Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Has the Labour Share Declined?: It Depends

We revisit the issue of how best to measure the labour and capital shares in OECD economies, distinguishing between production- and income-based perspectives. The former adopts a producer perspective with gross income as a reference: it uses a production function in a market setting. The latter adopts a consumer perspective with net income as a reference, taking account of depreciation and including taxes and subsidies as perceived by final consumers. We confirm a statistically significant but small decline in the labour share across OECD countries over the past two decades under a production perspective. But this appears to result mainly from a rise in the gross capital share caused by rising depreciation rates. Accordingly, we find little or no decline in the labour share under an income perspective, where income is measured net and after depreciation. Using a novel dataset from Korea, we further dissect the capital share and suggest that in periods of price bubbles of land, rising asset values are a key element behind rising capital shares. We also show how introducing land prices can explain how both labour shares and real prices of investment goods can decline without assuming a large elasticity of substitution between labour and capital.
Non‐hazardous biocatalytic oxidation in Nylon‐9 monomer synthesis on a 40 g scale with efficient downstream processing

This paper describes the development of a biocatalytic process on the multi‐dozen gram scale for the synthesis of a precursor to Nylon‐9, a specialty polyamide. Such materials are growing in demand, but their corresponding monomers are often difficult to synthesize, giving rise to biocatalytic approaches. Here, we implemented cyclopentadecanone monooxygenase as an Escherichia coli whole‐cell biocatalyst in a defined medium, together with a substrate feeding–product removal concept, and an optimized downstream processing (DSP). A previously described hazardous peracid‐mediated oxidation was thus replaced with a safe and scalable protocol, using aerial oxygen as oxidant, and water as reaction solvent. The engineered process converted 42 g (0.28 mol) starting material ketone to the corresponding lactone with an isolated yield of 70% (33 g), after highly efficient DSP with 95% recovery of the converted material, translating to a volumetric yield of 8 g pure product per liter. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1670–1678. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Investigation of Fatigue, Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness, and Spectral-Based Cepstral Measurements in Healthy Speakers after Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Objectives: We observed whether 30 minutes of neuromuscular electrical stimulation applied to the necks of healthy speakers would result in significant acoustic changes and perceptions of fatigue and/or delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Methods: Twelve participants were assigned to experimental (n = 6; 3 male and 3 female) and control groups (n = 6; 3 male and 3 female). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation was applied to the anterior neck in the experimental group only. All participants produced 3 trials of the vowel /a/ and the Rainbow Passage before and after completing a 30-minute phonation protocol. Recorded samples were analyzed for measures of the cepstral peak prominence, the ratio of low- to high-frequency spectral energy, and their respective standard deviations. Perceptions of fatigue and DOMS were rated on visual analog scales before, 5 minutes after, and 24 hours after completion of the phonation protocol. Results: Statistically significant acoustic findings reflecting reduced relative sound pressure level, increased high-frequency noise, and phonatory instability were observed in the experimental group. In addition, reports of fatigue and DOMS were also reported by some participants. Conclusions: A 30-minute dosage may be too high for some people experiencing neuromuscular electrical stimulation for the first time.
Management of drug eluting stent in‐stent restenosis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The optimal management for coronary drug eluting stent in‐stent restenosis (DES ISR) is unclear. We performed a meta‐analysis of observational and randomized studies to compare the outcomes of management of DES ISR using DES, drug eluting balloon (DEB), or balloon angioplasty (BA).
Design and Analysis of Highly Energy/Area-Efficient Multiported Register Files With Read Word-Line Sharing Strategy in 65-nm CMOS Process

This brief proposes an ultralow-voltage four-read-port and two-write-port multiported register file with a novel architecture of read word-line sharing strategy for energy/area efficiency. Static read circuits and memory cells with nonminimum channel length are introduced to improve the ultralow-voltage performance. The chip of this register file is fabricated in 65-nm LP CMOS process and occupies the area of 0.019 mm$^{2}$ . Test results show that the minimum operation voltage is 320 mV with its corresponding max frequency 110 KHz. The minimum energy consumption is 0.94 pJ/cycle at the point of 400 mV, 850 KHz, corresponding to 0.15 fJ/port/bit/cycle after normalization. Compared with the state-of-the-art designs, it improves energy efficiency by 25% and saves the area by 58.7%.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Lens Opacities in the Elderly in Cuenca, Spain

