Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Opinion–Policy Dynamics: Public Preferences and Public Expenditure in the United Kingdom

Work exploring the relationship between public opinion and public policy over time has largely been restricted to the United States. A wider application of this line of research can provide insights into how representation varies across political systems, however. This article takes a first step in this direction using a new body of data on public opinion and government spending in Britain. The results of analyses reveal that the British public appears to notice and respond (thermostatically) to changes in public spending in particular domains, perhaps even more so than in the United States. They also reveal that British policymakers represent these preferences in spending, though the magnitude and structure of this response is less pronounced and more general. The findings are suggestive about the structuring role of institutions.
Irish divorce law in a social policy vacuum – from the unspoken to the unknown

This article presents a historical overview of the regulation of the family under Irish law and focuses in particular upon the deep-rooted resistance to the remedy of divorce. In this context, it will demonstrate the elevated position of the marital family under Irish law and trace the attempts to recognise and provide for parties to a broken marriage, culminating in the 1995 removal of the Constitutional prohibition on the dissolution of marriage. In the second part, the article will critically analyse the regulatory structure which now provides for divorce under Irish law and will identify the detrimental effect of a failure to consider and identify the underlying policy aims of this radical shift in family law regulation.
Human facial feature extraction for face interpretation and recognition

This paper presents facial features extraction algorithms which can be used for automated visual interpretation and recognition of human faces. It is possible to capture the contours of eye and mouth by deformable template model because of their analytically describable shapes. However, the shapes of eyebrow, nostril and face are difficult to model using a deformable template. They are extracted by using an active contour model, the snake. <<ETX>>
Optimal Coordination of Directional Overcurrent Relays Considering Different Network Topologies Using Interval Linear Programming

In real power systems, the network topology is subjected to uncertainty due to single-line outage contingencies, maintenance activities, and network reconfigurations. These changes in the network topology may lead to miscoordination of directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs). To overcome this drawback, corresponding to each primary/backup relay pair, a set of inequality coordination constraints which is related to different network topologies should be satisfied. In this paper, a new approach based on the interval analysis is introduced to solve the DOCRs coordination problem considering uncertainty in the network topology. The basic idea is to convert the set of inequality constraints corresponding to each relay pair to an interval constraint. In this situation, the DOCR coordination problem is formulated as an interval linear programming (ILP) problem. Using well-known mathematical theorems, the obtained ILP problem, which has no equality constraints, can be converted to standard linear programming (LP). As a result, the number of coordination constraints is significantly reduced in the proposed methods. The application of the proposed method to the IEEE 14- and 30-bus test systems proves the ability of the interval method in modeling topology uncertainty in the large-scale coordination problem.
Strategic business cycle management and organizational performance: a great unexplored research stream

This lament is as true today as it was almost 20 years ago. Indeed, most scholars continue to ignore one of the most important, but least developed, research streams in all of management strategy and organizational science – strategic business cycle management (BCM). BCM involves the application of a set of typically countercyclical prescriptive behaviors that, when applied in a timely way over the course of the business cycle, can improve the performance of an organization relative to rivals. For example, countercyclical advertising in a recession may help increase market share and build brand identity (Dhalla, 1980), countercyclical hiring during a recession may help build a lower-cost, higher-quality workforce (Greer, 1984) and an organization that cuts production and inventories in anticipation of a recession may cut costs relative to rivals that do not (Navarro, 2004). Despite the performance claims of the prescriptive BCM literature, BCM research remains relatively rare, Balkanized in its treatment by functional silo, significantly lacking in empirical testing and considerably hampered by the lack of any unified general theory that explains observed BCM heterogeneity across organizations. After more than five years of case work and empirical study in which we have identified and tested potential causal links between prescriptive BCM and organizational performance (Navarro, 2004, 2005, 2006; Navarro et al., 2006), we find this lack of scholarly attention to BCM both puzzling and exciting. It is puzzling because BCM involves all functions of the organization; thus, it should STRATEGIC ORGANIZATION Vol 6(2): 207–219 DOI: 10.1177/1476127008090011 Copyright ©2008 Sage Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore) http://so.sagepub. com
Farm-Level Fertilizer Demand in Java: A Meta-Production Function Approach

This paper models seed variety choice and the demand for variable inputs as jointly determined by profit-maximizing cultivators. The approach parallels that of Hayami and Ruttan, who postulated that changes in the output-fertilizer price ratio induce movements along a meta-fertilizer response function, the envelope of individual variety-specific response surfaces. Ignoring the possibility of seed variety switching leads to underestimates of fertilizer demand elasticities. In addition, estimation with samples reflecting a single seed variety may involve serious selection bias. A two-stage procedure which adjusts for selectivity bias is used to estimate the model with farm-level data from Java.
Aid, Volatility and Growth Again

