Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Did Socioeconomic Inequality in Self-Reported Health in Chile Fall after the Equity-Based Healthcare Reform of 2005? A Concentration Index Decomposition Analysis

Objective Chile, a South American country recently defined as a high-income nation, carried out a major healthcare system reform from 2005 onwards that aimed at reducing socioeconomic inequality in health. This study aimed to estimate income-related inequality in self-reported health status (SRHS) in 2000 and 2013, before and after the reform, for the entire adult Chilean population. Methods Using data on equivalized household income and adult SRHS from the 2000 and 2013 CASEN surveys (independent samples of 101 046 and 172 330 adult participants, respectively) we estimated Erreygers concentration indices (CIs) for above average SRHS for both years. We also decomposed the contribution of both “legitimate” standardizing variables (age and sex) and “illegitimate” variables (income, education, occupation, ethnicity, urban/rural, marital status, number of people living in the household, and healthcare entitlement). Results There was a significant concentration of above average SRHS favoring richer people in Chile in both years, which was less pronounced in 2013 than 2000 (Erreygers corrected CI 0.165 [Standard Error, SE 0.007] in 2000 and 0.047 [SE 0.008] in 2013). To help interpret the magnitude of this decline, adults in the richest fifth of households were 33% more likely than those in the poorest fifth to report above-average health in 2000, falling to 11% in 2013. In 2013, the contribution of illegitimate factors to income-related inequality in SRHS remained higher than the contribution of legitimate factors. Conclusions Income-related inequality in SRHS in Chile has fallen after the equity-based healthcare reform. Further research is needed to ascertain how far this fall in health inequality can be attributed to the 2005 healthcare reform as opposed to economic growth and other determinants of health that changed during the period.
Magic Words: How Language Augments Human Computation

Word power Of course, words aren't magic. Neither are sextants, compasses, maps, slide rules and all the other paraphernalia which have accreted around the basic biological brains of Homo sapiens . In the case of these other tools and props, however, it is transparently clear that they function so as either to carry out or to facilitate computational operations important to various human projects. The slide rule transforms complex mathematical problems (ones that would baffle or tax the unaided subject) into simple tasks of perceptual recognition. The map provides geographical information in a format well suited to aid complex planning and strategic military operations. The compass gathers and displays a kind of information that (most) unaided human subjects do not seem to command. These various tools and props thus act to generate information, or to store it, or to transform it, or some combination of the three. In so doing, they impact on our individual and collective problem-solving capacities in much the same dramatic ways as various software packages impact the performance of a simple PC. Public language, I shall argue, is just such a tool – it is a species of external artefact whose current adaptive value is partially constituted by its role in re-shaping the kinds of computational space that our biological brains must negotiate in order to solve certain types of problems, or to carry out certain complex projects. This computational role of language has been somewhat neglected (not un-noticed, but not rigorously pursued either) in recent cognitive science, due perhaps to a (quite proper) fascination with and concentration upon, that other obvious dimension: the role of language as an instrument of interpersonal communication.
Integrating information appliances into an interactive workspace

The authors present a robust, infrastructure-centric, and platform-independent approach to integrating information appliances into the iRoom, an interactive workspace. The Interactive Workspaces Project at Stanford explores new possibilities for people to work together in technology-rich spaces with computing and interaction devices on many different scales. It includes faculty and students from the areas of graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), networking, ubiquitous computing, and databases, and draws on previous work in all those areas. We design and experiment with multidevice, multiuser environments based on a new architecture that makes it easy to create and add new display and input devices, to move work of all kinds from one computing device to another, and to support and facilitate group interactions. In the same way that today's standard operating systems make it feasible to write single-workstation software that uses multiple devices and networked resources, we are constructing a higher level operating system for the world of ubiquitous computing. We combine research on infrastructure (ways of flexibly configuring and connecting devices, processes, and communication links) with research on HCI (ways of interacting with heterogeneous changing collections of devices with multiple modalities).
SPIRE : Scalable Processing of RFID Event Streams

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is gaining acceptance in an increasing number of applications for tracking and monitoring purposes. While RFID raises the potential to provide unprecedented visibility in various application domains, data management techniques that are capable of handling massive amounts of data generated by large RFID deployments are still lacking. The sheer volume of data generated in such deployments could easily overwhelm existing information systems. Moreover, the transformation from raw RFID readings into meaningful, actionable information in real-time poses another significant challenge. In this paper, we present the design of the SPIRE system that aims to manage enormous volumes of RFID data and provide fast data information transformation. In addition, we outline our research plan to refine this design and evaluate its performance in a simulated large-scale RFID supply chain scenario.
The Space-Weather Awareness Dialogue: Findings and Outlook

