Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sources of Business Cycles in Energy Producing Economies - The case of Norway and United Kingdom

This paper analyses the sources of business cycles in economies that have an important energy producing sector. Especially, I investigate the effects of oil and gas extractions (energy booms) on the manufacturing sector, and analyse whether there is any evidence of a "Dutch disease", that is whether energy booms have had adverse effects on the manufacturing base. In additions to energy booms, I identify three other types of disturbances in the economy; aggregate demand, supply and oil price shocks. The different structural disturbances are identified by imposing long-run and short-run (zero) restrictions on a vector autoregressive model. The analysis is applied to Norway and United Kingdom, which both discovered huge oil resources in the North Sea in the 1970s. There is no evidence of a Dutch disease in Norway, and manufacturing output has actually benefited from both energy discoveries and higher oil prices. In UK on the other hand, manufacturing output has declined in response to energy booms, although the effect is small compared to the effects of the other shocks that are present at the time.
An Empirical Analysis of Alternative Portfolio Selection Criteria

In modern portfolio theory, financial portfolios are characterised by a desired property, the ‘reward’, and something undesirable, the ‘risk’. While these properties are commonly identified with mean and variance of returns, respectively, we test alternative specifications like partial and conditional moments, quantiles, and drawdowns. More specifically, we analyse the empirical performance of portfolios selected by optimising risk–reward ratios constructed from these alternative functions. We find that these portfolios in many cases outperform our benchmark (minimum-variance), in particular when long-run returns are concerned. However, we also find that all the strategies tested seem quite sensitive to relatively small changes in the data. The main theme throughout our results is that minimising risk, as opposed to maximising reward, often leads to good out-of-sample performance. In contrast, adding a reward-function to the selection criterion improves a given strategy often only marginally.
Optimized high frequency nonlinear contrast imaging using self-demodulation

Previously we have shown that a suitable design of the excitation envelope to generate a self-demodulation (SD) signal at the subharmonic (SH) frequency can enhance the SH emission of ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) more than 20 dB at 10 MHz transmit frequency. The SH emission from the UCA is of interest since it is produced only by the UCA and is free of artifacts produced in harmonic imaging modes. In this study we used such optimized excitation combined with conventional nonlinear contrast detection methods such as pulse inversion (PI), amplitude modulation (AM) and a combination on those (AMPI) in an array-based micro-ultrasound system (Vevo 2100) for in vitro and in vivo validation of real time SH imaging at high frequencies. For better axial resolution, short bursts (6-cycle) and for better separation of the SH peak in the frequency domain, long bursts (20-cycle) with rectangular envelope were transmitted with the following pulse sequences: B-mode, PI, AM and AMPI. For the in vitro study, tissue-mimicking material was prepared. Identical rectangular region of interest at the same depth, in the tissue-mimicking material and UCA (MicroMarker), were selected for contrast to tissue ratio (CTR) calculations. For the in vivo validation the chicken embryos were scanned after administering the UCA. In vitro, the best CTR was obtained with PI sequence filtered at the SH frequency with 26 dB enhancement compared with the fundamental B-mode image. Then, performance of SH imaging with PI sequence was validated in vivo in chicken embryo model. This study suggests that SH imaging is feasible with short transmit bursts (6-cycle) and low acoustic pressure (~200 kPa) at high frequencies (>15 MHz) benefiting from the stimulation effect of the S-D signal on the SH emission of UCA.
The Effect of Commute Time on Racial Earnings Inequality: A Case Study of the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area

Data from the United States Census confirm a substantial increase in the racial earnings gap between 1980 and 1990. This paper examines data on whites and non-white wage and salary incomes in Houston TX for 1980 and 1990. Data on time traveled to work is used to simulate what would be the impact of shorter commute times on earnings inequality. The central findings that a reduction in travel time from residence to work would cause a very small reduction in racial earnings and income inequality. This suggests that advances in urban transportation policy alone are not sufficient to solve the problem of racial earnings inequality.
Correlation between heart size and emphysema in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: CT-based analysis using inspiratory and expiratory scans

