Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Large Hoardings of International Reserves: Are They Worth It?

We empirically assess the contribution of international reserves vis- a -vis institutional variables in reducing the risk of a currency crisis. We find that the ratio of reserves to short-term debt is robust in explaining international crisis, even after controlling for financial development and political variables. Based on our estimates on crisis probabilities we compute the optimal level of reserves for a set of East Asian economies and for Chile. The results of this exercise turn out to be very sensitive to the data utilized and to the assumptions regarding the cost of a crisis. For our benchmark estimate we conclude that the current stocks of reserves for most of the cases are consistent with an optimal selfinsurance policy under reasonable assumptions regarding the cost of a crisis.
Periodic Versus Can-Order Policies for Coordinated Multi-Item Inventory Systems

The coordinated multi-item inventory problem refers to the problem of managing inventories where there is a joint fixed cost for replenishing plus an item-by-item fixed cost for each item included in the replenishment order. Given that the optimal solution is likely to be too complex, attention has focused on fixed heuristics, and in particular 'can-order' or s, c, S policies. This paper makes two contributions. First, a new lower bound on the cost of the optimal policy is proposed in order that the performance of heuristics may be measured. Second, motivated by the lower bound, a simple periodic policy is proposed and shown to be an improvement over 'can-order' policies for many data sets.
Device-to-Device Content Distribution in Cellular Networks: A User-Centric Collaborative Strategy

In this paper device-to-device (D2D) communication is proposed as a tool for enhancing the services provided by mobile cellular networks. The technique we discuss relies on the cooperation among the mobile users that participate in the service delivery process, under the control of the base station. In particular, the paper proposes an incentive mechanism encouraging terminals to organize into an optimal number of clusters from the point of view of both bandwidth capacity and power saving. The aspects inducing users to collaborate are analyzed and modelled, e.g., the amount of mobile battery power drained during collaboration, to better design incentives to switch to D2D. The proposed technique allows the base station to estimate the incentives to grant to the mobile terminals to optimize its cost. Through both analysis and simulations, we show that our scheme achieves a significant gain in terms of costs while increasing the bandwidth capacity of the whole cell.
Overcoming the Obstacles to Leadership

Lacey's high school needed her talent and skills. Located in an urban, working-class community, the school was struggling to serve all students well and had failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress for two years running. As a social studies teacher, Lacey had developed considerable skill in teaching with a project-based format during her four years in the classroom, and her students were making steady progress as a result. But the reach of her expertise was limited by her classroom walls. Teachers in her school were dedicated to their students, but not to one another's growth. Whatever they had learned over time—how to do project-based learning, how to facilitate classroom discussions, how to effectively use technology—remained largely private. No one asked; no one told. As a result, the school's instructional capacity remained static, no more than the sum of individual teachers' strengths and deficits.
Explaining the Variation in Reit Capital Structure: The Role of Asset Liquidation Value

We test the Shleifer-Vishny hypothesis that asset liquidation values influence both firm leverage and the choice of debt maturity. Using panel data on real estate investment trusts, we estimate a simultaneous equation model and find that firms specializing in the most (least) liquid assets use more (less) leverage and longer (shorter) maturities. The evidence also suggests that, for REITs, debt maturity and leverage are substitutes, consistent with the theory and predictions of Barclay, Marx and Smith.
A novel broadband AMC surface for lowering the height of planar antennas

A novel broadband artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface is proposed for lowering the height of planar antennas. By replacing the conventional perfect electric conductor (PEC) ground plane with the AMC surface, the height of planar antenna can be significantly reduced. Three planar antennas for LTE700/GSM900 base stations are investigated. The antenna height is lowered from 0. 263λ0.83GHz to 0. 083λ0.83GHz, (where λ0.83GHz is the wavelength in free space at the frequency 0.83 GHz). The height-lowered planar antennas maintain a wide bandwidth of, e.g., 38% for a linearly polarized antenna, 35% for a dual-polarized antenna, and 46% for a circularly polarized antenna. All these planar antennas above the AMC surface have a gain of higher than 7 dBi.
New Electoral Systems: What Voters Need to Know

