Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutions and Concentration

In a new dataset of 1.3 million firms from over 100 countries, I establish a number of regularities in cross-country differences in economic concentration. Concentration of sales and employment is substantially higher in smaller countries and in less-developed countries; these two factors alone explain roughly half the cross-country variation in concentration. Nevertheless, a number of institutional factors offer additional explanatory power for concentration. Concentration is higher in countries with higher entry costs for new firms, in countries with weaker antitrust policy, in countries with less financial development, in countries with weaker rule of law, and in countries with more burdensome regulation. Weak institutions are associated with higher concentration especially in industries that do not have naturally high levels of concentration. In addition, the relationships between institutions and concentration are more pronounced in nontradable and investment-intensive industries, suggesting that natural barriers to competition facilitate the monopolization of sectors especially when institutions are weak.
1.55-μm InGaAsP-InP spot-size-converted (SSC) laser with simple technological process

In this letter, we report the realization of a 1.55-/spl mu/m spot-size-converted (SSC) laser using conventional SCH-MQW active layers and conventional photolithography. The laser consists of a 300-/spl mu/m-long rectangular gain section, with compensated multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structure, and a 300-/spl mu/m-long tapered passive waveguide, fabricated on lower SCH layer. The device exhibits a beam divergence of 13/spl deg//spl times/18/spl deg/ and 3.5-dB coupling loss with a cleaved single-mode fiber (SMF). The 1-dB alignment tolerance is /spl plusmn/2.3 /spl mu/m in the vertical direction and /spl plusmn/1.9 /spl mu/m in the lateral direction, respectively.
Translational control of germ cell-expressed mRNA imposed by alternative splicing: opioid peptide gene expression in rat testis

The three genes encoding the opioid peptide precursors (prodynorphin, proenkephalin, and proopiomelanocortin) are expressed in the rat testis. The sizes of the three opioid mRNAs in the testis differ from the sizes of the corresponding mRNAs in other rat tissues in which these genes are expressed. The smaller testicular proopiomelanocortin mRNA has previously been demonstrated to arise from alternative transcriptional initiation. In the present study, we found that the smaller testicular prodynorphin mRNA, expressed in Sertoli cells, results from alternative mRNA processing. Exon 2, which makes up 5' untranslated sequence, is removed from the mature transcript. Polysome analysis of brain and testis RNA indicates that the alteration of the prodynorphin leader sequence in the testis-specific transcript does not affect the efficiency of translation of this mRNA. The larger testicular proenkephalin transcript, expressed in developing germ cells, also results from alternative mRNA processing. Alternative acceptor site usage in the splicing of intron A results in a germ cell-specific proenkephalin transcript with a 491-nucleotide 5' untranslated leader sequence preceding the preproenkephalin-coding sequence. Polysome analysis indicates that this germ cell-specific proenkephalin mRNA is not efficiently translated. Mechanisms by which alternative mRNA splicing may serve to confer translational regulation upon the testicular proenkephalin transcript are discussed.
Classification and comparison of routing protocols in VANETs

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is a subclass of the Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, which do not rely on a preexisting infrastructure, in which each node participates in routing by forwarding data for other nodes. The main purpose of VANET is to provide road traffic safety for the drivers in addition to make a comfortable driving environment. Although the big challenge in VANET in contract to MANET is to design a routing protocols more suitable to route packets efficiently to their final destination, in spite of the high speed of vehicles, frequent disconnection and the highly changeable topology. In this paper we discussed, the details of conventional routing protocols designed for VANETs, their advantages and weaknesses and also highlights the open issues that remain to be addressed.
A Weakly Supervised Deep Learning Semantic Segmentation Framework