Purpose To estimate the prevalence of lens opacities in a group of elderly people and evaluate their relation with diverse risk factors. Methods Cross-sectional observational study of the cohort of all persons over the age of 64 years from an urban area and a rural nucleus of the province of Cuenca, Spain. Information on sociodemographic parameters and smoking was compiled using a structured questionnaire. A physical examination was made in which weight, height, and waist circumference were measured, and an ophthalmologic examination was made of visual acuity and lens opacities. Cataracts were classified using the method of the WHO cataract group. Results The study included 1155 subjects out of 1435 elderly persons who were invited to participate (response rate 80.5%). The prevalence of cataract in men was 69.2% and in women, 65.5% (p>0.05). The percentage of persons with aphakia/pseudophakia was 17.8% in men and 17.5% in women (p>0.05). In a logistic regression model, age, obesity of more than 35 kg/m2, and low educational level were associated with the presence of cataract or aphakia/pseudophakia. Conclusions The prevalence of cataract in people over 64 years is similar to that of other countries, but the prevalence of subjects with previous surgery for cataracts is the highest reported in the literature. Age, body mass index of more than 35 kg/m2, and low educational level were associated with the probability of having cataracts or undergoing surgery for cataracts. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2007; 17: 29–37)
Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for People with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS–LD)

Background The Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales (HoNOS) have been developed to measure outcomes in people with mental health problems. Aims Frequent impaired social functioning, problems with communication and associated physical conditions meant that a bespoke instrument was needed for people with learning disabilities. We describe the development of the Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales for People with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS–LD). Method HoNOS-LD was piloted at 26 sites. Two raters, at two points in time, rated 372 subjects. Analysis determined acceptability, ease of use, interrater reliability, sensitivity to change and reliability with the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC). Results The resulting 18-item instrument demonstrated good reliability and validity characteristics and is generally acceptable to clinicians. Conclusions HoNOS-LD is an appropriate instrument for measuring outcome in people with learning disabilities with additional mental health needs.
Comparative evaluation of NASBA HIV-1 RNA QT, AMPLICOR-HIV monitor, and QUANTIPLEX HIV RNA assay, three methods for quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA in plasma

Three commercial assays for quantifying plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA were evaluated. The assays differed in their sample volumes, the means of preparing samples, and methods of amplification and detection. Plasma samples were obtained from 36 HIV-1-infected patients representing all stages of HIV-1 infection and were analyzed as coded specimens. Measurement of HIV-1 RNA baseline levels revealed no significant difference in sensitivity between the three assays. The assays were also applied to the quantitation of HIV-1 RNA levels in the plasma of patients who were changing their antiretroviral therapy. The changes measured in HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma in response to therapy were comparable by the three assays. No close correlation was found between the amount of HIV-1 RNA and the CD4 T-cell count; HIV-1 RNA assays were more sensitive than p24 antigen assays as an indicator of plasma viremia. Overall, the study demonstrates that all three quantitative assays for HIV-1 RNA can be used to measure the HIV-1 RNA copy number representing the HIV-1 viremia status in patients with HIV-1 infection. Since this copy number is likely to be useful in monitoring the effectiveness of antiviral therapy, these quantitative assays for HIV-1 RNA are ready to be built into clinical trials.
Rate-adaptive indoor infrared wireless communication systems using repeated and punctured convolutional codes

We propose a rate-adaptive transmission scheme using repeated and punctured convolutional codes for indoor infrared wireless communications. The proposed system uses a coding scheme consisting of an outer punctured convolutional code and an inner repetition code, and varies code rate, i.e., bit rate adaptively depending on channel conditions. We show that the proposed system can realize communications in worse channel conditions at the expense of bit rate, while maximizing the throughput available to a user on his position.
Protein inhibitor of activated STAT 4 (PIAS4) regulates pro-inflammatory transcription in hepatocytes by repressing SIRT1

Excessive nutrition promotes the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), characterized by the accumulation of pro-inflammation mediators in the liver. In the present study we investigated the regulation of pro-inflammatory transcription in hepatocytes by protein inhibitor of activated STAT 4 (PIAS4) in this process and the underlying mechanisms. We report that expression of the class III deacetylase SIRT1 was down-regulated in the livers of NASH mice accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the expression and binding activity of PIAS4. Exposure to high glucose stimulated the expression PIAS4 in cultured hepatocytes paralleling SIRT1 repression. Estrogen, a known NASH-protective hormone, ameliorated SIRT1 trans-repression by targeting PIAS4. Over-expression of PIAS4 enhanced, while PIAS4 knockdown alleviated, repression of SIRT1 transcription by high glucose. Lentiviral delivery of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting PIAS4 attenuated hepatic inflammation in NASH mice by restoring SIRT1 expression. Mechanistically, PIAS4 promoted NF-κB-mediated pro-inflammatory transcription in a SIRT1 dependent manner. In conclusion, our study indicates that PIAS4 mediated SIRT1 repression in response to nutrient surplus contributes to the pathogenesis of NASH. Therefore, targeting PIAS4 might provide novel therapeutic strategies in the intervention of NASH.
Designing a classifier for automatic detection of fungal diseases in wheat plant: By pattern recognition techniques