The mission of the JRC-IPSC is to provide research results and to support EU policy-makers in their effort towards global security and towards protection of European citizens from accidents, deliberate attacks, fraud and illegal actions against EU policies. Legal Notice Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of this publication. (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. Our modern technological infrastructures on the ground and in space are vulnerable to the effects of natural hazards. Of increasing concern are extreme space-weather events such as geomagnetic storms-a recurring natural hazard caused by solar activity-that can have serious impacts on space-or ground-based infrastructures such as electrical power grids, telecommunication, navigation, transport or banking. In view of the risk of catastrophic technological failure and the upcoming solar maximum expected in early 2013, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre together with the Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry organised a high-level 'Space-Weather Awareness Dialogue' in Brussels, Belgium, on 25-26 October 2011. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the potential impact of space weather on critical infrastructures in space and on the ground, to identify scientific, operational and policy challenges for reducing the risk to susceptible critical infrastructures and services, and to recommend concrete actions to better protect them. This should address the full disaster-management cycle, including prevention, preparedness and response. The Space-Weather Awareness Dialogue brought together about 70 high-level representatives from national organisations and authorities, international organisations with assets possibly affected by space weather, operators of critical infrastructures, academia, and European Union institutions. In the course of the discussions consensus was reached on the following points: • Space weather is a threat to our critical infrastructures that needs to be addressed. • The analysis of the space-weather threat to ground-based critical infrastructure (power grid, aviation, telecommunications, etc.) is of equal importance as the study of space-based infrastructures. • There is no central entity that takes the lead in the space-weather community. • The assessment of space-weather impact on critical infrastructures requires a multidisciplinary effort from all stakeholders (scientists, engineers, infrastructure operators, policy makers). • Ageing satellites that monitor space weather need to be replaced. • A framework for better structured communication between the stakeholders is required. • Open space-weather data sharing is necessary for improving …
Racing or spilling? : the determinants of research productivity in ethical drug discovery

This paper presents the results of a study of the determinants of research productivity in the pharmaceutical industry. Using disaggregated, internalfirm data at the research program level from ten major pharmaceutical companies, we find no evidence of increasing returns to scale at either the firm or the research program level. However our results suggest that there are three benefits to running research programs within the context of larger and more diversified R&D efforts: economies of scale arising from sharing fixed costs; economies of scope arising from the opportunity to exploit knowledge across program boundaries within the firm; and the enhanced ability to absorb internal and external spillovers. We alsofind that spillovers between firms may play a major role in increasing research productivity. The paper also speaks directly to the question offirm heterogeneity. A significant proportion of the 'firm effect" identified in previous studies can be explained by the slowly changing composition of the research portfolio, as well as by less easily measured aspects of innovative capability. Introduction While there is considerable agreement that economies of scale and scope in performing R&D and the magnitude of R&D spillovers may have important implications for research productivity, research to date has been far from conclusive. The theoretical literature is divided, for example, as to the effects that relative firm size or the presence of spillovers should have on incentives to undertake research (Dasgupta and Stiglitz (1980); Spence, (1984)), while empirical work has generated surprisingly inconclusive and sometimes contradictory results. (Cohen and Levin, (1989). ) Several observers have suggested that this is the result of a historical reliance upon aggregated data, combined with a failure to control adequately for firm or industry effects (Baldwin and Scott, (1987); Cohen and Levin, (1989)). In this paper we look inside the firm for evidence on the importance of scale, scope and spillovers for research productivity, using detailed, disaggregated, data at the level of the research program obtained from the internal records of ten major research-oriented pharmaceutical companies. The enriched understanding of the production technology of innovation which this research provides may help to resolve several debates in the economics of industrial organization. There are also implications for the theory of the firm. For example several scholars, notably Chandler (1990), have suggested that the presence of very large firms in modern capitalist economies is driven by the
Modification of Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm for Zero knowledge proof

There are networks and entity groupings that require entity authentication while preserving the privacy of the entity being authenticated. Zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) plays an important role in authentication without revealing secret information. Diffie-Hellman (D-H) key exchange algorithm was developed to exchange secret keys through unprotected channels. In this paper D-H algorithm has been modified into an interactive zero-knowledge proof protocol. The proposed protocol is designed to satisfy the zero-knowledge proof properties and resists the known attacks.
Moving Cast Shadows and the Perception of Relative Depth