In this work, we present a weakly supervised deep learning semantic segmentation framework for small-scale image dataset without ground-truth information of segmentation. The main process of this framework is as follows: 1, Training dataset by the region-based convolution neural networks. 2, Getting object classifier and the initial object location. According to the initial location result, 'GrabCut segmentation algorithm is used to iterate the sub-image for object segmentation boundary optimization. The proposed algorithm deals with the image of citrus growth environment and realizes the precise position of citrus in the precise segmentation of citrus object boundary. Extensive experiments show that GrabCut optimal segmentation framework by the region-based convolution neural networks can be used to complete the automatic positioning and segmentation of specific object. The accuracy of our framework achieves 95.8% on the citrus test dataset. Now the framework has been applied to the real citrus grow-detection with stable operation and high accuracy.
A Bayesian Sampling Method for Product Feature Extraction From Large-Scale Textual Data

The authors of this work propose an algorithm that determines optimal search keyword combinations for querying online product data sources in order to minimize identification errors during the product feature extraction process. Data-driven product design methodologies based on acquiring and mining online product-feature-related data are presented with two fundamental challenges: (1) determining optimal search keywords that result in relevant product related data being returned and (2) determining how many search keywords are sufficient to minimize identification errors during the product feature extraction process. These challenges exist because online data, which is primarily textual in nature, may violate several statistical assumptions relating to the independence and identical distribution of samples relating to a query. Existing design methodologies have predetermined search terms that are used to acquire textual data online, which makes the resulting data acquired, a function of the quality of the search term(s) themselves. Furthermore, the lack of independence and identical distribution of text data from online sources impacts the quality of the acquired data. For example, a designer may search for a product feature using the term “screen,” which may return relevant results such as “the screen size is just perfect,” but may also contain irrelevant noise such as “researchers should really screen for this type of error. ” A text mining algorithm is introduced to determine the optimal terms without labeled training data that would maximize the veracity of the data acquired to make a valid conclusion. A case study involving real-world smartphones is used to validate the proposed methodology.
I know what you did last weekend- or do I? Introducing mental anchoring to the demand for sport

Football matches are by no means homogenous goods. Rather, there are big differences in single match quality, which is ex-ante unobservable to consumers. We argue that quality uncertainty leads consumers to search for quality proxies which are observable in advance. Aggregate demand functions are shown to depend merely on prices, ex-ante quality perception and stochastic influence factors. Following the work by Kahneman, Tversky and Slovic, we suggest that consumer behaviour is to some extent driven by mental anchoring. Therefore, the usual approach to rely on absolute measures only, seems doubtful. The main focus of our empirical analysis is to introduce relative quality measures, which are based on different anchor levels. Besides seasonal-dynamic and seasonal-static anchors, this specification allows us to include absolute quality proxies as a special case. Applying median regression on a sample from over 2000 individual matches in the German Bundesliga, we find evidence for mental anchoring in the demand for sport. Our results indicate that consumers tend to compare current values for quality proxies to last season’s indicator values instead of last match’s indicator values.
Current status and perspectives of mucogingival soft tissue measurement methods.

UNLABELLED The morphologic and metric assessment of mucogingival soft tissue dimensions is of great multidisciplinary clinical and academic interest, in order to quantify and monitor gingival changes while in treatment, e.g., during periodontal, restorative, prosthetic, orthodontic, or implant therapy. Pink esthetics play an increasingly important role in the overall treatment success, and therefore have to be monitored throughout therapy. The purpose of this article was to identify and summarize methods, which aim at quantifying gingival dimensions in terms of morphology, thickness, and volume, with respect to their accuracy and practicability. The introduced measurement methods should further facilitate personalized treatment planning and monitoring. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Mucogingival esthetics play an increasingly important role whenever treatment results are evaluated. Several qualitative and (semi)quantitative methods for measuring soft tissue dimensions are available. New methods like CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) technologies are emerging and allow practitioners to reliably monitor their patient's soft tissues throughout therapy. Future improvements may help to develop better treatment strategies in terms of optimized preservation and creation of gingival morphology, especially in the esthetic zone.
Trust-region algorithm based local search for multi-objective optimization

