Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Introduction 5 1.2 the New Keynesian Model: Main Elements and Features 1.2.1.2 Evidence of Monetary Policy Non-neutralities

INTRODUCTION OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, monetary economics has been among the most fruitful research areas within macroeconomics. The efforts of many researchers to understand the relationship among monetary policy, inflation, and the business cycle have led to the development of a framework—the so called New Keynesian model—that is widely used for monetary policy analysis. The present monograph offers an overview of that framework and a discussion of its policy implications. The need for a framework that can help us understand the links between monetary policy and the aggregate performance of an economy seems self-evident. On the one hand, and in their condition as consumers, workers, or investors, citizens of modern societies have good reason to care about developments in inflation, employment, and other economy-wide variables, for those developments affect to an important degree their opportunities to maintain or improve their standard of living. On the other hand, monetary policy has an important role in shaping those macroeconomic developments, both at the national and supranational levels. Changes in interest rates have an influence on the valuation of financial assets and their expected returns, as well as on the consumption and investment decisions of households and firms. Those decisions can in turn have consequences for GDP growth, employment, and inflation. It is thus not surprising that the interest rate decisions made by the Fed, the ECB, or other prominent central banks around the world are given so much attention, not only by market analysts and the financial press, but also by the general public. It would thus seem important to understand how those interest rate decisions end up affecting the various measures of an economy's performance, both nominal and real. A key goal of monetary theory is to provide us with an account of the mechanisms through which those effects arise, that is, the transmission mechanism of monetary policy. Central banks do not change interest rates in an arbitrary or whimsical manner. Their decisions are meant to be purposeful, that is, they seek to attain certain objectives, while taking as given the constraints posed by the workings of a market economy, in which the vast majority of economic decisions are made in a decentralized manner by a large number of individuals and firms. Understanding what should be the objectives of monetary policy and how the latter should be conducted in order to attain those objectives constitutes another important aim of modern …
Design issues for distributed mobile social networks

Social networks and their applications have become extremely popular during the last years, mostly targeting users via the web. However, it has been recently observed an interest to offer social network services to mobile users. Telecom operators attempt to integrate existing social networks to their systems or develop new ones, in order to offer new services to their subscribers. Subsequently, emphasis is given to the user-context modeling, as well as to the integration of sources that leads to the summarized collection of information anchored to the user; such as its location or its mobile device type, etc. In this paper we discuss the most important factors and challenges encountered during the design of such a system on architectural, technological and tool level.
Resistant Starches Types 2 and 4 Have Differential Effects on the Composition of the Fecal Microbiota in Human Subjects

Background To systematically develop dietary strategies based on resistant starch (RS) that modulate the human gut microbiome, detailed in vivo studies that evaluate the effects of different forms of RS on the community structure and population dynamics of the gut microbiota are necessary. The aim of the present study was to gain a community wide perspective of the effects of RS types 2 (RS2) and 4 (RS4) on the fecal microbiota in human individuals. Methods and Findings Ten human subjects consumed crackers for three weeks each containing either RS2, RS4, or native starch in a double-blind, crossover design. Multiplex sequencing of 16S rRNA tags revealed that both types of RS induced several significant compositional alterations in the fecal microbial populations, with differential effects on community structure. RS4 but not RS2 induced phylum-level changes, significantly increasing Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes while decreasing Firmicutes. At the species level, the changes evoked by RS4 were increases in Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Parabacteroides distasonis, while RS2 significantly raised the proportions of Ruminococcus bromii and Eubacterium rectale when compared to RS4. The population shifts caused by RS4 were numerically substantial for several taxa, leading for example, to a ten-fold increase in bifidobacteria in three of the subjects, enriching them to 18–30% of the fecal microbial community. The responses to RS and their magnitudes varied between individuals, and they were reversible and tightly associated with the consumption of RS. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that RS2 and RS4 show functional differences in their effect on human fecal microbiota composition, indicating that the chemical structure of RS determines its accessibility by groups of colonic bacteria. The findings imply that specific bacterial populations could be selectively targeted by well designed functional carbohydrates, but the inter-subject variations in the response to RS indicates that such strategies might benefit from more personalized approaches.
A descriptive study of nurse-reported missed care in neonatal intensive care units.

