, and the results must be interpreted accordingly. An earlier study of the same data by Anderson and Nevin [D11 focused on factors influencing the amount of life insurance acquired by these couples. That study focused on life insurance purchases in the first one to two years of marriage within a static framework whereas the present study covers eight years of marriage and investigates the relationship of purchases at one time to earlier purchases. More specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What is the relationship between the face amount of life insurance owned at one time and life insurance purchased at a later time? Does this relationship vary by policy type? 2. To what extent do financial variables affect life insurance purchases? Which financial variable is more relevant - gross assets, total debts, *Robert Ferber is Research Professor of Economics and Marketing and Director of the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois. He has done extensive research over
Convergence analysis of the CNN algorithm in target recognition using SAR images

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology and the emergence of a large number of innovative theories, the concept of deep learning is widely used in object detection, speech recognition, language translation and other fields. One of the important practices is target recognition in SAR images. Although it shows certain effectiveness in some researches, when using deep learning algorithm, there are still many problems that have not yet been solved. For example, the convergence of algorithms has not shown intuitively, although the high precision of experimental results can be obtained. There are many reasons that lead to the results divergence, such as the size of the database, the type of model, and the algorithm used in the experiment. This paper aims at analyzing the factors that influence the convergence of the results from the perspective of the CNN algorithm. The goal can be achieved by means of constraint of convergence condition. Firstly, by controlling the amount of data in the database, the influence of the size of the database will be determined. Secondly, the radius of convergence will be analyzed, based on which, the scope of application will be found. Combining the above two factors, a corresponding method can be given in the final paper, which gives rise to the convergence of the result. Finally, the correctness of the above theories will be explained by conducting experiments using the MSTAR database.
Network Traffic Classification Based on Error-Correcting Output Codes and NN Ensemble

Classification of network traffic is basic and essential for many network researches and managements. Howeverclassification of network traffic using port-based and simple payload-based methods is diminished with the rapid development of peer-to-peer (P2P) application using dynamic port, disguising techniques and encryption to avoid detection. An alternative method based on statistics and machine learning has attracted researchers’ attention in recent years. In this paper, a new approach based on the implementation of artificial neural network ensemble with the error-correcting output codes (ECOC) is proposed for classification of multi-class network traffic. As the error-correcting output codes have error correcting ability and improve the generalization ability of the base classifiers the experiments show that the proposed method can improve the multi-class classification accuracy by 12%-20% on datasets captured on the backbone router of our campus through a week.
The safety of newborn early discharge. The Washington State experience.

CONTEXT While early discharge of newborns following routine vaginal delivery has become common practice, its safety has not been firmly established. OBJECTIVE To assess the risk for rehospitalization following newborn early discharge. DESIGN Population-based, case-control study. SETTING Washington State linked birth certificate and hospital discharge abstracts covering 310578 live births from 1991 through 1994. PATIENTS Case patients were 2029 newborns rehospitalized in the first month of life. Control subjects were 8657 randomly selected newborns not rehospitalized and frequency matched to case patients on year of birth. Cesarean deliveries, multiple births, and births at less than 36 weeks' gestation were not included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Stratified analyses and logistic regression were performed to assess the risk for rehospitalization within a month of birth after early discharge (<30 hours after birth) compared with later discharge (30-78 hours after birth). RESULTS Seventeen percent of newborns were discharged early. Newborns discharged early were more likely to be rehospitalized within 7 days (odds ratio [OR], 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.47), 14 days (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03-1.32), and 28 days (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.00-1.25) of discharge than newborns sent home later. Subgroups at increased risk for rehospitalization following early discharge included newborns born to primigravidas (OR,1.25; 95% CI, 1.07-1.45), mothers younger than 18 years (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.79-1.91), and mothers with premature rupture of membranes (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.85-2.36). Early discharge was also associated with an increased risk of readmission for jaundice, dehydration, and sepsis. CONCLUSION Newborns discharged home early (<30 hours after birth) are at increased risk for rehospitalization during the first month of life.
Visualising Product Line Requirement Selection Decision Inter-dependencies