In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to solve multi-objective optimization problems (MOOPs) through applying the trust-region (TR) method based local search (LS) techniques; where the MOOP converting to a single objective optimization problem (SOOP) by using reference point method. In the proposed algorithm, for each reference point the TR algorithm for solving a SOOP is used to obtain a point on the Pareto frontier. In addition a LS method is used, in order to find more points on the Pareto frontier. The algorithm is coded in MATLAB 7.2 and the simulations are run on a Pentium 4 CPU 900 MHz with 512 MB memory capacity. The numerical results show that the proposed method is feasible, and illustrate the ability of finding an approximation of Pareto optimal set.
Perspectives on Social Studies and Visual Arts Integration

Imagine a classroom where elementary students are learning about social studies and visual arts through a study of Japan. In this classroom, the educator confidently promotes the study of a Japanese tea ceremony with the knowledge that the national and state standards for both social studies and visual arts are being addressed. In this classroom, students are actively engaged in simulating the tea ceremony, discussing Japanese values and norms, and creating their own ceramic chawans (teacups). This classroom becomes a reality for those educators who planned a unit of study with a conceptual or thematic focus that connects appropriate national and by Ernest Andrew Brewer and Susannah Brown
From commissar to auctioneer? The changing role of directors in managing children’s services in a period of austerity

This article explores the impact of changing policy priorities on the role of director of children’s services, before and after the economic crisis of 2008 and the election of the coalition government. The role of director of children’s services from 2003 to 2010 was driven by the New Labour imperative to deliver regionally based integrated services, as called for in Every Child Matters (Department for Education and Skills, 2003). Changing political and economic priorities since the election of 2010 have recast the notion of ‘integrated services’. The Conservative-led coalition has instead emphasised the importance of localised decision-making at institutional level in education and social services. This article reflects on the perceptions of directors, drawing on empirical data gathered from two sets of interviews conducted with directors of children’s services in North-West England between 2007 and 2012. Concerns are expressed about this changing political and economic landscape which has left the role of director of children’s services open to question. Recent reforms in education and health have devolved responsibility for coordinating public services to institutions, potentially marginalising broader agendas about welfare, rights, and so on for children and young people.
ASSESSING MONETARY POLICY IN SOUTH AFRICA IN A DATA‐RICH ENVIRONMENT

This paper examines the efficacy of monetary policy in the South African economy using a data-rich framework. We use the Factor-Augmented Vector Autoregressive (FAVAR) methodology, which contains 110 monthly variables for the period 1985:02-2007:11. The results, based on impulse-response functions, provide no evidence of the price puzzle observed in traditional Structural Vector Autoregressive analysis and confirm that monetary policy in South Africa is effective in stabilising prices. Unlike the traditional vector autoregressive approach, the FAVAR methodology allows further analysis of a large number of variables. Variables from real and financial variables react negatively to a contractionary monetary policy shock. Finally, we find evidence of the importance of a confidence channel transmission following a monetary policy shock.
Phonetics vs. Phonology in Loanword Adaptation: Revisiting the Role of the Bilingual ∗

Following phonological and phonetic models of loanword adaptation, I present evidence from Burmese in favor of an intermediate model of loanword adaptation incorporating both language-independent phonetics and language-particular phonology. On the basis of a corpus of 200 loanword adaptations from English into Burmese, I first show that Burmese loanword adaptation involves a phonological scansion of phonemically relevant detail, as well as a phonetic scansion of phonemically irrelevant detail. These findings suggest that a model of loanword adaptation incorporating both phonetics and phonology is the most empirically sound. While loanword adaptations are indeed highly influenced by phonetic similarity, bilinguals play a leading role in adaptation, allowing the phonology of L2 to have a profound effect on adaptations in L1. The relative ranking of these phonetic and phonological considerations, then, appears to be a language-specific matter.
Real Economic Shocks and Sovereign Credit Risk

