Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wage Differentials Across Labor Markets and Workers: Does Cost of Living Matter?

Wage differential studies rarely account for interarea differences in cost of living, owing both to data limitations and theoretical ambiguity. This study develops a price index for 185 metropolitan areas comprising about 70% of the U.S. labor force. Current Population Survey data for 1985-95 and data on site-specific amenities are used to estimate earnings differentials based on nominal wages, wages fully adjusted for measured cost of living, and a simple approximation of "real" wages with partial adjustment for price-level differences. Dispersion in approximate real wages across 185 labor markets and differentials by region and city size are substantially lower than dispersion in nominal or full adjustment wages. Estimates of racial and ethnic differentials display moderate sensitivity to choice of a wage measure, whereas other standard differentials do not. Both nominal wages and wages fully adjusted for cost of living may provide misleading estimates of real wage differentials. Absent data on interarea prices and amenities, researchers should include detailed controls for region and city size in nominal wage equations. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.
A framework for specification-based class testing

Class testing is the base of object-oriented software testing. It involves three aspects: testing each method, testing the relations among class methods and testing the inheriting relation between class and subclass. Rather than concerning the whole class testing process, most specification-based class testing focuses on the methods of generating test cases from the class specification. As a result, the class testing process and test cases cannot be unified and managed in a consistent and convenient way. This paper introduces a test class framework (TCF) that is used to structure the test cases and test deriving process of the class under testing. This framework clearly denotes the process of deriving test cases and test suites from a class specification. It facilitates the construction and management of test cases. Object-Z notation is used to express the framework and class specification.
Quantum-dot cascade laser: proposal for an ultralow-threshold semiconductor laser

We propose a quantum-dot version of the quantum-well cascade laser of Faist et al., see Science, vol. 264, p. 553, 1994. The elimination of single phonon decays by the three-dimensional confinement implies a several order-of-magnitude reduction in the threshold current. The requirements on dot size (10-20 nm) and on dot density and uniformity [one coupled pair of dots per (200 nm/sup 3/) with 5% nonuniformity] are close to current technology.
The applicability of present estimation models to the context of mobile applications

The growing use of mobile technologies has shown different ways to access information and interact with other computer systems. Thus, the traditional information systems are undergoing a process of adaptation to this new computing environment. Thereafter, there is a need to reassess the current knowledge on the planning and development of systems in this new environment. One area in particular that demand such adaptation is the estimation software. The estimation processes, in general, are based on characteristics of the systems, trying to quantify the complexity of implementing them. Hence, the main objective of this paper is to present a proposal for an estimation model for mobile applications, and to debate about the applicability of the traditional estimation models on this environment. Throughout the paper we analyze existing methods of estimates, identify specific features of systems for mobile devices and finally an adaptation to be proposed for this area of an existing estimation method.
A Method for Separating the Physics from the Astrophysics of High-Redshift 21 Centimeter Fluctuations

Fluctuations in the 21 cm brightness from cosmic hydrogen at redshifts z ≳ 6 have their source in the primordial density perturbations from inflation, as well as the radiation from galaxies. We propose a method to separate these components based on the angular dependence of the 21 cm fluctuation power spectrum. Peculiar velocities increase the power spectrum by a factor of ~2 compared with density fluctuations alone and introduce an angular dependence in Fourier space. The resulting angular structure relative to the line of sight facilitates a simple separation of the power spectrum into several components, permitting an unambiguous determination of the primordial power spectrum of density fluctuations, and of the detailed properties of all astrophysical sources of 21 cm fluctuations. We also demonstrate that angular multipoles are not useful for measuring large-scale power, and thus, theoretical predictions should focus on the three-dimensional power spectrum of 21 cm fluctuations.
Fundamental ideas for a parallel computing course

