Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic Determinants for China’s Industrial SO2 Emission: Reduced vs. Structural form and the role of international trade

In this paper, basing on panel data on Chinese provincial level from 1991-2000, we test, firstly, the existence of EKC for industrial SO2 emission density. Following, we decompose the economical determinants of this SO2 emission density into: income effect (GDPPC), scale effect (Industrial GDP per km2) and composition effect (industrial capitalistic ratio). And in the third step, we study the direct and indirect role of international trade intensity ((X+M)/GDP). Instead of a supposed EKC, we find ever-increasing trend in industrial SO2 emission density with respect to income growth for most Chinese provinces when the three largest cities (Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai) directly under central government are taken off from our database. Following, confirming Grossman (1995), we succeed in decomposing industrial SO2 emission density into its three famous economic “effects”. However, different from our expectation, the composition effect, measured by industrial capitalistic ratio K/L in this paper, instead of being a pollution-increasing role as generally accepted idea, turns out to lead industrial SO2 density to reduce as a technology-reinforcing factor. For the role of trade, besides the positive direct impact on industrial SO2 density, we find equally some “pollution haven” evidences. In addition, our results show for most provinces, their comparative advantage stays still in labour-intensive sectors, increase in the capitalistic ratio is proven to be environment-friendly through its technological “pollution-abatement” effect until this ratio reach the level of 83333 yuan/person, which can be considered as the threshold to distinguish capital-intensive sector. Due to these different aspect's effects, corresponding to the conclusion of ACT (1998, 2001), the total effect of trade on industrial SO2 pollution does not turn out to be an important factor for industrial SO2 emission density. Including all these co-related economic determinants into a more general graphical analysis, we find that, for most provinces whose actual income and capitalistic ratio stay still at moderate level, further income growth and capital accumulation are generally environment-friendly factor in openness process. However, the further enlargement of openness degree will result in environment deterioration for the provinces that have relatively low income and too low or too high capitalistic ratio. The necessary policy to reduce this possible deterioration is to adopt besides the open policy, the complementary policies aiming at reinforcing public consciences on environment quality (through income effect) and encouraging R&D activities to increase technological efficiency in pollution abatement.
Hyperdopaminergic Tone Erodes Prefrontal Long-Term Potential via a D2 Receptor-Operated Protein Phosphatase Gate

Dopamine (DA) plays crucial roles in the cognitive functioning of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which, to a large degree, depends on lasting neural traces formed in prefrontal networks. The establishment of these permanent traces requires changes in cortical synaptic efficacy. DA, via the D1-class receptors, is thought to gate or facilitate synaptic plasticity in the PFC, with little role recognized for the D2-class receptors. Here we show that, when significantly elevated, DA erodes, rather than facilitates, the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the PFC by acting at the far less abundant cortical D2-class receptors through a dominant coupling to the protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) activity in postsynaptic neurons. In mice with persistently elevated extracellular DA, resulting from inactivation of the DA transporter (DAT) gene, LTP in layer V PFC pyramidal neurons cannot be established, regardless of induction protocols. Acute increase of dopaminergic transmission by DAT blockers or overstimulation of D2 receptors in normal mice have similar LTP shutoff effects. LTP in mutant mice can be rescued by a single in vivo administration of D2-class antagonists. Suppression of postsynaptic PP1 mimics and occludes the D2-mediated rescue of LTP in mutant mice and prevents the acute erosion of LTP by D2 agonists in normal mice. Our studies reveal a mechanistically unique heterosynaptic PP1 gate that is constitutively driven by background DA to influence LTP induction. By blocking prefrontal synaptic plasticity, excessive DA may prevent storage of lasting memory traces in PFC networks and impair executive functions.
An Introduction of Density Functional Theory and its Application

This article starts with a brief history and idea interpretation of the Density Functional Theory (DFT), and then explains more detailedly about the original thought of Hohenberg and Kohn and their first and second theorem of the DFT. Next, it also introduces a methodology to treat the calculation based on DFT, which is the Kohn-Sham method based on the Local Density Approximation (LDA) treatment for the exchange energy term. In the later part, this paper touches two examples, as an illustration of how to get the density distribution n(r) from the Hohenberg-Kohn energy FHK, and from this part it shows the derivation in a combination of DFT with the statistical mechanics.
Fast Fourier Transforms for Nonequispaced Data

A group of algorithms is presented generalizing the fast Fourier transform to the case of noninteger frequencies and nonequispaced nodes on the interval $[ - \pi ,\pi ]$. The schemes of this paper are based on a combination of certain analytical considerations with the classical fast Fourier transform and generalize both the forward and backward FFTs. Each of the algorithms requires $O(N\cdot \log N + N\cdot \log (1/\varepsilon ))$ arithmetic operations, where $\varepsilon $ is the precision of computations and N is the number of nodes. The efficiency of the approach is illustrated by several numerical examples.
A Method for the Isolation and Culture of Adult Rat Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) Cells to Study Retinal Diseases

Diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affect the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and lead to the death of the epithelial cells and ultimately blindness. RPE transplantation is currently a major focus of eye research and clinical trials using human stem cell-derived RPE cells are ongoing. However, it remains to be established to which extent the source of RPE cells for transplantation affects their therapeutic efficacy and this needs to be explored in animal models. Autotransplantation of RPE cells has attractions as a therapy, but existing protocols to isolate adult RPE cells from rodents are technically difficult, time-consuming, have a low yield and are not optimized for long-term cell culturing. Here, we report a newly devised protocol which facilitates reliable and simple isolation and culture of RPE cells from adult rats. Incubation of a whole rat eyeball in 20 U/ml papain solution for 50 min yielded 4 × 104 viable RPE cells. These cells were hexagonal and pigmented upon culture. Using immunostaining, we demonstrated that the cells expressed RPE cell-specific marker proteins including cytokeratin 18 and RPE65, similar to RPE cells in vivo. Additionally, the cells were able to produce and secrete Bruch’s membrane matrix components similar to in vivo situation. Similarly, the cultured RPE cells adhered to isolated Bruch’s membrane as has previously been reported. Therefore, the protocol described in this article provides an efficient method for the rapid and easy isolation of high quantities of adult rat RPE cells. This provides a reliable platform for studying the therapeutic targets, testing the effects of drugs in a preclinical setup and to perform in vitro and in vivo transplantation experiments to study retinal diseases.
Physiological Responses Associated with Nordic-walking training in Systolic Hypertensive Postmenopausal Women

Abstract Loss of physical strength and hypertension are among the most pronounced detrimental factors accompanying aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a supervised 8-week Nordic-walking training program on systolic blood pressure in systolic-hypertensive postmenopausal women. This study was a randomized control trial on a sample of 24 subjects who did not take any hypertension medications. There was a statistically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and an increase in lower and upper-body strength in the group following Nordic-walking training. There was a decrease in serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density cholesterol. The obtained results indicate that an 8-week Nordic-walking program may be efficiently employed for counteracting systolic hypertension through a direct abatement of systolic blood pressure and an increase of maximal aerobic capacity.
MIMO channels from multipath parameter extraction vs . direct measurements

This paper presents a capacity based analysis of directional Multiple-Input MultipleOutput (MIMO) channel measurements that were conducted with (16 x 16) element Uniform Circular Arrays (UCA) of patch antennas. The effect of antenna array configuration on performance has been investigated. A comparison between directly measured MIMO channels and MIMO channels generated from the multipath parameters that were extracted using the HS-SAGE algorithm is also presented.
An Organizational Culture Perspective for the Study of Group Support Systems

Most research on Group Support Systems has focused on the study of the effects of features of the technology on processes and outcomes and has conceived of groups as mere collections of individuals (DeSanctis 1993; Kling 1991). However, as GSSs are moving from laboratories to organizational settings, a better understanding of both GSSs and groups is needed (Clapper and Prasad 1993). In this sense, we propose a cultural perspective to rethink the issue of GSS appropriation in organizations. Specifically, it is proposed that lhe mode in which a GSS is appropriated is determined by the degree of fit between two sets of assumptions: (a) those embedded in the GSS during its design and (b) those that users have and that determine how they interact with the GSS. We rely on the organizational culture literature to analyze these two sets of assumptions and their implications for GSS appropriation, and to provide guidelines for future GSS research and design. 1. LNTRODUCTION GSS use and the mode of its appropriation are highly discretionary. The "user" is a group: not merely an Group Support Systems, like other information techi1010aggregation of individuals but a social entity with its own gies, reflect certain assumptions of their designers (Kraemer nature. These groups not only deal with unstructured and and King 1988; Orlikowski 1992a; Poole and DeSanctis sensitive tasks but fundamentally use these "occasions" to 1990; Winograd and Flores 1986); among them, assumpcreate and validate their social systems (Schwartzman tions about what meetings ought to be about and how 1989). decisions ought to be made. On the other hand, users of GSSs have their own set of assumptions about what meetIn this paper, we rely on the organizational culture literaings are about and how decisions have to be made (Schein ture which offers compelling perspectives to understand 1992). These two sets of assumptions may not fit and, groups and how they differ and to rethink the issue of GSS when they do not, the GSS will probably be appropriated in a manner inconsistent with its spirit or might simply be appropriation in organizations.
Analysis of Complexity and Convergence Speed of Sequential Schedules for Decoding LDPC Codes

