Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relative Efficiencies of Market and Planned Economies

Are planned economies systematically more or less productive than market economies? This question provoked heated intellectual debate since the time of Hayek [11], Keynes [16], Lange [19], Lange and Taylor [20] and Lerner [22]. The collapse of the communist systems of East Europe since 1989 closed the debate: planned economies were without doubt less efficient in utilizing economic resources than market economies. But how much less efficient? This question is of obvious scientific interest, but it has not been answered. Some work addressing the broad question of comparative efficiency has been done by Bergson [4; 5; 6], Marer [25; 26], Moroney [28], and others. All indicate comparatively lower efficiency in planned economies. But none addresses the question "by how much? " Our contribution here is to answer this question using a novel methodology. We estimate aggregate frontier production functions for two groups of countries: 7 centrally-planned economies in East Europe and 17 predominantly market economies in West Europe. Estimating frontier production functions enables two types of comparisons that have not
A Review of Digital Terrain Modeling

Terrains are a crucial component of three‐dimensional scenes and are present in many Computer Graphics applications. Terrain modeling methods focus on capturing landforms in all their intricate detail, including eroded valleys arising from the interplay of varied phenomena, dendritic mountain ranges, and complex river networks. Set against this visual complexity is the need for user control over terrain features, without which designers are unable to adequately express their artistic intent. This article provides an overview of current terrain modeling and authoring techniques, organized according to three categories: procedural modeling, physically‐based simulation of erosion and land formation processes, and example‐based methods driven by scanned terrain data. We compare and contrast these techniques according to several criteria, specifically: the variety of achievable landforms; realism from both a perceptual and geomorphological perspective; issues of scale in terms of terrain extent and sampling precision; the different interaction metaphors and attendant forms of user‐control, and computation and memory performance. We conclude with an in‐depth discussion of possible research directions and outstanding technical and scientific challenges.
An Efficient Secure Key Management Scheme based on Secret Sharing for Hierarchical Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have acquired a lot of interest due to huge number of applications. If WSNs are deployed in inimical ambience, the nature of sensor nodes must be considered such as the limitation of memory resources, low computation ability, short communication range and energy constraints. So that it is necessary to use an efficient and secure key management scheme to avoid the mentioned limitation issues as well as to reduce the security risk. In this paper, we propose an Efficient Secure Key Management scheme (ESKM) based on secret sharing scheme which address the above problems. The proposed scheme generates three security keys; master, cluster, and sensor keys to provide secure data communication for whole nodes in the hierarchical structure of WSNs. Compared to other key management schemes; ESKM scheme has strong security and resistance against captured and forward secrecy attacks. Finally, the simulation results show that, ESKM scheme has low energy consumption, less key storage and low communication overhead compared to the existing key management schemes.
Is It Helpful to Give Older People with Cancer the Same Chance at Rehabilitation as Older General Medical Patients?

Although the complexity of age combined with a cancer diagnosis can result in unmet supportive care needs there are seldom resources to assess or address such needs for older people with cancer (OPWC). The purpose of this project was to trial a service to improve the care for OPWC through (1) an expanded supportive care screening process and (2) capacity building of subacute ambulatory care services (SACS) staff to increase referrals to community-based rehabilitation. Methods/design: Collaboration between allied health (AH) staff at an inner city general hospital with a large cancer service, a cancer specialist hospital, and a SACS service in Melbourne, Australia, developed an AH geriatric screening assessment (GSA) tool. Parallel to this process training was provided to SACS staff in relation to working with OPWC. Although close to one half (44%) of SACS staff who participated in this program (n = 22) had over 6 years’ experience, 32% had not worked with OPWC. Prior to training, 81% did not feel confident in their knowledge about working with this cohort. After their training 72% were more confident about normal aging and implications for care of OPWC. Of the 491 patients screened, 80% were older than age 65, however, only 25 resided in the SACS catchment area. More than one third of these did not have clear rehabilitation needs, and the remainder were not referred due to ongoing medical issues. Less than one half of the patients in the catchment area were discussed in a Multi-disciplinary Meeting (MDM) but all were referred to allied health and assessed using the GSA. Although this project did not result in referrals of OPWC to SACS the training program for SACS staff was a success and allied health assessments were improved to include GSA factors. The complexity of care for OPWC was further highlighted through interviews with staff involved with the study.
Application of an indirect immunofluorescence test for detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in respiratory exudates