The UK public is facing a spate of elections to be held under new voting systems: to the This study has been undertaken to explore how far voters understand the new electoral systems, to identify what information is needed to help voters to use the systems and to assess when, and in what form, such information is best conveyed. The new electoral systems are unfamiliar to most people, and various features are not self-evident or intuitively easy to grasp. Even the basic essentials of the way the systems work tend to appear complex, and are quite hard for some people to grasp. Voters will need more than a mechanical knowledge of how to cast their vote under the new systems. In particular, they will need information that enables them to understand at least the rudiments of the new systems and the way they work. The issues that need to be covered are to some extent system specific, although others are generic across the systems (eg. how votes translate into seats). Voters believe that the provision of high quality information will help them decide which way to vote, as well as encouraging more people to cast their ballot. Voters7 find it easier to understand the new electoral systems once the grounds for change are explained to them. Most voters are familiar with casting their ballot under First Past the Post (FPTP), and will need help in understanding why this is being replaced at some elections. While this information should include guidance on how FPTP operates-which many people do not fully understand-it should avoid overloading voters with material, nor should it be overly polemical; voters are suspicious of information that 'over sells' any new system. This poses difficult questions of balance for any education programme: between explaining clearly the rationale for electoral system change and the properties of the new system, while avoiding contentious statements that will deter some voters. There will also need to be other kinds of contextual information: details of the new institutions and their roles and powers: while the study found participants generally seemed at least vaguely aware of the new institutions, there was little details knowledge about their activities; details of the new electoral units; voters are usually familiar with being located in parliamentary constituencies, and will need information about any new units and their boundaries. However, voters should not be overloaded with information about the new …
A DEA study of the efficiency of 122 iron ore and coal ports and of 15/17 countries in 2005

This paper, using data envelopment analysis, assesses the efficiency of 122 iron ore and coal ports in 2005. Estimates for 54 loading and 68 unloading ports show that the main source of inefficiency in bulk terminals is related to the scale. Results aggregated at a country level demonstrate that the national efficiency can be achieved either through a limited number of large ports or by combining smaller ports with complementary characteristics—national network effect.
Crude protein and essential amino acid requirements in chicks during the first week posthatch

1. This study examined optimal lysine and sulphur amino acid supply in the first week posthatch in broilers and the relationship between essential amino acids and dietary crude protein during the first week posthatch on performance at 7 d and through marketing. 2. The optimal supply during the 7 d posthatch using a 230 g/kg crude protein diet for sulphur amino acids was 9·1 and for lysine was 10·3-10·8 g/kg with maximal body weight (BW) or feed efficiency as the criteria. 3. Feeding diets with crude protein content ranging from 200 to 260 g/kg with either constant amounts of essential amino acids at different crude protein levels or constant ratios of essential amino acids to crude protein resulted in enhanced performance at 7 but not at 4 d with high protein intake and proportionally increased essential amino acids. 4. Performance on diets with crude protein ranging from 160 to 280 g/kg, with constant ratios of essential amino acid to crude protein, was much enhanced with the high crude protein diets at 7 d. All chicks were transferred to standard diets after 7 d and the BW advantage due to the balanced amino acid-high crude protein diet remained through marketing. 5. Thus increasing essential amino acids in a constant ratio to crude protein enhanced performance during the 7 d posthatch.
Shared measures to achieve shared outcomes: lessons from Central Appalachia

This paper introduces a wealth creation approach to development, and describes how the Central Appalachian Network has used an outcome-based measurement process to define and measure progress toward shared goals for seven forms of community wealth. The wealth creation approach to measurement leads to measures of outcome, not outputs, that have meaning within the context of the work of individual organizations and the network overall. Measurement applied consistently across a network of independent organizations seeking to build wealth creation value chains creates shared language and understanding, and improves capacity to target resources where they can have the greatest impact to create constructive change in their region and communities.
Inferiority complex or competitive success: An analysis on the national identity of Turkish product design practice

keywords abstract The paper discusses the evaluation of globalization and the national identity in terms of its effects on design discourse. With the established theoretical framework, the special focus is put on the analysis of the national identity of Turkish design that is mostly based on traditional values. In the study, literature review and discourse analysis are applied as methods of inquiry in exploring how designers represent culture and construct a Turkish design identity in their works. Based on the analysis, the following discussion is raised; if cultural representation of design is a need of competitive success in a globalized market or a result of an inferiority complex inherited from anachronism for many years.
To Insure or not to Insure? Considerations on Irrational Strategies to Take Out Insurance

In earlier work by Slovic et al. (Journal of Risk and Insurance, 1977 pp. 237–258) studying insurance decisions under laboratory conditions, subjects showed a clear and repeated preference to purchase insurance against high-probability, low-loss events rather than the opposite. This result comes as a surprise as the primary objects for insurance are most commonly risks with some large loss potential but occurring only rarely. In subsequent studies, the reported effect was somewhat reduced but a convincing explanation for this odd behavior was not offered. The present study analyses preceding work with respect to its research design and presents an alternative problem solution.
Time-variable parameter and trend estimation in non-stationary economic time series