In this paper, a sequential message-passing decoding algorithm of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes by partitioning check nodes is analyzed. This decoding algorithm shows better bit error rate (BER) performance than the conventional message-passing decoding algorithm, especially for the small number of iterations. Analytical results tell us that as the number of partitioned subsets of check nodes increases, the BER performance becomes better. We also derive the recursive equations for mean values of messages at check and variable nodes by using density evolution with Gaussian approximation. Finally, the analytical results are conflrmed by the simulation results.
Scalable video coding using allpass-based wavelet filters

Scalable video coding (SVC) allows to encode videos in a unique bit stream at several operating points corresponding to different quality, spatial resolution and temporal frame rate. In this paper, we apply the allpass-based wavelet filters to wavelet-based scalable video coding (WSVC) for improving the coding performance, in particular, at reduced spatial resolutions. The allpass-based wavelet filters used in this paper are orthogonal and symmetric, and have a better frequency response than the D-5/3 and D-9/7 biorthogonal wavelet filters. Therefore, some spatial aliasing effects can be suppressed, when the allpass-based wavelet filters are used as a spatial transform in WSVC. Moreover, the inverse MCTF transform is performed at full spatial resolution to avoid the imprecision of the deduced MVs. Finally, a coding performance comparison between the proposed allpass-based and conventional D-9/7 biorthogonal wavelet filters is shown in terms of coding efficiency.
Programmable Leakage Test and Binning for TSVs With Self-Timed Timing Control

Leakage tests have been a challenge for through-silicon vias (TSVs) in a 3-D IC. Most existing methods are still inadequate in terms of the range of testable leakage currents. In this paper, we borrow the wisdom of the IO-pin leakage test while enhancing it with two features. First, we make it more suitable for a TSV, which has a much smaller capacitance than an IO pin. Second, we support a wide range of leakage test (e.g., from 0.125 μA to 16 μA), and thereby allowing for flexible test threshold setting and leakage characterization. To achieve this goal, we present two sets of techniques-1) wait-time generation by programmable delay line, and 2) wait-time propagation with a self-timed timing control scheme to overcome the timing skew problem due to signal routing. We demonstrate that the entire scheme can be done in only logic gates, making it easy to integrate into the common design flow.
Complex Goods' Exports and Institutions: Empirics at the Firm Level

This paper analyzes the role of institutions in the exporter's country in promoting the exports. Firm‐level evidence from 22 developing and transition countries is provided to show that institutions matter for complex goods. A poor legal system, weak contractual enforcement, and corruption significantly reduce the exports of complex goods. In contrast, the effect of such institutions on the exports of simple goods remains ambiguous. Our main results are robust to the use of different econometric methods.
Monge's Optimal Transport Distance with Applications for Nearest Neighbour Image Classification

This paper focuses on a similarity measure, known as the Wasserstein distance, with which to compare images. The Wasserstein distance results from a partial differential equation (PDE) formulation of Monge's optimal transport problem. We present an efficient numerical solution method for solving Monge's problem. To demonstrate the measure's discriminatory power when comparing images, we use it within the architecture of the $k$-Nearest Neighbour ($k$-NN) machine learning algorithm to illustrate the measure's potential benefits over other more traditional distance metrics and also the state-of-the-art Tangent Space distance on the well-known MNIST dataset. To our knowledge, the PDE formulation of the Wasserstein metric has not been presented for dealing with image comparison, nor has the Wasserstein distance been used within the $k$-nearest neighbour architecture.
Manpower Development in Nigeria: Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives

Abstract This paper unfolds manpower development from the conceptual and methodological perspectives. On the conceptual perspective, the paper analyses the effort of the Nigerian State at developing manpower vis-a-vis the efforts of organizations at manpower development and eventually situating the concept manpower development as encompassing both State and organizational efforts. On methodological perspective, organizational techniques for manpower development were discussed; the relevance and problems against manpower development in Nigeria were unfolded with the researcher stating the options of enhanced government regulatory capability and persuasive device as means of improving manpower development in Nigeria.
Using Genetics in Information Filtering

Adaptive filtering of information involves modelling the user's behavior and learning from feedback. This paper describes the design of a cognitive information filtering system that applies (1) linguistic analysis to obtain consistent representations of the contents of messages, (2) an evolutionary algorithm for prioritizing morphologically parsed e-mails and (3) a monitor to simulate cognitive user behavior.
The Contagion Box: Measuring Co-Movements in Financial Markets by Regression Quantiles

We propose a semi-parametric approach to investigate whether co-dependence across markets increase in periods of extreme returns. Given that returns on one market fall in the extreme tail of their own distribution, we compute the conditional probability that returns on another market will also take on extreme values. An application to the â€œtequilaâ€ crisis is performed
Semantic modeling of natural scenes by local binary pattern