We prepared polyclonal antibody specific to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and examined the conditions influencing the ability of an indirect immunofluorescence test to detect the specific antigen in respiratory exudates. The antibody did not cross-react with normal human serum or with respiratory exudates from 10 healthy persons. Cross-reactivity of the antibody with species of mycoplasmas other than M. genitalium was fully diminished when absorbed with horse serum and yeast extract, components of the culture medium. Though the absorbed antibody cross-reacted with M. genitalium, the titer was significantly lower than when tested against M. pneumoniae. Two types of antigen-specific fluorescence were observed in clinical specimens: one is large or small fluorescent granular aggregates found in mucus, and the other is fine fluorescent particles diffused on the entire surface of small epithelial cells. Throat smears from 49 patients with serologically confirmed M. pneumoniae infections were examined by our indirect immunofluorescence method. Positive results were obtained in 42 cases, many of which were positive before a rise in serum antibody titer could be demonstrated, indicating that the method is useful for a preliminary diagnosis at an early stage of the infection.
Public Capital and Imperfect Competition with Endogenous Growth

This paper sets up an endogenous growth model in which public capital is a productive input and where the intermediate goods sector is characterized by monopolistic competition. The model is used to examine the effects of monopoly power, and the taxation policy on the economic growth rate. Three major findings emerge from our analysis. First, an increase in monopoly power may enhance economic growth. Second, the capital income tax policy has an ambiguous effect on the economic growth rate. Third, a higher labor income tax rate will always increase the economic growth rate.
Power Amplifier Principles and Modern Design Techniques

Enabled by Lee de Forest's invention of the vacuum tube triode in 1906, power amplification of electrical signals has played a key function in electronic systems ever since. Mundane devices we take for granted such as the telephone, the radio, or the television would not exist without this capability. Given such a wide application space, it is not surprising that early on electrical engineers have worked out the details of designing good power amplifiers (PAs), first with vacuum tubes, and then with discrete transistors [1]. They did such a fine job that by the second part of the twentieth century, the art of designing PAs became a mature electrical engineering (EE) specialty, which seemed to have little room left for breakthroughs or major innovations. However, the late-century market explosion of mobile digital communication systems and devices, such as cellular phones and wireless local area networks (LANs), and the massive introduction of integrated circuit (Ie) technology in everyday life have changed the electronic landscape dramatically, opening new challenges and opportunities for PAs. In this chapter, the issues and appropriate techniques for modern PAs are discussed, focusing on Ie implementations for wireless communication systems. To familiarize the reader with the general PA design approach, which is rather different from the regular analog circuit approach, a few important points are clarified, as a prerequisite for the following material. Then, the classical theory of PA design in the case of constant magnitude signals is reviewed and the trade-offs for different classes of transistor operation are pointed out. The important class AB case is discussed in more details. Next, the PA design problem from a unified, general point of view based on the internal PA signal harmonic content is revisited. This will give the reader a further insight into the PA design problem and high-level solution possibilities. The following section concerns the important topic of efficiency in the presence of back-off and briefly mentions other important design considerations. Finally, recent PA results are reviewed and conclusions drawn.
Comparative analysis of the ability of the polymerase complexes of influenza viruses type A, B and C to assemble into functional RNPs that allow expression and replication of heterotypic model RNA templates in vivo.

Influenza viruses type A, B, and C are human pathogens that share common structural and functional features, yet they do not form natural reassortants. To determine to what extent type-specific interactions of the polymerase complex with template RNA contribute to this lack of genotypic mixing, we investigated whether homotypic or heterotypic polymerase complexes support the expression and replication of model type A, B, or C RNA templates in vivo. A plasmid-based expression system, as initially described by Pleschka et al. [(1996) J. Virol. 70, 4188-4192] for influenza A virus, was developed for influenza viruses B/Harbin/7/94 and C/Johannesburg/1/66. The type A core proteins expressed heterotypic model RNAs with similar efficiencies as the homotypic RNA. The influenza B virus model RNA was efficiently expressed by all three types of polymerase complexes. Although no functional polymerase complex could be reconstituted with heterotypic P protein subunits, when the influenza A virus P proteins were expressed together with heterotypic nucleoproteins, significant, albeit limited, expression of RNA templates of all influenza virus types was detected. Taken together, our results suggest that less strict type-specific interactions are involved for the polymerase complex of influenza A compared with influenza B or C viruses.
Analytical Validation and Capabilities of the Epic CTC Platform: Enrichment-Free Circulating Tumour Cell Detection and Characterization