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the extent of emphysema and heart size in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using inspiratory and expiratory chest computed tomography (CT). This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and informed consent was waived. We measured lung volume (LV), low attenuation area percent (%LAA; less than or equal to −950 HU), maximum cardiac area, and maximum transverse cardiac diameter on inspiratory/expiratory chest CT in 60 patients with COPD. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to determine the correlations between the heart and lung CT measurements, and the correlations between these measurements and spirometric values. On inspiratory CT, the maximum transverse cardiac diameter was negatively correlated with LV (ρ = −0.42; p < 0.01) and %LAA (ρ = −0.43; p < 0.001). Furthermore, on expiratory CT, the maximum cardiac area was negatively correlated with LV (ρ = −0.35; p < 0.01) and %LAA (ρ = −0.37; p < 0.01), and there was a negative correlation between transverse cardiac diameter and %LAA (ρ = −0.34; p < 0.01). Although inspiratory cardiac size was not correlated with any of the spirometric values, the maximum cardiac area and transverse diameter on expiratory scans were significantly correlated with the reduced airflow values on spirometry (p < 0.01). In patients with COPD, the transverse cardiac diameter decreased as the emphysema progressed. A smaller cardiac area on expiratory CT suggested the presence of large LVs, emphysema, and airflow limitation in COPD.
Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E (eIF4E) Binding Site and the Middle One-Third of eIF4GI Constitute the Core Domain for Cap-Dependent Translation, and the C-Terminal One-Third Functions as a Modulatory Region

ABSTRACT The mammalian eukaryotic initiation factor 4GI (eIF4GI) may be divided into three roughly equal regions; an amino-terminal one-third (amino acids [aa] 1 to 634), which contains the poly(A) binding protein (PABP) and eIF4E binding sites; a middle third (aa 635 to 1039), which binds eIF4A and eIF3; and a carboxy-terminal third (aa 1040 to 1560), which harbors a second eIF4A binding site and a docking sequence for the Ser/Thr kinase Mnk1. Previous reports demonstrated that the middle one-third of eIF4GI is sufficient for cap-independent translation. To delineate the eIF4GI core sequence required for cap-dependent translation, various truncated versions of eIF4GI were examined in an in vitro ribosome binding assay with β-globin mRNA. A sequence of 540 aa encompassing aa 550 to 1090, which contains the eIF4E binding site and the middle region of eIF4GI, is the minimal sequence required for cap-dependent translation. In agreement with this, a point mutation in eIF4GI which abolished eIF4A binding in the middle region completely inhibited ribosomal binding. However, the eIF4GI C-terminal third region, which does not have a counterpart in yeast, modulates the activity of the core sequence. When the eIF4A binding site in the C-terminal region of eIF4GI was mutated, ribosome binding was decreased three- to fourfold. These data indicate that the interaction of eIF4A with the middle region of eIF4GI is necessary for translation, whereas the interaction of eIF4A with the C-terminal region plays a modulatory role.
Exudation of proliferative macrophages in local inflammation in the peritoneum

Thioglycollate (TG)‐elicited peritoneal macrophages (mϕs) were highly proliferative and formed mϕ colonies in vitro in the presence of mϕ colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF), while resident peritoneal mϕ did not. To determine whether such proliferative mϕs are immigrant or locally activated resident mϕs, mice depleted of bone marrow cells and circulating monocytes by bone‐ seeking radiostrontium (89Sr) were injected intraperi‐ toneally with TG. For control (88Sr) and splenectomized (Spx) mice, more than 4 × 10−4 mϕ colony‐forming cells (M‐CFCs) per mouse were recovered in the peritoneal lavage fluid 5 days after TG injection. 89Sr‐treated mice, on the other hand, had only 20% of those in the control mice. Splenectomized and 89Sr‐treated (Spx/89Sr) mice showed further depletion of bone marrow cells and monocytes and, as expected, total numbers of peritoneal M‐ GFCs were severely depressed to less than 1% of those in the control mice. The results suggest that levels of peritoneal M‐GFCs are strongly dependent on the presence of radiosensitive bone marrow cells and circulating monocytes, and resident peritoneal mϕs activated locally by inflammatory stimuli do not form mϕ colonies under the defined conditions.
Cardiac iron overload in sickle‐cell disease