A software product line is defined as a set of software products sharing a set of common features but containing significant variability. Mature software product lines generate a large number of variable requirements and complex inter-dependencies between them. A significant challenge is to provide engineers with clear and understandable views of these inter-dependencies and their impact. This paper presents a visualisation meta-model for representing inter-dependencies between product line and describes a tool to realise these visualisations.
A Novel Testosterone Catabolic Pathway in Bacteria

ABSTRACT Forty years ago, Coulter and Talalay (A. W. Coulter and P. Talalay, J. Biol. Chem. 243:3238–3247, 1968) established the oxygenase-dependent pathway for the degradation of testosterone by aerobes. The oxic testosterone catabolic pathway involves several oxygen-dependent reactions and is not available for anaerobes. Since then, a variety of anaerobic bacteria have been described for the ability to degrade testosterone in the absence of oxygen. Here, a novel, oxygenase-independent testosterone catabolic pathway in such organisms is described. Steroidobacter denitrificansDSMZ18526 was shown to be capable of degrading testosterone in the absence of oxygen and was selected as the model organism in this study. In a previous investigation, we identified the initial intermediates involved in an anoxic testosterone catabolic pathway, most of which are identical to those of the oxic pathway demonstrated in Comamonas testosteroni. In this study, five additional intermediates of the anoxic pathway were identified. We demonstrated that subsequent steps of the anoxic pathway greatly differ from those of the established oxic pathway, which suggests that a novel pathway for testosterone catabolism is present. In the proposed anoxic pathway, a reduction reaction occurs at C-4 and C-5 of androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione, the last common intermediate of both the oxic and anoxic pathways. After that, a novel hydration reaction occurs and a hydroxyl group is thus introduced to the C-1α position of C19steroid substrates. To our knowledge, an enzymatic hydration reaction occurring at the A ring of steroid compounds has not been reported before.
Compression and visualization of large and animated volume data

Volume visualization is the rendering of scalar fields in a way that it can be interpreted. The scalar field is given as a function of space. Visualizing these fields, three common problems are faced that will be discussed in this work. The first problem is to find a representation that allows for fast access and analysis of interesting parts within the volume. The second problem is to reduce the size of this representation since it can easily exceed the size of the main memory. The third problem is that for time dependent or animated volume data only very few or even a single time step can be held in main memory. Interactive visualization of large and animated volume data is, especially in the area of medical and physical applications, a very important problem. This problem has to be solved with special algorithms. While the data in medical applications is usually sampled on a regular grid, physical simulations use structured or unstructured grids to better adapt to the details within the volume. There have been a lot of publications on very good research for rendering volume data sampled on regular grids. The main focus of the research was to improve the image quality of the final renderings. Reducing the amount of data to be processed for each image still remains as a very important problem that has to be solved. There are two existing solutions to this problem. One is to use multi-resolution algorithms in order to process parts of the volume data at lower resolutions or not to process them at all. The other one is to use compression in order to reduce the size of the data set in the first place. Both approaches will be discussed and it will be investigated how to combine them efficiently. For rendering structured or unstructured grids an additional problem arises. In contrast to the fixed rendering order of regular grids, the visibility order of all cells has to be determined prior to rendering. This can also introduce new cells depending on whether the grid is convex or concave or if it contains visibility cycles. These additional cells have to be computed for each image since they depend on the location of the viewer. After the visibility order has been determined each cell is rendered individually. The rendering works similar to the rendering of regular grids in order to achieve the same high quality results. Finally, compression for structured and unstructured grids is considered since the amount of data can also be very high for this representation. A further application of rendering unstructured grids is displacement mapping. Here a simple height field over any kind of triangle mesh is rendered. To achieve a good image quality however, the previous rendering approaches need to be modified. These modifications include simplifications since the rendering is only interested in a single iso-surface but also new features since lighting and coloring are much more complex for displacement mapping.
A critical assessment of some biomarker approaches linked with dietary intake

