Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GENERATIONAL ACCOUNTING IN BELGIUM: FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY

This paper uses generational accounts as an instrument to analyse the fiscal long term sustainability of Belgian public finances. Age-profiles of detailed tax and expenditure categories are derived from microdata and microsimulation models, and then plugged into a long run demographic projection. We assess fiscal sustainability under current fiscal and budgetary policy for the baseyear 2010, and perform simulations of counterfactuals to determine the most important factors of the long run unsustainability. The generational accounting exercise shows that the budgetary situation in Belgium is untenable in the long run. However, contrary to what is often put forward in public debates, the current level of explicit debt plays only a minor role in explaining this sustainability problem. The ageing of the population and the related increase in age related expenditures are the main drivers of the long run fiscal imbalance and the high implicit debt. We analyse the generational effects of different tax instruments and expenditure reductions to return to sustainability and further disentangle the generational accounts for the three regions separately. Although the fiscal imbalance is biggest in Wallonia due to lower participation rates and higher unemployment, the projected demographic evolution, and more specifically the ageing of the population, has higher budgetary repercussions in Flanders. Acknowledgements: For useful comments on earlier versions of this paper, we are grateful to Christian Hagist, Stefan Moog, Sergio Perelman, Pierre Pestieau, Lionel Artige, Guy Van Camp (for the MIMOSIS data), Dirk Verwerft and participants of the EUROMOD workshop at the Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies (BICEPS) in Riga, Latvia October 12-14 2011. The usual disclaimer applies. Besides financial support from IWT Flanders in the SBO-project “FLEMOSI: A tool for ex ante evaluation of socio-economic policies in Flanders”, we also benefited from funding by Federal Public Service for Science Policy (BELSPO) under contract n° TA/00/39 (BELDEBT). * Center for Economic Studies, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven § Center of Research in Public Economics and Population Economics, Université de Liège GENERATIONAL ACCOUNTING IN BELGIUM 17 december 2011 2
The LuNa Open Toolbox for the Luxembourgish Language

Despite some recent work [17, p. 5], the ongoing research for the processing of Luxembourgish is still largely in its infancy. While a rich variety of linguistic processing tools exist, especially for English, these software tools offer little scope for the Luxembourgish language. LuNa (a Tool for Luxembourgish National Corpus) is an Open Toolbox that allows researchers to annotate a text corpus written in Luxembourgish language and to build/query an annotated corpus. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the components of the system and its usage for Machine Learning applications like Topic Modelling and Sentiment Detection. Overall, LuNa bases on a XML-database to store the data and to define the XML scheme, it offers a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for a linguistic data preparation such as tokenization, Part-Of-Speech tagging, and morphological analysis – just to name a few.
Effect of home-based oculomotor exercises on postural stability in healthy female adults

Visual information improves postural stability and facilitates stabilization of upright posture. To date, how saccades and smooth pursuit eye movements affect postural control is still a matter of debate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oculo-motor exercises on static postural stability in healthy female adults. Participants (51.6 ± 4.9 years) were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 9) that performed 4-week home-based oculomotor exercises (i.e., saccadic eye movement and smooth pursuit) or a control group (n = 9). Pre and post postural stability during quiet standing with eyes open were measured on both groups. Significant ‘Time x Group’ interaction (p < .05) was found for Length Function of Surface, anterior-posterior acceleration, length of the oscillations, rearfoot load and body sway surface. By post hoc analyses, signiﬁcant differences were found in all stabilometric parameters during quiet standing in the experimental group (p < .05). No signiﬁcant differences were found in postural stability in the control group. Improvements in postural stability after four weeks of two combined oculomotor exercises suggest that this speciﬁc type of ocular system exercises may be beneﬁcial for healthy female adults. In addition, the present investigation supports evidence that eye movements interact with the postural control system.
Implications in the system integration of a blockchain application unlocking decentralised flexibility in the Dutch electricity sector

The Netherlands currently lacks a large scale aggregation system which can unlock decentralised flexibility to improve the reliability of the electricity grid in the presence of a significant amount of variable renewable energy sources. In this paper, blockchain technology is perceived as an enabler for a decentralised flexibility model without the need of market intermediation. It is however uncertain how the implementation of a blockchain application simultaneously fits technically and institutionally in the environment of the Dutch electricity sector. This paper analyses implications of blockchain technology in unlocking decentralised flexibility by considering a system integration approach. Using the comprehensive design framework, a conceptualisation of system integration in energy infrastructures, many challenges regarding blockchain as flexibility model have been identified. Challenges cause the disintermediation and self-organisation ability of blockchain, to be very hard in the case of unlocking decentralised flexibility. The benefit of blockchain technology over other flexibility enabling solutions, such as the aggregator, is uncertain in the absence of disintermediation and self-organisation.
What Is Rainfall Index Insurance Worth? A Comparison of Valuation Techniques

