Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Bandwidth Calendaring: On-the-fly admission, scheduling, and path computation

The centralized control in Software Defined Networks paves the way for new services like Bandwidth Calendaring (BWC), where the possibility to shift temporally future bandwidth requests allows to efficiently use network resources. Assuming perfect knowledge of the calendar for all future bandwidth reservations is unrealistic. In this paper, we study the online version of the BWC problem presented in [1], where for unpredictable incoming demands an admission decision, scheduling and path allocation must be taken instantaneously. We design an algorithm for solving the online version of the BWC problem and proposes two heuristic approaches to exploit the scheduling flexibility of demands. Our numerical results reveal that the proposed solution approach outperforms state-of-the art methods by up to 70% in terms of accepted traffic.
Measuring the Costs and Trade Effects of Phytosanitary Protocols: A U.S.–Japanese Apple Example

This article investigates the trade impact of Japan's decision in 2005 to revise its phytosanitary protocol for fire blight for U.S. apple imports but retain its codling moth protocol. The analysis presents a participation model to measure the economic costs of phytosanitary barriers to trade. The model provides an explicit cost of the phytosanitary barriers in terms of the structure of the protocols, an important advantage over the price-wedge methodology. This makes it possible to separate the economic costs of various protocols—in this case, the fire blight and codling moth protocols. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Firm Size and the Nature of Innovation within Industries: The Case of Process and Product R&D

The effect of firm size on the allocation of R&D effort between process and product innovation is examined. It is hypothesized that, relative to product innovations, process innovations are less saleable in disembodied form and spawn less growth. This implies that the returns to process R&D will depend more on the firm's output at the time it conducts its R&D than the returns to product R&D. Incorporating this distinction in a simple model, the authors derive and test predictions about how the fraction of R&D devoted to process innovation varies with firm size within industries. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.
Pacing of intermittent work during 31 hours.

ABSTRACTSubjects walked one hour out of every six on a self-paced treadmill, during two separate 31 hour test periods, carrying either a 15 or 30 kg pack. During the 31 hour period each subject walked for 6 one hour periods (or walked 4.8 km each period) without sleep during the intervening five hou
THE EFFECT OF CHILD CARE COSTS ON MARRIED WOMEN'S LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION

The effect of child-care costs on the probability that married women with children will participate in the labor market is examined. Child-care costs are estimated.using a generalized Tobit specification corrected for selection. Estimates of a structural probit model of labor-force participation provide evidence to support the prediction that increased child-care costs lower the probability of participation. It is also shown that the lower rate of labor-force participation among mothers of preschoolers is entirely the result of the higher child-care costs faced by these women and endogeneity of the number of young children in the participation equation. Copyright 1992 by MIT Press.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY. TRENDS AND INFLUENCE FACTORS

Energy efficiency is correlated with many factors of influence: Gross National Income per capita, energy imports (% of energy use), renewable combustible and waste (% of total), energy use per capita, services as % of GDP and others. In this paper we are testing a model of piecewise linear regression with breakpoint in order to measure the influence of these factors on the variation of GDP per unit of energy use in Europe in the year 2003.
The Role of Ports in the Development of Mediterranean Islands

This paper examines the role of ports in the economy of Sardinia by means of the employment generated by port and port-related industries. The subject is important since Sardinia and other Mediterranean islands suff er from chronic unemployment and poor economic performance. The increase of the Europe-Asia commercial fl ows, the European Union enlargement and the renewed centrality of the Mediterranean have induced optimistic expectations on the development opportunities that may be created for the island communities by the maritime and port sectors. The employment generated by the maritime and port industry is an essential, although partial, measurement of the development impact of ports. Therefore its quantifi cation is indispensable in order to correctly estimate the impacts that a more central role of the Mediterranean might have on the local island economies. In the case of Sardinia, ports generate approximately three percent of the total island employment, and over eight percent on average of the employment of the single municipalities. This result adds to the vital role that ports have to play as transportation nodes and in creating value added.
On the endogeneous formation of secondary employment centers in a city

A new approach is proposed to explain the formation of secondary employment centers in a monocentric city. Specifically, a large firm considers locating a new plant in a city where none of the existing businesses has a significative share of the labor force, so that its location can be viewed as a secondary employment center. The choice of this location results from the interplay between the process of competition on both the labor and land markets and the technological externalities generated by the proximity of the city center where other firms are located.
Explaining the persistence of deviations from PPP: a non-linear Harrod-Balassa-Samuelson effect?

