Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Commentary on \\"Assessing monetary policy effects using daily federal funds futures contracts\\"

“cleaner” money market interest rate that contains the same information but avoids the complexities of moving-average valuation. Could we, for example, do roughly the same exercise with shortterm Treasury bill discount rates, short maturity Treasury bond yields, or indeed interbank loan rates? If we could, then it would surely be simpler to use these rates and parsimony would lean in their favor. Assuming now that the federal funds futures prices are the best proxy for market expectations, what do the results tell us, and what else might we like to know? The results reported in this paper confirm two earlier findings: First, market rates anticipate actual policy rate changes and, second, other market rates (yields to maturity) move with the federal funds rate, including those of up to 10-year maturity. I will discuss each of these in turn. It is not a major surprise to find that markets anticipate policymakers’ decisions. That this is highly likely has been central to economics since the rational expectations revolution of the 1970s. However, it would be interesting to know if markets have become better at doing this over time and whether this ability has been affected by improved transparency about the target rate, the stated biases in the policy stance, and what is being targeted. Similar questions apply to the unexpected component of policy changes: Has the impact of policy changed over time, and are the results for the full sample dependent on specific periods or specific sets of events? I am very pleased to be asked to participate in this conference that honors the career of Bill Poole. As a student of monetary economics I, like all my generation, was substantially influenced by Poole (1970). I was pleased to meet him many times at the annual St. Louis economic policy conference, both before and after he became president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. We were also very grateful that he came to London in 2000 to give the annual Henry Thornton Lecture at the Cass Business School of City University. I now turn to my comments on Professor Hamilton’s (2008) paper. The paper uses data from daily movements in federal funds futures to test for links between futures prices, the policy rate itself, and the behavior of market interest rates. I first comment on the empirical work presented and then suggest additional avenues of research to further enlighten the topic. I then ask this: Who might be interested in these results and what might they learn from them? Some of the difficulty in using the federal funds futures price as an indicator of market expectations arises from the fact that the contract settles on an average daily price over a month. I do not wish to get into the institutional detail here or into the econometric problems this causes, not least because I am dominated in institutional knowledge by Ken Kuttner, the other discussant, and in econometric expertise by Professor Hamilton himself. However, as a naive outsider, I cannot help but ask whether there is some
Balanced and Centralized Distributed Energy Efficient Clustering for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks

The deployment of wireless sensor networks in many application areas requires self organization of the network nodes into clusters. The clustering Algorithm is a kind of key technique used to reduce energy consumption. Efficient way to enhance the lifetime of the system is to partition the network into distinct clusters with a high energy node as cluster head. The different methods of node clustering techniques have appeared in the literature. In this article we propose a new protocol called Balanced and Centralized Distributed Energy Efficient Clustering scheme for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks (BCDEEC), which the Base Station ensure that the high energy nodes becoming a gateways and cluster heads to improve network lifetime and average energy savings. Once the cluster heads and associated clusters are created, cluster-head-to-gateway routing is used to transfer the data to the base station to reduce the energy consumption of cluster head and decrease probability of failure nodes. Finally, the simulation results show that BCDEEC is more energy efficient and is more effective in prolonging the network life time and prolong the time interval before the death of the first node than current important clustering protocols in heterogeneous environments.
A Heterogeneous High-Dimensional Approximate Nearest Neighbor Algorithm

We consider the problem of finding high-dimensional approximate nearest neighbors. We introduce an old style probabilistic formulation instead of the more general locality sensitive hashing (LSH) formulation, and show that at least for sparse problems it recognizes much more efficient algorithms than the sparseness destroying LSH random projections. Efficient algorithms for homogeneous (all coordinates have the same probability distribution) problems are well known, the most famous reference being the work by Broder in 1998. The main theme of this paper is to find its “best” generalization to heterogeneous (different coordinate probabilities) problems. We find a practical algorithm which is asymptotically best in a wide natural class of algorithms. Readers interested in the more complicated very best (at least up to date) can look up our previous work in 2010. The analysis of our algorithms reveals that its complexity is governed by an information like function, which we call “small leaves bucketing forest information. ” Any doubts whether it is “information” are dispelled by the aforementioned work.
Verification of hand printed signature images using discrete dyadic wavelet transform

An off-line hand printed signature verification method is proposed to detect skilled forgeries of amateur type by using only two genuine signature templates of an individual. Almost all other techniques in the context of off-line signature verification need at least six genuine signature templates. It is very important to note that an individual signs only twice or thrice in the application form for opening an account with a bank. The aspect ratio and discrete dyadic wavelet transforms in 2j scale of horizontal projection, vertical projection, right envelope, left envelope, top envelope and bottom envelope of the binary format of the genuine signatures are treated as the feature set of an individual. Based on these feature set the system verifies whether the signature is a forgery or not. The Dyadic wavelet used here is the quadratic spline of compact support. The matching is performed using a mixed method of correlation and distance calculation of the feature sets of genuine and skilled forgeries. Experimental results show an average verification rate of 81%.
Various Robot Motor Skills Learning with PI2-GMR