AIMS The aims of this study are to describe: (1) the frequency of nurse-reported missed care in neonatal intensive care units; and (2) nurses' reports of factors contributing to missed care on their last shift worked. BACKGROUND Missed nursing care, or necessary care that is not delivered, is increasingly cited as a contributor to adverse patient outcomes. Previous studies highlight the frequency of missed nursing care in adult settings; the occurrence of missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units is unknown. DESIGN A descriptive analysis of neonatal nurses' self-reports of missed care using data collected through a cross-sectional web-based survey. METHODS A random sample of certified neonatal intensive care nurses in seven states was invited to participate in the survey in April 2012. Data were collected from nurses who provide direct patient care in a neonatal intensive care unit (n = 230). Descriptive statistics constituted the primary analytic approach. RESULTS Nurses reported missing a range of patient care activities on their last shift worked. Nurses most frequently missed rounds, oral care for ventilated infants, educating and involving parents in care and oral feedings. Hand hygiene, safety and physical assessment and medication administration were missed least often. The most common reasons for missed care included frequent interruptions, urgent patient situations and an unexpected rise in patient volume and/or acuity on the unit. CONCLUSION We find that basic nursing care in the neonatal intensive care unit is missed and that system factors may contribute to missed care in this setting.
Dorsal medullary pathways subserving oromotor reflexes in the rat: Implications for the central neural control of swallowing

Retrograde and anterograde axonal transport techniques were used to investigate the organization of inputs from the dorsomedial medulla, a region known to elicit patterned swallowing reflexes following focal stimulation, to the fifth (MoV), seventh (VII), tenth (nucleus ambiguus, NA), and twelfth (XII) cranial nerve motor nuclei in the rat, those motor nuclei most directly involved in the control of deglutition. The results may be summarized as follows. 1) Dorsal medullary inputs to MoV, VII, and XII arise primarily from an extended region of the caudal reticular formation immediately ventral to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), which we term the dorsal medullary reticular column (DMRC). Projections from the DMRC are largely bilateral and are distributed preferentially to the ventral subdivision of MoV, to the dorsal and intermediate subdivisions of VII, and to both the dorsal and the ventral subdivisions of XII. In addition, a subpopulation of large multipolar neurons embedded within the DMRC gives rise to a primarily crossed input to the dorsal subdivision of MoV. 2) Dorsal medullary inputs to the NA arise from the NTS, are largely uncrossed, and are organized such that the ventrolateral, intermediate, and interstitial subdivisions of the NTS project to the semicompact formation and to the rostral extension of the compact formation (which supplies the pharynx) and to the loose formation (larynx), whereas the central subdivision of the NTS provides input to the compact formation (esophagus). 3) Neither the NTS nor the DMRC gives rise to significant projections to the central subnucleus of the NTS. Together, these results provide evidence for discrete medullary pathways subserving sequential activation of swallowing reflexes. J. Comp. Neurol. 417:448–466, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Randomization in STM Contention Management ∗

The obstruction-free Dynamic Software Transactional Memory (DSTM) system of Herlihy et al. allows only one writing transaction at a time to access an object. Should a second require an object currently in use, acontention manager must determine which may proceed and which must wait or abort. In this case study, we consider the impact of randomization when applied to our “Karma” contention manager. Previous work has shown that Karma tends to be a good choice of managers for many applications. We analyze randomized Karma variants, using experimental results from a 16-processor SunFire machine and a variety of benchmarks. We conclude that randomizing either abortion decisions or gain can be highly effective in breaking up patterns of livelock, but that randomized backoff yields no inherent positive benefit.
Draft Genome Sequence of Legionella jamestowniensis Isolated from a Patient with Chronic Respiratory Disease

ABSTRACT Legionella jamestowniensis can be found in the environment in various water samples, in wet soil, and in compost facilities, but evidence of its human pathogenicity has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of an L. jamestowniensis isolate, derived from a patient suffering from a chronic respiratory disease.
Investigations into the Growth of GaN Nanowires by MOCVD Using Azidotrimethylsilane as Nitrogen Source

Gallium trichloride (GaCl3) and azidotrimethylsilane (CH3)3SiN3 were employed as alternatives gallium and nitrogen precursors respectively in the growth of GaN nanowires via a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. Au pre-deposition on Si (100) substrate was using as catalysis seed to grown of GaN nanowires. X-Ray, FE-SEM and AFM analyses reveal that nanowires grown at temperature 1050 C present morphology characteristic to model VLS. Scanning electron microscopy reveal a surface morphology made up of wurzite that suggests that wires growth involve a melting process. A nucleation and growth mechanism, involving the congruent melting clusters of precursor molecules on the hot substrate surface, is therefore invoked to explain these observations. We attributed the improved growth behavior to the nearer-to-equilibrium growth and may be close to local thermodynamic equilibrium.
p53-inducible DHRS3 Is an Endoplasmic Reticulum Protein Associated with Lipid Droplet Accumulation*

The transcription factor p53 plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis as it relates to cellular growth, proliferation, and metabolism. In an effort to identify novel p53 target genes, a microarray approach was utilized to identify DHRS3 (also known as retSDR1) as a robust candidate gene. DHRS3 is a highly conserved member of the short chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily with a reported role in lipid and retinoid metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that DHRS3 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that is shuttled to the ER via an N-terminal endoplasmic reticulum targeting signal. One important function of the ER is synthesis of neutral lipids that are packaged into lipid droplets whose biogenesis occurs from ER-derived membranes. DHRS3 is enriched at focal points of lipid droplet budding where it also localizes to the phospholipid monolayer of ER-derived lipid droplets. p53 promotes lipid droplet accumulation in a manner consistent with DHRS3 enrichment in the ER. As a p53 target gene, the observations of Dhrs3 location and potential function provide novel insight into an unexpected role for p53 in lipid droplet dynamics with implications in cancer cell metabolism and obesity.
Computational study of an excitable dendritic spine.

