Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hedging Inflation-Linked Liabilities without Inflation-Linked Instruments through Long/Short Investments in Nominal Bonds

In the absence of inflation-linked bonds or inflation swaps, no perfect hedging strategy exists for inflation-linked liabilities, so nominal bonds are often used as substitute hedging instruments. This article provides a formal analysis of the problem of hedging inflation-linked liabilities with nominal bonds in the presence of real rate uncertainty as well as realized and expected inflation risks. Although a long-only position in nominal bonds will always have a negative exposure to unexpected inflation, the analysis suggests that long/short nominal bond portfolio strategies can in principle be designed to achieve a zero exposure to changes in unexpected inflation (required to hedge inflation-linked liabilities) while having a target exposure to changes in real rate equal to that of liabilities. The practical implementation of such long/short replication strategies, however, is not a straightforward task in the presence of parameter uncertainty. The authors explore several non-exclusive solutions to the estimation risk problem, including the use of conditional parameter estimation methodologies as well as the introduction of robust restrictions on input parameters or portfolio weights. These approaches lead to substantial improvements in out-of-sample hedging performance.
Adhesion of cells to surfaces coated with polylysine. Applications to electron microscopy

Cells of many kinds adhere firmly to glass or plastic surfaces which have been pretreated with polylysine. The attachment takes place as soon as the cells make contact with the surfaces, and the flattening of the cells against the surfaces is quite rapid. Cells which do not normally adhere to solid surfaces, such as sea urchin eggs, attach as well as cells which normally do so, such as amebas or mammalian cells in culture. The adhesion is interpreted simply as the interaction between the polyanionic cell surfaces and the polycationic layer of adsorbed polylysine. The attachment of cells to the polylysine-treated surfaces can be exploited for a variety of experimental manipulations. In the preparation of samples for scanning or transmission electron microscopy, the living material may first be attached to a polylysine- coated plate or grid, subjected to some experimental treatment (fertilization of an egg, for example), then transferred rapidly to fixative and further passed through processing for observation; each step involves only the transfer of the plate or grid from one container to the next. The cells are not detached. The adhesion of the cell may be so firm that the body of the cell may be sheared away, leaving attached a patch of cell surface, face up, for observation of its inner aspect. For example, one may observe secretory vesicles on the inner face of the surface (3) or may study the association of filaments with the inner surface (Fig. 1). Subcellular structures may attach to the polylysine-coated surfaces. So far, we have found this to be the case for nuclei isolated from sea urchin embryos and for the microtubules of flagella, which are well displayed after the membrane has been disrupted by Triton X-100 (Fig. 2).
Pension Challenges and Pension Reforms in Oecd Countries

The 30 OECD member countries have very diverse pension systems. Current old-age public pension spending varies between less than 1 and more than 10 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Public spending on pensions per person aged 65 or over varies from less than 15 to more than 40 per cent of economy-wide GDP per head. For workers entering the labour market today, the target pension from all mandatory sources for an average earner varies between 30 and 100 per cent of individual earnings. Recent pension reforms have a number of common themes. First, pension eligibility conditions have been tightened. Second, the indexation of pensions in payment has become less generous. Third, some pension schemes link benefit levels to changes in life expectancy. Finally, a number of countries have introduced defined-contribution pensions: privately managed schemes where the pension benefit depends on contributions and investment returns. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Reciprocal inhibition becomes facilitation after spinal cord injury: Clinical application of a system identification approach

Alteration in spinal inputs from descending pathways following spinal cord injury (SCI) affects different mechanisms including reciprocal Ia inhibition. However, whether there is a consistent pattern of change in reciprocal inhibition following SCI is uncertain. Typical attempts to evaluate reciprocal inhibition have been restricted to electrophysiological measurements, which may have limited translation to function. Our objective was to address the uncertainty regarding changes in reciprocal inhibition after SCI by quantitatively evaluating reciprocal inhibition of ankle extensors from ankle flexors using our novel, more functionally relevant system identification approach. To evaluate reciprocal inhibition using the system identification technique, a series of small-amplitude PseudoRandom Binary Sequence (PRBS) perturbations were applied to the ankle when subjects contracted their dorsiflexors. Depression of reflex stiffness with tibialis anterior (TA) activation was evaluated as reciprocal inhibition. Our results showed that reflex stiffness decreased continuously as dorsiflexor torque increased in the healthy control subjects whereas it remained almost unchanged in the SCI subjects, indicating the absence of reciprocal inhibition in patients. This pattern was consistent with the results obtained from electrophysiological measures in a exploratory control experiment revealing depression of the control H-reflex but no change to the SCI H-reflex. These findings suggest that our system identification mechanical technique is a reliable and valid approach for evaluating reciprocal inhibition. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that reciprocal inhibition can diminish or change to reciprocal facilitation after SCI, which in turn can result in reflex hyperexcitability and unwanted activity of ankle extensors triggered by TA activity. This suggests that reciprocal facilitation may play a major role in pathophysiology of spasticity and impaired function.
Rolling horizon production planning for probabilistic time-varying demands