Learning from demonstration has been applied successfully in acquiring similar motor skills for robot. However, how to accomplish different tasks with no explicit demonstration is still a challenging issue. In this paper, we propose a novel robot skills learning method consisted of Dynamical Movement Primitives with mixture Gaussian Model Regression(DMPS-GMR) and Policy Improvement with Path Integrals (PI2). The DMPS-GMR make the robot have the ability of learning fundamental task from the rough demonstration, and then Policy Improvement with Path Integrals based on GMR (PI2-GMR) endow robot the optimal/suboptimal solution for dissimilar task from the imitated state gain from DMPS-GMR. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can make robot acquisition skill more accurately.
Global embedding of the Kerr black hole event horizon into hyperbolic 3-space

An explicit global and unique isometric embedding into hyperbolic 3-space, H{sup 3}, of an axi-symmetric 2-surface with Gaussian curvature bounded below is given. In particular, this allows the embedding into H{sup 3} of surfaces of revolution having negative, but finite, Gaussian curvature at smooth fixed points of the U(1) isometry. As an example, we exhibit the global embedding of the Kerr-Newman event horizon into H{sup 3}, for arbitrary values of the angular momentum. For this example, considering a quotient of H{sup 3} by the Picard group, we show that the hyperbolic embedding fits in a fundamental domain of the group up to a slightly larger value of the angular momentum than the limit for which a global embedding into Euclidean 3-space is possible. An embedding of the double-Kerr event horizon is also presented, as an example of an embedding that cannot be made global.
ANOFS: Automated negotiation based online feature selection method

Feature selection is an important technique in machine learning and pattern classification. Most existing studies of feature selection are using the batch learning methods. Such methods are not appropriate for real-world applications especially when data arrive sequentially. Recently, this problem is addressed by some feature selection techniques using online learning. Despite the advantages in efficiency of online feature selection methods, they are not always accurate enough when handling real world data. In this paper, we address this limitation by the integration of automated negotiation process. We present a novel method based on negotiation theory for online feature selection (ANOFS) and demonstrate its application to several public datasets.
High-Performance Partition-based and Broadcast-based Spatial Join on GPU-Accelerated Clusters

The rapid growing volumes of spatial data have brought significant challenges on developing highperformance spatial data processing techniques in parallel and distributed computing environments. Spatial joins are important data management techniques in gaining insights from large-scale geospatial data. While several distributed spatial join techniques based on symmetric spatial partitions have been implemented on top of existing Big Data systems, they are not capable of natively exploiting massively data parallel computing power provided by modern commodity Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). In this study, we have extended our distributed spatial join framework that was originally designed for broadcast-based spatial joins to partition-based spatial joins. Different from broadcast-based spatial joins that require one input side of a spatial join to be a point dataset and the other side to be sufficiently small for broadcast, the new extension supports non-point spatial data on both sides of a spatial join and allows them to be both large in volumes while still benefit from native parallel hardware acceleration for high performance. We empirically evaluate the performance of the proposed partition-based spatial join prototype system on both a workstation and Amazon EC2 GPU-accelerated clusters and demonstrate its high performance when comparing with the state-of-the-art. Our experiment results also empirically quantify the tradeoffs between partition-based and broadcast-based spatial joins by
Kelvin probe force microscopy

Measurements of the contact potential difference between different materials have been performed for the first time using scanning force microscopy. The instrument has a high resolution for both the contact potential difference (better than 0.1 mV) and the lateral dimension (<50 nm) and allows the simultaneous imaging of topography and contact potential difference. Images of gold, platinum, and palladium surfaces, taken in air, show a large contrast in the contact potential difference and demonstrate the basic concept.
Do academic laboratories correspond to scientific communities? Evidence from a large European university

Although acknowledged as central in the economic literature, the issue of intra academic collaboration has been, insofar, relatively overlooked. This paper fills this gap by stressing the importance of communities in academic research. By analysing the publication behavior of researchers from a large European scientific university, we argue that in certain cases, the community level constitutes a relevant level for analysing the collaborative nature of scientific investigation. Indeed, the reality of research collaborations doesn’t always fit the institutional division of academic work provided by laboratories.
Stabilization of the double inverted pendulum based on discrete-time model predictive control