In previous papers we have argued that aid is likely to mitigate the negative effects of external shocks on economic growth (i.e., aid is more effective in countries that are more vulnerable to external shocks). Recently an important debate has emerged about the possible negative effects of aid volatility itself. However, the cushioning effect of aid may involve some volatility in aid flows, which then is not necessarily negative for growth. In this paper we examine to what extent the time profile of aid disbursements may contribute to an increase or a decrease of aid effectiveness. We first show that aid, even if volatile, is not clearly as procyclical as often argued, and, even if procyclical, is not necessarily destabilizing. We measure aid volatility by several methods and assess procyclicality of aid with respect to exports, thus departing from previous literature, which usually assesses procyclicality of aid with respect to national income or fiscal receipts. The stabilizing/destabilizing nature of aid is measured by the difference in the volatility of exports and the volatility of the aid plus exports flows. Then, in order to take into account the diversity of shocks to which aid can respond, we consider the effect of aid on income volatility and again find that aid is making growth more stable, while its volatility reduces this effect. Finally, we find evidence through growth regressions that the higher effectiveness of aid in vulnerable countries is to a large extent due to its stabilizing effect.
A proposal for integrating environmental impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis and multicriteria analysis in decision-making

Environmental decision-making is often a difficult process, in both developed and developing countries. Environmental degradation, public discontent, social conflicts, project delays, cost overruns, externalities and economic inefficiency are frequent results. To support decision-making, different evaluation approaches and techniques have been developed: environmental impact assessment; (extended) cost-benefit analysis; multicriteria analysis. Such tools are still fraught with problems; furthermore, they are developed and applied ‘in parallel’, and thus are not integrated. In this paper the key features of what could be an integrated approach are outlined. Many of the ideas are already well known, however, here they are amalgamated explicitly and in a structured form.
Role of Murine Cytomegalovirus US22 Gene Family Members in Replication in Macrophages

ABSTRACT The large cytomegalovirus (CMV) US22 gene family, found in all betaherpesviruses, comprises 12 members in both human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Conserved sequence motifs suggested a common ancestry and related functions for these gene products. Two members of this family, m140 and m141, were recently shown to affect MCMV replication on macrophages. To test the role of all US22 members in cell tropism, we analyzed the growth properties in different cell types of MCMV mutants carrying transposon insertions in all 12 US22 gene family members. When necessary, additional targeted mutants with gene deletions, ATG deletions, and ectopic gene revertants were constructed. Mutants with disruption of genes M23, M24, m25.1, m25.2, and m128 (ie2) showed no obvious growth phenotype, whereas growth of M43 mutants was reduced in a number of cell lines. Genes m142 and m143 were shown to be essential for virus replication. Growth of mutants with insertions into genes M36, m139, m140, and m141 in macrophages was severely affected. The common phenotype of the m139, m140, and m141 mutants was explained by an interaction at the protein level. The M36-dependent macrophage growth phenotype could be explained by the antiapoptotic function of the gene that was required for growth on macrophages but not for growth on other cell types. Together, the comprehensive set of mutants of the US22 gene family suggests that individual family members have diverged through evolution to serve a variety of functions for the virus.
Mosaic method based on feature points detection and tracking for unmanned aerial vehicle videos

This paper explains and implements a fast image mosaic algorithm for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sequence images. In this algorithm, feature points between images are matched using a modified Harris corner detection algorithm, and then an improved pyramid Lucas-Kanade optical flow algorithm and corner points matching authentication algorithm is used to achieve an effective match of the feature points. Next, the transformation parameters between two images are obtained for image transformation. Finally, synthetic algorithm of gradually progressive is used for image fusion. Experimental results show that the fast image mosaic method can get good results for the proposed video images which existing rotation, translation and noise distraction.
Demographic and socioeconomic correlates of adiposity assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in US children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND Associations between demographic-socioeconomic characteristics and childhood obesity are complex in the United States. OBJECTIVE We examined associations between demographic-socioeconomic characteristics (age, sex, race-ethnicity, family income, household size, and birthplace) and adiposity measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in US children. DESIGN Data were from 8-19-y-old US children enrolled in NHANES 2001-2004 (n = 5436). Adiposity was expressed as the fat mass index (FMI = fat mass/height(2); in kg/m(2)), percentage body fat (%BF), and prevalence of normal, overfat, and excess fat corresponding to %BF <25%, 25-29.9%, and ≥30% in boys and <30%, 30-34.9%, and ≥35% in girls, respectively. We used sex-specific linear and multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for demographic-socioeconomic factors. RESULTS The prevalence of excess fat was higher in Mexican American (36%) than in white (28%; P ≤ 0.10) and black (21%; P < 0.05) boys; higher in Mexican American (44%) than in white (36%; P ≤ 0.10) and black (35%; P < 0.05) girls; and higher in US-born (38%) than in foreign-born (29%; P ≤ 0.10) Mexican American boys. In boys, %BF was higher in Mexican Americans and lower in blacks than in whites (P < 0.05). Adiposity was negatively associated with family income in white boys and girls and in Mexican American girls (P < 0.05). Racial-ethnic disparities in adiposity persisted (P < 0.001) after control for demographic-socioeconomic factors available in NHANES. The R(2) for sex-specific models of %BF or FMI regressed on age, race-ethnicity, family income, household size, and birthplace ranged from 2% to 11%. CONCLUSION The association between demographic-socioeconomic factors and adiposity among US children varied substantially by age, sex, and race-ethnicity.
Regularizaed extraction of non-negative latent factors from high-dimensional sparse matrices