In this note we analyze an introductory undergraduate (or early graduate) course that spans the spectrum of what we call parallel computing. Topics should include algorithms, interconnection network architectures, theory, and programming. The focus of the course should be on the undergraduate level, that is, it should make no unreasonable assumptions about student background, and it should build on top of the core CS courses, in particular data structures and fundamental algorithms. Some knowledge of machine organization is useful but not required. Even though the field of parallel processing is rather young, many of its fundamental ideas have been known for a long time in other fields. Recognizing this fact is essential to our approach, as we propose to teach parallelism using metaphors and knowledge with which students are familiar, either because they appear in real life or because they were learned in other courses. As a general aphorism we may say that the basic idea behind parallelism is to employ many resources to solve a particular problem. For this approach to work, it is necessary to break down the problem into subproblems of lesser complexity, allocating the resources needed to solve the subproblems, and combining the partial solutions into a global one. The subproblems may be independent or overlapping; depending on the situation, a different technique is employed. A closer look at algorithms developed over the last fifteen years on a variety of models and platforms reveals a set of ideas (basic techniques) that is used repeatedly. These ideas should be taught in any introductory course. We mention them in the following and suggest a context in which each one can be introduced, Divide and conquer is one of the fundamental paradigms in sequential computation that happens to be inherently parallel. In this technique, the subproblems are independent and can be solved without communication. The degree of concurrency to be achieved is bounded by the number of subproblems at hand. Divide and conquer can be introduced in the context of Eratosthenes’ prime sieve, or computing w, where partitioning is straightforward, or quicksort, which has a slightly more complicated partitioning. Interestingly, it is conceptually easier to understand quicksort in the context of parallelism than in the context of sequential recursion. Pipelining is a parallel technique every student knows because it has the assembly-line analogy in real life. This technique is appropriate when a large number of similar, time-dependent problems is to be solved (sometimes they are called tasks to be executed). Because of their dependency, they cannot be performed in parallel; however, each one can be broken into a sequence of subproblems/subtasks, which then can be performed in a pipelined fashion. The degree of concurrency is limited by the number of identifiable subproblems. Pipelining
Diagnostic and therapeutic approach to coexistent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea

The high prevalence of both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Western societies is well documented. However, OSA frequently remains unrecognized and untreated among patients with COPD. Patients with both conditions have a greater risk for fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events compared with patients with COPD or OSA alone. Efficacious treatment with continuous positive airway pressure reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with OSA. The aim of the present review is to discuss the diagnostic approach to patients with both conditions and to delineate the benefits of timely recognition and treatment of OSA in patients with COPD.
Endoscopic mucosal resection using a pure cut and hemoclip method for colonic nonpolypoid neoplasms.

BACKGROUND Colonic mucosal neoplastic lesions can be classified morphologically into polypoid and nonpolypoid types. The nonpolypoid type has a greater malignancy potential than does the polypoid type. Removing these lesions and obtaining an integral specimen for histopathologic assessment during colonoscopy are very important. This study evaluates the safety and integrity of specimens obtained by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) using the pure cut current and hemoclip method. METHODS Fourteen nonpolypoid colonic neoplasms, which were removed by EMR using the pure cut and hemoclip method between April 2001 and April 2002, were studied. There were 9 male and 4 female patients and the mean age was 57.8 +/- 15.5 (range, 32 - 80) years. EMR was conducted in cases where the lesions were diagnosed as neoplastic tumors by magnification colonoscopy and the indigo carmine dye spray method. RESULTS The study revealed 11 flat type neoplasms and 3 laterally spreading tumors. The mean size of the lesions was 10.7 +/- 5.6 (range, 6 - 25) mm. All lesions were completely removed. Histopathologically, there were 1 adenocarcinoma and 13 adenomas (3 with mild dysplasia, 7 with moderate dysplasia, and 3 with severe dysplasia). The mean number of hemoclips used was 2.14 +/- 0.66 (range, 1 - 3) pieces. No bleeding or perforation was noted following EMR. CONCLUSION EMR using the pure cut and hemoclip method is a useful means of obtaining an integral specimen for accurate pathologic assessment. This method provides a safe and minimally invasive technique for managing colonic non-polypoid lesions.
Clonal propagation and the fast generation of karyotype diversity: an in vitro Leishmania model

In the present work we studied the karyotype stability during long-term in vitro maintenance in 3 cloned strains of Leishmania (Viannia) peruviana, Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and a hybrid between both species. Only the L. (V.) peruviana strain showed an unstable karyotype, even after subcloning. Four chromosomes were studied in detail, each of them characterized by homologous chromosomes of different size (heteromorphy). Variations in chromosome patterns during in vitro maintenance were rapid and discrete, involving loss of heteromorphy or appearance of additional chromosome size variants. The resulting pattern was not the same according to experimental conditions (subinoculation rate or incubation temperature), and interestingly, this was associated with differences in growth behaviour of the respective parasites. No change in total ploidy of the cells was observed by flow cytometry. We discuss several mechanisms that might account for this variation of chromosome patterns, but we favour the occurrence of aneuploidy, caused by aberrant chromosome segregation during mitosis. Our results provide insight into the generation of karyotype diversity in natural conditions and highlight the relativity of the clone concept in parasitology.
The Development on a New Biomechatronic Prosthetic Hand Based on Under-actuated Mechanism