SUMMARY This paper introduces and tests a production planning procedure to be applied in a rolling horizon with probabilistic demands, based on the work of Bookbinder and Tan (1983). First, the case of no lead time for replenishment is considered and trend-seasonal demands are studied. We vary the set-up cost, order cycle and number of periods in the future for which demand forecasts are available. The procedure is compared to that of Silver (1978) in terms of cost performance, percentage of demand short/period and percentage of periods with stock-outs. Each approach appears to have merit. The proposed procedure generally yields a lower solution cost, while Silver's procedure usually has a lower percentage of demand short/period and a smaller percentage of periods with stockouts. Differences between the two procedures were relatively insensitive to which of three lot-sizing rules was employed within them. Finally, we further extended our procedure to consider non-zero lead times for replenishment and diff.
Commodities as a Tool of Risk Diversification

Investing in commodities has become a new topic for private investors in recent years. Private investors are trying to spread their investments across a much wider spectrum of investments than in the past. They are looking for new sources of return and better diversification of investment risk. In this process, they are searching beyond the traditional asset classes of equities, bonds, cash and real estate. The objective of the paper is to critically explore the possibility of investing in commodities mainly for private investors and analyses investment characteristics. The main scientific aim is to use a complex of more sophisticated and theoretically advanced statistical techniques and apply them on the findings. This paper will provide comprehensive analyses of mostly used commodity indexes of 1st generation and describe main differences between 1st and 2nd generation of commodity indexes and some examples of rollover mechanism will be critically explain. A representative of 2nd generation of commodity indexes was chosen for comprehensive data analysis to another asset class and for the testing whether commodities decreasing a risk of investment portfolio. ©
Indoor Localisation and Navigation on Augmented Reality Devices

We present a novel indoor mapping and localisation approach for Augmented Reality (AR) devices that exploits the fusion of inertial sensors with visual odometry. We have demonstrated the approach using Google Glass (GG) and Google Cardboard (GC) supported with an Android phone. Our work presents an application of Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for sensor fusion for AR based application where previous work on Bag of Visual Words Pairs (BoVWP) [10] based image matching is used for bundle adjustment on Fused odometry. We present the empirical validation of this approach on three different indoor spaces in an office environment. We concluded that vision complimented with inertial data effectively compensate the ego-motion of the user, improving the accuracy of map generation and localisation.
A study of the additive manufacturing technology for RF/microwave components

In this work an overview of the different additive manufacturing techniques will be presented. Each technique will be compared in terms of dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, and quality taking into account the most suitable applications for each one. Then, two applications will be studied: (a) fast prototyping of waveguide component designs using professional grade 3D printers for electromagnetic validation purposes, and (b) 3D printing of waveguide hardware products as a production technology using production grade 3D printers. The first application will be studied with a research center approach, where many different designs are manufactured in order to validate a design technique or a model. The second application will be studied with a company approach, where the best quality at a lower price is pursued.
Heavy Tails in High-Frequency Financial Data

We perform a tail index estimation of financial asset returns in two markets: the foreign exchange market and the interbank market of cash interest rates. Thanks to the high-frequency of the data, we obtain good estimates of the tail indices and we are able to analyze their stability with time aggregation. Our analysis confirms that the variance of the return is finite but points to the non-convergence of the kurtosis. Both financial markets present similar tail behavior of the returns. A study of the extreme risks reveals the need to depart from the Gaussian assumption by taking the fat tails fully into account. A study of tails under temporal aggregation, also investigating data from theoretical price formation processes, shows that ARCH-type processes represent the true behavior better than unconditional distribution models.
Study on the Usefulness of Seratrodast in the Treatment of Chronic Pulmonary Emphysema

