Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agricultural Distortion Patterns Since the 1950s: What Needs Explaining?

This paper summarizes a new database that sheds light on the impact of trade-related policy developments over the past half century on distortions to agricultural incentives and thus also to consumer prices for food in 75 countries spanning the per capita income spectrum. Price support policies of advanced economies hurt not only domestic consumers and exporters of other products but also foreign producers and traders of farm products, and they reduce national and global economic welfare. On the other hand, the governments of many developing countries have directly taxed their farmers over the past half-century, both directly (e.g., export taxes) and also indirectly via overvaluing their currency and restricting imports of manufactures. Thus the price incentives facing farmers in many developing countries have been depressed by both own-country and other countries' agricultural price and international trade policies. The authors summarize these and realted stylized facts that can be drawn from a new World Bank database that is worthy of the attention of political economy theorists, historians and econometricians. These indicators can be helpful in addressing such questions as the following: where is there still a policy bias against agricultural production? To what extent has there been overshooting in the sense that some developing-country food producers are now being protected from import competition along the lines of the examples of earlier-industrializing Europe and Japan? What are the political economy forces behind the more-successful reformers, and how do they compare with those in less-successful countries where major distortions in agricultural incentives remain? And what explains the pattern of distortions across not only countries but also industries and in the choice of support or tax instruments within the agricultural sector of each country?
Offshore Financial Centers in the Global Capital Network

Abstract Offshore financial centers are inextricably linked with the global flow of capital. Offshore financial centers encourage short-term investment by reducing market frictions. Lowered tax rates diminish the required expected gains from trading. This study employs data from the IMF’s Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey to create a network that is weighted, directed and dynamic based on the portfolio investment positions of 240 countries. The aim of this article is to examine the topology of the global capital network to identify the importance of the roles played by 17 offshore financial centers over the period 2001–2011–particularly in diffusing portfolio investment throughout the network. This article employs two generalized measures of node centrality: random walk centrality and counting betweenness. These algorithms uncover the findings that some of these offshore financial centers are only well connected to a narrow range of countries, but they all perform well in their roles as capital transmitters and are thus very important to the efficient flow of capital to productive end users. While this study reveals reduced influence of offshore finance over time, it suggests that offshore financial centers may be beneficial to global welfare.
Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Psychometrics and Associations With Child and Parent Variables.

OBJECTIVE The factor structure and validity of the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS; Crist & Napier-Phillips, 2001) were examined in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the original BPFAS five-factor model, the fit of each latent variable, and a rival one-factor model. None of the models was adequate, thus a categorical exploratory factor analysis (CEFA) was conducted. Correlations were used to examine relations between the BPFAS and concurrent variables of interest. RESULTS The CEFA identified an acceptable three-factor model. Correlational analyses indicated that feeding problems were positively related to parent-reported autism symptoms, behavior problems, sleep problems, and parenting stress, but largely unrelated to performance-based indices of autism symptom severity, language, and cognitive abilities, as well as child age. CONCLUSION These results provide evidence supporting the use of the identified BPFAS three-factor model for samples of young children with ASD.
IFRS 3 Business Combinations

as issued at 1 January 2012. Includes IFRSs with an effective date after 1 January 2012 but not the IFRSs they will replace. This extract has been prepared by IFRS Foundation staff and has not been approved by the IASB. For the requirements reference must be made to International Financial Reporting Standards. The objective of the IFRS is to enhance the relevance, reliability and comparability of the information that a reporting entity provides in its financial statements about a business combination and its effects. It does that by establishing principles and requirements for how an acquirer: (a) recognises and measures in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interest in the acquiree; (b) recognises and measures the goodwill acquired in the business combination or a gain from a bargain purchase; and (c) determines what information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business combination. An acquirer of a business recognises the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their acquisition-date fair values and discloses information that enables users to evaluate the nature and financial effects of the acquisition. A business combination must be accounted for by applying the acquisition method, unless it is a combination involving entities or businesses under common control. One of the parties to a business combination can always be identified as the acquirer, being the entity that obtains control of the other business (the acquiree). Formations of a joint venture or the acquisition of an asset or a group of assets that does not constitute a business are not business combinations. The IFRS establishes principles for recognising and measuring the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interest in the acquiree. Any classifications or designations made in recognising these items must be made in accordance with the contractual terms, economic conditions, acquirer's operating or accounting policies and other factors that exist at the acquisition date.
Seizure prediction using general regression neural network