Researchers have long been vexed by the persistence of real exchange rate deviations from linear-form PPP. Two of the more popular explanations involve the role of supply shocks to the exchange rate, for instance as captured by the Harrod-Balassa-Samuelson (HBS) hypothesis that emphasizes the role of intra-economy productivity differentials, and non-linear adjustment dynamics reflecting, inter alia, non-trivial transaction costs and investor heterogeneity within the foreign exchange market. hese explanations are typically considered in isolation of one another. By contrast, this study explores whether a non-linear model that incorporates the HBS effect, as well as Terms of Trade shocks, can account for the persistence of deviations from PPP. Using quarterly data for three major exchange rates, it concludes in favour of a significant explanatory role for both variables within linear VECMs and non-linear ESTAR models. However, no strong evidence is found to suggest that these ESTAR models encompass their linear alternatives, implying that the economic benefit of modelling PPP deviations as a non-linear process is limited once account has been made of relevant supply shocks.
A `presidency-augmented' model of presidential success on House roll call votes.

Theory: A "presidency-augmented" model of presidential-congressional relations is compared to the "Congress-centered" model as explanations of variation in presidential success on roll call votes in the House. Hypotheses: (1) Presidents should win more on votes concerning 'on agenda' bills and bills they support than on "off agenda" bills or bills they oppose. (2) "On agenda" votes should receive more support from the president's congressional leaders than "off agenda" votes. (3) Compared to minority party presidents, a larger share of the bills on which majority party presidents take positions should be "on agenda" and be bills they support. (4) Party support for the president should be higher when congressional leaders support the president than when the leaders are divided or oppose the president. Methods: Probit and difference of means tests of roll call voting data collected from Congressional Quarterly. Results: Models that take presidential actions into account explain variations in presidential success better than the more simple "Congress-centered" model.
If Johnny Can't Work, Can Johnny Read Better?: Child Labor Laws, Labor Supply and Schooling Outcomes

The two most common state child labor restrictions are work permit requirements for teenagers and school dropout ages that are more stringent than federal requirements. If these laws are effectively targeted and enforced, children living in states legislating more stringent child labor laws should be less likely to work, should work fewer hours if they do work, and they should have better average schooling outcomes. Data show that stricter state laws do not lower significantly the likelihood that 14-15 year old youths work or the likelihood their hours exceed federal guidelines. Child labor laws do have small positive effects on academic outcomes. State work permit requirements modestly increase the likelihood of college entry while more stringent truancy laws increase marginally high school academic performance.
Radiation-tolerant Raman distributed temperature monitoring system for large nuclear infrastructures

Raman Distributed Temperature Sensors (RDTS) are attractive for the monitoring of large structures in nuclear power plants such as containment structures and coolant loop systems. We demonstrate the high radiation tolerance of a Raman distributed fiber optic temperature sensor, up to total gamma doses in excess of 300 kGy, using a double-ended configuration and commercially-available optical fibers.
The Future of the Sino-American Co-Dependency

The crisis of 2008 has shown the unsustainability of the global imbalances centered on the USChina symbiotic relationship that characterized the previous decade. This has revived the so-called growth-rebalancing debate. In particular, the new emerging consensus calls for a re-orientation of the US economy away from consumption and toward exports, and for policy shifts that can help China to reduce its dependence on external demand and inefficiently high rates of capital accumulation. In this essay, we discuss the economic and political feasibility of the proposed patterns of re-adjustment by focusing on the short- and long-term trade-offs faced by the policymakers. We argue that the rebalancing will be gradual and partial because of the costs associated with a radical shift in the growth strategies of both countries. We also believe that this scenario will be consistent with a world economy expanding at lower rates than in the past decade.
Augmented reality and home modifications: a tool to empower older adults in fall prevention

The ability for older adults to comprehend fall preventative home modifications is critical to achieve empowering outcomes. Existing design methods limit older individuals' ability to see their goals reflected in fall prevention practice and service. This inhibits compliancy with interventions, and fosters disempowerment. Augmented reality (AR) allows occupational therapists to walk-through and envision modifications with older adults, facilitating a two-way discussion according to the goals of older clients. This qualitative research assesses an AR tool with ten older adults. Results highlight that current fall prevention processes can diminish the role of older adults and discourage them from voicing their own design ideas. The use of an AR tool is promising in this process; as older adults understand the benefits when planning home modifications. The tool aids opportunities for participation and discussion. However, the balance of power between clinician and client regarding usage of the AR tool requires careful consideration.
The Problem of the Principal-Agent and Promotion Tournaments in Religious Organizations: Choosing the Pope

