Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WORKING PAPER SERIES

In this paper we study the relationship between legislature size with respect to general government and welfare spending. According to the theory, legislature size has an indefinite effect on government spending because logrolling and transaction costs have canceling effects. Bicameralism is expected to have a negative effect because of the increased transaction cost of finding a viable majority in two houses with different constituencies. We use a cross-section of 75 countries over the period 1990-1998 controlling for some institutional features that differ among countries. We find that both legislature size and bicameralism do not have a significant effect on the two types of spending.
IS THIS ORBIT REALLY NECESSARY

Some years ago I made the unfortunate statement: “Orbit computation leaves nothing to be desired. Whenever a double star has been adequately measured—and not infrequently long before this stage has been reached—one or more orbits are certain to appear. ” I wish to amend this statement. In recent years I have become more and more convinced that orbit computation leaves a great deal to be desired. Too many orbits are being published that do not give us useful, reliable information. I have no wish to spoil the sport of those who prefer computing the orbit of a double star to solving crossword puzzles. But why publish such orbits, taking up space in astronomical periodicals that could be put to better use ? The situation is aggravated by the fact that publication is often unnecessarily verbose. Instead of simply the results of the computation and the means of judging their reliability, we are given in great detail the various steps leading to the final result. Why ? There are, in my opinion, two main kinds of orbit computation that fail to give information that is both useful and reliable : ( 1 ) recomputation of a definitive orbit and (2) computation of a premature orbit. In the first case the information, though reliable, is not useful ; in the second it is neither reliable nor useful. By “definitive” I mean an orbit based on reliable measures covering at least a full revolution. Even the best orbit is likely, in the long run, to show an increasing deviation between observed and computed positions. Clearly, the period is the only element responsible. It may be desirable to bring the orbit up to date by correcting the period, but it is quite unnecessary and a waste of time to recompute the orbit ; the changes in the other elements are bound to be insignificant. As an example I take Finsen’s orbit of A 111 AB = ADS 450. A recent observation gave : 1961.67, 174? 0, 0'. T3, while Finsen’s orbit gives for this epoch : 44°, 0'/08. The difference is, of course, much too large to be an error of observation, but on the other hand,
Ranking the performance of tennis players: an application to women’s professional tennis

Abstract Paired-comparison models have been previously used in the literature to assess the relative performance of tennis players over a given period of time. In this paper, I discuss how the rankings of tennis players can be modified to address variations in the importance of tennis tournaments, and concerns about under-participation over the tennis season. The methods are applied to the 2011 WTA season, where the WTA-ranked number one player Caroline Wozniacki was often criticized for not being the true top player. The alternative rankings proposed here indicate that Petra Kvitova was the top player in 2011, with Serena Williams a close second. These rankings do appear to perform better in predicting match probabilities in early 2012 than methods based on the official rankings.
Single laser beam-induced surface deformation on azobenzene polymer films

The surface deformation induced by a Gaussian laser beam on azobenzene polymer film reveals strong polarization dependence and establishes that an optical field component in the direction of the intensity gradient is essential for the deformation process. The experimental results allow us to infer the phase relationship between the surface relief gratings and the writing interference pattern.
Statistical mechanics and the partition of numbers I. The transition of liquid helium

The existing theory of ‘Bose-Einstein condensation’ is compared with some results obtained from the theory of partition of numbers. Two models are examined, one in which the energy levels are all equally spaced, the other being the perfect gas model. It is concluded that orthodox theory can be relied upon at very high and at very low temperatures, also that the condensation phenomenon is a real one, but that it is not correctly described by orthodox theory, the position of the transition temperature and the form of the specific heat anomaly both being given wrongly.
Locking conditions and stability properties for a semiconductor laser with external light injection

We present a theoretical and experimental investigation of injection locking of semiconductor lasers. The theoretical analysis takes into account the dependence of refractive index on the carrier density expressed by the linewidth enhancement factor α. Locking conditions and dynamic stability are analyzed. The nonzero value of α results in an increased locking bandwidth, where only part of the range corresponds to a dynamically stable state. Asymmetric characteristics are obtained for the locked power and phase as a function of frequency detuning between the master and slave laser. Outside the stable range, light injection gives rise to beat phenomena and intensity pulsations. The theoretical results were confirmed by experiments on 830 nm CSP lasers and 1.3 μm BH lasers. The experiments include the first measurements of locking bandwidth characteristics reported for 1.3 μm lasers. Power spectra are recorded under locked and near-locked conditions and compared with theory. The 1.3 μm lasers are found to have a better dynamic stability than 830 nm lasers. Even so, the stability problems may exclude the particular application of injection locking where phase modulation is generated for coherent transmission.
Structural and superconducting properties of Ca-doped MgB2 superconductors