Chronically transfused sickle cell disease (SCD) patients have lower risk of myocardial iron overload (MIO) than comparably transfused thalassemia major (TM) patients. However, cardioprotection is incomplete. We present the clinical characteristics of six patients who have prospectively developed MIO, to identify potential risk factors for cardiac iron accumulation. From 2002 to 2011, cardiac, hepatic, and pancreatic iron overload were assessed by R2 and R2* magnetic resonance imaging techniques in 201 chronic transfused SCD patients as part of their clinical care. At the time, they developed MIO, five of six patients had been on chronic transfusion for more than 11 years; only one was on exchange transfusion. The time to MIO was correlated with reticulocyte and hemoglobin S percentages. All patients had qualitatively poor chelation compliance (<50%). All patients had serum ferritin levels >4600 ng/ml and liver iron concentration >22 mg/g. Pancreatic R2* was >100 Hz in every patient studied (5/6). Cardiac iron rose proportionally to pancreas R2*, with all patients having pancreas R2*>100 Hz when cardiac iron was present. MIO had a threshold relationship with liver iron that was higher than observed in TM patients. In conclusion, MIO occurs in a small percentage of chronically transfused SCD patients and is only associated with exceptionally poor control of total body iron stores. Duration of chronic transfusion is clearly important but other factors, such as levels of effective erythropoiesis, appear to contribute to cardiac risk. Pancreas R2* can serve as a valuable screening tool for cardiac iron in SCD patients. Am. J. Hematol. 89:678–683, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mobile devices pixel density and video quality

Device screen size, design layout and resolution are some of the device context parameters which impact video quality on mobile devices. In this paper, through subjective tests, we evaluate the impact of mobile device pixel density on the video quality. We then, through the subjective test, propose a video quality model that takes pixel density into consideration. The proposed model was evaluated, and the preliminary results have shown that the proposed model performs well regarding correlation coefficient. The model has potential use for multimedia service providers such as YouTube and Netflix in areas of quality control and optimization of network and multimedia services.
Türkiye’de imalat sanayindeki firmaların fiyatlama davranışı

Calismada, imalat sanayine uygulanan “Fiyatlama Davranisi Anketi” sonuclari degerlendirilmektedir. Bulgular, fiyat belirlemede rakip firmalari goz onune alarak yapilan fiyatlama ve degisken kar marji uygulamasinin yaygin oldugunu, firmalarin fiyat alici olmaktan ziyade fiyat yapici olduklarini ve onemli oraninin ana urun fiyatini bir degiskene endeksledigini gostermektedir. Fiyatlar gozden gecirilirken genelde zamana bagli bir politika takip edilirken, zaman araligi olarak aylik gozden gecirmeler one cikmaktadir. Bu sonuca, firmalarin maliyet veya talepteki soklara cevap vermeleri icin gecmesi gereken surenin bir ay olmasi eklenince, fiyatlari degistirmede aylik periyotlarla hareket etmenin yaygin oldugu gozlenmektedir. Firmalarin maliyet ve talep soklarina tepkileri incelendiginde, maliyet artislarini fiyatlari artirmada, talepteki dususu ise fiyatlarini dusurmede dikkate aldiklari gorulmektedir. Gerek gozden gecirme sikliginin yuksek olmasi gerekse sinanan katilik teorilerine atfedilen onem duzeylerinin yuksek olmamasi nominal katiliklarin belirgin olmadigina isaret etmektedir. Boyle bir sonuc, enflasyonun yuksek oldugu bir ortamda karsilasilan soklar sonrasi fiyatlari degistirmenin getirisinin, degistirmemenin saglayacagi faydaya kiyasla daha fazla olmasiyla aciklanabilir.
Empirical Performance of the Constant Elasticity Variance Option Pricing Model

