Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relative Price Dispersion and In ation : Evidence for the UK and US

One potential real e¤ect of ination is its inuence on the dispersion of relative prices in the economy which a¤ects economic e¢ ciency and aggregate output. Using a novel data set for the US and UK and a VARMA asymmetric bivariate GARCH-M model of ination and relative price dispersion, we test for the e¤ects of ination and ination uncertainty on relative price dispersion. We obtain two main results: First, ination a¤ects relative price dispersion positively in the US and negatively in the UK. Second, ination uncertainty is in most cases insigni cant in explaining relative price dispersion, thus casting doubt on the empirical relevance of the signal extraction models. Keywords: GARCH-M, Relative Price Dispersion, Ination JEL Classi cation: C32, E31 Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, GREECE, Tel: +30-2310-891774, fax: +30-2310-891292, e-mail:sfountas@uom.gr
Water uptake of soot particles emitted from a Jing-CAST soot generator

Hygroscopic growth of soot particles is of importance in atmospheric science since hydration may result in an increase in the specific absorption of the particles. The hygroscopicity of the soot particles in the atmosphere also affects their lifetime. Generally, it is believed that black carbon is hydrophobic and does not take up water at saturations found in the atmosphere. However, it seems that even a thin organic film on black carbon surface can render it hygroscopic (Andrews and Larson (1993), Rissler et al. (2005), Saathoff et al. (2003), Novakov and Penner (1993)). It has been reported by Noone et al. (1992) that the interstitial aerosol inside urban fogs is enriched in elemental carbon, which would tend to increase its lifetime in the atmosphere with respect to other species like organic carbon (Nunes and Pio, 1993). Soot particles with different organic carbon content are generated with a propane burner. Aerosol number concentrations are obtained with two condensation particle counters (CPC), one working with butanol and one with water. When comparing the number counts of the two different CPCs the following behavior of the soot particles may be observed: When the organic carbon content rises above about 40%, the number counts as measured with the water CPC plunge dramatically. The butanol CPC still counts more than 107 particles. Therefore, soot aerosols with a predominant fraction of EC can be activated under laboratory conditions with water vapor whereas soot aerosols with a high OC content cannot be activated anymore.
Stepping Into the Same River Every Week: Parmenides, Heraclitus, Chaos Theory, and the Nature of Change in Group Psychotherapy

Abstract:The desired outcome of group psychotherapy, indeed, of any psychotherapy, is therapeutic change. But is fundamental change possible, or is there only a rearrangement of a preexisting state? This article explores the question of the existence and nature of therapeutic change from the perspectives of the Greek philosophers Parmenides and Heraclitus, using concepts from chaos theory to examine the process. I conclude that the actuality is a melding of two ideas: that change occurs within continuity and that continuity requires change.
G T ] 3 M ar 2 01 6 Feedback Control of Real-Time Display Advertising

Real-Time Bidding (RTB) is revolutionising display advertising by facilitating per-impression auctions to buy ad impressions as they are being generated. Being able to use impression-level data, such as user cookies, encourages user behaviour targeting, and hence has significantly improved the effectiveness of ad campaigns. However, a fundamental drawback of RTB is its instability because the bid decision is made per impression and there are enormous fluctuations in campaigns’ key performance indicators (KPIs). As such, advertisers face great difficulty in controlling their campaign performance against the associated costs. In this paper, we propose a feedback control mechanism for RTB which helps advertisers dynamically adjust the bids to effectively control the KPIs, e.g., the auction winning ratio and the effective cost per click. We further formulate an optimisation framework to show that the proposed feedback control mechanism also has the ability of optimising campaign performance. By settling the effective cost per click at an optimal reference value, the number of campaign’s ad clicks can be maximised with the budget constraint. Our empirical study based on real-world data verifies the effectiveness and robustness of our RTB control system in various situations. The proposed feedback control mechanism has also been deployed on a commercial RTB platform and the online test has shown its success in generating controllable advertising performance.
S0021859621001064jra 757..761

The objective of this study is to provide approaches to determine the mature weight of intact male hair sheep using body composition data. To estimate empty body weight (EBW) at maturity, we used information from eight independent studies comprising a total of 250 intact males in growing and finishing phases. The quantitative data used for each animal were body weight (BW), EBW, water-free EBW protein content, water-free EBW fat content, water-free EBW ash content and EBW water content. The water, protein, fat and ash contents in the EBW and water-free EBW were predicted by non-linear regressions. The best model was chosen considering the achievement of convergence and capacity for biological explanation. The standard deviation of the asymptotic EBW was computed using a simulation method based on a Monte Carlo approach. Among the non-linear evaluations, only the allometric function converged with the parameters within the expected biological limits. To estimate mature EBW, only protein and fat were suitable to predict estimates with the capacity to biological explanation. The water and protein contents in the EBW were closely associated. Animal maturity can be estimated mathematically using body composition. Maturity was reached at an EBW of 47.3 and 57.5 kg when protein and fat were used as a predictor, respectively. We conclude that protein is a good predictor of maturity for intact male hair sheep.
On the Convergence , Generalization and Recovery Guarantees of Deep Neural Networks

