Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trade Structure and the Transmission of Economic Distress in the High-Income OECD Countries to Developing Asia

This paper examines the structure and direction of developing Asia’s trade over the past two decades. The impacts of economic slowdown in high-income Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries on developing Asia in 2009–2010 are then projected through a computable general equilibrium model of world trade and production. The paper shows that despite a jump in intraregional trade—which is found to reflect increasing fragmentation of production with trade in intermediate goods and assembly of final products in the People’s Republic of China—the region remains dependent on external demand from the European Union, United States, and Japan. Simulations indicate the crisis may decrease real income in the region by 6–10 percent over the next two years largely as a result of a fall in exports. Although fiscal stimulus may mitigate these losses, a resurgence of protectionism would work in the opposite direction.
Overweight schoolchildren in New York State: prevalence and characteristics.

OBJECTIVES Childhood overweight is an increasing public health concern. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of overweight in elementary school children in New York State and to identify characteristics associated with child fatness. METHODS Weight, height, triceps skinfold, midarm circumference, and a 24-hour dietary recall were taken on 1797 second- and fifth-grade students from 51 randomly selected schools in New York State outside of New York City. Parents completed a brief questionnaire. RESULTS In comparison with 1974 and 1980 national reference data, up to twice the expected percentages of children had values above the 85th, 90th, and 95th percentiles for body mass index, triceps skinfold, and arm fat area. Regression analyses suggested that children who tended to be fatter were members of low socioeconomic status, two-parent (but not single-parent) households; those with few or no siblings; those who ate school lunch; and those who skipped breakfast. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that overweight is a problem among many elementary school children in New York State and that sociodemographic characteristics may be useful for targeting preventive efforts.
10.6 continuous-time linear equalization with programmable active-peaking transistor arrays in a 14nm FinFET 2mW/Gb/s 16Gb/s 2-Tap speculative DFE receiver

The authors report the implementation of a continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE) featuring a new technique to control the high-frequency gain peaking and to interface to current-summing stages usually implemented as interleaved slices for the linear analog superposition of the coefficients of decision-feedback equalizers (DFE). The circuits are implemented in 14nm FinFET SOI CMOS technology and are included in a prototype receiver targeted to 16Gb/s serial I/O links for multi-core microprocessors off-chip communication. The architecture is shown in the paper. Power efficiency and compactness are among the primary goals of the study together with an equalization capability sufficient to recover at bit-error rate (BER) levels below 10-12 data transmitted across smooth channels with losses in excess of 25dB at 8GHz.
Agency: Individual 'Fit' and Sustainable Community Development

What makes one community survive an economic downturn, whilst others collapse? What gives one individual the ability to transcend a personal tragedy, whilst others hit the street? Many authors write about the importance of networks and social capital; this article explores the concept of agency, considered an a priori condition, at the individual level, for the mobilization of social capital and network formation.
Datasets for the Analysis of Expressive Musical Gestures

In this paper we present two datasets of instrumental gestures performed with expressive variations: five violinists performing standard pedagogical phrases with variation in dynamics and tempo; and two pianists performing a repertoire piece with variations in tempo, dynamics and articulation. We show the utility of these datasets by highlighting the different movement qualities embedded in both datasets. In addition, for the violin dataset, we report on gesture recognition tests using two state-of-the-art realtime gesture recognizers. We believe that these resources create opportunities for further research on the understanding of complex human movements through computational methods.
Large-SNR Outage Analysis for the DF Relay Channel with Randomized Space-Time Block Coding

A simple half-duplex decode-and-forward relay channel is presented and analyzed. Relays access the common channel by means of a randomized linear-dispersion space-time block code which is flexible with respect to the number of relays and the coding rate α. When the dimensions of the linear dispersion matrices grow large, but with constant ratio α, the spectral efficiency of the system converges fast to a deterministic quantity. Simulation results show that this asymptotic value is an extremely good approximation of the finite reality, even for not-so-large codes. Then, this asymptotic spectral efficiency is used to characterize the outage probability in the high-SNR regime. With maximum-likelihood reception, the proposed randomized coding scheme is shown to achieve full diversity order L+1, with L the total number of relays. On the contrary, with the sub-optimal LMMSE receiver, relays add diversity to the system only if the coding rate is small enough.
Competitive strategy: It's O.K. to be different

The article discusses strategic planning and competition as it relates to the book “Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors,” by Michael Porter. Several organizations have rearranged the basic assets of their categories to create unique business propositions that allow each to establish a distinctive presence in a competitive industry. The organizations that have made strategic decisions about cost or differentiation have also enabled themselves to align their assets differently. The author mentions Southwest Airlines Co. for their strategy of competing with the automobile as a means of intercity transportation, offering short flight routes with frequent departures. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Co. is also discussed for specializing in different markets by focusing on the insurance and car repair markets rather tan competing for airport rentals.
Packing perfect matchings in random hypergraphs