In this essay, we empirically test the Constant–Elasticity-of-Variance (CEV) option pricing model by Cox (1975, 1996) and Cox and Ross (1976), and compare the performances of the CEV and alternative option pricing models, mainly the stochastic volatility model, in terms of European option pricing and cost-accuracy based analysis of their numerical procedures.In European-style option pricing, we have tested the empirical pricing performance of the CEV model and compared the results with those by Bakshi et al. (1997). The CEV model, introducing only one more parameter compared with Black-Scholes formula, improves the performance notably in all of the tests of in-sample, out-of-sample and the stability of implied volatility. Furthermore, with a much simpler model, the CEV model can still perform better than the stochastic volatility model in short term and out-of-the-money categories. When applied to American option pricing, high-dimensional lattice models are prohibitively expensive. Our numerical experiments clearly show that the CEV model performs much better in terms of the speed of convergence to its closed form solution, while the implementation cost of the stochastic volatility model is too high and practically infeasible for empirical work.In summary, with a much less implementation cost and faster computational speed, the CEV option pricing model could be a better candidate than more complex option pricing models, especially when one wants to apply the CEV process for pricing more complicated path-dependent options or credit risk models.
The Dynastic Cycle and the Stationary State.

A dynastic cycle is a periodic alternation of society between despotism and anarchy. In a society of farmers, rulers, and bandits, population growth simultaneously impoverishes farmers and reduces the ruler's surplus per head. Society evolves into a despotic stationary state or into a dynastic cycle dependent on whether poverty among farmers chokes off population growth before the surplus shrinks to the point where rulers turn to banditry. Copyright 1989 by American Economic Association.
MRI Phenotyping of COL9A2/Trp2 and COL9A3/Trp3 Alleles in Lumbar Disc Disease: A Case-control Study in South-Western Iranian Population Reveals a Significant Trp3-Disease Association in Males

Study Design. A case-control study of the Trp2/3 alleles of COL9A2/3 genes and their correlation with occurrence of Lumbar disc disease (DDD) as phenotyped by magnetic resonance imaging. Objective. To establish a better understanding of relationship between presence of said alleles and occurrence of DDD in South-Western Iranian population. Summary of Background Data. A number of genetic predisposing factors have been identified in elevating the risk of developing DDD. Specifically, the Trp2 and Trp3 alleles of COL9A2 and COL9A3 genes have been suggested as DDD risk variants. Methods. A total of 108 patients (mean age = 41±11.8 yrs, range = 20–66 yrs) with 57 controls (mean age = 35±10.0 yrs, range = 20–58 yrs) participated in the study. The frequency of G/A polymorphism in COL9A2 gene on location 326 on chromosome 1 and G/A/C/ or T polymorphism in 103 location of COL9A3 gene on chromosome 20 was assessed using a PCR short-primer technique. Outcome measure was defined as presence of DDD on MRI. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to assess the likelihood of DDD given occurrence of Trp2(3). Results. Each allele was present in both patients and controls. The Trp2 allele was positive in 28.5% of individuals (31.5% of patients; 22.8% of controls), OR 1.55 (0.71–3.56). The Trp3 allele, the frequency was 23.6% in all patients (26.9% patients; 17.5% controls), OR 1.72 (0.73–4.33). We observed a 5.8-fold increase in the odds of DDD in males when the Trp3 allele was present, OR 5.83 (1.09–9.98), P = 0.0273. Conclusion. Both Trp2 and Trp3 alleles occurred more frequently compared with other studied ethnicities. The sampled Iranian population exhibited a similar Trp2 frequency to a Southern Chinese population, and Trp3 occurrence to Finnish and Greek population. We found that male patient were much more likely to develop DDD when Trp 3 was present. Level of Evidence: N/A
Financial Sectors Reform and Economic Growth in Morocco: An Empirical Analysis