Deep neural networks learn hierarchical representations of data using multiple layers of linear transformations and non-linear activation functions. Convolutional networks incorporate learnable convolutional filters to extract spatially-invariant features from images. While neural networks and convolutional networks have achieved outstanding empirical results, their theoretical analysis is generally not well understood. In this paper we will present recent key advances on the theoretical guarantees of deep and convolutional neural networks in 3 directions. The first direction studies how the global optima of non-convex neural network loss functions can be achieved through optimization algorithms. The second direction analyzes the generalization capabilities of neural networks. The final direction assumes a set of underlying parameters generating the labels from data and study whether neural networks are able to recover these parameters. The paper concludes with a summary of open questions and key directions for future work on the theory of deep neural networks and convolutional networks.
The Next Generation Xsens Motion Trackers for Industrial Applications

The Xsens manufactured MEMS-based Motion Tracker finds its use in industrial applications such as UAV and UGV navigation, robotics, antenna-steering and camera system stabilization platforms. These applications require control signals with very low data latency that are accurately time-referenced and are accessible with an easy-to-use API. These control signals can be IMU signals, tracking estimates of orientation, position or specific outputs like acceleration in the navigation frame. In these applications, the sensors are typically mounted on platforms that experience vibrations due to engines and actuators or interaction with the environment. The signal processing pipeline together with the sensor fusion algorithms ensure effective capturing of the dynamics of the platform under sustained vibrations, prolonged accelerations, magnetic disturbances, and provide tracking estimates that are reliable, accurate, continuously available and with high integrity. This paper presents the features and tracking performance of the 4 generation of Xsens Motion Tracker products for industrial applications, namely the MTi R ©.
Generation of Earth’s Surface Three-Dimensional (3-D) Displacement Time-Series by Multiple-Platform SAR Data

In this chapter, the recent advancements of differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR) technique are presented, with the focus on the DInSAR-based approaches leading to the generation of three-dimensional time-series of Earth’s surface deformation, based on the combination of multi-platform line-of-sight (LOS)-projected time-series of deformation. Use of pixel-offset (PO) measurements for the retrieval of North-South deformation components, which are difficult to be extracted from DInSAR data, only, is also discussed. A review of the principal techniques based on the exploitation of amplitude and phase signatures of sequences of SAR images will be first provided, by emphasizing the limitations and strength of each single approach. Then, the interest will be concentrated on the recently proposed multi-track InSAR combination algorithm, referred as minimum acceleration InSAR combination (MinA) approach. The algorithm assumes the availability of two (or more) sets of SAR images acquired from complementary tracks. SAR data are pre-processed through one of currently available multi-temporal DInSAR toolboxes, and the LOS-projected surface deformation timeseries are computed. An under-determined system of linear equations is then solved, based on imposing that the 3-D displacement time-series have minimum acceleration (MA). The presented results demonstrate the validity of the MinA algorithm.
Finance and Synchronization 9

In the workhorse model of international real business cycles, financial integration exacerbates the cycle asymmetry created by country-specific supply shocks. The prediction is identical in response to purely common shocks in the same model augmented with simple country heterogeneity (e.g., where depreciation rates or factor shares are different across countries). This happens because common shocks have heterogeneous consequences on the marginal products of capital across countries, which triggers international investment. In the data, filtering out common shocks requires therefore allowing for country-specific loadings. We show that finance and synchronization correlate negatively in response to such common shocks, consistent with previous findings. But finance and synchronization correlate non-negatively, almost always positively, in response to purely country-specific shocks.
Assessment Practices in Schools Serving American Indian and Alaska Native Students

Abstract:The research reported in this article is part of a larger study designed to identify teacher- and student-level factors and conditions associated with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) student achievement on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) annual mathematics assessment and as reflected in the associated survey data gathered through the National Indian Education Study (NIES) on American Indians and Alaska Natives, their teachers, and their schools. We conducted statistical analyses of 2007 NAEP data in Phase I, and in Phase II we analyzed extensive qualitative data collected in 10 schools in Alaska, New Mexico, and Arizona. We focus on data from administrator interviews and teacher focus groups to identify the formative assessment strategies these educators believe to be effective with AI/AN students. Our findings identify formative assessment strategies that may help improve teacher instructional practices and impact school policy related to AI/AN student math learning; the data suggest that not all strategies will be effective across communities, due to complex contextual factors.
Managing drug use in the elderly

