Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Papers in experimental economics

Professor Vernon L. Smith is a major creator of the new discipline of experimental economics. This collection of his papers from 1962 to 1990 surveys key developments in the field from early attempts to study economic behaviour in now classic double oral auction markets through recent studies of industrial organization and decision making. Topics covered include monopoly and oligopoly, supply and demand theory under posted pricing, uniform pricing, double continuous auction, and sealed bid-offer auctions; hypothetical valuation and market pricing; asset price bubbles; predatory pricing; market contestability and natural monopoly; and the methodology of experimental economics. Taken together, the papers form a history of the study of economics under controlled conditions.
Learning-Dependent Dendritic Hypertrophy of Cerebellar Stellate Cells: Plasticity of Local Circuit Neurons

Recent work has shown that motor learning, but not mere motor activity, changes the morphology of Purkinje cells, the major projection neurons of the cerebellar cortex. In the present study we examined how motor skill learning affects the dendritic morphology of the stellate local circuit neurons. Adult female rats were either trained to complete a complex motor learning task or forced to traverse a flat, obstacle-free runway. Golgi impregnated stellate cells were then traced via camera lucida and their dendritic arborizations examined with a concentric ring analysis. Results showed the motor learning animals to have significantly greater stellate cell dendritic arborizations than the activity controls. Thus these local circuit neurons exhibit morphological plasticity.
Regression Based Pose Estimation with Automatic Occlusion Detection and Rectification

Human pose estimation is a classic problem in computer vision. Statistical models based on part-based modelling and the pictorial structure framework have been widely used recently for articulated human pose estimation. However, the performance of these models has been limited due to the presence of self-occlusion. This paper presents a learning-based framework to automatically detect and recover self-occluded body parts. We learn two different models: one for detecting occluded parts in the upper body and another one for the lower body. To solve the key problem of knowing which parts are occluded, we construct Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) models to learn the parameters of the occluded body parts from their corresponding ground truth parameters. Using these models, the pictorial structure of the occluded parts in unseen images is automatically rectified. The proposed framework outperforms a state-of-the-art pictorial structure approach for human pose estimation on 3 different datasets.
Prostaglandin F2α synthase in Trypanosoma cruzi plays critical roles in oxidative stress and susceptibility to benznidazole

Nifurtimox (Nfx) and benznidazole (Bz) are the current drugs used for the treatment of Chagas disease. The mechanisms of action and resistance to these drugs in this parasite are poorly known. Prostaglandin F2α synthase or old yellow enzyme (OYE), an NAD(P)H flavin oxidoreductase, has been involved in the activation pathway of other trypanocidal drugs such as Nfx; however, its role in the mechanism of action of Bz is uncertain. In this paper, we performed some experiments of functional genomics in the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi with the aim to test the role of this gene in the resistance to Bz. For this, we overexpressed this gene in sensitive parasites and evaluated the resistance level to the drug and other chemical compounds such as hydrogen peroxide, methyl methanesulfonate and gamma radiation. Interestingly, parasites overexpressing OYE showed alteration of enzymes associated with oxidative stress protection such as superoxide dismutase A and trypanothione reductase. Furthermore, transfected parasites were more sensitive to drugs, genetic damage and oxidative stress. Additionally, transfected parasites were less infective than wild-type parasites and they showed higher alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential and cell cycle after treatment with Bz. These results supply essential information to help further the understanding of the mechanism of action of Bz in T. cruzi.
Access to Work: The Effects of Spatial and Social Accessibility on Unemployment for Native-Born Black and Immigrant Women in Los Angeles

Abstract This study contributes to the debates on both spatial mismatch and “social-network” mismatch by considering the independent effects of spatial and social accessibility on the unemployment of less-educated native-born black and immigrant women. These groups experience relatively high unemployment yet differ in their residential patterns and the hypothesized capacities of their social networks. Using detailed geographic census data matched to travel data, I calculated an accessibility index to measure spatial job accessibility and used information on neighborhood characteristics and household composition to assess social accessibility. The results indicate that better spatial accessibility to jobs is associated with lower unemployment among native-born black and foreign-born Mexican and Vietnamese women; no association was detected among the remaining immigrant groups. The analysis yielded no empirical support for the advantages that residence in an enclave may provide female immigrant residents in the form of access to employment through social networks. In fact, the results point to detrimental effects of residence in an ethnic enclave for foreign-born Mexican and Vietnamese women. Finally, among all groups, living with other employed adults significantly and substantively decreased a woman’s likelihood of unemployment, indicating the importance of household-based social accessibility for less-educated native-born black and immigrant women’s employment outcomes.
Income changes following divorce and remarriage