This paper shows an application of Promotion Tournaments to religious organizations, which is appropriate, especially in the case of highly ranked institutions such as the Catholic Church. With this objective, we seek to verify the suitability of the use Tournaments in religious organizations, regarding the optimal structure of contracts in order to select, as well as, to promote clerics. Two models are addressed, modified from the originals, through the inclusion of psychic income, both with two clerics with homogeneous skills. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the Tournaments applied to religious organizations, including its risks and distortions therein.
Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government: Central Banking and Systemic Risks in Capital Markets

On several occasions since 1970, the Federal Reserve has intervened to help prevent or delay the failure of a large individual commercial bank. It has typically not played a similar role with respect to smaller banks. Moreover, in three instances, the Federal Reserve has intervened to rescue capital market institutions other than banks. These actions have been criticized as inconsistent with the responsibilities of a central bank, which have traditionally been defined to include the maintenance of the monetary base (gold, currency, or bank reserves) and control over the growth rate of the money supply. The central bank has also been perceived as the ultimate source of liquidity for the financial system as a whole. Thus, in time of financial crises, the central bank was to be the "lender of last resort. " It should lend generously to other banks faced with a sudden public demand for liquidity although it should provide funds at a penalty interest rate. This traditional view of the central bank's last resort lending function is primarily the product of 19th century thinking in Great Britain. The term "lender of last resort" was apparently first used by Sir Francis Baring (1797) when he referred to the Bank of England as the "dernier resort," the source of liquidity for all banks in a period of crises. The first full treatment of the idea was provided by Henry Thornton in testimony before Parliament and in public speeches, but his comprehensive exposition of the last resort lending function appeared in 1802. However, when the subject arises among economists, the name that comes to mind most readily is that of Walter Bagehot. His definitive analysis and recommendations were presented in 1873 in Lombard Street.
A serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), drinking-to-cope motivation, and negative life events among college students.

OBJECTIVE This study was performed to examine whether a polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in the serotonin transporter gene was related to college students' reports of relief drinking (drinking-to-cope motives) and whether it moderated the associations between negative life events and drinking to cope. We examined reward drinking (drinking-to-enhance motives) as a comparison and to see whether these effects varied across gender. METHOD Using an Internet-based survey, college students (N = 360; 192 women) self-reported on drinking motives and negative life events for up to 4 years. Study participants provided saliva for genotyping the triallelic (LA vs LG or S) variants of 5-HTTLPR. RESULTS Among men, individuals with two risk alleles (LG or S), compared with individuals with the LA/LA allele, displayed lower drinking-to-cope motives. Among women, individuals with one risk allele (either LG or S), compared with individuals with the LA/LA allele, displayed stronger drinking-to-enhance motives. The association between yearly changes in negative life events and drinking-to-cope motives varied across 5-HTTLPR genotype and gender and was strongest in the positive direction for women with the LA/LA variant. CONCLUSIONS Our findings are not consistent with prior speculation that stronger positive associations between life stress and alcohol use among individuals with the LG or S allele are the result of increased use of alcohol as a method for coping with stress. The importance of examining gender differences in the relations between 5-HTTLPR, substance use, and related constructs is also noted.
Outlier, Measurement, and the Democracy-FDI Controversy

Choi (2009) offers a useful demonstration that Li and Resnick's (2003) analysis of the effect of regime type on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows is vulnerable to the impact of outliers. However, his first remedial method of controlling for outliers with a dummy variable leads to qualitatively the same findings of Li and Resnick. His second remedial method, a robust regression estimator, drops 80 observations and its result on democracy contradicts the finding from median regression. Choi claims that the origin of the outlier problem in Li and Resnick is the inappropriate operationalization of the concept: FDI inflows. Analysts should choose FDI/GDP over net FDI inflows. This research demonstrates how scholars often conflate the two measures conceptually and empirically. Fundamentally, FDI/GDP reflects a country's openness to or reliance on foreign capital whereas net FDI inflows indicate the amount of investment. Based on FDI/GDP, scholars cannot draw correct inferences about the impact of democracy on the amount of foreign investment. Hence, conclusions in several published studies have to be revised and corrected. One promising solution for outliers in FDI data is to log-transform net FDI inflows. This research has important implications not only for resolving the democracy-FDI controversy but also for studies of other causes of FDI flows.
Cause Information Extraction from Financial Articles Concerning Business Performance