A series of Ca-doped MgB2 superconducting compounds has been synthesized under high pressure and high temperature with a calcium source of Ca3B2N4. Their structure and superconducting properties have been investigated, revealing that the lattice parameters of a and c for the Ca-doped MgB2 are enlarged and the superconducting transition temperature Tc is suppressed from 37.8 K for pure MgB2 to 36.5 K for Mg0.92Ca0. 08B2 by the Ca doping. In addition to the main phase of the Ca-doped MgB2, the MgO and CaB6 phases have been observed with the MgO and CaB6 grains being of the size of several hundred nanometres and being embedded randomly in the MgB2 matrix. In comparison to the undoped MgB2, the rapid decrease in Jc observed in the Ca-doped samples is mainly due to the relatively large grain sizes of the second phases, which result in the poor connectivity between grain boundaries.
A new method to calculate the equivalent Mohr–Coulomb friction angle for cohesive and frictional materials

In this note, a new method to calculate the equivalent Mohr–Coulomb friction angle ϕ′mc for cohesive and frictional materials is presented. This method makes a transformation from the failure surface for cohesive materials to the failure surface for cohesionless materials and obtains ϕ′mc as well as the principal stress ratio σ′1/σ′3 for cohesionless materials in the transformed space first, then obtains ϕ′mc for cohesive materials by linking σ′1/σ′3 in the transformed space and in the original space. In the application example, an analytical solution of the invariant stress ratio L is derived from the failure function in the transformed space. The influence of the intermediate effective principal stress σ′2 is also demonstrated using the already calculated ϕ′mc. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High-Latitude Atmospheric Motion Vectors from Composite Satellite Data

AbstractAtmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) are derived from satellite-observed motions of clouds and water vapor features. They provide crucial information in regions void of conventional observations and contribute to forecaster diagnostics of meteorological conditions, as well as numerical weather prediction. AMVs derived from geostationary (GEO) satellite observations over the middle latitudes and tropics have been utilized operationally since the 1980s; AMVs over the polar regions derived from low‐earth (polar)‐orbiting (LEO) satellites have been utilized since the early 2000s. There still exists a gap in AMV coverage between these two sources in the latitude band poleward of 60° and equatorward of 70° (both hemispheres). To address this AMV gap, the use of a novel approach to create image sequences that consist of composites derived from a combination of LEO and GEO observations that extend into the deep middle latitudes is explored. Experiments are performed to determine whether the satellite composi.
A numerical method for solving the neutrino Boltzmann equation coupled to spherically symmetric stellar core collapse

We present a numerical method to solve the neutrino Boltzmann equation coupled to stellar core collapse and lepton conservation, with no approximations made to the neutrino scattering kernels. Spherical symmetry is assumed. Our finite differencing of the Boltzmann equation is similar to its finite difference representation in the discrete ordinates method, but our auxiliary equations relating the zone-center and zone-edge distribution functions are different. We also differ from the discrete ordinates method in the way we solve the finite differenced Boltzmann equation
Effects of various treatments for preventing oral mucositis in cancer patients: A network meta-analysis

Background Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in patients with cancers. The prevention or treatment of OM in cancer patients is crucial in the treatment of cancer. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for the randomized control trials (RCTs) of interventions for preventing and treating OM. Network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from both direct and indirect evidence. The prespecified primary efficacy outcome was the treatment effect of moderate to severe oral mucositis with 12 interventions. The outcome was moderate to a severe grade of OM. Results This study included 55 RCTs with 3,552 participants. The results showed that honey significantly lowered the risk of chemo/radiotherapy-induced moderate to severe oral mucositis than placebo (OR: 0.01, 95%CI 0.00 to 0.45), followed by lignocaine (OR: 0.07, 95%CI 0.00 to 0.95). The surface under cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values for honey were 0.95, followed by lignocaine (SUCRA, 0.81) and benzydamine (SUCRA, 0.78). Conclusions The honey is effective for patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis.
The Electromagnetic Shift of Energy Levels