7 ABBREVIATIONS . 8 ORIGINAL PAPERS . 9 INTRODUCTION . 11 BACKGROUND . 11 Pharmacotherapy in primary care . 11 Primary care and community care . 12 Frailty and medication . 12 Multi-dose drug dispensing system (MDD) . 13 Polypharmacy . 13 Pharmacology in the elderly . 14 Absorption and distribution of drugs . 14 Elimination of drugs and decreasing renal function . 14 Pharmacodynamical alterations in old age . 15 Potentially inappropriate medications for elderly . 16 Adherence . 16 Attitudes towards medication . 16 Medication knowledge. 17 Individually adjusted information. 17 GP’s adherence to guidelines . 17 AIMS . 19 MATERIALS AND METHODS . 20 Design . 20 Data collection . 20 Study participants . 20 Procedure . 21 Paper I. 21 Paper II . 21 Paper III . 21 Paper IV . 22 Quantitative analysis (I-III) . 22 Qualitative analysis (IV). 23 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS . 25 FINDINGS . 26 Knowledge of and attitudes towards medication (Paper I) . 26 The assessment of renal function in relation to the use of drugs (Paper II) . 26 GP ́s adherence to guidelines for cardiovascular disease among elderly (Paper III) 27 Frail elderly patients’ experiences of information on medication (Paper IV). 28 DISCUSSION . 30 Awareness of renal function . 30 Adherence to guidelines . 30
Waveform Synthesis Based on Single Circulation Method

In cognitive radar, it is an important problem for the transmitted waveform adapts in response to information regarding the radar working conditions. Waveform synthesis is the basis of adaptive waveform transmission. In this paper, based on mutual information theory, the problem of waveform synthesis is viewed as optimization problem. Considering the actual situation, certain constraints are imposed. Then single circulation method is proposed to solve the optimization problem which is based on steepest descent. The simulation results show that the optimal radar waveform will spread its energy among most of the spectral peaks of the target response. It has important guiding significance for waveform synthesis.Finally, the whole paper is summarized.
REMITTING BEHAVIOUR OF ALBANIAN MIGRANTS: EVIDENCE FROM THESSALONIKI

The aim of this research is to present a clear outline on the remitting behavior of Albanian migrants in the city of Thessaloniki. Since 1990, when the fall of communism created a big wave of emigration, remittances to Albania have been a vital source for this country but after 2008 financial crisis things have changed. The main topics of this paper is the exploration of the impact of the 2008 crisis in the level of remittances sanded toward Albania, as well as some evidence of the reason, methods of sending and purpose of their use. The empirical base of this research is a set of 200 indepth interviews with Albanian emigrants living in Thessaloniki. Material derives from an extensive period of fieldwork research conducted in Thessaloniki between May-June 2012.
Do Single and Married Females Have the Same Standard of Work–Family Balance? Case Study of Frontline Employees in Macau

A high-quality work–family balance (WFB) can enhance job satisfaction and superior task performance, as well as reduce absenteeism and turnover rate, thereby enabling organisations to improve the effectiveness and commitment of their employees. This research investigates the features of quality WFB for female employees in a casino hotel in Macau. Many female employees continue to face the double burden of their careers and families. Long working hours, shift duties, demanding customers and stressful environment have become neglected phenomena in the casino business and could lead to an unbalanced WFB. Female employees experience disappointments and frustrations when work prevents them from providing care to their families. Previous studies have determined that male employees have better WFB than female employees. In particular, male employees know how to deal with their emotions, face responsibilities, take action and solve problems. By contrast, females are challenged to achieve WFB. Over the past decades, practitioners in the main hospitality industry have become increasingly interested in the female workforce. The high levels of family responsibility and shift work that females handle may cause them to experience high levels of work-family roles. Compared with male employees, female employees display lower levels of shift work tolerance but report more fatigue and sleepiness whilst working in a risk-exposed environment. This qualitative study involves face-to-face interviews with 30 female casino hotel employees (e.g., dealers, service staff, supervisors and managers) from 8 large major casino hotels. These respondents include single and married female frontline employees. Content analysis is performed to elaborate the female employees’ perception of WFB and identify their challenges in achieving such balance. Recommendations are provided for HR practitioners in terms of the appropriate policies and strategies to improve WFB of female casino hotel employees. Therefore, the proper approach will enable casino hotels to retain the best talents and increase the productivity and competitiveness of their organisation.
Optimal control of diabetes