The double inverted pendulum is an absolute unstable, high-order, multi-parameter, less-driven and nonlinear system. To stabilize the inverted pendulum, the incremental mathematical model of this system is built based on the Lagrangian mechanics. The discrete-time model predictive control based on the Laguerre series is a new novel control technology, which uses Laguerre series to represent the trace of control signal in the future and optimizes the trace simultaneously. What's more, the technology can bring in the digital integral factor in the control system to improve the ability of anti-interference. So it is applied to stabilize the double inverted pendulum. The simulation experiment shows that the control strategy is effective and practical.
Modeling E-CommerceWorkflow Using Mobile-Agent-oriented Petri Net

As the mobile agent technology begins to emerge as a viable solution for intelligent e-commerce applications, there is an increasing attempt to ensure that the systems being developed are robust, reliable and manageable. While the mobile-agent-based e-commerce systems are desgined and implemented, their functional correctness and completeness must be formally verified. For this purpose, this paper introduces an extension of Petri nets, mobile-agent-oriented Petri nets (MAPN), for modeling and analyzing transaction workflows in mobile-agent-based e-commerce systems. By attaching some attributes to the tokens of the classical Petri nets, every token can be regarded as an agent to roam around the places to excutive certain tasks. In order to illustrate our formal model (MAPN) is effective for mobile agents modeling in e-commerce systems, an example of product search between buyers and sellers is provided. Meanwhile, the reach ability and the cover ability of the model are analyzed as well. Compared with exsiting formal description of agent-based systems, the tokens in MAPN model can carry more information, make the model more simple and powerful.
Paradoxes of Providing Aid: NGOs, Medicine, and Undocumented Migration in Berlin, Germany

This dissertation examines the paradoxes involved in offering medical aid to undocumented migrants in Berlin, Germany. Coinciding with the end of guestworker programs in the 1970s, undocumented migrants have increasingly filled gaps in the German labor market. Political pressures following reunification, along with border militarization in the wake of European Union expansion, have resulted in restrictions on legal entry. However, neoliberal reforms in the labor market and a rapidly aging population have resulted in high demand for undocumented workers in particular sectors of the economy. At the same time, soaring unemployment and nationalist sentiments have made immigration unpopular, with political parties negatively predisposed to assuring the rights of migrant workers. One such right is access to health care services in a nation with a traditionally universal system of coverage. Undocumented migrants are officially denied “medical citizenship” and must rely upon humanitarian aid provided by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This study examines the experiences of multiple stakeholders, particularly physicians and NGOs that provide medical aid. It draws upon the anthropology of health policy, a critical approach within medical anthropology. Fieldwork in Berlin during 2004-2006 included participant observation at an outpatient clinic, which yielded case studies of 204 undocumented patients, along with sixty-one interviews. Results indicate that in Germany, certain minimal rights are technically available to migrants; however, they are not assured access to these rights. This underscores the importance of utilizing
Improving mobile networks based on social mobility modeling

Wireless networks growing popularity coupled with a wide availability of wireless-enabled personal devices is today the basis for user-centric Internet architectures to evolve. Central to this new paradigm of user-centricity is the fact that today the Internet end-user exhibits a highly nomadic behavior, where most of the portable devices are carried by humans. The thesis proposed relates to the recent trend of social mobility modeling as a way to improve mobile network operation. The work is focused on the analysis of social mobility models and how to propose new models having in mind an overall network optimization due to the possibility to predict adequately node movement on mobile networks.
Some Difficult-to-pass Tests of Randomness

We describe three tests of randomness—tests that many random number generators fail. In particular, all congruential generators—even those based on a prime modulus—fail at least one of the tests, as do many simple generators, such as shift register and lagged Fibonacci. On the other hand, generators that pass the three tests seem to pass all the tests in the Diehard Battery of Tests. Note that these tests concern the randomness of a generator's output as a sequence of independent, uniform 32-bit integers. For uses where the output is converted to uniform variates in [0,1), potential flaws of the output as integers will seldom cause problems after the conversion. Most generators seem to be adequate for producing a set of uniform reals in [0,1), but several important applications, notably in cryptography and number theory—for example, establishing probable primes, complexity of factoring algorithms, random partitions of large integers—may require satisfactory performance on the kinds of tests we describe here.
In Utero Fine Particle Air Pollution and Placental Expression of Genes in the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Signaling Pathway: An ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort Study