Abstract We provide new empirical evidence that U.S. expected growth and consumption volatility are closely related to the strong comovement in sovereign spreads. We rationalize these findings in an equilibrium model with recursive utility for credit default swap (CDS) spreads. The framework links a reduced-form default process with country-specific sensitivity to expected growth and macroeconomic uncertainty. Exploiting the high-frequency information in the CDS term structure across 38 countries, we estimate the model and find parameters consistent with preference for early resolution of uncertainty. Our results confirm the existence of time-varying risk premia in sovereign spreads as compensation for exposure to common U.S. macroeconomic risk.
From Database to Treebank: On Enhancing Hypertext Grammars with Grammar Engineering and Treebank Search

This paper describes how electronic grammars can be further enhanced by adding machine-readable grammars and treebanks. We explore the potential benefits of implemented grammars and treebanks for descriptive linguistics, following the discursive methodology of Bird & Simons (2003) and the values and maxims identified by Nordhoff (2008). 1 We describe the resources which we believe make implemented grammars and treebanks feasible additions to electronic descriptive grammars, with a particular focus on the Grammar Matrix grammar customization system (Bender et al. 2010) and the Fangorn treebank search application (Ghodke & Bird 2010). By presenting an example of an implemented grammar based on a descriptive prose grammar, we show one productive method of collaboration between grammar engineer and field linguist, and propose that a tighter integration could be beneficial to both, creating a virtuous cycle that could lead to more effective and informative resources.
Does productivity growth lower inflation in Korea?

We investigate Granger causality between productivity growth and inflation in Korea using quarterly data for the period 1985Q1–2002Q4. Our results indicate unidirectional Granger causality from productivity growth to inflation. In light of such causality, we estimate the effect of productivity and other variables on productivity. According to our regression results, a 1% increase in labour and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) reduces Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation by 0.07–0.08% and 0.37–0.44%, respectively. Our results also suggest that the productivity-inflation nexus became stronger in Korea since the Asian financial crisis, and that this was largely due to structural reform and technological progress.
The effects of thermal stress and fluid pressure on induced seismicity during stimulation to production within fractured reservoirs

We use a continuum model of reservoir evolution to explore the interaction of coupled thermal, hydraulic and chemical processes that influence the evolution of seismicity within a fractured reservoir from stimulation to production. Events occur from energy release on seeded fractures enabling moment magnitude, frequency and spatial distribution to be determined with time. Event magnitudes vary in the range −2 to +2 with the largest event size (~2) corresponding to the largest fracture size (~500 m) and a prescribed stress drop of 9 MPa. Modelled b‐values (~0.6–0.7) also correspond to observations (~0.7–0.8) for response in the Cooper Basin (Australia). We track the hydrodynamic and thermal fronts to define causality in the triggering of seismicity. The hydrodynamic front moves twice as fast as the thermal front and envelops the triggered seismicity at early time (days to month) – with higher flow rates correlating with larger magnitude events. For later time (month to years), thermal drawdown and potentially chemical influences principally trigger the seismicity, but result in a reduction in both the number of events and their magnitudes.
Galectin-9 Protein Is Up-regulated in Astrocytes by Tumor Necrosis Factor and Promotes Encephalitogenic T-cell Apoptosis*