We introduce a new procedure for generating the binomial random graph/hypergraph models, referred to as online sprinkling. As an illustrative application of this method, we show that for any fixed integer k≥3 , the binomial k ‐uniform random hypergraph Hn,pk contains N:=(1−o(1))(n−1k−1)p edge‐disjoint perfect matchings, provided p≥log⁡Cnnk−1 , where C:=C(k) is an integer depending only on k . Our result for N is asymptotically optimal and for p is optimal up to the polylog(n) factor. This significantly improves a result of Frieze and Krivelevich.
The Pay of Corporate Executives and Financial Professionals as Evidence of Rents in Top 1 Percent Incomes

The debate over the extent and causes of rising inequality of American incomes and wages has now raged for at least two decades. In this paper, we will make four arguments. First, the increase in the incomes and wages of the top 1 percent over the last three decades should be interpreted as driven largely by the creation and/or redistribution of economic rents, and not simply as the outcome of well-functioning competitive markets rewarding skills or productivity based on marginal differences. This rise in rents accruing to the top 1 percent could be the result of increased opportunities for rentshifting, increased incentives for rent-shifting, or a combination of both. Second, this rise in incomes at the very top has been the primary impediment to having growth in living standards for low- and moderate-income households approach the growth rate of economy-wide productivity. Third, because this rise in top incomes is largely driven by rents, there is the potential for checking (or even reversing) this rise through policy measures with little to no adverse impact on overall economic growth. Lastly, this analysis suggests two complementary approaches for policymakers wishing to reverse the rise in the top 1 percent's share of income: dismantling the institutional sources of their increased ability to channel rents their way and/or reducing the return to this rent-seeking by significantly increasing marginal rates of taxation on high incomes.
Fluticasone furoate/vilanterol once daily improves night-time awakenings in asthma patients with night symptoms: Post hoc analyses of three randomized controlled trials

ABSTRACT Objective: Symptoms, including night-time awakenings, affect the quality of life of people with asthma. Fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (FF/VI) reduces exacerbations, improves lung function, and rescue-free and symptom-free 24-hour periods in patients with asthma. These post hoc analyses compared daytime and night-time symptoms in patients with asthma who received FF/VI, versus FF, fluticasone propionate (FP) or placebo. Methods: Daytime and night-time symptoms were collected via electronic daily diary cards in three Phase III randomized studies of once-daily FF/VI in patients with uncontrolled asthma on inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) ± long-acting beta2 agonists (n = 609/1039/586). Endpoints included change from baseline in symptom-free days and nights (analyzed by Analysis of Covariance, covariates: baseline, region, sex, age, and treatment), time for patients to achieve seven consecutive symptom-free nights (analyzed by Cox proportional hazards' model, covariates as above), and proportion of patients experiencing 100% symptom-free nights per week (analyzed by logistic regression, covariates: percentage of symptom-free nights, sex, age, and treatment). Results: Improvements in symptom-free days and nights were generally observed for all treatments. More patients who received FF/VI experienced 100% symptom-free nights in the last week of the treatment period than patients who received ICS alone or placebo. FF/VI also reduced time to achieve seven consecutive symptom-free nights. Patients with at least one night of symptoms at baseline experienced an additional 2.7 and 2.0 symptom-free nights per week with FF/VI 100/25 µg, versus 1.9 and 1.7 with FF alone; similar findings were seen with FF/VI 200/25 µg. Conclusions: Benefits in terms of symptom-free days and nights were observed for patients receiving FF/VI versus comparators in these post hoc analyses.
Housing Renovations and the Quantile Repeat-Sales Price Index