The purpose of this research was to detemine how gender and divorce affect per capita family income. The data were the young men and young women cohorts of the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience. All individuals who were married were followed for ten years and divided into three groups: (1) those who remained married during the entire period, (2) those who divorced sometime during the period and did not remarry, and (3) those who divorced during the study period and remarried. Per capita family income was indexed for inflation and analyzed over time, controlling for race, education, and age. It was found that for female per capita income decreased substantially. Among those who remained remarried there was no difference between males and females in per capita family income. Differences between male and female income levels could not be attributed solely to number of dependents. Even among those with no dependents, females had much lower incomes than males. Furthermore, having dependen.
The Importance of Absorptive Capacity in the Road to Becoming a “Giant Lion”—ASUSTek Computer Inc

Abstract In Taiwan, small businesses, which account for about 97% of all firms, spawned Taiwan's economic miracle in the 1980s. For the past two decades, the information technology (IT) industry has formed the backbone of Taiwan's economy. There are many theories that have identified a plethora of factors which contribute to the success of a small business. This case study applies the theory of absorptive capacity to ASUSTek Computer Inc., a small Taiwanese business founded on April 2, 1990 by four engineers with capital of NT$30 million (US$950,000) which has grown to become a global leader in the IT industry with a total revenue of NT$755 billion (US$24 billion) and market capitalization of NT$49 billion (US$1.5 billion) as of December 31, 2007. (Based on exchange rate US$1=NT$31.5. ASUS's revenue dropped to NT$668 billion in 2008 mainly due to the global financial crisis.) ASUS' business significantly took off after Jonney Shih joined the company as CEO in 1993. He remains a key anchor of ASUS. ASUS' ability to not only absorb, transform, and utilize new knowledge but develop new technology in-house to create and sustain competitive advantage in the market place has ensured the company's continuing success as well as propelling it to a position of leadership in the IT industry worldwide. This paper will discuss how ASUS' in-house R&D; apprenticeship-style on-the-job training; management leadership's organizational culture and structure—all of which stress learning and innovation; financial resources and conservative fiscal policy; as well as pro-business government policies have provided the foundation and environment for great absorptive capacity to develop and adapt technology, enabling ASUS to become a “Giant Lion” in the global computer industry.
Sleep problems in young infants and maternal mental and physical health

Aim: Sleep problems in the second 6 months of life are common and associated with maternal depression. This paper extends previous research to (i) establish the prevalence of sleep problems in younger infants from a broader socio‐economic spectrum, (ii) examine the relationship between infant sleep problems and maternal physical, as well as mental, health, and (iii) explore mothers’ sleep quality as a potential mediator of this relationship.
A coupled thermal and electrical soft sensor for ONAN distribution transformers

This paper presents coupled thermal and electrical modeling for a ONAN distribution transformer. Thermal model based on the IEC 60076-7 standard will lead to estimate the oil temperature of the transformer. Thermal parameters are determined using Levenberg/Marquardt algorithm. Electrical model based on KAPP model will determine the transformer leakage resistance and inductance evolutions. Variations of leakage impedance according to transformer temperature are highlighted leading to a global adaptive model.
Ring (Y) in two azoospermic men

We have identified two azoospermic men with r(Y) in 312 infertile men presenting with non‐obstructive azoospermia or oligozoospermia. Their karyotypes were 45,X [9]/46,X, r(Y)(p11q11) [11] (case 1), and 46,X,r(Y)(p11q11) (case 2), respectively. In both cases, the Yp breakpoints were located within the pseudoautosomal region. Both cases had extensive deletions of azoospermia factors (AZFs). Case 1 also had deletion of the putative growth controlling gene (GCY) and the Yq breakpoint was located between sY741 and USP9Y. The Yq breakpoint was located between sY105 and sY109 in case 2. Both cases did not have Turner stigmata except short stature in case 1. By a combination of cytogenetic and molecular genetic tools, we showed r(Y) arose from breakage in both arms of the chromosome with subsequent fusion of two broken ends of the centric fragment to form a continuous ring. Spermatogenic defects in men with r(Y) may result from deletion of Y‐linked AZFs combined with synaptic failure. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Robo1 and Robo2 Are Homophilic Binding Molecules That Promote Axonal Growth