Epilepsy is one of the common neurological disorders affecting the quality of life of patient and their families by making them panic about the forthcoming future seizure events and their effects in daily life. The recent seizure prediction studies showed that some prediction results are in, short and long duration EEG data, but still there is a need for developing a better, reliable seizure prediction algorithm which will be stable, fast enough and computationally less expensive, towards developing a portable seizure prediction system for helping the drug resistance and ‘brain surgery not possible’ people. In our study, we have done a novel research work by dividing EEG data in various sub-frequency bands of the signal from the originally recorded frequency using filters and extracted simple but robust and minimum ‘extraction time’ consuming features. We have used the proven machine learning algorithm, Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) for the grouping of the EEG files based on the extracted features into interictal or preictal. The classifier output is post-processed using a multi-threshold mechanism which will check whether the total output of the classifier is higher than or atleast equal to 55% of preictal cases and if so, then marks the EEG data file as preictal or otherwise interictal. In this study, we are able to determine that the seizure prediction may work better in different frequency bands for different patients.
Monetary policy in a dual currency environment

We develop a small open economy general equilibrium model with sticky prices and partial dollarization – a situation where both domestic and foreign currencies coexist. We derive a tractable representation of the model in terms of domestic inflation and the output gap in which a trade-off, which depends on the degree of dollarization, arises endogenously due to the presence of foreign interest rate shocks. We use this framework to show analytically how higher degrees of dollarization induce larger volatilities of the output gap and inflation, thus hampering a central bank’s effectiveness to stabilize the economy. Our impulse response functions show that the transmission of such shocks has a positive (negative) effect on inflation and negative (positive) effect on the output gap when money aggregates and consumption are complements (substitutes).
Analysis of a Novel P-Order Metric UWB Receiver Structure with Improved Performance in Multiple Access Interference

Two ultra-wide bandwidth receiver structures based on a p-order metric receiver decision statistic are investigated for the detection of time-hopping ultra-wide bandwidth wireless signals in multiple access interference channels. A receiver with adaptive metric order outperforms both the conventional matched Alter and the soft-limiting ultra-wide bandwidth receiver in multiple access interference. The second new receiver with adaptive metric order and adaptive limiting threshold achieves the best known performance of any ultra-wide bandwidth receivers employing a repetition code in all operating conditions. A new Rake receiver design based on the p-order metric receiver is proposed for signal detection in multipath channels. Mathematical analysis shows that this new Rake receiver can achieve larger signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio than the standard matched filter Rake receiver when multipath components are resolvable in UWB channels.
First-trimester growth and the risk of low birth weight.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between first-trimester size and birth weight. It is not known, however, whether low birth weight is related to first-trimester growth. We sought to determine whether the risk of low birth weight and birth weight that was low for gestational age is related to the size of the embryo or the fetus in the first trimester. METHODS From a data base of ultrasound records of more than 30,000 pregnancies, we identified women who had no important medical problems, a normal menstrual history, and a first-trimester ultrasound scan in which the crown-rump length of the embryo or fetus had been measured. We examined the relation between the outcome of 4229 pregnancies and the difference between the measured and the expected crown-rump length in the first trimester, expressed as equivalent days of growth. RESULTS A first-trimester crown-rump length that was two to six days smaller than expected was associated with an increased risk (as compared with a normal or slightly larger than expected crown-rump length) of a birth weight below 2500 g (relative risk, 1.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 2.4), a birth weight below 2500 g at term (relative risk, 2.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 3.8), a birth weight below the fifth percentile for gestational age (relative risk, 3.0; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.0 to 4.4), and delivery between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation (relative risk, 2.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 4.0), but not with delivery between 33 and 36 weeks (relative risk, 1.0; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.7 to 1.5). CONCLUSIONS Suboptimal first-trimester growth may be associated with low birth weight, low birth-weight percentile, and premature delivery.
Personal and Environmental Predictors of Depression Among Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Comparison of Immigrant and Israeli-Born Women