In this review many examples are given of the complexities involved in using some biomarkers in relation to assessing the effects of dietary exposure, when there is frequently a need to determine changes following long-term low level exposure to dietary components. These range from understanding why the biomarker might be valuable and how best it can be measured, to the pitfalls which can occur in the interpretation of data. Analytical technique is considered in relation to folate and selenium, and flavonoid and carotenoid species are used to illustrate how the metabolism of a compound may alter the validity or adequacy of a marker. Vitamin A is discussed in relation to the difficulties which can arise when there are several biomarkers that may be available to assess exposure to one nutrient. Vitamin B12 is discussed in relation to the dietary choices made by individuals. Possible interactions and the role of measuring total antioxidant capacity is considered in some detail. In contrast to most nutrients, there is a marked lack of biomarkers of either exposure or effect for most non-nutrients. The role of biological effect monitoring is considered for dietary contaminants, fumonisins and polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. Aflatoxins are discussed to exemplify food contaminants for which the biomarker approach has been extensively studied. Finally some compounds which are deliberately added to foods and some which appear as processing contaminants are each considered briefly in relation to the requirement for a biomarker of exposure to be developed.
An Examination of Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Teachers' Beliefs and Cultural Awareness of Students of Color in Relationship to Teacher Ethnicity, Teaching Certification, Years of Teaching Experience, and Gender

An Examination of Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Teachers‟ Beliefs and Cultural Awareness of Students of Color in Relationship to Teacher Ethnicity, Teaching Certification, Years of Teaching Experience, and Gender. (August 2010) Vonda Roychelle Nunley B.A., Rice University; M.A., Prairie View A&M University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Norvella P. Carter Dr. Stephanie L. Knight The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine the relationship between teachers‟ beliefs and cultural awareness of students of color, and teacher ethnicity, level of teaching certification, years of teaching experience and gender. During the 2005-2006 academic school year, data was collected from teachers teaching in a large urban school district, located in the southeastern portion of Texas, to examine teacher‟s working with diverse populations of students in diverse communities. The Cultural Awareness and Belief Inventory (CABI) was used to collect this data. The CABI measures teachers‟ beliefs and cultural awareness when working with African American students in comparison to their counterparts of other ethnicities. This study examined the data collected from teachers teaching students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The data collected in this study was examined based on
Postoperative daily living activities of geriatric patients administered general or spinal anesthesia for hip fracture surgery: A retrospective cohort study

Purpose: Maintaining independence after hip fracture repair is important for geriatric patients and general welfare. We investigated the effects of anesthetic methods on postoperative activities of daily living (ADLs) following hip fracture surgery in elderly patients. Methods: The medical records of 12,342 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent typical surgeries for hip fracture using either general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia were reviewed. To adjust for baseline differences and minimize selection bias for the chosen method of anesthesia, patients were matched by propensity scores. Factors affecting the deterioration in ADLs during hospital stay were also investigated in all subjects using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Eating, grooming, toileting, bathing, and walking were selected as the ADL parameters, as they are considered important for an independent life. Results: Of the 12,342 patients, 6918 (56.1%) received general anesthesia and 5424 (43.9%) received spinal anesthesia. After the propensity score matching, the anesthesia types were not associated with ADL scores except toileting at discharge. Results from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the types of anesthesia were not associated with deterioration in ADL scores. Advanced age, male sex, high Charlson Comorbidity Index scores, psychiatric disease, no administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and short length of hospital stay were associated with deterioration in ADL scores. Conclusion: The anesthesia types were not associated with ADL dependency except toileting at discharge. Spinal anesthesia adversely affected toilet use at hospital discharge. However, anesthesia types were not factors that affected deterioration in ADL during hospital stay in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery.
Cash-Flow Decomposition and R&D Smoothing: Comparison with Physical Investment

We decompose cash-flow into its permanent and transitory components and provide formal evidence that R&D- current cash-flow sensitivity is downward biased and that R&D- permanent cash-flow sensitivity better informs about the R&D response to cash-flow. Unexpectedly, and in spite of the negligible observed sensitivities of R&D to the transitory component of cash-flow, our regressions reveal that these sensitivities have an asymmetric pattern: they are higher when cash-flow is increasing. In comparison with physical investment, we approve that R&D are more persistent and thus smoother than physical investment. Finally, we argue that investment - cash-flow sensitivity is higher for physical investment only for firms for whom physical investment is the main investment type.