Rainfall index insurance is a theoretically attractive financial product that has achieved only limited adoption. This paper seeks to understand the structure of demand for rainfall index insurance in India. We develop two approaches to estimating households’ valuation of rainfall insurance and evaluate them against an experiment in which fixed prices are randomly assigned. The first approach uses a simple structural model of index insurance demand that includes basis risk–the possibility that policy-holders may suffer a negative shock yet receive little or no payout. We use survey data from members of an insurance pilot in Gujarat, India to fit the model and estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for rainfall insurance coverage. Relative to the choices we observe at randomly assigned fixed prices, the structural model significantly overestimates demand. Our second approach uses a Becker-Degroot-Marschak (BDM) methodology to empirically elicit WTP from potential insurance customers at the time of marketing. We find that BDM does a better job of predicting fixed price purchasing behavior, but the distribution of stated willingness to pay has large mass points at focal points. Finally, we directly compare the two approaches and find the theoretical model has weak predictive power for WTP as elicited by BDM. We explore which household characteristics are correlated with WTP and determine that recent experiences with rainfall and insurance are important factors not captured in our static model, suggesting that learning dynamics may be a promising direction for future analyses.
A Schema Extraction Algorithm for External Memory Graphs Based on Novel Utility Function

In recent years, the size of graph data is drastically growing. In contrast to relational databases, most of graphs do not have their own schemas. If we can extract a schema from a graph efficiently, we can take advantage of the extracted schema for query optimization, structure browsing, query formulation, and so on. In this paper, we propose an external memory algorithm for extracting a schema from a graph. The algorithm is designed so that each file is read sequentially in most cases and very few random accesses are required for schema extraction, which makes our algorithm I/O efficient.
Romanian Journal of Oral Rehabilitation

Titanium oxide thin films were deposited on Si monocrystalline substrate using the pulsed laser ablation technique in a reactive oxygen atmosphere. The films were obtained starting from Ti and TiO2 targets which were ablated using a KrF* excimer laser (λ = 248 nm). During the deposition, the Si substrates were heated at 300 °C under various high purity oxygen atmosphere of 1.0, 0.5 and 0.1 mbar. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction investigations revealed the presence of a nanostructured film consisting of a mixture of several titanium oxides, with crystalline grains size of few nm to 10 nm. Only the film deposited from the Ti target at a pressure of 1.0 mbar exhibited crystalline grains of 30-40 nm. Thin films surface morphology and topography, studied using atomic force and scanning electron microscopy, revealed a relatively smooth surface with the presence of some submicron droplets, typical for laser ablation technique. Films deposited at 0.5 mbar pressure from both targets were significantly rougher than the other deposited films.
An evaluation method of coded signal by means of Frequency Domain Binaural Model

When performance of coding algorithm is evaluated, we often experience the difference between impression of audio demonstration and a physical index such as SNR. This difference might be due to the fact that SNR does not take account of masking effects and loudness. Then, evaluation method based on a psychoacoustic model used in MPEG1/Audio was proposed previously. However, this method can apply only for monaural signal of each channel of stereo signal independently. In case of taking account of binaural effects, perception of sound localization is an important factor for evaluating stereo signal such as enhanced signal, compressed speech, and coded signal. In this paper, an evaluation method based on a psychoacoustic model for stereo signal is proposed using frequency domain binaural model (FDBM). This method utilizes both an interaural level difference (ILD) and an interaural phase difference (IPD) of stereo signal. Details of this method as follows: At first, an original and a target stereo signals are analyzed using FDBM separately. FDBM provides direction-of-arrival (DOA) information of each frequency bin based on the ILD and IPD. And a masking threshold of each frequency bin is obtained in order to pick up audible components. Based on DOA and threshold, each stereo signal can be represented as a contour map against DOA and frequency axes. The proposed evaluation method compares the maps for the original and the target signals.
Variable Collaborative Learning Spaces in the Quest for Agricultural Sustainability in New Zealand

Participatory research is advocated for fostering multi-stakeholder engagement and learning necessary for advancing sustainability. This work examines how participatory projects develop collaborative learning to advance agricultural sustainability. It presents findings from empirical evidence from six micro-level horticultural innovation projects in New Zealand where farmers and scientists engaged in public / private funded partnerships. Analysis revealed institutions, partner relationships and learning were critical and highly inter-related dynamics of participatory research projects. This paper focuses on the creation of learning spaces in these projects that ideally should support and sustain change to more sustainable practices. The research revealed a ‘collaborative learning space’ influenced by the strength of partner relationships and institutions that shape how actors engage in participatory research. This paper visualises the variability of the collaborative learning space among the six projects and reveals the importance of this space where innovations can be co-developed and learning is emergent, adaptive and dynamic.
Transmission measurement at the Bernina branch of the Aramis Beamline of SwissFEL