The most important factor for reduction in quality and quantity of wheat crop, is wheat plant disease. The purpose of this paper is designing a classifier for fungal diseases detection in wheat plants by pattern recognition techniques. Unhealthy regions were segmented by thresholding method and morphological operators and their texture, color and shape features were extracted. To reduce dimensionality of the features space, significant features are selected by minimal-redundancy-maximal-relevance criterion (mRMR). A radial basis function (RBF) neural network was employed to classify wheat diseases. According to the results, the proposed method could effectively detect and classify wheat diseases to an accuracy of 98.3%.
Reducing Scan Shift Power at RTL

Power consumption during scan-based test becomes a concern in nanometer technologies. Previous test power reduction techniques that insert additional logic in gate-level circuits may result in timing violations. In this paper, we show that the problem can be solved at the RTL instead so that the timing and area constraints will be handled automatically by synthesis tools. Using a signal probabilistic approach proposed previously, we identify power-sensitive scan cells at the prototyping gate level, and we map these cells to their corresponding signal/variable bits at the RT-level. Additional RTL code is added to freeze these power- sensitive bits in order to reduce scan shift power consumption. Experimental results on ITC99 benchmarks show that on average more than 22% power reduction can be achieved when we only freeze the top 1% of power-sensitive bits at RTL. The flow is more practical in terms of timing closure than doing the same at the gate-level.
Essential Role for Survivin in the Proliferative Expansion of Progenitor and Mature B Cells

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins and a biomarker of poor prognosis in aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In addition to its role in inhibition of apoptosis, survivin also regulates mitosis. In this article, we show that deletion of survivin during early B cell development results in a complete block at the cycling pre-B stage. In the periphery, B cell homeostasis is not affected, but survivin-deficient B cells are unable to mount humoral responses. Correspondingly, we show that survivin is required for cell division in response to mitogenic stimulation. Thus, survivin is essential for proliferation of B cell progenitors and activated mature B cells, but is dispensable for B cell survival. Moreover, a small-molecule inhibitor of survivin strongly impaired the growth of representative B lymphoma lines in vitro, supporting the validity of survivin as an attractive therapeutic target for high-grade B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Quantitation of automated single‐voxel proton MRS using cerebral water as an internal reference

Data from a previously published, multi‐site trial (P. G. Webb, N. Sailasuta, S. J. Kohler, T. Raidy, R. A. Moats, R. E. Hurd, Automated single‐voxel proton MRS: technical development and multisite verification. Magn. Reson. Med. 31, 365–373 (1994)) of a fully automatic, single‐voxel, proton spectroscopy package (PROBE/SV, GE Medical Systems) was re‐analyzed in terms of absolute metabolite concentrations using the cerebral water signal as an internal reference. In 100 spectra from parietal white matter in normal volunteers ranging in age from 22 to 34 years at eight sites, overall concentrations of choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), and N‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA) resonances were found to be 2.00 ± 0.50, 8.43 ± 1.26, and 12.55 ± 1.76 μmol/g wet weight, respectively. These values are in good general agreement with previously published values from quantitative, single‐voxel studies. Metabolite concentrations for NAA, Cr, and Cho across all sites had standard deviations of 14.1%, 14.9%, and 25.1%, respectively. Quantitation of PROBE data sets is routinely possible by using the cerebral water signal as an internal reference.
Long‐term dietary acrylamide intake and risk of endometrial cancer in a prospective cohort of Swedish women

Acrylamide has been found in foods heated at high temperatures and there is evidence of carcinogenicity of acrylamide in experimental animals. However, the potential health risks of dietary acrylamide intake in humans remain uncertain. We examined the association between dietary acrylamide intake and the incidence of endometrial cancer among 61,226 participants of the Swedish Mammography Cohort who were cancer‐free at enrollment in 1987–1990 and completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and again in 1997. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for endometrial cancer risk factors. During a mean follow‐up of 17.7 years, a total of 687 incident cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma were diagnosed in the cohort. We found no association between long‐term acrylamide intake and risk of endometrial cancer. The multivariate rate ratio of endometrial cancer for women in the highest quartile of acrylamide intake (mean, 33.8 μg/day) compared to those in the lowest quartile (mean, 15.9 μg/day) was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.76–1.21). The association did not vary materially by smoking status. In conclusion, these findings do not support the hypothesis that dietary acrylamide intake is positively associated with risk of endometrial cancer, at least not within the ranges of acrylamide consumed in this population. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Comparison of the Effects of X-Ray and Proton Irradiation on the Performance of SiGe Precision Voltage References