In the present study, ecological theory was used as a basis for predicting depression among women who survive intimate partner violence (IPV). The predictors examined in the study derived from three ecological systems: the microsystem (background variables and frequency of the violence), the ontogenic system (personal resources), and the mesosystem (support resources). One hundred twenty-five women who immigrated from the Former Soviet Union and 149 Israeli-born Jewish women filled in questionnaires when they entered shelters for victims of IPV. The research findings indicate that background variables, including immigration, did not contribute significantly to the women’s depression. Frequency of violence contributed slightly to depression, whereas the women’s sense of mastery and social support contributed most significantly. The results highlight the need to strengthen these resources when women are in shelters, and to conduct further research to determine whether these results also hold true for women who receive services for prevention of violence in the community.
Rifampicin-Resistance Mutations in the rpoB Gene in Bacillus velezensis CC09 have Pleiotropic Effects

Rifampicin resistance (Rifr) mutations in the RNA polymerase β subunit (rpoB) gene exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes as a result of their effects on the transcription machinery in prokaryotes. However, the differences in the effects of the mutations on the physiology and metabolism of the bacteria remain unknown. In this study, we isolated seven Rifr mutations in rpoB, including six single point mutations (H485Y, H485C, H485D, H485R, Q472R, and S490L) and one double point mutation (S490L/S617F) from vegetative cells of an endophytic strain, Bacillus velezensis CC09. Compared to the wild-type (WT) strain (CC09), the H485R and H485D mutants exhibited a higher degree of inhibition of Aspergillus niger spore germination, while the H485Y, S490L, Q472R, and S490L/S617F mutants exhibited a lower degree of inhibition due to their lower production of the antibiotic iturin A. These mutants all exhibited defective phenotypes in terms of pellicle formation, sporulation, and swarming motility. A hierarchical clustering analysis of the observed phenotypes indicated that the four mutations involving amino acid substitutions at H485 in RpoB belonged to the same cluster. In contrast, the S490L and Q472R mutations, as well as the WT strain, were in another cluster, indicating a functional connection between the mutations in B. velezensis and phenotypic changes. Our data suggest that Rifr mutations cannot only be used to study transcriptional regulation mechanisms, but can also serve as a tool to increase the production of bioactive metabolites in B. velezensis.
Retinal hypoxia in long-term diabetic cats.

PURPOSE To determine whether the retina is hypoxic in early stages of diabetic retinopathy in cats and to correlate intraretinal PO2 with fluorescein angiographic and histologic alterations. METHODS Intraretinal PO2 was measured with microelectrodes in three cats with long-standing diabetes (>6 years) that had been followed with fluorescein angiographs every 6 months. Average PO2 in the inner vascularized half of the retina was compared with similar measurements in 21 control animals. Photoreceptor oxygen consumption was also compared. The retinal vascular endothelium of the diabetic animals was stained for ADPase activity in flatmounts, and transverse sections were used to visualize microscopic alterations in vascular structure. RESULTS PO2 in the inner half of the retina was abnormally low in the diabetic cats, 7.7+/-5.2 mm Hg (35 penetrations in 3 cats) versus 16.4+/-9.3 mm Hg in normal cats (85 penetrations in 21 cats) (P << 0.001). Oxygenation was almost normal in some regions of the diabetic retinas, but little evidence of oxygen supply from the retinal circulation was observed in other regions. Inner retinal hypoxia was present in areas with no detectable capillary dropout in fluorescein angiograms or flatmounts. The worst changes histologically were microaneurysms, leukocyte and platelet plugging of aneurysms and venules, and degenerating endothelial cells in capillary walls. These histologic abnormalities were confined to small regions, some of which could be positively correlated with markedly abnormal PO2 profiles. Photoreceptor oxygen utilization was not affected in two diabetic cats, but was below normal in one animal in which choroidal PO2 was low. CONCLUSIONS This is the first direct demonstration of retinal hypoxia in early diabetic retinopathy, before capillary dropout was evident clinically. Hypoxia was correlated with endothelial cell death, leukocyte plugging of vessels, and microaneurysms.
Chloroplasts as a Nitric Oxide Cellular Source. Effect of Reactive Nitrogen Species on Chloroplastic Lipids and Proteins1