A median-based quantile estimator suffers less bias from positive outliers, such as unobserved renovations, than a standard mean-based estimator. Quantile repeat-sales estimates for single-family homes in the city of Chicago show nominal price appreciation of 68.9% between 1993 and 2002, substantially smaller than the standard approach's estimate of 77.8%. Omitting observations with building permits reduces the mean and median-based estimates by 4.4 and 1.6 percentage points. The results imply that quality improvements account for much of the rapid rise in house prices, and that a median-based quantile estimator produces a more accurate view of the price performance of a typical house.
On the Incidence, Cause, and Prevention of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsies During Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Study Design. A retrospective review of contemporaneously acquired clinical data supplemented by experimental cadaver dissection. Objective. To establish the incidence and mechanism of vocal cord paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery and to determine whether controlling for endotracheal tube (ET)–laryngeal wall interactions induced by the cervical retraction system could decrease the rate of paralysis. Summary of Background Data. Vocal cord paralysis is the most common otolaryngologic complication after anterior cervical spine surgery. However, the quoted frequency of this varies considerably, and the cause of the injury is not clearly defined. As a result, various, and at times contradictory, recommendations to prevent this are presented without data to support their effectiveness. Methods. Data gathered at the time of surgery and during follow-up visits on 900 consecutive patients who underwent anterior cervical spine surgery with plating during a 12-year interval were entered into a computerized database and reviewed for complications and procedural risk factors. After the first 250 cases an intervention consisting of monitoring ET cuff pressure and release of pressure after retractor replacement or repositioning was used, which allowed the ET to recenter within the larynx. The ET–laryngeal wall relation also was studied in fresh intubated cadavers using videofluoroscopic images, before and after retractor placement. Results. Thirty incidences of vocal cord paralysis consistent with recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury were identified: 27 temporary and 3 permanent. The rate of temporary paralysis decreased from 6.4% to 1.69% (P = 0.0002) after institution of the described maneuver. The findings confirmed that the retractor displaced the larynx against the shaft of the ET, allowing impingement on the vulnerable intralaryngeal segment of the RLN. Conclusions. The most common cause of vocal cord paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery is compression of the RLN within the endolarynx. Monitoring of ET cuff pressure and release after retractor placement may prevent injury to the RLN during anterior cervical spinesurgery.
Overcoming stickiness: An empirical investigation of the role of the template in the replication of organizational routines

Knowledge assets are fundamental sources of competitive advantage. Accordingly, the prosperity of firms is increasingly predicated on their ability to mobilize those assets so that they can be properly exploited. Yet, valuable knowledge assets are often complex, intangible, and tacit organizational attributes embedded in organizational routines and are hard to mobilize. Thus, the reality of knowledge transfer rarely lives up to expectations. A central tenet in viewing transfers of knowledge as the replication of organizational routines is the importance of the template. We hypothesize that a template, i.e. a working example, is essential in replicating knowledge assets effectively. In this paper, we explore this hypothesis with a case study that takes the form of a naturally occurring, repeated-treatment quasi-experiment. The 'treatment,' in this case, is determined by the use of a template that serves to guide the replication. The extent of stickiness in the transfer of marketing practices is then observed. The setting is Rank Xerox, the European subsidiary of Xerox. The unfolding of this experiment was closely monitored over an eight-year period. The findings support the hypothesized impact of the template on stickiness. The findings suggest also that the template serves also a persuasive role that is not articulated in the original theoretical portrayal of replication. Moreover the results suggest an actionable lever to overcome difficulty, i.e. an actionable lever to enhance the utilization of scarce, hard to transfer knowledge assets. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methodological issues in oral health research: intervention studies.

OBJECTIVES To provide a broad overview of methodological issues in the design and evaluation of intervention studies in dental public health, with particular emphasis on explanatory trials, pragmatic trials and complex interventions. METHODS We present a narrative summary of selected publications from the literature outlining both historical and recent challenges in the design and evaluation of intervention studies and describe some recent tools that may help researchers to address these challenges. RESULTS It is now recognised that few intervention studies in dental public health are purely explanatory or pragmatic. We describe the PRECIS tool which can be used by trialists to assess and display the position of their trial on a continuum between the extremes of explanatory and pragmatic trials. The tool aims to help trialists make design decisions that are in line with their stated aims. The increasingly complex nature of dental public health interventions presents particular design and evaluation challenges. The revised Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance for the development and evaluation of complex interventions which emphasises the importance of planning and process evaluation is a welcome development. We briefly describe the MRC guidance and outline some examples of complex interventions in the field of oral health. The role of observational studies in monitoring public health interventions when the conduct of RCTs is not appropriate or feasible is acknowledged. We describe the STROBE statement and outline the implications of the STROBE guidelines for dental public health. CONCLUSION The methodological challenges in the design, conduct and reporting of intervention studies in oral health are considerable. The need to provide reliable evidence to support innovative new strategies in oral health policy is a major impetus in these fields. No doubt the 'Methodological Issues in Oral Health Research' group will have further opportunities to highlight this work.
Understanding mobile web and mobile search use in today's dynamic mobile landscape