In the present study we show that following transfection in 3T3 cells, human Robo1 and Robo2 stimulate neurite outgrowth from Robo-positive neurons (retinal neurons and olfactory neurons), but have no effect on Robo-negative neurons (cerebellar granule cells). The neurite outgrowth response was inhibited by an antibody raised against the first Ig domain of Robo1/2 or by soluble Robo-Fc chimera. Furthermore, we show that the extracellular domains of Robo1 and Robo2 are homophilic adhesion molecules that can also interact with each other. These data suggest a wider range of functions for the Robo family in the development of the nervous system and provide novel insights into the molecular basis for the phenotypes observed in Robo mutants in Drosophila, C. elegans, and zebrafish.
Analytical Modeling of Modular and Unequal Tooth Width Surface-Mounted Permanent Magnet Machines

This paper presents a simple analytical model for two types of three-phase surface-mounted permanent magnet machines: modular and unequal tooth (UNET) width machines with different slot/pole number combinations. It is based on the slotless open-circuit air-gap flux density and the slotted air-gap relative permeance calculations. This model allows calculating the opencircuit air-gap flux density, phase flux linkage, back electromotive force, and average torque of both the modular and UNET machines. Its accuracy has been validated by the 2-D finite-element (FE) method. A flux focusing/defocusing factor has also been introduced to analyze the influence of flux gaps in alternate stator teeth of modular machines on the machine electromagnetic performances. It has been found that by properly choosing the slot/pole number combination and flux gap width, the open-circuit air-gap flux density, the winding factor, and the flux focusing effect can all be improved. As a result, the performance of the modular machine can be significantly boosted. The analytical and FE models have been validated by experiments.
Channels of Social Mobility, Education as a Promoter and Barrier in Chile

One of the main concerns and challenges of modern society is the level of equality of opportunity members of populations can enjoy. That becomes particularly important in societies where there is high income inequality. This research investigates the level of education and earnings mobility in Chile, finding relatively low intergenerational schooling dependency, but high in terms of intergenerational earnings compared to other countries.Schooling mobility seems to be lower than earnings mobility, which is opposite to what was expected in Chile. Consideringthis result, this research also analyses the effect of competition between schools on their average academic performance in the context of the Chilean educational reform implemented in the 1980s. In this respect, it is found that a larger number of public schools positively affects the quality of education of other schools located in an area, with the effect particularly pronounced amongst middle-class families and in middle-ranking schools. However, the number of voucher schools decreases the performance of neighbouring schools. The results are confirmed whilst ruling out endogenous location of voucher schools in areas with bad quality public schools, suggesting that sorting of students is driving the results. Finally, considering the possibility that schools might be a segregationalist environment, this investigation analyses the effects of assortative mating on the level of intergenerational earnings dependency in the country. It is found that assortative mating in terms of years of schooling explains around 20% of the intergenerational earnings dependency levels and that the educational reform increased the levels of assortative mating due to potential student sorting and a general increase of the educational attainment of the whole Chilean population.
Why do directors trade? Evidence from US multi‐company directors

Purpose - Previous literature suggests various motives and factors affecting insider trading, but little systematic empirical evidence exists on how they affect insider trading decisions jointly. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach - This study adopts a multivariate fix-effect framework to jointly examine the factors affecting insider trading decisions using a sample of directors serving multiple companies. The timing of the trading is taken as given and an examination made as to why a specific stock was traded among all the insider stocks the director holds. The observations of the untraded stocks supplement the direct observation of the traded stocks, and allow the issue of insider trading motives to be tested in a multivariate framework with director fix-effect. Findings - Evidence is found for the joint presence of the following motives in determining directors' trading choices: information; insider preferences for small value companies with significant previous price movement; the avoidance of information sensitive period; and corporate-level insider trading restrictions. It is empirically shown that director trading motives vary by transaction size. Originality/value - This paper provides systematic empirical evidence on the factors affecting the trading decisions of US directors.
A Complexity Reduced Blind Channel Equalization Scheme for OFDM Systems

To enhance the bandwidth efficiency in cyclic prefix (CP) assisted OFDM system, we propose a complexity reduced blind channel equalization scheme based on the finite alphabet property of the transmitted signal and we also present its simplification scheme in this paper. According to the numerical simulation results, our proposals can perform as well as the conventional pilot assisted frequency domain channel estimation (PFDCE) in high Eb/N0, but a little worse in low Eb/N0
The Correlation of Seizure Characteristics and Hippocampal Volumetric Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Children With Idiopathic Partial Epilepsy

Cerebral volumetric measurements based on magnetic resonance imaging have been established as advanced morphometric techniques with anatomic and clinical utility in adults and children with epilepsy. This study investigated the cerebral and hippocampal volumes in children with idiopathic partial epilepsy to detect the factors correlated with volume reduction. Magnetic resonance imaging volumetric measurements were performed of the total cerebral and hippocampal formation volumes in 30 patients with idiopathic partial epilepsy between 3 to 18 years old. The cerebral and the total, right, and left hippocampal volumes of the study and control patients were detected using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, and the volumes were compared between the 2 groups. In study patients, the correlation between volumetric findings and seizure characteristics was evaluated. The results suggested that children with idiopathic partial epilepsy had significant hippocampal volume reduction that was not influenced by the age of onset and the duration of epilepsy.
'Woman's mission': the temperance and women's suffrage movements in Scotland, c.1870-1914