The paper describes a general approach to the modelling of nonlinear and nonstationary economic systems from time-series data. This method exploits recursive state space filtering and fixed interval smoothing algorithms to decompose the time-series into long term trend and short term small perturbational components, each of which are then modelled by linear stochastic models which may be characterised by time variable parameters. The approach is illustrated by an example which explores the relationship between the variations in quarterly GNP and Unemployment in the USA over the period 1948 to 1988 and questions previous claims about the changes in the slope of the long term trend in loge(GNP) over this same period. The paper also points out that the recursive approach to estimation facilitates the use of these methods in the development of adaptive forecasting and control systems.
Social media, mobile devices and sensors: Categorizing new techniques for health communication

While the advent of social media and online social networking is still relatively new, a rapid penetration of these technologies is being seen and their impact in relation to health communications is more recently also being considered. In relation to health in particular, these social media communications systems can also be considered to gain extended capabilities and impact when used atop and interacting with mobile devices and sensors. In this paper we introduce a framework to categorize and analyze the emerging types of health-related social media interactions and communications and consider how the techniques fit within this broader framework for healthcare applications of social media.
DECENTRALIZED MULTIECHELON INVENTORY CONTROL

This paper considers a model for decentralized control of an inventory system consisting of 1 central warehouse and a number of retailers. The cost structure includes holding costs at both echelons and shortage costs proportional to the time until delivery at the retailers. We analyze a procedure for coordinated but still decentralized control of the system. The procedure is based on a simple approximation, in which the stochastic lead times perceived by the retailers are replaced by their correct averages. The approximation enables us to decompose the considered multiechelon inventory problem into a number of single echelon problems, 1 for each installation. The information about how a certain decision at the warehouse affects the retailers is conveyed through the marginal cost increase with respect to a change of the expected lead time. This information about the retailer costs is used as a shortage cost at the warehouse. We show that a coordination procedure based on this information can be used for finding near‐optimal reorder points for the system and provide bounds for the approximation errors.
The Institutional Structure of Housing and the Sub-prime Crisis: An Australian Case Study

The global financial crisis was both precipitated by and had major effects on the performance of housing markets around the world. Australia was one of the few Western countries where the housing market was barely affected. There was a slight hiccup and then borrowing, construction and house price inflation continued on its pre-crisis course. For a country that on the surface is very similar to the USA and which had one of the worst affected housing markets, what could explain the difference? This paper is a broad-ranging, reflexive study which draws on an institutional framework to explore some distinguishing characteristics of housing provision in Australia which explain the paradox of the relative stability of the Australian housing system simultaneous with deepening housing affordability problems.
Left Ventricular Regional Diastolic Dysfunction in Patients with First Myocardial Infarction Determined by Diastolic Motion of the Atrioventricular Plane

Motion of the left ventricular [left ventricle (LV)] atrioventricular (AV) plane has been used to assess systolic LV function. The method has not been used properly to assess diastolic function, especially after a first myocardial infarction (MI). The diastolic function was assessed in 47 previously healthy patients with a first MI assessed by echocardiographic diastolic motion of the LV AV plane. The motion of the AV plane was recorded at four different LV sites, that is, at the septal, anterior, lateral, and inferior walls. Two distinct phases of motion were noticed during diastole at all the sites: one at the early diastole caused by rapid filling of the LV and the other at late diastole during the atrial contraction. The contribution of left atrial contraction to LV filling at different LV sites was calculated by relating the magnitude of the motion caused by atrial contraction to the total diastolic AV plane motion at the respective sites. These left atrial contributions were regarded as the regional diastolic function of the respective LV sites. The global LV diastolic function was determined from the left atrial contribution to total AV plane motion from the above four sites. Patients with anterior MI had a significantly lower ejection fraction than those with inferior MI (41% and 49%, respectively; P < 0.01). Compared with age‐matched healthy subjects, the regional atrial contribution to diastolic filling was significantly higher at the anterior wall in anterior MI (38% and 52%, respectively; P < 0.001) and at the inferior wall in inferior MI (43% and 53%, respectively; P < 0.01). The atrial contribution to global LV filling was increased in anterior MI (48% compared with 42% in healthy subjects; P < 0.05) but not in inferior MI. These findings suggest that the diastolic AV plane displacement (AVPD) may be used to assess both the regional and the global diastolic function in patients following an MI.
The Marginal Costs of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Estimates of the marginal costs of greenhouse gas emissions are an important input to the decision how much society would want to spend on greenhouse gas emission reduction. Marginal cost estimates in the literature range between $5 and $25 per tonne of carbon. Using similar assumptions, the FUND model finds marginal costs of $9 23/tC, depending on the discount rate. If the aggregation of impacts over countries accounts for inequalities in income of 3. Marginal costs per region are an order of magnitude smaller than global marginal costs. The ratios between the marginal costs of CO2 and those of CH4 and N2O are roughly equal to the global warming potentials of these gases. The uncertainty about the marginal costs is large and right-skewed. The expected value of the marginal costs lies about 35% above the best guess, the 95-percentile about 250%.
México´s Industrial Engine of Growth: Cointegration and Causality