Nitric oxide (NO) generation by soybean (Glycine max var. ADM 4800) chloroplasts was studied as an endogenous product assessed by the electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping technique. Nitrite and l-arginine (Arg) are substrates for enzymatic activities considered to be the possible sources of NO in plants. Soybean chloroplasts showed a NO production of 3.2 ± 0.2 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein in the presence of 1 mm NaNO2. Inhibition of photosynthetic electron flow by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea resulted in a lower rate (1.21 ± 0.04 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein) of NO generation. Chloroplasts incubated with 1 mm Arg showed NO production of 0.76 ± 0.04 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein that was not affected either by omission of Ca2+ or by supplementation with Ca2+ and calmodulin to the incubation medium. This production was inhibited when chloroplasts were incubated in the presence of NO synthase inhibitors Nω-nitro-l-Arg methyl ester hydrochloride and Nω-nitro-l-Arg. In vitro exposure of chloroplasts to an NO donor (250 μm S-nitrosoglutathione) decreased lipid radical content in membranes by 29%; however, incubation in the presence of 25 μm peroxynitrite (ONOO−) led to an increase in lipid-derived radicals (34%). The effect of ONOO− on protein oxidation was determined by western blotting, showing an increase in carbonyl content either in stroma or thylakoid proteins as compared to controls. Moreover, ONOO− treatment significantly affected both O2 evolution and chlorophyll fluorescence in thylakoids. Data reported here suggest that NO is an endogenous metabolite in soybean chloroplasts and that reactive nitrogen species could exert either antioxidant or prooxidant effects on chloroplast macromolecules.
Quality, Nature, and Embeddedness: Some Theoretical Considerations in the Context of the Food Sector*

Abstract In this paper we analyze a turn to “quality” in both food production and consumption. We argue that quality in the food sector, as it is being asserted at the present time, is closely linked to nature and the local embeddedness of supply chains. We thus outline the broad contours of this shift and discuss the most appropriate theoretical approaches. We consider political economy, actor-network theory, and conventions theory and argue that, whereas political economy has proved useful in the analysis of globalization, it may prove less so in the examination of quality. We concentrate, therefore, upon actor-network theory and conventions theory and show that the former allows nature to be brought to the center of analytical attention but provides few tools for the analysis of quality, especially in the context of the food sector. Conventions theory, on the other hand, links together a range of aspects found in food supply chains and allows us to consider the establishment of quality as a system of negotiation between specific qualities. We illustrate possible uses of the approach through a brief consideration of food supply chains in Wales.
Thermal Characterization and Simulation of Packaged Medium Power Amplifier

Heat management is a key issue in packaged Microwave active devices and circuits. Estimating the amount of heat generated in the packaged device is important in order to work out a suitable scheme for thermal management. This paper presents thermal characterization of a packaged medium power amplifier (Pd~1.8 W) working in C-Band. Junction temperature of the MMICs inside the package has been estimated using simple heat flow concepts. The measured results have been validated by thermal simulation of the packaged MPA with a commercial CFD simulator. Simulated and measured results are within 3-5% showing effectiveness of the calculations.
A directed search method for test generation using a concurrent simulator

A description is given of the application of a concurrent fault simulator to automatic test vector generation. As faults are simulated in the fault simulator a cost function is simultaneously computed. A simple cost function is the distance (in terms of the number of gates and flip-flops) of a fault effect from a primary output. The input vector is then modified to reduce the cost function until a test is found. Experimental results are presented showing the effectiveness of this method in generating tests for combinational and sequential circuits. By defining suitable cost functions, it has been possible to generate: (1) initialization sequences; (2) tests for a group of faults; and (3) a test for a given fault. Even asynchronous sequential circuits can be handled by this approach. >
A 4GHz direct digital frequency synthesizer utilizing a nonlinear sine-weighted DAC in 90nm CMOS

A nonlinear sine-weighted digital-to-analog converter (DAC) can significantly reduces the power consumption and the complexity of direct digital frequency synthesizers (DDFSs). With the sine conversion implemented in the DAC, the phase-to-amplitude mapping (PAM) stage can be totally eliminated, thus drastically reduces the latency and increases the speed of the DDFS as the PAM stage is usually the speed bottleneck of a DDFS design. Utilizing quarter wave mapping technique, the simulated results of the DDFS with a 7-bit sine approximation using a modified binary-to-thermometer decoder, current switch and driver achieve a maximum spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of 53 dBc at low synthesized output and better than 44 dBc across the whole Nyquist range when clocked at 4 GHz. Designed and simulated in 90 nm CMOS, this monolithic DDFS has 6 clock cycle latency and consumes only 462 mW when operating at 4 G sample/s.