than one-fortieth of a lifetime. This, together with the fact that the scattered radiation became immeasurable at approximately the same temperature as did persistence of radiation in the quartz cell, leads us to assume that reflection introduces no delay at any temperature. As an additional check on the behavior of the scattered radiation from the quartz cell in the region 150'C to 300'C, the alternating current method was employed in a somewhat different manner. The ratio, S, of the photo-current for negative and positive voltages on the grid of the photo-cell was approximately 0.28, and the persistence of the radiation reflected from the quartz-mercury vapor surface (persistence due only to B) resulted in more energy arriving at the photo-cell in the positive half-cycles than in the negative. Hence the reflected radiation a =a, &-'. In this test the phase of the voltage applied to the photo-cell was reversed with respect to that on the excitation cell, so that in the formula for R, S was replaced by 1/S, i.e. , R = 1 —a,(1+1/S) = 1 —4,57c,. Hence R =0, for the frequency for which a, =0.219. The frequency was then determined for which the photoelectric current was zero with the quartz cell at 300'C, at which temperature there was no measurable persistence in the quartz cell. Using this Frequency in the modified circuit, measurements of the photocurrent for different vapor pressures were made. The results are shown in Fig. 3 by curve D, the observed points being given by crosses. The scale of ordinates of D, shown at the right of the figure, is of course arbitrary and was adjusted to coincide with C at 1.50'C. The two curves are coincident within the precision of measurement. This result agrees with the conclusions that reflection was instantaneous for all pressures, and that the relation between the intensity of the absorbed and re-emitted (scattered) energy and the time which gave the limiting R fcurveof Fig. 7 remained unchanged at temperatures above 150'C. The authors take this opportunity to thank Professor L. J. Hayner for her assistance in this investigation.
Performance of probe-fed microstrip-patch element phased arrays

The performance trends for large phased arrays with probe-fed microstrip-patch elements are discussed, with primary consideration given to single-probe (unbalanced) feed for rectangular grid arrays with rectangular patch geometry. The effects of substrate thickness and permittivity, patch dimensions, and element spacing are examined. Pronounced surface- and leaky-wave effects that tend to limit the scan volume are found. Interaction between the patch resonance at broadside scan and the leaky-wave resonances leads to an E-plane scan-bandwidth tradeoff. In the H-plane scan a transverse electric (TE)-type guided wave resonance is found that becomes pronounced when the H-plane dimension is a large fraction of the H-plane element spacing. This leads to a limitation of the H-plane patch dimension in the rectangular grid arrays. An element design procedure is proposed and illustrated for an element suitable for wide-angle scan over a +or-5% frequency band. >
Hydrodynamic limit of Wigner-Poisson kinetic theory: Revisited

In this paper, we revisit the hydrodynamic limit of the Langmuir wave dispersion relation based on the Wigner-Poisson model in connection with that obtained directly from the original Lindhard dielectric function based on the random-phase-approximation. It is observed that the (fourth-order) expansion of the exact Lindhard dielectric constant correctly reduces to the hydrodynamic dispersion relation with an additional term of fourth-order, beside that caused by the quantum diffraction effect. It is also revealed that the generalized Lindhard dielectric theory accounts for the recently discovered Shukla-Eliasson attractive potential (SEAP). However, the expansion of the exact Lindhard static dielectric function leads to a k4 term of different magnitude than that obtained from the linearized quantum hydrodynamics model. It is shown that a correction factor of 1/9 should be included in the term arising from the quantum Bohm potential of the momentum balance equation in fluid model in order for a correct plas.
Co-evolution of black holes and galaxies

One of the most intriguing discoveries of astrophysics in the last decade was to realize that the mass of galactic black holes is tightly correlated to the large scale properties of their host galaxy bulges. The main physical processes at work in shaping this relation is still not clear. One of the main path followed to provide additional constrains to theory is to determine the evolution of the black hole mass—galaxy relation with redshift. I will review in this talk the status in which we are currently standing. I will then report on recent results that we obtained with HST/NICMOS observations of low luminosity host galaxies of z>1 AGN. The quality of our data allows us to quantify the contribution of disks to the total stellar‐mass of our host galaxies. Our work suggest that the ratio between black‐hole mass and bulge stellar‐mass was already evolving in the last 9 Gyrs.
3. Statistical Models for Biomedical Research:RIP-GAMS AND CLASSIFICATION TREES IN QUANTITATIVE MRI