With the exploration of the World Wide Web, more and more entities are involved in various online applications, e.g., recommender systems and social network services. In such context, high-dimensional sparse matrices describing the relationships among them are frequently encountered. It is highly important to develop efficient non-negative latent factor (NLF) models for these high-dimensional sparse relationships because of a) their ability to extract useful knowledge from them; b) their fulfillment of the non-negativity constraints for representing most non-negative industrial data; and c) their high computational and storage efficiency on high-dimensional sparse matrices. However, due to the imbalanced distribution of known data in such a matrix, it is necessary to investigate the regularization effect in NLF models. We first review the NLF model briefly. Then we propose to integrate the frequency-weight on each involved entity into its Tikhonov regularization terms, for representing the imbalanced data from a high-dimensional sparse matrix. Experimental results on industrial-size matrices indicate that the proposed scheme is effective in improving the performance of the NLF model in missing-data-estimation.
Negative Campaigning in No-Cabinet Alternation Systems: Ideological Closeness and Blames of Corruption in Italy and Japan Using Party Manifesto Data

Abstract Within a one-dimensional spatial framework, we deduce that parties’ incentives ‘to go negative’, by blaming alleged insufficiencies of the rival concerning commonly shared values, increase with their ideological proximity. We test our hypothesis by considering the long period of no-cabinet alternation that characterized both Italy and Japan. In particular, we focus on the (spatial) incentives of the Italian Communist Party and of the Japanese Socialist Party to emphasize on a particular topic related to negative campaigning, i.e. political corruption issues. The status of the perennial opposition held by both parties, together with the existence of several political corruption scandals during the period considered, makes the Italian and the Japanese political systems particularly apt to test our hypothesis. The results, based on data derived from electoral programs, support our theoretical insights.
Techniques for calibrating differential signals in measurement instruments

Differential amplifiers are often used in several measurement instruments for fast processing of sensor data, images etc. Such circuits are sensitive to component mismatches, temperature and process variations that modify the amplitude and the level of the differential signals. A number of calibration techniques that can restore such differential signals are presented in this paper. These techniques include level shifting, frequency detection and signal delay adaptation and are applied to a novel integer divider circuit that is incorporated in an ultra low area and power 8bit subrange Analog/Digital Converter that has been developed in CMOS TSMC90nm process.
Valuing Risky Fixed Rate Debt: An Extension

Abstract This paper develops a corporate bond valuation model that takes into account both early default and interest rate risk. It corrects a defect of recent contributions where pricing equations do not assure that the payment to bondholders upon bankruptcy is no greater than firm value. The bankruptcy-triggering mechanism is directly related to the payoff received by bondholders when early bankruptcy is forced upon the firm. More specifically, the default barrier is defined simply as a fixed quantity discounted at the riskless rate up to the maturity date of the risky corporate bond. As soon as this threshold is crossed, bondholders receive an exogenously specified fraction of the remaining assets. Deviations from the absolute priority rule also are captured. Because it accounts for Gaussian interest rate uncertainty, default risk, and deviations from the absolute priority rule, this model is capable of producing quite diverse shapes for the term structure of yield spreads.
Neuroprotective role of ERK1/2 and ERK5 in a dopaminergic cell line under basal conditions and in response to oxidative stress