A comprehensive investigation of the performance dependencies of irradiated SiGe precision voltage reference circuits on (1) total ionizing dose (TID), (2) circuit topology, and (3) radiation source is presented. Two different bandgap voltage references were designed using a first-generation (50-GHz) SiGe BiCMOS technology platform, and subsequently exposed to X-rays at doses of 1080 krad(SiO2) and 5400 krad(SiO2). The degradation in circuit performance following X-ray irradiation depends on both the TID level and the chosen circuit topology. Measurement results show that large TID levels can significantly shift the magnitude of the output voltage. Explanations for the observed shifts are provided by utilizing detailed analyses of the two circuit topologies and considering device-to-circuit interactions. The primary factor responsible for the difference in the circuit response before and after irradiation can be attributed to the excess base leakage current in the SiGe HBT. To investigate the impact of radiation source, the circuit topology showing the worst-case degradation from the X-ray experiment was independently exposed to 63-MeV protons at the same effective TID level. A clear source dependence in the circuit response was observed, and possible origins of this behavior are identified.
Non-Sequential Striping for Distributed Storage Systems with Different Redundancy Schemes

Modern distributed storage systems often store redundant data in multiple replications or erasure coding according to their access frequencies. Multiple replications scheme is well-performance for hot data while erasure coding scheme is storage-efficient for warm and cold data. When hot data turn cold, an encoding procedure starts to do the conversion. However, due to sequential striping, current conversion methods do not perform well for different data layouts, and cause risky blocks and expensive network consumption.In this paper, we propose Sice, a new encoder which deploys non-sequential striping. It constructs non-sequential stripes according to the data layout, performs conversion quickly with low overheads and ends to no reduction of system reliability. The results of both simulation and evaluation show that Sice gains almost the same good performance for different data layouts and has a great scalability. Sice helps HDFS-RAID reduce network consumption by about 65% and reduce influence on concurrent I/O-intensive applications by about 60%.
Cooperative anti-jamming for secondary opportunistic networks: A Colonel Blotto game model

Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) has been proposed to increase the spectrum utilization efficiency and to solve the spectrum scarcity problem. However, due to the spectrum sharing and opportunistic access nature of the DSA networks, they are more vulnerable to security threats like jammers. In this paper, we propose an anti-jamming technique in which the secondary network coordinator groups the secondary users in smart collations over the different channels. By utilizing cooperative communication, the secondary users in these collations can boost their transmission against the effect of the jammer. The interaction between the secondary network and the jammer is modeled as a modified Colonel Blotto game in which the secondary network coordinators acts as the defender and the jammer as the attacker. A fictitious play based algorithm is used to find the mixed Nash strategy equilibrium solution of the game. The results show that utilizing cooperative communication enhances the performance of the secondary users over using the direct transmission in two networks with two different objectives. Also, the result shows that increasing the number of secondary nodes rationally enhances the performance of low data rate nodes.
The Antitrust Economics of Multi-Sided Platform Markets

Multi-sided platforms coordinate the demands of distinct groups of customers who need each other in some way. Dating clubs, for example, enable men and women to meet each other; magazines provide a way for advertisers to find an audience, and computer operating system vendors provide software that applications users and applications developers can use together. When devising pricing and investment strategies, multi-sided platforms must account for interactions among the demands of multiple groups of customers. In theory, the optimal price to customers on one side of the platform is not based on a markup formula such as the Lerner condition, and price does not track marginal cost. Indeed, many actual platform businesses charge one side little or nothing-shopping malls seldom charge shoppers; operating system vendors give developers many services for free; most Internet portals and free television providers do not charge viewers. Competition among platforms takes place in multi-sided markets in which seemingly distinct customer groups are connected through interdependent demand and a platform that, acting as an intermediary, internalizes the resulting indirect network externalities. Multi-sided platforms arise in many economically significant industries from media to payment systems and software; they arise in bricks and mortar industries such as shopping malls as well as information-based industries such as portals. The economics of platform competition has implications for analyzing antitrust and regulatory policies affecting businesses that compete in multi-sided markets. For example, market definition and market power analyses that focus on a single side will lead to analytical errors; since pricing and production decisions are based on coordinating demand among interdependent customer groups, one must consider the multiple market sides in analyzing competitive effects and strategies. To take another example, efficient pricing may result in setting price on a particular market side below measures of average variable or marginal cost incurred for customers on that market side. Economic analysis that