We describe a number of visual illusions of motion in depth in which the motion of an object's cast shadow determines the perceived 3D motion of the object. The illusory percepts are phenomenally very strong. We analyze the information which cast shadow motion provides for the inference of 3D object motion and experimentally measure human observers' use of this information. The experimental results show that cast shadow information overrides a number of other strong perceptual constraints, including viewers' assumptions of constant object size and a general viewpoint. Moreover, they support the hypothesis that the human visual system incorporates a stationary light source constraint in the perceptual processing of shadow motion. The system imposes the constraint even when image information suggests a moving light source.
Error characterization and compensation in eye tracking systems

The development of systems that track the eye while allowing head movement is one of the most challenging objectives of gaze tracking researchers. Tracker accuracy decreases as the subject moves from the calibration position and is especially influenced by changes in depth with respect to the screen. In this paper, we demonstrate that the pattern of error produced due to user movement mainly depends on the system configuration and hardware element placement rather than the user. Thus, we suggest alternative calibration techniques for error reduction that compensate for the lack of accuracy due to subject movement. Using these techniques, we can achieve an error reduction of more than 50%.
Neuronal Plasticity in the Olfactory Bulb of Mothers

7 Introduction . 10 Preface: Plasticity in the Mammalian Brain . 10 The Transition into Motherhood – An Example of Naturally Occurring Plasticity . 11 Organization and Connectivity of the Olfactory System . 13 The OB: Cell Types and Synapses . 14 1: GCs as a Junction of Inputs . 17 2: GCs Continuously Undergo Neurogenesis throughout Adulthood . 17 Objectives . 21 Materials and Methods . 23 Animals . 23 Lentiviral Vectors . 23 Stereotaxic Injection of Lentivirus into the Stem Cell Niche . 24 Chronic Window Implantation over Both OBs . 24 Tissue Processing and Histology . 25 Two-Photon Imaging . 25 Confocal Microscopy . 27 Intrinsic-Signal Imaging . 27 Loose patch recordings of GCs . 28 Processing and Concatenation of Imaged Slices . 29 Data Analyses . 30 Statistics . 33 Results . 35 Chapter I: Granule Cell Activity is modified in Lactating Mothers Following Parturition . 35 Chapter II: Faster Maturation and Enhanced Synaptic Integration of Adult-Born Neurons in the Olfactory Bulb of Lactating Mothers . 47 Chapter III: Three-Dimensional Distribution Patterns of Adult-Born Neurons in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb . 59 Discussion . 66 The Temporal Activity of GCs is Modified in Mothers during both Spontaneous Conditions and Odor Presentation . 66 Possible Factors that Can Induce the Modified Activity of GCs in Mothers . 67 Odor Representations in the OB Might Change in Mothers Following Parturition . 68 Enhanced Integration of abGCs Can Result in an Increase in MC Inhibition in Mothers . 70 Factors that Can Regulate the Enhanced Integration of Adult-Born Neurons in Mothers . 72 Studying the Spatial Distribution of abGCs in Mothers . 73 References . 76 Hebrew Abstract . 89
The origin of ozone

Highest atmospheric ozone production rates can be found at around 30 km in the tropical stratosphere, lead- ing to ozone mixing ratios of about 10 ppmv. Those strato- spheric air masses are then transported to extra-tropical lat- itudes via the Brewer-Dobson circulation. This is consid- ered the main mechanism to generate mid- and high latitude ozone. By applying the climate-chemistry models E39/C and MAECHAM4/CHEM, this view is investigated in more detail. The origin of ozone in the troposphere and strato- sphere is analysed, by incorporating a diagnostics ("marked ozone origin tracers") into the models, which allows to iden- tify the origin of ozone. In most regions the simulated lo- cal ozone concentration is dominated by local ozone produc- tion, i.e. less than 50% of the ozone at higher latitudes of the stratosphere is produced in the tropics, which conflicts with the idea that the tropics are the global source for strato- spheric ozone. Although episodic stratospheric intrusions occur basically everywhere, the main ozone stratosphere-to- troposphere exchange is connected to exchange processes at the sub-tropical jet-stream. The simulated tropospheric in- flux of ozone amounts to 420 Tg per year, and originates in the Northern Hemisphere from the extra-tropical strato- sphere, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere a re-circulation of tropical tropospheric ozone contributes most to the influx of ozone into the troposphere. In the model E39/C, the up- per troposphere of both hemispheres is clearly dominated by tropical tropospheric ozone (40%-50%) except for north- ern summer hemisphere, where the tropospheric contribution (from the tropics as well as from the Northern Hemisphere) does not exceed 20%.
Men eat on Mars, Women on Venus?: An Empirical Study of Food-Images