Loss of motor function in Parkinson's disease is due in part to degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons. Pharmacological evidence suggests that the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathways involving extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERKs) play important roles in neuroprotection of DA neurons. However, the relative roles of the several ERK isoforms in the viability of DA neurons have not yet been determined. In the present study, we investigated the contributions of ERK5, as well as ERK1/2, to MN9D cell survival under basal conditions and in response to 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA). We observed that U0126, an inhibitor of ERK activation, decreased basal survival of these cells. To differentiate between ERK1/2 and ERK5, cells were transfected with a dominant negative form of either ERK5 or MEK1, the upstream activator of ERK1/2. Transfection of MN9D cells with either dominant negative construct mimicked U0126, reducing cell survival. Moreover, transfection of the cells in such a way as to increase ERK5 or ERK1/2 activity inhibited 6‐OHDA‐induced cell death, although this effect was significant only in the case of ERK1/2 activation. These studies suggest that activations of ERK5 and ERK1/2 both promote basal DA cell survival and that ERK1/2 also protects DA cells from oxidative stress. These are the first studies to demonstrate a role for ERK5 in DA neuronal survival and to investigate the relative roles of ERK1/2 and ERK5 in basal DA survival and neuroprotection from oxidative stress. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Organising the political coordination of knowledge and innovation policies

This special issue of Science and Public Policy takes up the recently discussed problem of political coordination in the ‘third phase of innovation’. The introduction prepares the analytical ground for the four case studies that follow. It develops the image of a ‘knowledge space’ consisting of the four ‘core’ areas of innovation policy — higher education, professional education, basic research and technological research — and uses insights from administrative science and a number of science and policy studies that discuss the need for coordination in policy-making in knowledge and innovation systems. Different types of coordination are distinguished as well as various institutional levels within the political system that play a role in the overall capacity of improving political coordination. A number of problems and expectations are raised which are the starting point of reflections in the ensuing case studies. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Incomplete Information and Robustness in Strategic Environments

Game theoretic modeling involves making assumptions on agents' infinite hierarchies of beliefs. These assumptions are understood to be only approximately satisfied in the actual situation. Thus, the significance of game theoretic predictions depend on robustness properties of the solution concepts adopted. Chapter 1 discusses recent results in this research area and their relations with the results obtained in the subsequent chapters. Chapter 2 explores the impact of misspecification of higher order beliefs in static environments, when arbitrary common knowledge assumptions on payoffs are relaxed. (Existing literature focuses on the extreme case in which all such assumptions are relaxed.) Chapter 3 provides a characterization of the strongest predictions, for dynamic games, that are "robust" to possible misspecifications of agents' higher order beliefs, and shows that such characterization depends on modeling assumptions that have hitherto received little attention in the literature (namely, the distinction between knowledge and certainty), raising novel questions of robustness. Chapter 4 develops a methodology to address classical questions of implementation, when agents' beliefs are unknown to the designer and their private information changes over time. The key idea is the identification of a solution concept that allows a tractable analysis of the full implementation problem: Full "robust" implementation requires that, for all models of agents' beliefs, all the perfect Bayesian equilibria of a mechanism induce outcomes consistent with the social choice function (SCF). It is shown that, for a weaker notion of equilibrium and for a general class of games, the set of all such equilibria can be computed by means of a "backwards procedure" that combines the logic of rationalizability and backward induction reasoning. It is further shown that a SCF is (partially) implementable for all models of beliefs if and only if it is ex-post incentive compatible. In environments with single crossing preferences, strict ex-post incentive compatibility and a "contraction property" are sufficient to guarantee full robust implementation in direct mechanisms. This property limits the interdependence in agents' valuations. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Economics First Advisor George J. Mailath
ACUTE CHANGES IN 3H-PAC AND 125I-PYY BINDING IN THE NUCLEUS TRACTUS SOLITARII AND HYPOTHALAMUS AFTER A HYPERTENSIVE STIMULUS

Activation of alpha-2-adrenergic and neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) induces hypotension and bradycardia. On the contrary, activation of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptors leads to hypertension. Acute changes in binding parameters of alpha-2-adrenergic, NPY and Ang II receptors were evaluated in the NTS and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) of rats after a hypertensive stimulus employing quantitative receptor autoradiography. Saturation experiments showed a decrease in the number (Bmax) of alpha-2-adrenergic binding sites in the NTS 6 hours after coarctation-induced hypertension. Furthermore, the affinity of NPY receptors was diminished as seen by the increase in the KD value of 125 I-PYY. Tyrosine hydroxylase and NPY immunoreactivities were increased in the NTS and ventral medulla. Binding of 125 I-Ang II was not changed in the NTS. Binding of all ligands analyzed was not altered in the PVN. The results suggest an acute down-regulation of alpha-2-adrenergic and NPY receptors involved with hypotension in response to hypertensive stimulus, which might be related to an increased availability of catecholamines and NPY in the NTS.