Our interest is the analysis of quantitative magnetic resonance image (MRI) data, most relevant in current human brain research. When generalized additive models (GAM) are fitted to such data, the backfitting algorithm of S-Plus tends to fail due to serial correlation and concurvity. To accommodate for condition problems of the system matrix we introduce the new concept of relaxed iterative projection generalized additive models (RIP-GAM). While the RIP algorithm (also in S-Plus) does not seem to run into numerical troubles for our data set, backfitting has slow or no convergence in some instances. In standard situations, however, both procedures give the same estimation results. Because little is known about the functional relationships between the quantitative MRI parameters such as mean diffusivity, magnetization transfer ratio or forward transfer rate and qualitative lesion-related (binary) variables from clinical MRI diagnostics, more exploratory evidence is required. Hence we fit GAMS and when necessary RIP-GAMS. In addition we apply classification trees for the validation of the selected variables. Even for a simple one-step lookahead procedure we obtain stable results which support the fitted GAMS. In conclusion, both nonparametric techniques are valuable tools for quantitative MRI research.
P-Down InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Wells Light-Emitting Diode Structure Grown by Metal-Organic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

An inverted or p-down InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQW) light-emitting diode (LED) structure is studied. The crystalline quality of the quantum wells is comparable to that of the n-down structure by using a Si or In co-doped GaN:Mg layer underneath the active layer. It was found that I–V characteristics can be improved by insertion of a tunnel layer, either a 3D growth GaN:Mg layer or an AlGaN/GaN superlattice layer. The feasibility of such a structure for practical application is also evaluated by luminescence measurement.
Comparison of extended x-ray absorption fine structure and Scherrer analysis of x-ray diffraction as methods for determining mean sizes of polydisperse nanoparticles

Curve fitting of extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, and Scherrer analysis of x-ray diffraction (XRD) are compared as methods for determining the mean crystallite size in polydisperse samples of platinum nanoparticles. By applying the techniques to mixtures of pure samples, it is found that EXAFS correctly determines the relative mean sizes of these polydisperse samples, while XRD tends to be weighted more toward the largest crystallites in the sample. Results for TEM are not clear cut, due to polycrystallinity and aggregation, but are consistent with the other results.
Paroxetine treatment in an animal model of depression improves sperm quality

Depression in mammals is known to be associated with poor reproductive capacity. In males, it has been associated with decreased efficiency of spermatogenesis as well as the production of spermatozoa of reduced structural and functional integrity. Although antidepressants are effective in correcting depressive states, there is controversy regarding their effectiveness in restoring male reproductive function. Here, using an animal model of depression induced by a forced swim test, we confirmed that depression is accompanied by impaired male reproductive function. We further show that administration of a conventional antidepressant of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor class (paroxetine) impairs male reproductive performance in terms of sperm production and quality when administered to healthy animals. Intriguingly, when paroxetine is administered to "depressed" animals, it resulted in a complete restoration of the animal’s ability to produce sperm that appears to be as capable of meeting the parameters evaluated here as those of control animals. The one-carbon cycle (1CC) is one of the most important metabolic cycles that include the methionine and folate cycles and plays a major role in DNA synthesis, amino acids, and also the production of antioxidants. Our results show that depression affects the main components of this cycle and paroxetine on healthy mice increases homocysteine levels, decreases glycine and vitamin B12, while in depressed mice, it increases folate levels and decreases vitamin B12. Thus, paroxetine exerts negative impacts on male reproductive function when administered to healthy animals and it well correlate with the altered sperm parameters and functions of depressed animals, and its mechanism remains to be explored.
Malignant transformation of testicular teratoma to primitive neuroectodermal tumor

Teratoma is a common germ cell tumor that affects young adult males. A small number of testicular teratomas have the potential for malignant transformation along endodermal, ectodermal, or mesodermal lines. The metastatic mixed germ cell tumor we reported consists of the primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) with mature teratoma. PNET is a highly aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis given its poor response to standard platinum-based chemotherapy. The primary treatment for PNET is surgical resection. Malignant transformation of teratoma to PNET is a rare phenomenon. Only a few cases of malignant transformation of teratomas to PNET are reported in the literature. Here, we present a rare case of PNET arising in a malignant mixed germ cell tumor in a 23-year-old male who underwent adjuvant adriamycin, cyclophosphamide (VAC) alternating with ifosfamide and etoposide (IE) chemotherapy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.
Four-body continuum-distorted-wave model for charge exchange between hydrogenlike projectiles and atoms

The four-body continuum-distorted-wave model is formulated and used to investigate single electron capture in fast collisions of hydrogenlike projectiles with one- and multi-electron targets. The presented method of an analytical calculation of scattering integrals yields the total cross sections in terms of four-dimensional numerical quadratures. As an illustration, total cross sections are computed for electron capture processes in He{sup +}-H, He{sup +}-He, and Li{sup 2+}-He collisions at intermediate and high impact energies. The contribution from the interelectron interaction during the collision is evaluated. The prior and post total cross sections are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental data.