Background Developmental processes in the placenta and the fetal brain are shaped by the same biological signals. Recent evidence suggests that adaptive responses of the placenta to the maternal environment may influence central nervous system development. Objectives We studied the association between in utero exposure to fine particle air pollution with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and placental expression of genes implicated in neural development. Methods Expression of 10 target genes in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling pathway were quantified in placental tissue of 90 mother–infant pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Trimester-specific PM2.5 exposure levels were estimated for each mother’s home address using a spatiotemporal model. Mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the association between the target genes and PM2.5 exposure measured in different time windows of pregnancy. Results A 5-μg/m3 increase in residential PM2.5 exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with a 15.9% decrease [95% confidence interval (CI): –28.7, –3.2%, p = 0.015] in expression of placental BDNF at birth. The corresponding estimate for synapsin 1 (SYN1) was a 24.3% decrease (95% CI: –42.8, –5.8%, p = 0.011). Conclusions Placental expression of BDNF and SYN1, two genes implicated in normal neurodevelopmental trajectories, decreased with increasing in utero exposure to PM2.5. Future studies are needed to confirm our findings and evaluate the potential relevance of associations between PM2.5 and placental expression of BDNF and SYN1 on neurodevelopment. We provide the first molecular epidemiological evidence concerning associations between in utero fine particle air pollution exposure and the expression of genes that may influence neurodevelopmental processes. Citation Saenen ND, Plusquin M, Bijnens E, Janssen BG, Gyselaers W, Cox B, Fierens F, Molenberghs G, Penders J, Vrijens K, De Boever P, Nawrot TS. 2015. In utero fine particle air pollution and placental expression of genes in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling pathway: an ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort Study. Environ Health Perspect 123:834–840; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1408549
On the Existence of Approximated Equilibria and Sharing-Rule Equilibria in Discontinuous Games

New relaxations of the Nash equilibrium concept are shown to exist in any strategic game with discontinuous payoff functions. The new concepts are used (1) to show the equivalence between Reny's better-reply security condition [28] and Simon-Zame's endogenous tie-breaking rule equilibrium concept [32], (2) to obtain conditions for the existence of approximated equilibria in a class of discontinuous games that naturally extends Reny's better-reply secure games, and (3) to show the existence of approximated equilibria in a large family of two-player games that contains all standard models of auctions.
ON REGULARITY OF TRANSITION PROBABILITIES AND INVARIANT MEASURES OF SINGULAR DIFFUSIONS UNDER MINIMAL CONDITIONS

Let A = (aij ) be a matrix-valued Borel mapping on a domain Ω ⊂ R d , let b = (bi ) be a vector field on Ω, and let LA, b ϕ = a ij ∂ x i ∂ xj ϕ + bi ∂ xi ϕ. We study Borel measures μ on Ω that satisfy the elliptic equation LA, b *μ = 0 in the weak sense: ∫ LA, b ϕ dμ = 0 for all ϕ ∈ C 0 ∞ (Ω). We prove that, under mild conditions, μ has a density. If A is locally uniformly nondegenerate, A ∈ H loc p, 1 and b ∈ L loc p for some p > d, then this density belongs to H loc p, 1. Actually, we prove Sobolev regularity for solutions of certain generalized nonlinear elliptic inequalities. Analogous results are obtained in the parabolic case. These results are applied to transition probabilities and invariant measures of diffusion processes.
Compensating for age limits through emotional crossmodal integration

Social interactions in daily life necessitate the integration of social signals from different sensory modalities. In the aging literature, it is well established that the recognition of emotion in facial expressions declines with advancing age, and this also occurs with vocal expressions. By contrast, crossmodal integration processing in healthy aging individuals is less documented. Here, we investigated the age-related effects on emotion recognition when faces and voices were presented alone or simultaneously, allowing for crossmodal integration. In this study, 31 young adults (M = 25.8 years) and 31 older adults (M = 67.2 years) were instructed to identify several basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust) and a neutral expression, which were displayed as visual (facial expressions), auditory (non-verbal affective vocalizations) or crossmodal (simultaneous, congruent facial and vocal affective expressions) stimuli. The results showed that older adults performed slower and worse than younger adults at recognizing negative emotions from isolated faces and voices. In the crossmodal condition, although slower, older adults were as accurate as younger except for anger. Importantly, additional analyses using the “race model” demonstrate that older adults benefited to the same extent as younger adults from the combination of facial and vocal emotional stimuli. These results help explain some conflicting results in the literature and may clarify emotional abilities related to daily life that are partially spared among older adults.
Image denoising study on Nonlocal-Means Filter

In this paper, we present a new model-Nonlocal PM Model after combining the Nonlocal Means (NLM) filter and the PM-equation model. The decay parameter h acts as a filtering parameter and the standard deviation a of Gaussian kernel Ga(·); both are very important parameters in the Nonlocal Means Filter, and the gradient modulus threshold k that controls the conduction are obtained by setting the maximum of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR in db) as the goal in the numerical experiment of the Nonlocal PM Model. The experimental results show the new method has better performance in image denoising.