This thesis discusses the connections that bound together the late-nineteenth-century women’s temperance and suffrage movements in Scotland. The importance of women’s temperance reform in the women’s movement has been discussed in other Anglophone contexts, however there has been little scholarly analysis of these links in British historiography. This study aims to fill some of this gap. Moreover, by focusing on the Scottish case, this investigation adds a more ‘Britannic’ perspective to discussions of Victorian and Edwardian feminism, and thereby reveals regional variation and diversity. My exploration of the women’s suffrage movement focuses on constitutional societies, and offers a fresh perspective to balance the concentration on militancy in the only major monograph on Scottish suffragism – Leah Leneman’s A Guid Cause: The Women’s Suffrage Movement in Scotland. This analysis takes a flexible approach to constitutionalism and argues that the women’s single-sex temperance society, the Scottish Christian Union (SCU) was an element of constitutional suffragism. Likewise, the Scottish Women’s Liberal Federation – peripheral to the historiography of British suffragism – is given a prominent place as a constitutionalist organisation. This study uses women’s roles in social reform and suffragism to examine the public lives of middle-class women. The ideology of ‘separate spheres’ is a leitmotif of much of women’s history, and discussions of the ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres are often linked to social class. My discussion of a ‘feminine public sphere’ is designed to reveal the ways in which women negotiated Victorian gender roles in order to participate in the civic life that was intrinsic to an urban middle-class identity. Thus, this thesis seeks to place suffragism and temperature in the context of middle-class women’s public world.
Clinical Nutrition

Groundbreaking in scope and approach, with an additional chapter on nutritional screening, this second edition is designed for use on nutrition courses throughout the world and is intended for those with an interest in nutrition in a clinical setting. Covering the scientific basis underlying nutritional support, medical ethics and nutritional counselling, it focuses solely on the sick and metabolically compromised patient, dealing with clinical nutrition on a system by system basis making the information more accessible to the students.
An Up-to-Date and Improved BVAR Model of the Canadian Economy

In this paper, we estimate a fully optimized BVAR model of the Canadian economy for the period 1971-87. The model is well-adapted to the features of a small open economy. We show how it can be used as an input in the monetary policy process either as a forecasting instrument or an analytical tool. In general, forecast results over the 1988-92 period compare well with those of univariate autoregressive models. The results from the variance decomposition exercise show a rather weak influence of monetary aggregates on macroeconomic variables, at least in a short-run context. However, foreign variables, particularly commodity prices, play an important role.
A Method to Construct World Tables of Purchasing Power Parities and Real Incomes Based on Multiple Benchmarks and Auxiliary Information: Analytical and Empirical Results

The paper presents a new method for the construction of a consistent panel of Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs), and real incomes, using a single step econometric framework that combines all the available information of PPPs for countries and over time. The method improves upon the current practice used in the construction of the Penn World Tables, PWT, and similar tables produced by the World Bank. Like its predecessors, it combines PPPs for benchmark years constructed by the International Comparison Program (ICP) with PPP predictions from a model of the national price level (or exchange rate deviation index) for all countries and years. The method also uses data on price movements available from national sources. The approach ensures the model's prediction of the PPP series for the reference country is identically equal to one in all time periods and predictions are invariant to the choice of reference country. The smoothed PPP predictions (and standard errors) obtained through the state-space representation of the model are produced for both ICPparticipating and non-participating countries and non-benchmark years. A number of analytical results to highlight some of the properties and exibility of the method are presented. The empirical illustration shows the general model can produce variants that: a) result in PPP predictions that accurately track the available ICP's PPPs (benchmarks); or b) preserve the growth rates in price levels implicit in individual countries' national accounts data. A data set for 141 countries for the period 1970 to 2005 is used to illustrate the exibility of the method and to compare its performance to PWT6.2.
Haptic interaction with user manipulation for smartphone

This paper presents haptic interaction design and implementation for our designed smartphone bumper case [1] providing an interactive and a realistic physical feeling. The thin actuator is installed in the case to simulate a rapid realistic response. We designed a software structure guaranteeing a realtime physical response. The designed API can be used to provide realistic touch responses corresponding to an interactive physical feeling during gaming applications corresponding to sound effects.