Summary It has been reported that the biosynthesis of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) is enhanced in platelets in the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 11-dehydro-TXB2, a urinary metabolite of thromboxane, also increases in blood. In the present study, seratrodast (CAS 112665-43-7, Bronica®), a TXA2 receptor antagonist, was administered to 14 patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema in the stable phase for 8 weeks. Respiratory distress was evaluated in the attending physicians’ judgments using the Hugh-Jones (H-J) classification, and also by the patients themselves using the Borg scale. Respiratory function tests, including forced vital capacity (FVC), percent of one second forced expiratory volume (FEV1.0 %), arterial blood gases during respiration of room air, and peak expiratory flows (PEF) (morning and evening), and measurement of plasma 11-denhydro-TXB2 and TXB2 levels were performed before and 8 weeks after the start of administration, as well as at the time of the start of administration. The results revealed significant improvement of respiratory distress, evaluated on both the H-J classification and the Borg scale, at week 8. Although no significant changes were observed in plasma TXB2 levels, the plasma 11-dehydro-TXB2 level significantly decreased at week 8. Among the respiratory function parameters examined, only FVC was significantly improved. These results indicated that seratrodast is useful for the improvement of respiratory distress in patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema in the stable phase.
Levels of e-HRM adoption in subsidiaries of a US multinational corporation: the mediating role of power, politics and institutions

Despite the purported advantages of electronic HRM (e-HRM) in assisting strategic decision making, few organisations appear to fully capitalise on e-HRM. This article explores the mediating role of power and politics on the levels of e-HRM utilisation in the German and Irish subsidiaries of a US multinational corporation (MNC). The research comprised 25 in-depth interviews with 15 key stakeholders in the case study firm. Key findings highlight that e-HRM adaptation in MNC subsidiaries is affected by the institutional contexts within which the organisation operates, as well as a set of micro-political and power relationships within the broader political structure of the MNC and as such are capable of curbing a multinational’s capacity to disseminate human resource including e-HRM practices from the country of origin to its subsidiaries. In particular, resource power derived from strategic capabilities may be employed by subsidiary actors to shape the manner in which e-HRM is utilised.
Coreless Magnetic Transformer Design Procedure

The calculation of resistance and inductance of magnetic components without a core is not a simple task. Since the magnetic field distribution is 2D/3D, the models that have to be applied should consider such field distribution. The use of analytical expressions may help to obtain a rough approximation of the inductance value. However, an accurate calculation of coupling and resistance requires a more accurate approach like FEA solvers. This paper describes a full procedure to design coreless magnetic components. The proposed procedure is based on the use of analytical expressions in order to select the appropriate number of turns and winding positioning, and the use of FEA solvers in order to calculate the whole component model, including AC resistance and coupling
Novel Combined Training Approach Improves Sleep Quality but Does Not Change Body Composition in Healthy Elderly Women: A Preliminary Study

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a novel combined training protocol on sleep quality and body composition of healthy elderly women. The study sample consisted of 8 sedentary elderly individuals with mean (±SD) of 67 (±8) years of age, 96.0 (±7.8) mg/dL fasting blood glucose, 94.4 (±36.1) mg/dL triglycerides, 179.1 (±22.4) mg/dL total cholesterol, 57.2 (±15.7) mg/dL high-density lipoprotein (HDL), 103.1 (±25.2) mg/dL low-density lipoprotein (LDL), 125.3 (±8.4) mmHg systolic blood pressure, and 72.6 (±10.1) mmHg diastolic blood pressure. The training protocol consisted of resistance training exercises (approximately 18-minute duration) combined with aerobic exercises (approximately 26-minute duration), performed interspersed in the same session, for 8 weeks (3 times a week), with a 24-hour interval rest between each session. Continuous variables were expressed as the mean (±standard deviation) and the paired sample t-test compares baseline with final measurement. The results showed a significant improvement (p = 0.01) in quality of sleep (4.9 ± 1.5 versus 3.8 ± 1.8 for total PSQI index) without body significant improvements in the fat-free mass (59.9 ± 4.0 versus 60.5 ± 4.4; p = 0.20) and fat mass (40.1 ± 4.0 versus 39.5 ± 4.4; p = 0.20) in healthy elderly women. In this sense, the novel combined training proposed may be an effective alternative or adjunct to present therapies aimed at improving the sleep quality in this population.
Slip, trip and fall injuries in potato, sugar beet and open field vegetable production in Finland

STF injuries are common in agriculture. The purposes of this study were to assess the magnitude of STF injuries, to identify contributing factors and to propose preventive actions to reduce injuries in potato, sugar beet and open field vegetable production in Finland. The material consisted of 1648 injury claim records and 22 interviews. The analysis showed 45% (n = 740) of the non-fatal injuries were STFs or jumps. Phrase analysis of injury descriptions provided further insight into the characteristics of STF injuries. The current findings suggest interventions should focus on making access paths (e.g. stairs, ladders, platforms) safer, minimising the need for mounting and dismounting equipment, decreasing manual material handling, improving contamination control and housekeeping in working areas and improving the safety of traffic areas and farmyards.
Planar single-wire antennas at millimeter-wave frequencies