Based on under-actuated mechanism and coupling principle, a five-fingered, multi-sensory and biomechatronic prosthetic hand has been designed. The multi-DOF hand comprises 13 joints and is controlled by 3 motors. Actuated by only one motor, the thumb can move along a cone surface which is superior in the appearance. Also driven by one motor and transmitted by springs, the mid finger, the ring finger and the little finger can move simultaneously and envelop objects with complex shape. On the other hand, during the hand designation, the handsome appearance has been considered and its glove prototype has been designed. The hardware system and the sensory system have been developed. Through Bluetooth wireless protocol, the hand can be controlled by voice signal. Furthermore, it can also be controlled by electromyography (EMG) signal like most prosthetic hand in existence. It has been verified by experiments that the hand has strong capability of self-adaptation grasp and can accomplish precise and power grasp
Inexact subgradient methods over nonlinearly constrained networks

The minimization of nonlinearly constrained network flow problems can be performed by using approximate subgradient methods. The idea is to solve this kind of problem by means of primal-dual methods, given that the minimization of nonlinear network flow problems can be eciently done by exploiting the network structure. In this work it is proposed to solve the dual problem by using †subgradient methods, as the dual function is estimated by minimizing approximately a Lagrangian function, which includes the side constraints (non-network constraints) and is subject only to network constraints. Some well-known subgradient methods are modified in order to be used as †-subgradient methods and the convergence properties of these new methods are analyzed. Numerical results appear very promising and eective for this kind of problems.
Increased plasma concentrations of activin a predict intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm newborns.

BACKGROUND Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a major cause of neurologic disabilities in preterm newborns. We evaluated the use of plasma activin A concentrations to predict the development of perinatal IVH. METHODS We measured nucleated erythrocyte (NRBC) counts, plasma activin A, hypoxanthine (Hyp), and xanthine (Xan) in arterial blood samples obtained from 53 preterm infants during the first hour after birth. Cerebral ultrasound was performed within 48 h of birth and repeated at 5- or 6-day intervals until the age of 4 weeks. RESULTS Grade I or II IVH was detected during the first 10 days of life in 11 of 53 patients (21%). Activin A, Hyp, and Xan concentrations and NRBC counts were higher in preterm newborns who subsequently developed IVH than in those who did not (P<0.0001, except P=0.019 for Xan). Neonatal activin A was correlated (P<0.0001) with Hyp (r=0.95), Xan (r=0.90), and NRBC count (r=0.90) in newborns without later IVH and in those who developed IVH (Hyp, r=0.89, P=0.0002; Xan, r=0.95, P<0.0001; NRBC count, r=0.90, P=0.0002). At a cutoff of 0.8 microg/L activin A, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% [11 of 11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 71%-100%] and 93% (39 of 42; 95% CI, 81%-98%), and positive and negative predictive values were 79% (95% CI, 61%-100%) and 0% (95% CI, 0%-2%), respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.98. CONCLUSIONS Activin A concentrations at birth are increased in preterm newborns who later develop IVH and may be useful for early identification of infants with hypoxic-ischemic brain insults who are at high risk for IVH.
Zespół metaboliczny u dzieci i młodzieży

Zespol metaboliczny to schorzenie do niedawna opisywane wylącznie u osob doroslych. Wiele danych wskazuje jednak, ze moze on miec swoje podloze w zaburzeniach wystepujących w dziecinstwie. Gwaltowny wzrost liczby otylych dzieci spowodowal, ze coraz cześciej stwierdza sie u nich dyslipidemie, nadciśnienie tetnicze i zaburzenia tolerancji glukozy. Komponenty te wchodzą w sklad zespolu metabolicznego. Wyniki wielu badan wskazują na związek miedzy wystepowaniem tego zespolu w wieku rozwojowym a zwiekszonym ryzykiem chorob ukladu sercowo-naczyniowego w poźniejszym okresie zycia. W obliczu epidemii otylości wczesne zapobieganie, wykrywanie i leczenie zespolu metabolicznego jest wiec istotnym dzialaniem mogącym zmniejszyc ryzyko przedwczesnego rozwoju zmian miazdzycowych.
Information and Liquidity

We study how recognizability affects assets’ acceptability, or liquidity. Some assets, like U.S. currency, are readily accepted because sellers can easily recognize their value, unlike stock certificates, bonds or foreign currency, say. This idea is common in monetary economics, but previous models deliver equilibria where less recognizable assets are always accepted with positive probability, never probability 0. This is inconvenient when prices are determined through bargaining, which is difficult with private information. We construct models where agents reject outright assets that they cannot recognize, at least for some parameters. Thus, information frictions generate liquidity differences without overly complicating the analysis.
NPC multilevel multistring topology for large scale grid connected photovoltaic systems