We propose a method of extracting cause information from Japanese financial articles concerning business performance. Our method acquires cause information, e.g. “[See PDF] (zidousya no uriage ga koutyou: Sales of cars were good)”. Cause information is useful for investors in selecting companies to invest. Our method extracts cause information as a form of causal expression by using statistical information and initial clue expressions automatically. Our method can extract causal expressions without predetermined patterns or complex rules given by hand, and is expected to be applied to other tasks for acquiring phrases that have a particular meaning not limited to cause information. We compared our method with our previous one originally proposed for extracting phrases concerning traffic accident causes and experimental results showed that our new method outperforms our previous one.
Knowledge and Skills of Sexual Abuse Prevention: A Study on School-Aged Children in Beijing, China

ABSTRACT To examine the level of child sexual abuse prevention knowledge and skills in a sample of school-aged children, a total of 559 children from first to fifth grade were recruited from one primary school in Beijing, China. Participants were asked to finish a questionnaire surveying their knowledge and skills of child sexual abuse prevention. Results showed that accurate rate of knowledge on child sexual abuse prevention were between 44.0% and 80.0%. Percentage of participants having applied the self-protection skills of “saying ‘no,’” “going away,” and “telling adults” properly in hypothetical situations was 57.4%, 28.3%, and 48.3%, respectively. Third-to-fifth graders had a better performance than first-to-second graders, and girls performed better than boys. Findings suggest that Chinese school-aged children are in need of knowledge and skills related to child sexual abuse prevention, and education programs should be developed as soon as possible.
The effects of a collaborative model of primary care on the mortality and hospital use of community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND This study evaluates the ability of a model of collaborative primary care practice to reduce mortality and hospital use in community-dwelling elderly persons. METHODS Four rural and four urban clinic sites in east central Illinois were randomized to form treatment and comparison clinics from which patients were enrolled and followed prospectively for 2 years. Patients from the practices of participating physicians were eligible if they were aged 65 and older, were living in the community, and had at least one risk factor as determined prior to the study. Medicare hospital data were obtained from the Health Care Financing Administration. Demographic and health status measures were obtained by telephone interview every 12 months throughout the study. RESULTS The treatment group experienced a 49% reduction in all-cause mortality during the second year of the study (odds ratio, 0.51, 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.91, p = .02). There were no significant differences between treatment and comparison patients in percentage of persons hospitalized, hospital length of stay, or Medicare payments. Although measures of health status indicated that the treatment group was significantly sicker at baseline at the end of 1 year, these differences disappeared by the end of 2 years. CONCLUSIONS The collaborative primary care model evaluated in this study significantly reduced mortality in the second year, without increasing hospital use. These findings suggest that a collaborative primary care team that enhances primary care practice can result in better patient outcomes.
Diagnostic approach and management of cow's-milk protein allergy in infants and children: ESPGHAN GI Committee practical guidelines.

OBJECTIVES This guideline provides recommendations for the diagnosis and management of suspected cow's-milk protein allergy (CMPA) in Europe. It presents a practical approach with a diagnostic algorithm and is based on recently published evidence-based guidelines on CMPA. DIAGNOSIS If CMPA is suspected by history and examination, then strict allergen avoidance is initiated. In certain circumstances (eg, a clear history of immediate symptoms, a life-threatening reaction with a positive test for CMP-specific IgE), the diagnosis can be made without a milk challenge. In all other circumstances, a controlled oral food challenge (open or blind) under medical supervision is required to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of CMPA. TREATMENT In breast-fed infants, the mother should start a strict CMP-free diet. Non-breast-fed infants with confirmed CMPA should receive an extensively hydrolyzed protein-based formula with proven efficacy in appropriate clinical trials; amino acids-based formulae are reserved for certain situations. Soy protein formula, if tolerated, is an option beyond 6 months of age. Nutritional counseling and regular monitoring of growth are mandatory in all age groups requiring CMP exclusion. REEVALUATION: Patients should be reevaluated every 6 to 12 months to assess whether they have developed tolerance to CMP. This is achieved in >75% by 3 years of age and >90% by 6 years of age. Inappropriate or overly long dietary eliminations should be avoided. Such restrictions may impair the quality of life of both child and family, induce improper growth, and incur unnecessary health care costs.