Single-wire waveguides are becoming deeply studied at high frequencies due to their low-loss and low-dispersive behavior. In this paper, a planar version of this waveguide is used to design two kinds of antennas. Firstly, a surface-wave antenna is designed taking advantage of the slow-wave behavior of the fundamental mode. This low-loss antenna (it does not use any dielectric) presents an end-fire pattern. To obtain a different pattern, a periodic leaky-wave antenna is proposed. This antenna is obtained by attaching dipoles to the laterals of the waveguide. The resulting structure has a beam that scans from backward to forward as frequency varies. Both antennas are ideal for millimeter and submillimeter-wave frequencies due to the ease of fabrication and low losses. This paper shows both designs and presents several results.
A spatial simultaneous growth equilibrium modeling of agricultural land development in the Northeast United States

Selected paper prepared for presentation at the American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Long Beach, CA, 23-26 July 2006. Abstract: This study aims to understand the relationship between regional growth in population, employment, and per capita income, and agricultural land values and development in the Northeast United States. A system of spatial simultaneous equations is estimated using three- stage-least squares on county level data. Results indicate that regional growth positively influences agricultural land values and negatively affects the stock of agricultural lands. Farm performance and some farmland protection policies were not effective in preserving farmland. The study recommends that agricultural land protection policies could be better coordinated at a regional level and more effective if integrated within state economic development programs.
A Demand for Cuban Tobacco Exports

The objective of this paper is to analyze the external sector on Cuban tobacco from the export demand perspective towards the euro area. A tobacco-specific exchange rate is built to better capture the distinctions of this sector when competing overseas. We apply cointegration in the Fully-Modified Ordinary Least Squares framework and complement an error correction mechanism. It is found that both long and short-run estimates of exchange rate elasticities are significantly inelastic but present, at the same time, a high degree of stability. This means that prices become a fundamental control variable for economic policy purposes. Moreover, there is statistical evidence that income elasticity plays a significant role in the determination of exports growth for Cuban tobacco.
DAMPAK PENYALURAN BANTUAN LANGSUNG TUNAI (BLT) TERHADAP MASYARAKAT MISKIN DI DESA PERAWANG BARAT KECAMATAN TUALANG KABUPATEN SIAK

This study aims to determine how the impact of cash transfers to the poor in the village of West Perawang , how the distribution of cash transfers were held and anyone who get these cash transfers . The research was conducted in the village of West Perawang Siak District of tramp . This study used a descriptive quantitative method by using data retrieval poor people who get cash aid in Perawang West Village Head Office , to know clearly who the people who get the BLT . To collect the data of the respondents used the method of direct observation , interviews , documentation , and management of data used for descriptive quantitative method . The government has also tried to solve the existing poverty by creating programs that they deem to reduce poverty . One of the government programs are BLT , BLT is a program created by the government for the welfare of the poor and helped the poor to meet their basic needs , to strengthen the program the President issued Presidential Decree No. 3 of 2008 on the BLT . The results of this study are bahwasannya the community wants this BLT deleted because they were disappointed with the process and the target , the public is also advised BLT should be replaced with other policies that better understand the poor people , not merely maintain the image of the Government alone. Keywords : welfare , poverty , direct cash assistance program
Accounting for Stakeholders and Making Accounting Useful

type="main"> A belief in the importance of available and relevant information to managers and stakeholders has propelled significant accounting change, motivating the development of new forms of reporting argued to provide more useful accounting information. However, accounting is not inherently useful. Accounting information is a heterogeneous agglomeration that is made useful in practice. We overview research, illustrating the experimental, emotional, imaginative and complementation stratagems that practitioners adopt in making accounting information useful. This research shows that diverse stakeholder interests are mobilised in processes making accounting information useful. The ethical implications of accounting for stakeholders are then considered, particularly the problematic consequences of greater transparency. The critical possibilities of accounting for stakeholders are outlined next. We conclude by arguing that further research problematizing the usefulness of accounting information, including the networks of interests accomplishing this, is vital to advance debate on accounting for stakeholders.
An approach to automatically enforce object-oriented constraints

This paper presents an approach to automatically enforce object-oriented constraints during incremental C++ code changes. The approach is realised as a tool to keep track on code changes and to notify developers with violations of predefined OO constraints. The OO constraints under consideration are taken from object-oriented design metrics. The object-oriented metrics mainly cover class size, coupling between classes, number of subclasses and inheritance tree. The goal of this work is to help designers to monitor design during incremental code changes. Object-oriented design metrics are automatically extracted from source code. The extracted metrics are used by designers to define the constraints. The tool supports defining and managing these OO constraints. After a code change is committed, design changes are identified and predefined constraints are checked for possible violations. The evaluation of the tool shows that it helps in detecting violations of design constraints, and it saves time and efforts of developers.