THE PRESENT STUDY APPLIES THE TECHNIQUES OF COINTEGRATION AND GRANGER CAUSALITY TO EXAMINE THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AND OVERALL ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE MEXICAN ECONOMY. THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN THE PAPER TRIES TO FIND SUPPORT IN MEXICO FOR THE KALDO´S ENGINE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH HYPOTHESIS.
User Guidance for Effective Query Interpretation in Natural Language Interfaces to Ontologies

Natural Language Interfaces typically support a restricted language and also have scopes and limitations that naive users are unaware of, resulting in errors when the users attempt to retrieve information from ontologies. To overcome this challenge, an auto-suggest feature is introduced into the querying process where users are guided through the querying process using interactive query construction system. Guiding users to formulate their queries, while providing them with an unconstrained (or almost unconstrained) way to query the ontology results in better interpretation of the query and ultimately lead to an effective search. The approach described in this paper is unobtrusive and subtly guides the users, so that they have a choice of either selecting from the suggestion list or typing in full. The user is not coerced into accepting system suggestions and can express himself using fragments or full sentences.
Divided Government in the American States: A Byproduct of Legislative Professionalism?

Since World War II, divided government has become increasingly common in the American states. A significant component of the increase is the deterioration of Republican fortunes in state legislatures: after the 1990 and 1992 elections, for example, only five state legislatures were controlled by the Republicans. I shall examine the hypothesis that the professionalization of state legislatures makes legislative service more attractive to Democratic candidates and less attractive to Republican candidates, because full-time legislative service is incompatible with another career, and Democrats, on average, have less lucrative career opportunities than Republicans. Statistical analysis of post-World War II legislative elections outside the South is consistent with the argument: other things being equal, every ten-thousand-dollar increase in real biennial legislative compensation is associated with approximately a 1% increase in Democratic legislators.
Growth Optimal Investment Strategy: The Impact of Reallocation Frequency and Heavy Tails

Abstract The strategy to maximize the long-term growth rate of final wealth (maximum expected log strategy, maximum geometric mean strategy, Kelly criterion) is based on probability theoretic underpinnings and has asymptotic optimality properties. This article reviews the allocation of wealth in a two-asset economy with one risky asset and a risk-free asset. It is also shown that the optimal fraction to be invested in the risky asset (i) depends on the length of the basic return period and (ii) is lower for heavy-tailed log returns than for light-tailed log returns.
Environmental responsibility in SMEs: does it deliver competitive advantage?

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can gain a competitive advantage and create sustainable business by adopting environmental good practices. However, the perceptions of SMEs and their approach to environmental improvements suggest that there are some fundamental misunderstandings and difficulties in achieving this in practice. A questionnaire-based study of SMEs and their responses to the current requirements of environmental good practice was carried out in South Yorkshire. Follow-up interviews and factory visits were also carried out. The study aimed to assess the ability of SMEs to create a competitive advantage by adopting environmental good practice and making environmental improvements to their business. The main findings were that most organizations surveyed believed environmental issues to be issues affecting their business. However, the meeting of these requirements was seen as a cost that was not transferable to customers in terms of added benefits and few organizations could show that it led to a competitive advantage. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
BMST coded PPM over free-space optical links with iterative receiver

Pulse position modulation (PPM) is widely employed in free-space optical (FSO) communication systems owing to its high power efficiency. Recently, a coding scheme called Block Markov superposition transmission (BMST) is proposed with a predictable performance lower bound and the ability to approach the Shannon limit. In this paper, we present the BMST coded PPM scheme with iterative receiver to improve the reliability over atmospheric turbulence channels. Based on analyzing an equivalent system, a lower bound on the bit-error-rate (BER) of the proposed scheme is presented. Extensive simulations are performed which show that: under a wide range of turbulence conditions, 1) the BER of the BMST-PPM system matches well with the corresponding lower bound in the low error rate region, implying the near-optimality of the iterative sliding-window detection/decoding algorithm; 2) the BMST-PPM scheme with iterative receiver outperforms that with non-iterative receiver; and 3) the BMST-PPM system approaches the Shannon limit in the waterfall region of the BER performance curve.