Background: Galectins are increased in astrocytes of patients with multiple sclerosis. Results: TNF up-regulates galectin-9 in primary astrocytes via the TNFR1/JNK/c-Jun pathway and can induce apoptosis of encephalitogenic T-cells. Conclusion: Astrocytes up-regulate galectin-9 in response to the proinflammatory cytokine TNF. Significance: Astrocyte-derived galectin-9 may function to restrict encephalitogenic T-cell-mediated inflammation in the CNS. Demyelination and axonal damage in multiple sclerosis (MS) are thought to be a consequence of inflammatory processes that are perpetuated by activated glia and infiltrating leukocytes. Galectin-9 is a β-galactoside binding lectin capable of modulating immune responses and appears to be up-regulated in MS. However, its role in the pathogenesis of MS has yet to be determined. Here, we report that proinflammatory cytokines induce galectin-9 (Gal-9) expression in primary astrocytes and the mechanism by which TNF up-regulates Gal-9. Astrocytes did not express Gal-9 under basal conditions nor did IL-6, IL-10, or IL-13 trigger Gal-9 expression. In contrast, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and particularly TNF up-regulated Gal-9 in astrocytes. TNF-induced Gal-9 expression was dependent on TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) as TNF failed to induce Gal-9 in TNFR1−/− astrocytes. Blockade of the JNK MAP kinase pathway with the JNK inhibitor SP600125 abrogated TNF-induced Gal-9, whereas p38 and MEK inhibitors had minimal effects. Furthermore, specific knockdown of c-Jun via siRNA in astrocytes before TNF treatment greatly suppressed Gal-9 transcription, suggesting that TNF induces astroglial Gal-9 through the TNF/TNFR1/JNK/cJun signaling pathway. Finally, utilizing astrocytes from Lgals9 mutant (Gal-9−/−) mice as well as a myelin basic protein-specific Tim-3+ encephalitogenic T-cell clone (LCN-8), we found that conditioned medium from TNF-stimulated Gal-9+/+ but not Gal-9−/− astrocytes increased the percentage of apoptotic encephalitogenic T-cells. Together, our results suggest that Gal-9 is induced in astrocytes by TNF via the JNK/c-Jun pathway and that astrocyte-derived Gal-9 may function as an immunoregulatory protein in response to ongoing neuroinflammation.
Estimating the Supply Elasticity of California Wine Grapes Using Regional Systems of Equations*

Abstract This article is the first of its kind to estimate econometrically the supply elasticity of California wine grapes. Wine grapes constitute the single largest crop in the state of California in terms of total receipts. Allowing for the dynamic adjustments of quasi-fixed inputs, we estimate simultaneous systems of equations for California's four major wine grape growing regions and eight of the most widely grown varieties. We find that California wine grape production is, on the whole, inelastic with respect to prices received. The variety showing the most price responsiveness is Chardonnay. There appears to be no significant difference in price responsiveness between the coastal and inland growing regions, or between red and white grape varieties. (JEL Classification: Qll, Q13, R14)
The Listeria monocytogenes Hibernation-Promoting Factor Is Required for the Formation of 100S Ribosomes, Optimal Fitness, and Pathogenesis

ABSTRACT During exposure to certain stresses, bacteria dimerize pairs of 70S ribosomes into translationally silent 100S particles in a process called ribosome hibernation. Although the biological roles of ribosome hibernation are not completely understood, this process appears to represent a conserved and adaptive response that contributes to optimal survival during stress and post-exponential-phase growth. Hibernating ribosomes are formed by the activity of one or more highly conserved proteins; gammaproteobacteria produce two relevant proteins, ribosome modulation factor (RMF) and hibernation promoting factor (HPF), while most Gram-positive bacteria produce a single, longer HPF protein. Here, we report the formation of 100S ribosomes by an HPF homolog in Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes 100S ribosomes were observed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation of bacterial extracts during mid-logarithmic phase, peaked at the transition to stationary phase, and persisted at lower levels during post-exponential-phase growth. 100S ribosomes were undetectable in bacteria carrying an hpf::Himar1 transposon insertion, indicating that HPF is required for ribosome hibernation in L. monocytogenes. Additionally, epitope-tagged HPF cosedimented with 100S ribosomes, supporting its previously described direct role in 100S formation. We examined hpf mRNA by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and identified several conditions that upregulated its expression, including carbon starvation, heat shock, and exposure to high concentrations of salt or ethanol. Survival of HPF-deficient bacteria was impaired under certain conditions both in vitro and during animal infection, providing evidence for the biological relevance of 100S ribosome formation.