The transmission of the optical components of the Bernina branch of the Aramis beamline at SwissFEL has been measured with an X-ray gas monitor from DESY and compared with a PSI gas detector upstream of the optical components. The transmission efficiencies of the mirrors and the various other in-beam components were evaluated and compared with theoretical calculations.
Understanding tuberculosis treatment completion in urban areas of Nepal

Non-completion of tuberculosis (TB) treatment has been a major topic of debate ever since combined drug therapy started to be used. It has threatened global TB control and posed a challenge to many National TB Programmes (NTPs) especially in developing countries where the burden of TB is highest and the poor are worst hit. As a means of controlling TB, WHO advocated a strategy branded as DOTS, which includes direct observation of treatment (DOT). Many countries have implemented DOTS, so DOT has become a central component of NTPs’ TB control strategy. DOTS as a comprehensive package was shown to be successful in many countries: however, this success over-credited the direct observation component, which led to a focus on the concept of TB treatment completion. The Nepal NTP implemented DOTS in the late 1990s and has achieved high treatment success rates under DOTS, but has not been exempted from the debate. There have been many studies which have identified the need to minimise non-completion as vital to controlling TB: however, few have considered how non-completion could be tackled through establishing locally feasible patient-centred care within existing TB control procedures. The overall aim of my study was, therefore, to gain a better understanding of experiences and issues faced by People Living with TB (PLTB) during the course of TB treatment under DOTS and identify appropriate ways of addressing the issues identified in the context of the NTP in urban setting in Kathmandu, Nepal. The study used a qualitative research approach to investigate why and how different factors hindered or facilitated successful completion of TB treatment in an urban TB control setting in Nepal. The study used semi-structured qualitative interviews (49), focus group discussions (6) and observation techniques to generate data and a content analysis approach to analyse the data. Study respondents were PLTB; family members of PLTB; health care providers, NTP officials and community members. My study shows that, as defined by the NTP, successful completion of TB treatment was not straightforward for PLTBs. PLTBs underwent TB treatment in very difficult circumstances, as various obstacles to successful TB treatment completion complicated the treatment process and thus made PLTBs and their families further vulnerable. Obstacles arising from causes related to the health system had a greater impact on PLTBs and their families than obstacles arising from causes related to the PLTBs.
Drivers of the Resource Adequacy Contribution of Solar and Storage for Florida Municipal Utilities

Author(s): Mills, Andrew D; Rodriguez, Pia | Abstract: Solar’s variable generation limits its contribution to reliably meeting peak demand, or its resource adequacy contribution. Energy storage is a leading option to increase solar’s resource adequacy contribution, yet the contribution from different configurations of solar and storage is not widely understood. We develop methods for exploring the primary drivers of an estimate of the resource adequacy contribution of solar and storage, and we apply the methods to a case study in Florida, where demand peaks in winter and summer. We find that the portion of solar nameplate capacity that contributes to resource adequacy—its capacity credit—is less than 50% and that it declines with increasing solar penetration. The capacity credit of storage, even though it is fully controllable by the system operator, strongly depends on the duration of storage. The capacity credit of 1 hour of storage can be less than the capacity credit of solar. Achieving a 90% capacity credit requires at least 4–5 hours of storage when storage capacity is small relative to the system peak. As storage deployment increases to 20% of the peak demand, 9 hours—and sometimes more than 10 hours—of storage are needed to achieve a 90% capacity credit. Increased solar deployment at the system level can increase storage’s capacity credit. Directly pairing solar and storage can also impact the capacity credit. Storage with a power rating similar to the solar inverter rating loses capacity credit when coupled with solar if its duration is more than 1–2 hours, because storage competes with solar for use of the inverter. On the other hand, there is no reduction in capacity credit when the storage is small relative to the solar inverter. The approach and tools developed here for exploratory analysis can be useful for many other utilities and regions grappling with similar preliminary questions, prior to evaluation of specific cases using more detailed and resource-intensive modeling.
Techno-economic Paradigms and Latecomer Industrialization