1. A compartmental model was employed to investigate the electrical behavior of a dendritic spine having excitable membrane at the spine head. Here we used the Hodgkin and Huxley equations to generate excitable membrane properties; in some cases the kinetics were modified to get a longer duration action potential. Passive membrane was assumed for both the spine stem and the dendritic shaft. Synaptic input was modeled as a transient conductance increase (alpha-function) that lies in series with a battery (that corresponds to an excitatory or inhibitory synaptic equilibrium potential). 2. Threshold conditions for an action potential at the spine head membrane were found to be sensitive to the membrane properties at the spine head and to the conductance loading provided by the spine stem and the dendritic tree. Increasing either the number or the open times of the excitable channels had the effect of lowering spike threshold voltage. Increasing the spine stem resistance (RSS) or increasing the input resistance at the spinal base (RSB) also lowered the spike threshold voltage. Because a preexisting dendritic depolarization reduced the spine stem current, this lowered the spike threshold voltage, and this threshold was also shown to be sensitive to the distribution of membrane potential along the dendrite. 3. For each set of spine and dendritic parameters, there was an optimal range of RSS values for which the excitable properties at the spine head membrane resulted in maximal amplification of the dendritic excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP), when compared with that produced by a corresponding passive spine. This optimal range depended (with nonlinear sensitivity) on the properties of the voltage-gated channels at the spine head membrane. The maximal amplification found (for each of several sets of parameters) ranged from two to thirteen times. 4. Near this optimal range of RSS values, there was maximal (nonlinear) sensitivity of the dendritic EPSP amplitude to small changes in RSS. A minor decrease resulted in a subthreshold response at the spine head, and this resulted in a large decrease in the EPSP amplitude at the spine base. Increasing the value of RSS above this optimal range decreased the amount of spine stem current flowing to the spine base (by Ohm's law); this decreased the EPSP amplitude at the spine base. The demonstration of this optimum agrees with earlier expectations and results. 5. Excitable dendritic spines can be seen to provide an anatomical arrangement that economizes both excitable and synaptic channels. A small number of these channels (located in spine head membrane) can produce a large dendritic depolarization. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Usual Care Physiotherapy During Acute Hospitalization in Subjects Admitted to the ICU: An Observational Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Physiotherapists play an important role in the provision of multidisciplinary team-based care in the ICU. No studies have reported usual care respiratory management or usual care on the wards following ICU discharge by these providers. This study aimed to investigate usual care physiotherapy for ICU subjects during acute hospitalization. METHODS: One hundred subjects were recruited for an observational study from a tertiary Australian ICU. The frequency and type of documented physiotherapist assessment and treatment were extracted retrospectively from medical records. RESULTS: The sample had median (interquartile range) APACHE II score of 17 (13–21) and was mostly male with a median (interquartile range) age of 61 (49–73) y. Physiotherapists reviewed 94% of subjects in the ICU (median of 5 [3–9] occasions, median stay of 4.3 [3–7] d) and 89% of subjects in acute wards (median of 6 [2–12] occasions, median stay of 13.3 [6–28] d). Positioning, ventilator lung hyperinflation, and suctioning were the most frequently performed respiratory care activities in the ICU. The time from ICU admission until ambulation from the bed with a physiotherapist had a median of 5 (3–8) d. The average ambulation distance per treatment had a median of 0 (0–60) m in the ICU and 44 (8–78) m in the acute wards. Adverse event rates were 3.5% in the ICU and 1.8% on the wards. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects received a higher frequency of physiotherapy in the ICU than on acute wards. Consensus is required to ensure consistency in data collection internationally to facilitate comparison of outcomes.
A method of diagnosing intramammary infection in dairy cows for large experiments