Automatic image annotation is an efficient and promising solution in content based image retrieval system applications to process very large databases via keywords. The basic idea of semantic modeling is to describe local image regions into semantic concepts using low level features such as color and texture. These local image region descriptions are combined to a global image representation that can be used for scene categorization and retrieval. In this paper, Local Binary Pattern features and neighborhood prior information are used as texture and spatial features for local image representation that allows access to natural scenes. K-Means classifier has been used to support automatic image annotation of local image region into semantic classes such as water, sky, and trees. Extensive experiments on databases like COREL, shows that the proposed technique performs well in scene classification.
A surface mapping based alignment method for Statistical Shape Model building

The fundamental step to get a Statistical Shape Model (SSM) is to align all the training samples to the same spatial modality. In this paper, we propose a new 3D alignment method using surface parameterization theory to solve the rotation transformation of 3D rigid registration. It is a feature based alignment method which matches two models depending on comparing the distribution of spherical conformal map of vertices. Moreover, the stereographic projection is utilized to transform the spherical statistics to bifacial plane. The optimal solution is obtained by an iterated algorithm. We tested the rigid registration of left lung training samples. The availability of our proposed method was confirmed.
Low‐cost, Concurrent Checking of Pointer and Array Accesses in C Programs

Illegal pointer and array accesses are a major cause of failure for C programs. We present a technique called ‘guarding’ to catch illegal array and pointer accesses. Our implementation of guarding for C programs works as a source‐to‐source translator. Auxiliary objects called guards are added to a user program to monitor pointer and array accesses at run time. Guards maintain attributes to catch out of bounds array accesses and accesses to deallocated memory. Our system has found a number of previously unreported errors in widely‐used Unix utilities and SPEC92 benchmarks. Many commonly used programs have bugs which may not always manifest themselves as a program crash, but may instead produce a subtly wrong answer. These programs are not routinely checked for run‐time errors because the increase in execution time due to run‐time checking can be very high. We present two techniques to handle the high cost of run‐time checking of pointer and array accesses in C programs: ‘customization’ and ‘shadow processing’. Customization works by decoupling run‐time checking from original computation. A user program is customized for guarding by throwing away computation not relevant for guarding. We have explored using program slicing for customization. Customization can cut the overhead of guarding by up to half. Shadow processing uses idle processors in multiprocessor workstations to perform run‐time checking in the background. A user program is instrumented to obtain a ‘main process’ and a ‘shadow process’. The main process performs computations from the orignal program, occasionally communicating a few key values to the shadow process. The shadow process follows the main process, checking pointer and array accesses. The overhead to the main process which the user sees is very low – almost always less than 10%. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A TUTORIAL INTROOUCTION TO NONLlNEAR OYNAMICS ANO CHAOS , PART I : TOOLS ANO BENCHMARKS

The relevance of nonlinear dynamics and chaos in science and engineering cannot be overemphasized. Unfortunately, the enormous wealth of techniques for the analysis of linear systems which is currently available is totally inadequate for handling nonlinear systems in a systematic, consistent and global way. This paper presents a brief introduction to some of the main concepts and tools used in the analysis of nonlinear dynamical system and chaos which have been currently used in the literature. The main objective is to present a readable introduction to the subject and provide several references for further reading. A number of well known and well documented nonlinear models are also included. Such models can be used as benchmarks not only for testing some of the tools described in this paper, but also for developing and troubleshooting other algorithms in the comprehensive fields of identification, analysis and control of nonlinear dynamical systems. Some of these aspects will be addressed in a companion paper which follows.
MIMO-Based SAR Ground Moving Target Detection Approach

This paper proposes a scheme of multiple-input and multiple (MIMO) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for ground moving targets detection. The proposed approach employs MIMO configuration with multiple antennas in azimuth and orthogonal waveform diversity. After cancelling the clutter and estimating the along-track velocity of the moving targets with the proposed double-interferometry processing technique and estimating the Doppler parameters of the moving targets with a simplified fractional Fourier transform (SFrFT) algorithm, ground moving targets detection can then be obtained by jointly processing algorithm.
From Bio-jETI Process Models to Native Code

Bio-jETI is a framework for model-based, graphical development and execution of bioinformatics analysis processes. With the GeneSys code generation framework we can automatically compile the work¿ow models into native, stand-alone program code. We show via a phylogenetic analysis work¿ow designed by the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) how we generate 6 variants of Java code from the corresponding process model realized in Bio-jETI. Performance measurements show that 1) the overall work¿ow execution time is dominated by the remote services it uses, and thus 2)all 6 variants are almost as fast as the handwritten Java of DDBJ. This way, we obtain ef¿cient native code essentially without program- ming. Thus, we demonstrate in this paper that model- based work¿ow development in Bio-jETI offers several advantages over manual implementation – including higher agility, greater transparency and better maintainability – without compromising the runtime performance.