The term mobile Web is changing. Mobile is traditionally associated with on-the-move, portable and dynamic. However, with the advent of smartphones, an increasing number of users are accessing the mobile Internet via their phone while in more stationary and familiar settings, like at home or at work. This shift in the meaning of mobile is having a significant effect on mobile Web behavior. Designing great mobile Web experiences requires a deeper understanding of the information needs, behaviors and underlying motivations of mobile users. As such, the goal of this work is to study this shift and its impact on mobile Internet access, with a view to determining what this means for the future of the mobile Web and in particular mobile search. In this paper we present the results of an online diary and interview study of 18 active mobile Web users over a 4-week period focusing on how, why, where and in what situations people use the mobile Internet and mobile search. Our findings raise a new set of open research questions and point to a number of implications for enriching the experiences of mobile Web users.
Proteomic analysis of hemangioblastoma cyst fluid

Objective: Hemangioblastomas are benign CNS tumors that occur sporadically or in patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. These tumors are characteristically associated with formation of intra- or peritumoral cysts. Hemangioblastoma cyst formation is a major cause of morbidity and mortality with these tumors. While peritumoral cysts have been suggested to result from vascular leakage, the mechanism of intratumoral cyst formation is not understood. Methods: To elucidate the origin of intratumoral hemangioblastoma cyst fluid, we characterized its biochemical composition by two-dimensional (2D) proteomic profiling followed by sequencing of several proteins. The proteomic pattern of intratumoral cyst fluid was furthermore compared to the proteomic pattern of serum, hemangioblastoma tumor tissue, and hemangioblastoma peritumoral cyst fluid. Results: We show that proteomic patterns of intra- and peritumoral cyst fluid are identical Both are highly similar to serum and not to tumor. Conclusions: Intratumoral hemangioblastoma cyst fluid originates from serum. Cyst formation associated with hemangioblastoma, whether peri- or intratumoral, is a consequence of vascular leakage. Anti-VEGF therapy may effectively control hemangioblastoma cyst formation.
Panel cointegration analysis of co-movement between interest rate swap and treasury markets

Extending Ito's (2009) analysis, this article investigates the co-movement between interest rate swaps and treasury markets by using the panel cointegration tests developed by Maddala and Wu (1999). Empirical results show that there exists a single cointegration relationship between the swap rates and treasury rates for all maturities. The cointegration vector for the 2-, 3- and 4-year maturities is 1, showing that a 1% increase in the treasury rates will lead to a 1% increase in the swap rates. On the other hand, in the 5-, 7- and 10-year maturities, the cointegration vector is found to be more than 1, implying that a 1% increase in the treasury rates will lead to a more than 1% increase in the swap rates. Thus, a rise (decline) in the treasury rates is associated with a rise (decline) in the swap spread.
Breast-Milk Amylase Activity in English and Gambian Mothers: Effects of Prolonged Lactation, Maternal Parity, and Individual Variations

ABSTRACT: Breast milk contains an amylase that may contribute to carbohydrate digestion in infants. The aim of our study was to determine whether mothers differ in their breast-milk amylase activity and whether the activity is maintained during prolonged lactation. This was investigated by measuring breast-milk amylase activity by hydrolysis of maltotetraose in 63 English mothers of parity 1-5 and 107 Gambian mothers of parity 1-12 who were at various stages of lactation (0.5-27 mo). Amylase was present in all samples and showed a great range of activity from 0.08 to 3.53 IU/mL. Amylase activities did not vary during a feed nor over 24 h, and each mother had a characteristic level of activity in her milk. Amylase activity was higher in the 1st trimester of lactation, and decreased by 35% (p < 0.001) to a plateau at 6-27 mo. Gambian mothers of very high parity (parity 11-12) had 54% of the activity of primiparous mothers (p < 0.001), after adjustment for stage of lactation. Using community data on milk volume, the estimated breast-milk amylase intake by breast-fed children was on the order of 800-1000 IU/24 h in the 1st trimester and 400 IU/24 h in the 2nd year of lactation. Individual measurements emphasized the great differences in this intake among children of the same age. Our study showed that breast milk is an important source of amylase both in developed and developing countries, but there are large variations in intake among children.
Types of Public Capital and Their Productivity in Japanese Prefectures

Several researchers have studied the productivity of public capital in Japan but most have not paid attention to the types of public infrastructure or differences in production technology between prefectures. We estimate prefectural production functions with differently aggregated public capital. Through the model selection process, we examine the types of productive public capital. The empirical results show the production technologies used and how types of productive public capital differ between prefectures.
Implicit Trading Costs, Divergence of Opinion, and Short-Selling Constraints in the Limit Book Order Market

This article investigates whether the divergence of opinion among investors affects the implicit trading costs in a limit order book market. The authors propose a new unbiased measure of divergence of opinion among investors. Examining order submissions and transaction data from the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), they document that divergence of opinion has negative impacts on implicit trading costs. The intensity of this relationship depends on the level of short-selling constraints in each stock. The authors find that divergence of opinion has a smaller impact on implicit costs when short-selling constraints are the smallest.