Summary Diagnosis of microbial infections in the udders of cows in commercial dairy farms for large experiments cannot be without error. Limitations of sampling method and routine prevent collection of the necessary information for sure diagnosis. However, with an organized method of repeated bacteriological examinations using consistent and proven methods of aseptic sampling the errors were shown to be very low. A method based on bacteriological tests on aseptic milk samples was used in 32 herds (approximately 2000 cows) for a 3-year period. This is described and examined in terms of other criteria to validate its use in experimental work. With this method it was not difficult to differentiate between those quarters which regularly shed pathogens and those which did not. Other evidence indicated that it was reasonable to assume that this classification accurately distinguished between infected and uninfected quarters. The errors using this method were quite small: when measuring the state of infection of all quarters in the herds the errors did not exceed 1 %. Some small modifications to the method described are suggested to improve further its diagnostic accuracy.
Quantum communications in the maritime environment

In this paper we describe research relating to the potential use of quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols for secure underwater communications. We briefly summarize the BB84 QKD protocol, its implementation and use in free-space applications, and then describe recent theoretical considerations of its use in the maritime domain. We also consider alternatives to QKD that offer security and bandwidth utilization advantages when applicable.
Hormesis: a fundamental concept in biology

This paper assesses the hormesis dose response concept, including its historical foundations, frequency, generality, quantitative features, mechanistic basis and biomedical, pharmaceutical and environmental health implications. The hormetic dose response is highly generalizable, being independent of biology model (i.e. common from plants to humans), level of biological organization (i.e. cell, organ and organism), endpoint, inducing agent and mechanism, providing the first general and quantitative description of plasticity. The hormetic dose response describes the limits to which integrative endpoints (e.g. cell proliferation, cell migration, growth patterns, tissue repair, aging processes, complex behaviors such as anxiety, learning, memory, and stress, preconditioning responses, and numerous adaptive responses) can be modulated (i.e., enhanced or diminished) by pharmaceutical, chemical and physical means. Thus, the hormesis concept is a fundamental concept in biology with a wide range of biological implications and biomedical applications.
Does Agriculture Responds Asymmetrically to Oil Price Change

This paper analyzes the impact of the rise and decline of the oil prices on the agricultural diesel prices, and interviews the reasons and effects. The results show that the rise of the oil price is the major factor that impacts on diesel price change, that is to say, the price of diesel oil price goes up with the rise of oil price, however, it does not fall with the decline of oil price in short term. Possible explanations for these results are offered. The most important one is that the monopoly market structure of agricultural diesel and oil is the main reason why the agricultural diesel price responds asymmetrically to oil price change. And it gives some advice to find out a way to cope with the inconsistency between agricultural production and the oil price.
Performance of a Four-Section Linear Induction Coil Launcher Prototype

To improve the pulse capacitor-powered linear induction electromagnetic launcher system kinetic energy conversion efficiency, and promote development in the large mass projectile, high-speed launch requirements, this paper establishes the multi-section linear induction electromagnetic launcher model. A multi-section linear induction launcher experiment platform was built and the test was carried out. According to the principles of the mesh-matrix method, a lumped parameter transient physical and numerical model for the analysis of the dynamic conditions was built. The simulation code was programmed by MATLAB for the capacitor-driven launcher. Simulating the coil launcher by the code, one can draw the three-phase voltages and currents of the drive coils and the voltages and currents rings of the projectile, temperature of the drive coils and the rings of the projectile with respect, curves of the acceleration, force, and position of the projectile. A four-section linear induction launcher experiment bench was designed and established. Pulsed capacitor bank was used as the energy stored components. Each phase has a Spark-gap switch which, when closed, connects its portion of the capacitor bank to the coils, initiating the ac oscillations. Central control system was build based on the chip of the digital signal processor TMS320F2812 and the PC was coordinated the normal operation of the system. Performance results for the linear induction launcher with four sections are summarized. The system used pulsed capacitor bank and coils to accelerate 320-g projectile intact up to a muzzle velocity of 392 m/s. This provides the foundation of the higher muzzle velocity coil launcher research in the next stage.
The Effects of Heat Treatments and Tungsten Additions on Microstructures and Tensile Properties of Powder Metallurgy Ti-48Al-2Nb-2Cr

The microstructures and tensile properties of a fully lamellar Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb, and two tungsten-modified versions, Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.5W and Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb-1.0W (atomic percent) are investigated. Gas atomized powders are consolidated by hot isostatic pressing followed by solution treatment and aging. The microstructures are characterized by optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy and mechanical properties are characterized by room temperature tensile testing. The solution heat treatment, combined with controlled cooling, generates relatively fine, fully lamellar grains. Tungsten reduces the propensity for martensitic gamma formation during cooling, and slows down lamellar coarsening as well as the formation of equiaxed gamma phase during aging. The aging treatment stabilizes the microstructure and, in the tungsten-modified alloys, causes beta phase precipitation at lamellar interfaces and grain boundaries. Both aging and tungsten additions increase the alloy strength and reduce ductility. The fracture morphologies of the alloys are similar and exhibit mixed-mode fracture consisting of inter- and intra-granular cracking, as well as inter-lamellar cracking.