The interaction between the emergence of new technologies and the larger economic and social patterns of behavior are explored. After presenting a broad overview of theoretical concepts associated with technological innovation and economic progress, a description of the major techno-economic paradigms is described. The country specific paths within the broader context provided by the evolution of techno-economic paradigms are analyzed. After this general discussion, the focus moves to a specific techno-economic paradigm: the information technologies and telecommunications era, which was the dominant techno-economic paradigm at the end of the 20th century. Finally, a more speculative argument is developed around the idea that the emergence of knowledge-based economies and the importance of social capital provides a more profound change than previous techno-economic paradigm shifts.
Speciation and contamination assessment of metals in the sediments from the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River, China

Heavy metals such as Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cr and Pb in surface sediments from the Lanzhou Section of the Yellow River were investigated to analyze chemical speciation by a sequential extraction and to evaluate their pollution level. The metal contents in the sediments were found to be in the range of (mg/kg) Cu 15.52–57.50, Fe 19 600.33–48 350.00, Mn 493.50–698.93, Ni 9.34–53.20, Zn 64.86–168.57, Cd 1.09–4.25, Cr 70.00–139.33, Pb 5.66–19.13. The arrangement of metal contents from higher to lower was: Fe > Mn > Cr > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cd. Fe, Mn and Cu and could have the same source according to their correlations. The quantity of immobile speciation (residual) was observed to be higher when compared with mobile speciation (acid soluble, reducible, and oxidizable) of Fe, Cu, Cd and Cr. The highly enrichment factors of Ni and Cr created a high environmental risk. The order of contamination level for heavy metals in sediment was Cr > Cd > Pb > Cu > Mn > Ni > Fe > Zn on the basis of performance of the geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor and pollution load index.
Role of HER2-Targeted Agents in Adjuvant Treatment for Breast Cancer

Approximately 20% of breast cancers overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein, mainly as a result of gene amplification. The receptor tyrosine kinase is believed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis and further proliferation of these tumors. The application of trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the extracellular domain of HER2 protein, to HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer has significantly improved treatment outcomes. Following this success, several phase III trials have evaluated the role of trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting, with the result that trastuzumab use is now the standard of care for most HER2-positive early breast cancer patients. In this paper, we review these pivotal phase III trials. We also discuss unresolved issues in adjuvant treatment with trastuzumab, including target patient population, sequential or concurrent use with chemotherapy or radiation, treatment duration, cardiotoxicity, and the possibility of eliminating chemotherapy. Following confirmation of its ability to partially overcome trastuzumab resistance, we also discuss the role of lapatinib in adjuvant use.
On the choice of initial seed values for the Lloyd’s k-means algorithm

This paper is about efficient ways of converting continuous data into a compact discrete form. In information theory such a conversion is called quantization and it is used for transmission of data through a discrete channel which is capable of admitting a finite number ( k ) of values, only. In statistics and data mining the same method is called k -means clustering and its aim is to partition a data set into k non-overlapping clusters by minimizing the within-sum of squares of deviations from their respective cluster centers ( k -means). Efficient calculation of k-means, especially in multivariate setting, is still a problem which needs further research. Well-known Lloyd’s iterative method for calculation of k -means is sensitive with respect to initial values and, therefore, much research has been focused on the choice of initial seed values of k-means. In this paper we propose to use certain theoretical results about asymptotic density of points of k -means in the process where the number k grows infinitely. Namely, it is known that for large values of k the optimal k points are distributed in accordance with density f * (x) which is a power function of the initial data density f(x) (for example, in one-dimensional case f * (x) is proportional to f(x) 1/3 ). Our main idea is to use this asymptotic distribution for placement of initial seeds of k -means. In order to benefit from the asymptotic theory, we propose a 3-steps method for calculation of k -means, consisting of 1) estimation of f * (x) from the data, 2) generation of k points from f * (x) , and, 3) using these points as initial values in the Lloyd’s iterative algorithm.
GIS-based technic for roadside-slope stability assessment: an bivariate approach for A1 East-West highway, North Algeria

This paper presents a GIS-based method for landslide susceptibility (LS) assessment using slope-movement inventory and field data. The study has been carried out along A1-Highway (A1-H) in Hanif region as this road section is threated by several types of mass wasting. This hilly zone is known by their landslides sensitive terrains in the North of Algeria. The terrain data are collected from a Géologic map, satellite imageries, digital elevation model, rainfall data, field suveys and ancillary data. In this paper Frequency Ratios (FR) based on bivariate statistical method are evaluated by comparing the observed landslides to their controlling factors. The product of the linear summation of the FR values was a landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map. It was categorized using the natural breaks classification method. The resultant LS zonation map delineates the area into five hierarchic zones. The results confirms that the angle of the slope, plays the most role in wasting especially in road sides. The LS can be used for preliminary land use planning and hazard mitigation purpose. By means of this map the current route of the A1-H can be improved to cross less susceptibles zones.