In this thesis, we are concerned with optimal control problems related to one of the major global health problems facing human beings, diabetes, with a staggering 4.9 million deaths attributed to it in 2014. Diabetes is an incurable disease caused when the pancreas no longer makes insulin (in the case of type 1 diabetes), or when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin and/or the body develops insulin resistance (in the case of type 2 diabetes). The ultimate aim of this thesis is to propose and illustrate a general methodology for the analysis and control of the human blood glucose regulatory system. We adopt a comprehensive dynamic model of the blood glucose regulatory system and show how it can be readily fitted to individuals. This is done by formulating an optimal parameter selection problem in which optimal values for the model parameters must be selected so that the resulting model best fits the desired data. Then, a numerical solution procedure for this optimal parameter selection problem using the optimal control software MISER3.3 is proposed. We also investigate the sensitivity of the resulting optimized model with respect to the insulin release rate, which is the body’s natural feedback control. Moreover, we demonstrate how optimal open loop controls can be readily calculated for this model. We then extend the model to include bolus insulin injections for the treatment of diabetic patients. We also show how to incorporate the role of exercise into this model. We formulate the combined model as an optimal control problem in which the aim is to determine optimal injection times, optimal injection volumes and optimal exercise regimes to regulate the blood glucose level. A numerical approach, based on control parameterization and a time scaling transformation, is then developed for solving the optimal control problem. Numerical results for different scenarios involving type 1 and type 2 diabetes show that optimal treatment regimes can be readily determined via the proposed approach. The optimal regimes are successful at regulating the blood glucose level. In future work, improvements can be made to incorporate other important treatment regimes, particularly for type 2 diabetics, into the model.
Study of Modal Competition for CPO Transportation in Central Kalimantan

The availability and performance of transport infrastructures are very important in supporting freight transportation. The reliable transport infrastructures are needed to support industrial activities in the certain region. The access of industries to supply routes must be evaluated in accordance with the existing transport infrastructures and the potential location of factories and distribution. This study is intended to utilize the freight network simulation, especially using ArcGIS software, by considering spatial and transportation factors as the input, and government regulation as the constraints, to analyze modal competition between unimodal and inter-modal CPO transportation in regional scale by considering the generalized costs as the efficiency indicator of transportation system. The result of analysis shows that inter-modal network (combination of road and river) provides the high probability compare to unimodal (road or river only) network. Index Term-Central Kalimantan, CPO transportation, GIS, modal competition.
Model Specification and Data Problem: A Case Study of Market Volatility and Retail Interest Rate Pass-Through

: “W hat is data and what it means ” can only be understood by using Visualisation. Visualization helps us to observe whether data is according to economic theory or not, and also hilight different issues within data as well. By employing visualization, we found only a few series upon which, we can really apply co-integration. Furthermore, co-integration equation of Wang and Lee (2009) found misspecified due to ARCH effect. After adjusting it, we found significantly different results for the co-integration (for same data set). This significant difference is not only in empirical models but also in implication as well. For example, in the case of the US, we found a complete pass through for the deposit rate model.
OF MALARIA IN A HYPOENDEMIC BRAZILIAN AMAZON MIGRANT POPULATION : A COHORT STUDY

The present study describes aspects of the epidemiology of malaria in a migrant population living in a hypoendemic area in Brazil using an open cohort study design. Rural settlement residents in Leonislândia, Peixoto de Azevedo, Mato Grosso, Brazil were followed from September 1996 to April 1997. At baseline, an interview and malaria diagnoses were carried out and spleen size was measured. Incident cases were detected through follow-up visits and laboratory records. Cox regression was used to assess risk factors for time to malaria onset. Eighty percent (n 414) of the study population (n 521) contributed follow-up data. Overall, malaria prevalence during any study visit ranged from 0.3% to 5.4% and the malaria incidence rate (IR) was 4.49 (95% confidence interval 3.66, 5.46) per 100 person-months. The IR of Plasmodium vivax malaria was approximately four times higher than the IR for P. falciparum malaria during follow-up. Among individuals who had had malaria during his or her lifetime, 14.03% reported hospitalization (median duration 3 days) and 70.1% reported days of work lost (median duration 4 days for P. falciparum malaria and 3 days for P. vivax malaria) related to the last malaria episode. No important risk factor was associated with the malaria IR. The fact that neither work-related factors nor age was associated with the risk of malaria indicates that indoor/peri-domiciliary transmission by the local vector is more important or as important as workplace-related transmission.
Scale, Scope, and the International Expansion Strategies of Multiproduct Firms

A growing literature seeks to understand how the characteristics of firms shape the manner in which they serve foreign markets. We consider an environment in which multiproduct firms can sell their products in multiple countries from multiple locations. We show that there are strong empirical regularities in the expansion strategies of U.S. multinational firms and that simple extensions of standard models do not explain these regularities. We augment these models by introducing a framework in which organizational capital is a scarce input within the firm that has to be allocated to particular products and production locations and show that the standard model, so amended, is consistent with the data. We then use the model to analyze the productivity effect of changes in international frictions both within and across firms.