The Epic Platform was developed for the unbiased detection and molecular characterization of circulating tumour cells (CTCs). Here, we report assay performance data, including accuracy, linearity, specificity and intra/inter-assay precision of CTC enumeration in healthy donor (HD) blood samples spiked with varying concentrations of cancer cell line controls (CLCs). Additionally, we demonstrate clinical feasibility for CTC detection in a small cohort of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. The Epic Platform demonstrated accuracy, linearity and sensitivity for the enumeration of all CLC concentrations tested. Furthermore, we established the precision between multiple operators and slide staining batches and assay specificity showing zero CTCs detected in 18 healthy donor samples. In a clinical feasibility study, at least one traditional CTC/mL (CK+, CD45-, and intact nuclei) was detected in 89 % of 44 mCRPC samples, whereas 100 % of samples had CTCs enumerated if additional CTC subpopulations (CK-/CD45- and CK+ apoptotic CTCs) were included in the analysis. In addition to presenting Epic Platform's performance with respect to CTC enumeration, we provide examples of its integrated downstream capabilities, including protein biomarker expression and downstream genomic analyses at single cell resolution.
Study on Urbanization Information Rapid Extraction Technique in China Coastal Zone Area Based on Remote Sensing: Case in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, China

As the interface among land, ocean and atmosphere, coastal zone has very high natural energy and biological productivity. Many people immigrate and live in coastal zone area. With the development of economy, land change and land covers in urban areas tend to change drastically over a short period of time due to rapid urbanization. The paper studied on urbanization of coastal zone area in China based on remote sensing technologies. Based on the designed research technique flow, 4 kinds of urbanization information will be rapidly extracted from remotely sensed imageries, i.e., built-up area, water area, greenness area and thermal island distribution area. Yancheng City is selected as a case for built-up area extraction experiment. Built up area in Yancheng City was extracted automatically by means of designed method from two Landsat images in 2000 and 2002 years. This experiment shows that it is feasible and effective to extract urbanization information from images via remote sensing technologies.
Blood Lead Concentrations in Maternal and Cord Blood Evaluated by Two Analytic Methods

In this study the authors determined the relationship between blood lead concentrations in pregnant women and newborns, using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and the LeadCare System (LCS). Fifty-five pregnant women admitted for delivery from June to August 2002 at a hospital in Brazil were included in the study. Blood samples were taken from the women and from umbilical cords to determine serum lead concentrations. Only 3 women had blood lead concentrations ⩾ 0.48 μmol/L. There were correlations between lead concentrations in women and newborns using either GFAAS (r = 0.83, p < .001) or the LCS (r = 0.75, p < .001). However, there were no statistically significant correlations between the GFAAS and LCS methods, probably because most of the women did not have high concentrations of lead (⩾ 0.48 μmol/L). Considering the discrepancy the authors found between the LCS method and the traditional GFAAS method, the authors advise against using the LCS method, especially in populations with levels of lead ⩽ 0.48 μmol/L.
Behavior-Based Price Discrimination in a Multi-Dimensional Preferences Market

This article is a fir rst look at the profi t and welfare effects of behavior-based price discrimination in a two-period multi-dimensional preferences model. Compared to one-dimensional models, we show that fi rms compete less aggressively in both periods and so new results are obtained. Specifically, under forward looking consumers and two symmetric dimensions, BBPD boosts industry profi ts at the expense of consumers. However, we show that the standard one-dimensional welfare results can prevail under asymmetric dimensions and myopic consumers.
Interphase molecular cytogenetic screening for chromosomal abnormalities of prognostic significance in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a UK Cancer Cytogenetics Group Study

Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) was used independently to reveal chromosomal abnormalities of prognostic importance in a large, consecutive series of children (n = 2367) with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The fusions, TEL/AML1 and BCR/ABL, and rearrangements of the MLL gene occurred at frequencies of 22% (n = 447/2027) (25% in B‐lineage ALL), 2% (n = 43/2027) and 2% (n = 47/2016) respectively. There was considerable variation in iFISH signal patterns both between and within patient samples. The TEL/AML1 probe showed the highest incidence of variation (59%, n = 524/884), which included 38 (2%) patients with clustered, multiple copies of AML1. We were thus able to define amplification of AML1 as a new recurrent abnormality in ALL, associated with a poor prognosis. Amplification involving the ABL gene, a rare recurrent abnormality confined to T ALL patients, was identified for the first time. The use of centromeric probes revealed significant hidden high hyperdiploidy of 33% and 59%, respectively, in patients with normal (n = 21/64) or failed (n = 32/54) cytogenetic results. The iFISH contributed significantly to the high success rate of 91% (n = 2114/2323) and the remarkable abnormality detection rate of 89% (n = 1879/2114). This study highlights the importance of iFISH as a complementary tool to cytogenetics in routine screening for significant chromosomal abnormalities in ALL.
Carnitine palmitoyl transferase I and malonyl-CoA in the heart and skeletal muscle : does control analysis help to explain the paradox ?