This study analyses the impact of financial sector reforms from the early 1990s on promoting economic growth in Morocco. To derive feasible policy implications, we estimate not only pooled regressions, but also variance decompositions of GDP growth rates to examine what proxy measures of financial development are most important in economic growth over time and how much they contribute to economic growth across geographic regions and income groups. We find strong linkages between financial development and economic growth in high-income OECD countries, but not in East Asia and Pacific, South Asian and Sub-Saharan African regions, in the short run. Therefore, it may be necessary for Morocco to make different policy efforts to achieve steady economic growth in the long run. JEL Classification: G21, O16, C33
Scale and Governance: Conceptual Considerations and Practical Implications

Policies have many unforeseen impacts on social-ecological systems at different levels of spatial and temporal scales. Partly because of this, both scale and governance have been and continue to be hotly debated and studied topics within many scientific disciplines. Although there are two distinct vocabularies, both communities seem to be struggling to come to terms with a shift that has common elements. This special feature has two types of contributions, three scoping papers, providing a state-of- the-art overview of the conceptual discussion, and six case study papers that set out to deal with the practicalities of combining scale and governance. The scoping papers strongly indicate that using the notion of complex systems, specifically the social-ecological system, is needed to improve the understanding of scale and governance. They furthermore confirm that both communities are shifting. Additionally, the papers show several promising ways forward to link scale and governance, even though they differ in their suggestions on most important courses of action and research agendas. The case study papers show that conceptual advances have not been taken up to their full extent in practice. Importantly, none of the papers is being very specific on the definition of the term governance. Additionally, most attention is given to spatial, temporal, and jurisdictional scales, largely ignoring, for example, network and knowledge scales. What is urgently needed are more case study papers that explicitly make use of the conceptual literature and through that attempt to link scale and governance. Ultimately, there is a challenge to more effectively include nonscientists in the debate. A transdisciplinary arena is required where the concepts of scale and governance are framed such that a broad variety of stakeholders can join the debate and/or the decision making process.
Invasion of Wolbachia at the residential block level is associated with local abundance of Stegomyia aegypti, yellow fever mosquito, populations and property attributes

Wolbachia can suppress dengue and control mosquito populations and this depends on the successful invasion of Wolbachia‐infected mosquitoes into local populations. Ovitrap data collected during the recent invasion of wMel‐infected Stegomyia aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) (Linnaeus) into Gordonvale near Cairns, Australia, were used to identify variables that help predict the success of localized invasion. Based on the variance in Wolbachia frequencies across Gordonvale as well as at another release site at Yorkeys Knob in comparison to simulations, it was estimated that on average 2–4 females contributed eggs to an ovitrap. By collating ovitrap data from two collection periods at the start of the release from residential blocks, it was found that uninfected mosquitoes had a patchy distribution across the release site. Residential blocks with relatively high uninfected mosquito numbers were less easily invaded by Wolbachia than blocks with low numbers. The numbers of uninfected mosquitoes in ovitraps were negatively correlated with the proportion of brick houses in a residential block, whereas local Wolbachia frequencies were correlated positively with this variable as well as negatively with the amount of shading in a yard and availability of breeding sites. These findings point to proxy measures for predicting the ease of localized invasion of Wolbachia.
EPISTEMOLOGICAL VS. ONTOLOGICAL RELATIONALISM IN QUANTUM MECHANICS: RELATIVISM OR REALISM?

In this paper we investigate the history of relationalism and its present use in some interpretations of quantum mechanics. In the first part of this article we will provide a conceptual analysis of the relation between substantivalism, relationalism and relativism in the history of both physics and philosophy. In the second part, we will address some relational interpretations of quantum mechanics, namely, Bohr's relational approach, the modal interpretation by Kochen, the perspectival modal version by Bene and Dieks and the relational interpretation by Rovelli. We will argue that all these interpretations ground their understanding of relations in epistemological terms. By taking into account the analysis on the first part of our work, we intend to highlight the fact that there is a different possibility for understanding quantum mechanics in relational terms which has not been yet considered within the foundational literature. This possibility is to consider relations in (non-relativist) ontological terms. We will argue that such an understanding might be capable of providing a novel approach to the problem of representing what quantum mechanics is really talking about.