Culinary preferences contribute significantly to the sense of ourself [2]. While gender, race, sexuality and ethnicity describe our "major identity", preferences in music, style and food define our "minor identity". However, we find that only certain parts of them can be explained by gender-specific differences in the food consumption behavior, while other parts can be better explained by the media portrayal of food consumption.
Bartenders as street-level bureaucrats: theorizing server practices in the nighttime economy

Abstract Most Western countries have laws that prohibit the serving of alcohol to intoxicated and underage patrons in nightlife venues such as pubs and nightclubs. Despite laws and the implementation of server training programs, several studies have shown that intoxicated patrons are still likely to be served. This think-piece article attempts to shed new light on the tendency among bartenders to overserve patrons. Based on a selective review of the literature, we argue that future research on bartenders is in need of theoretical development and guidance as well as more rigorous cross-national comparisons. We propose that Michael Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucrats can deepen our understanding of bartenders and their serving practices. Bartenders may be conceptualized as street-level bureaucrats whose jobs are characterized by continuous interactions with different citizens asking for their attention and services. We argue that, just like street-level bureaucrats, bartenders have to deal with numerous people and their demands, and must make swift decisions based on their own discretion. Bartenders are encouraged by their managers to sell as much as possible, but at the same time they are supposed to obey the law against overserving alcohol to intoxicated and underage patrons. Previous research provides many examples of how bartenders develop shortcuts and bend rules in order to make their jobs more manageable and deal with the contradictory pressures they experience. The paper provides theoretical tools to understand how and why bartenders develop routines that are different from those intended by policy makers.
A Genome-wide Survey of the Prevalence and Evolutionary Forces Acting on Human Nonsense Snps

Nonsense SNPs introduce premature termination codons into genes and can result in the absence of a gene product or in a truncated and potentially harmful protein, so they are often considered disadvantageous and are associated with disease susceptibility. As such, we might expect the disrupted allele to be rare and, in healthy people, observed only in a heterozygous state. However, some, like those in the CASP12 and ACTN3 genes, are known to be present at high frequencies and to occur often in a homozygous state and seem to have been advantageous in recent human evolution. To evaluate the selective forces acting on nonsense SNPs as a class, we have carried out a large-scale experimental survey of nonsense SNPs in the human genome by genotyping 805 of them (plus control synonymous SNPs) in 1,151 individuals from 56 worldwide populations. We identified 169 genes containing nonsense SNPs that were variable in our samples, of which 99 were found with both copies inactivated in at least one individual. We found that the sampled humans differ on average by 24 genes (out of about 20,000) because of these nonsense SNPs alone. As might be expected, nonsense SNPs as a class were found to be slightly disadvantageous over evolutionary timescales, but a few nevertheless showed signs of being possibly advantageous, as indicated by unusually high levels of population differentiation, long haplotypes, and/or high frequencies of derived alleles. This study underlines the extent of variation in gene content within humans and emphasizes the importance of understanding this type of variation.
Identifying Paraphrases between Technical and Lay Corpora

In previous work, we presented a preliminary study to identify paraphrases between technical and lay discourse types from medical corpora dedicated to the French language. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that the same kinds of paraphrases as for French can be detected between English technical and lay discourse types and report the adaptation of our method from French to English. Starting from the constitution of monolingual comparable corpora, we extract two kinds of paraphrases: paraphrases between nominalizations and verbal constructions and paraphrases between neo-classical compounds and modern-language phrases. We do this relying on morphological resources and a set of extraction rules we adapt from the original approach for French. Results show that paraphrases could be identified with a rather good precision, and that these types of paraphrase are relevant in the context of the opposition between technical and lay discourse types. These observations are consistent with the results obtained for French, which demonstrates the portability of the approach as well as the similarity of the two languages as regards the use of those kinds of expressions in technical and lay discourse types.
A parallel technique for storage defragmentation in cloud

We propose a cloud based storage defragmentation technique in this paper. The cloud based defragmentation technique exhibits parallel concept of defragmentation. The proposed cloud based defragmentation technique involves defragment storage with less time consumption. Time graph is used to analyse memory access time using cloud based defragmentation technique. The comparisons have been depicted in time graph.
Highly accurate boundary detection and grouping

In this work we address boundary detection and boundary grouping. We first pursue a learning-based approach to boundary detection. For this (i) we leverage appearance and context information by extracting descriptors around edgels and use them as features for classification, (ii) we use discriminative dimensionality reduction for efficiency and (iii) we use outlier-resilient boosting to deal with noise in the training set. We then introduce fractional-linear programming to optimize a grouping criterion that is expressed as a cost ratio. Our contributions are systematically evaluated on the Berkeley benchmark.