Large scale photovoltaic energy conversion systems are currently stepping into the multi-megawatt range. Therefore high power multilevel converters are becoming an attractive alternative for this application. In this work, the two-level voltage source converter based multistring topology concept is extended and explored for the three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) converter. The split dc-link of the NPC enables the use of two series connected dc-buses, naturally doubling the voltage level of the system. Hence, less voltage step-up effort is required to reach medium voltage operation by the dc-dc stage or by the line side transformer. In addition, the system allows to connect as many strings to both dc-buses as permitted by the total power rating of the NPC, which is capable of concentrating a large PV farm into a single converter, power control system, line filter and transformer, with lower losses, size and cost than several two-level converters needed to handle the same power. In addition, the inherent superior output voltage waveforms of the NPC enables operation with lower switching frequency improving the efficiency of the system, and provides better power quality that complies with the more demanding grid codes at higher power levels.
Alternatives for the automotive industry to become an MVNO

Mobile services are evolving rapidly, moving from their conventional mobile voice to a wider portfolio such as Internet access, entertainment, health, and also location-based services. A wide range of on-board mobile services with very different requirements is also offered by automotive manufacturers. They rely on Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to offer the expected connectivity and QoS in markets worldwide. However, this solution is inflexible, offers limited network control, is highly dependent on the MNO coverage, and can incur costly roaming fees. These disadvantages can be overcome by the automotive manufacturer when owning a set of the mobile network components, which is referred in this paper as becoming a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). This approach is expected to allow the automotive manufacturers to increase potentially their network control, the coverage (e.g. by being more flexible to connect to different MNOs), and reduce connectivity costs. This paper proposes two different MVNO models, “Subscriber MVNO” and “Full MVNO”, which will be compared in terms of the required components and the allowed network and service control.
Modeling and Analysis of a Compliance Model and Rotational Precision for a Class of Remote Center Compliance Mechanisms

The remote center compliance (RCC) mechanism is of great use for practical designs, especially if a pure rotation about a virtual point is required. The analysis of compliance properties and rotational precision for RCC mechanisms are very important for mechanical design in applications where precision is required. This paper formulates an analytical method for the compliance and rotational precision calculations of a class of RCC mechanisms, combined in parallel with two round beam-based isosceles-trapezoidal flexural pivots. The analytical model of the mechanism is established based on the stiffness matrix method to directly obtain the compliance factors that completely define the elastic response of the mechanism. The rotational precision of the mechanism—That is, the position of rotation center—Is then derived using screw theory and a compliance matrix. The validity of this model is demonstrated using finite element analysis simulation and experimental tests. The results of both simulation and experiment verify that the analytical model has high accuracy and promising practical applications. Moreover, the influences of the geometry parameters on the compliance factors and the center shifts are also graphically evaluated and discussed using the analytical model. The results in this paper provide an effective configuration and analytical method for the design and optimization of RCC mechanisms, and are of great practical significance.
Amazon and the self

In his classic book on the information society Castells described the relationship between "the self and the net". The rise of Internet giants such as Google, Apple and Amazon, have been spectacular successes on an unprecedented scale. However, the relationship we have with these companies is characterized by ambiguity; on the one hand it is part of the daily life, such as searching for information or buying a book, through personalized and easy-to-use services. On the other hand, the dominant position of these actors raises concerns on privacy, and monopoly power. In this paper we try to make sense of these asymmetrical relationships, and propose a way forward to achieve a more balanced relationship. Our empirical framing is an investigation of the evolution of Amazon, through the years 1995-2013. We analyze the company at two levels, focusing at first on the individual interaction and then at the level of infrastructure. For the customers the infrastructure is not visible, although the aggregates of personal and behavioral information are the basis for the rich set of "individualized" interactions between customers and company. The basic asymmetry of the relationship cannot be solved at an individual level. We therefore call for a new kind of institution, and discuss some alternative strategies.
Introducing sensory and cognitive influences on satiation and satiety

The worldwide increase in incidence of overweight and obesity represents one of the biggest public health challenges of recent times. Statistics on obesity are startling: the proportion of the population in the United States who meet World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria for obesity have risen from around 7% in 1985 to 30% in 2015. In 2014, more than one in four people were obese in countries as diverse as New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Hungary and Chile. The WHO estimated that by 2014 39% of the world’s population met the criteria for overweight, and 13% were obese, with more people overweight than malnourished for the first time in recorded history. These statistics make understanding causes of weight gain an imperative. Weight gain is the consequence of storage of excess nutrients when there is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Thus when intake of sources of energy in the diet, primarily fat and carbohydrate, exceeds short-term energy needs (the sum of basal metabolism, thermogenesis and energy needed for exercise and cognitive activity), the excess is stored. Most of the excess is converted to body fat, either directly by processing of ingested fat or through