Carnitine palmitoyl transferase I (CPT I), a transmembrane enzyme of the mitochondrial outer membrane, catalyses the transfer of an acyl moiety from a longchain acyl-CoA ester to carnitine to form a long-chain acyl-carnitine ester, which can then enter the mitochondrion and undergo β-oxidation. The enzyme is a potential site for regulation of β-oxidation flux via its physiological inibitor, malonylCoA [1, 2] and is widely assumed to be the rate-limiting step in the β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids in the heart [1] and other tissues. It has been found to have significant control over β-oxidation flux in hepatocytes [3–5], liver mitochondria [6] and astrocytes [7]. However, the concentration of malonyl-CoA in the heart is estimated to be in the range of 1-10 μM [2]. This greatly exceeds the IC50 of heart CPT I for malonyl-CoA [8] so it is difficult to see how β-oxidation proceeds in cardiac tissue if CPT I activity is rate-limiting for β-oxidation, unless most of the malonyl-CoA is intramitochondrial or bound and therefore not available to inhibit CPT I. There are two isoforms (liver and muscle) of carnitine palmitoyl transferase I (CPT I) in the heart [9, 10]. Inborn errors of carnitine palmitoyl transferase II are well-known to present with myopathy and cardiomyopathy; defects in the liver isoform of CPT I have also been diagnosed but to date no patients defective in the muscle form of CPT I have been diagnosed. We wished to investigate the role of the two isoforms in control of β-oxidation in the heart and in skeletal muscle.
Point prevalence of major depressive disorder in a Swedish urban female population

ABSTRACT: In a representative sample of 800 women in Gothenburg, aged 38–54 years, the point prevalence of major depressive episode according to DSM‐III criteria was 6.9%. Of these, 2.9% had a melancholic episode and 4.0% a non‐melancholic. There was no age difference between the two groups. The episode duration was less than a year in 65% of both groups. Mean age at initial episode was significantly lower in the melancholic (33.3 years) than in the non‐melancholic group (38.7). The melancholics presented symptoms of mental disorder before age 20 in 39% of cases as against 18% of the non‐melancholics. None of the depressives had had a manic episode. The prevalence rate of 6.9% is of the same magnitude as rates recently found in other industrialized countries when standardized diagnostic criteria are used. The earlier onset of melancholic major depression might be indicative of etiological differences between melancholic and non‐melancholic major depression.
Sequential recognition of in-hand object shape using a collection of neural forests

Tactile object shape identification is important for robotic hands to perform dexterous manipulation. Most of the proposed approaches concentrate on specific object recognition. This limits their application into more realistic environments where a larger amount of objects are present. We present a method that performs object shape identification independently on the size and location of the object within the hand. This method allows sequential learning of new shapes. The method combines proprioceptive signatures and contact normal information to build a descriptor that reduces the impact of the size and pose of the object on recognition rate. Sequential training is performed with a collection of Neural Forests (NF). This allows adding new objects to the training set so that training the model from scratch is avoided. Extensive experiments reveal that the combination of multiple modalities (e.g. contact normals, proprioceptive information) is beneficial to the system accuracy, and that results for sequential learning are on par with its batch counterpart. This makes sequential training advantageous because it is less time consuming. Results showed that both techniques depict similar results and perform with at least 83% in a 7-shapes case scenario in a simulated environment. Experiments are made with a real shadow hand using a NF trained on simulated data.
Differential Spatial Modulation With BPSK for Two-Way Relay Wireless Communications

A differential spatial modulation (DSM) with binary phase shift keying (BPSK) scheme is designed for two-way relay (TWR) wireless communications that use the denoise-and-forward (DNF) protocol without requiring channel state information at the sources and relay. The key area to make this scheme work is a multiple-to-one mapping method for DSM at the relay, as well as the DSM matrix design at the sources, which are proposed and derived in this letter. Simulation results show that the proposed system achieves significant gains in BER performance over traditional differential modulation with BPSK in DNF-TWR systems when both operate at the same spectral efficiency.
Online discussion effects on intention to participate in genetic research: A longitudinal experimental study

Objective: The National Human Genome Research Institute has emphasised community engagement and public dialogue in the U.S. on issues related to genetics. This study examines how online discussions among the U.S. public directly or indirectly influence psychosocial constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior, including intention to take part in genetic research. Design: After completing the baseline questionnaire, participants (n = 3754) were randomly assigned to one of the following three groups: the discussion group, the pre-/post-only group and the End-of-Project group. The discussion group (n = 1824) was invited and participated in up to three online discussions, which were held from November 2008 to May 2009. Main outcome measures: Behavioural intention, beliefs, attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control variables were assessed. Results: The most interesting finding was that those participating in online discussions had fewer negative beliefs about volunteering for genetic research, which in turn contributed to more positive attitudes, increased injunctive and descriptive norms and enhanced behavioural control. These relationships, then, were associated with higher intention to participate in genetic research. Conclusion: These findings suggest that continuous public discussions seem to positively affect volunteer intention for genetic research through ameliorating fears of negative consequences.