Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Documents de Travail du Centre d ’ Economie de la Sorbonne Stability periods between financial crises : The role of macroeconomic fundamentals and crises management policies

The aim of this paper is to identify which factors explain why some countries are more prone to enjoy long durations of stability, while others experience crises in shorter intervals. To this end, we analyze the duration of stability periods between currency, debt, and banking crises from 1980 to 2008. We find that durations of tranquility between currency and debt crises are bimodally distributed, making conventional econometric models unsuitable. Therefore, we introduce an innovative econometric strategy, the Finite Mixture Model. Real and financial variables are found to have high predictive power for the spell of stability between currency crises, while for debt crises, the real interest rate is observed to be the best predictor. The time between the occurrence of systemic financial crises is prolonged through large-scale government interventions and IMF aid programs, while recapitalization turns out to have a negative impact. Code JEL. C14 C16 C41 G01 G18 H12 keywords:Financial crises, Finite mixture model, duration, bimodality. ∗We thank Professor Fabrizio Coricelli for his helpful comments and the participants of the Doctoral Seminar at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University of Paris1, of the Orleans Doctoral Development Days, of the Macro Ph.D. seminar at the PSE, of the Central Bank of Peru Research Seminar and of the Bi-annual meeting of the UP1 Doctoral School EPS. †University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris School of Economics and CERDI. Corresponding email address: Zorobabel.Bicaba@malix.univ-paris1.fr. ‡University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris School of Economics. Corresponding email address: Daniel.Kapp@malix.univ-paris1.fr. §University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris School of Economics. Corresponding email address: Francesco.Molteni@malix.univ-paris1.fr.
Effect of current flow on the membrane potential of cardiac muscle

Microcapillaries with an external tip diameter of 0 5p. (Ling & Gerard, 1949) can be inserted into single fibres of the cardiac syncytium and may be used to record resting and action potentials. The technique has so far been applied to the frog ventricle (Woodbury, Hecht & Christopherson, 1951) and to 'false tendons' of the dog and kid heart (Draper & Weidmann, 1951). The conductive system of the kid contains typical Purkinje fibres which are larger in diameter (40-lOOup.) than ordinary heart muscle fibres and which are only slightly contractile. In this preparation it is possible to insert two microelectrodes into the same fibre and to leave them intracellular for many minutes. Polarizing current can be applied through one electrode and the change in membrane potential -resulting from current flow recorded through the other electrode. The present paper contains an account of experiments designed to investigate the cardiac action potential by applying suitable pulses of current at various stages in the cardiac cycle.
Dixmier traces and some applications in non-commutative geometry

This is a discussion of recent progress in the theory of singular traces on ideals of compact operators, with emphasis on Dixmier traces and their applications in non-commutative geometry. The starting point is the book Non-commutative geometry by Alain Connes, which contains several open problems and motivations for their solutions. A distinctive feature of the exposition is a treatment of operator ideals in general semifinite von Neumann algebras. Although many of the results presented here have already appeared in the literature, new and improved proofs are given in some cases. The reader is referred to the table of contents below for an overview of the topics considered.
Integrins can collaborate with growth factors for phosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases and MAP kinase activation: roles of integrin aggregation and occupancy of receptors

Integrins mediate cell adhesion, migration, and a variety of signal transduction events. These integrin actions can overlap or even synergize with those of growth factors. We examined for mechanisms of collaboration or synergy between integrins and growth factors involving MAP kinases, which regulate many cellular functions. In cooperation with integrins, the growth factors EGF, PDGF-BB, and basic FGF each produced a marked, transient activation of the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) class of MAP kinase, but only if the integrins were both aggregated and occupied by ligand. Transmembrane accumulation of total tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, as well as nonsynergistic MAP kinase activation, could be induced by simple integrin aggregation, whereas enhanced transient accumulation of the EGF-receptor substrate eps8 required integrin aggregation and occupancy, as well as EGF treatment. Each type of growth factor receptor was itself induced to aggregate transiently by integrin ligand-coated beads in a process requiring both aggregation and occupancy of integrin receptors, but not the presence of growth factor ligand. Synergism was also observed between integrins and growth factors for triggering tyrosine phosphorylation of EGF, PDGF, and FGF receptors. This collaborative response also required both integrin aggregation and occupancy. These studies identify mechanisms in the signal transduction response to integrins and growth factors that require various combinations of integrin aggregation and ligands for integrin or growth factor receptors, providing opportunities for collaboration between these major regulatory systems.
Conflict at the Interface or the Janus Effect*

The Tenth Congress now being held is almost exaotly a decade after the incorporation of the College on the 28th October, 1963. The Memlbership then was 358 and today it stands a t 766. This growth of the College Membership has been paralleled by as gpeat an increase of its activities and their diversity. Whereas I confidently believe that increasing diversity of interest and growth of Membership will continue, I do not have any oonfidence in predicting what College pursuits will prove, in retrospect, to have been as valuable to the health and well-being of the populace we serve as they will have been to the strength and vitality of the College itself. As the history and sociology of medicine and its component organisations have shown, it would be mistaken to assume that those activities that have been of advantage to our College will be, at the same time, as beneficent to the community. Having been rather intimately involved in College affairs for the past two years what has impressed me has been the extent of its transaotions with organisations, not only the medical and other professions, lbut its involvement with governmental agencies a t both Federal and State levels, and its encounlters with numerous groups representing scientific and non-scientific interests. Whilst the College will constantly engage in the quest of its many stated objectives amongst which are the promotion of “the study of the science and art of psychiatry, and investigation and research in psychiatry, and ancillary sciences and branches of medicine, to bring together psychiatrists for their common benefit, and for scientific discussions, and to disseminate knowledge of the principles and art of psychiatry by such means as may be thought fit”, and “to confer, or correspond with any persons, or any association, society or body whether incorporated or not, in relation to any
Improvement of Superhydrophobicity of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Produced by Fluorination

In this work, we synthesized superhydrophobic coatings by chemical surface functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). This was accomplished through the radical polymerization of 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate modified MWCNTs and fluoro acrylate/methyl methacrylate. The chemical compositions and microstructures of the prepared MWCNT surface were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The wettability of the MWCNTs surface was determined through contact angle assessments in different liquids. The resulting surface exhibited a water contact angle of , which is clear evidence of its superhydrophobicity. The 3D MWCNT networks and the low surface energy of the -C-C- and -C-F- groups play important roles in creating the superhydrophobic surface of the MWCNTs.
Progress towards a more predictive model for hohlraum radiation drive and symmetry

For several years, we have been calculating the radiation drive in laser-heated gold hohlraums using flux-limited heat transport with a limiter of 0.15, tabulated values of local thermodynamic equilibrium gold opacity, and an approximate model for not in a local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) gold emissivity (DCA_2010). This model has been successful in predicting the radiation drive in vacuum hohlraums, but for gas-filled hohlraums used to drive capsule implosions, the model consistently predicts too much drive and capsule bang times earlier than measured. In this work, we introduce a new model that brings the calculated bang time into better agreement with the measured bang time. The new model employs (1) a numerical grid that is fully converged in space, energy, and time, (2) a modified approximate NLTE model that includes more physics and is in better agreement with more detailed offline emissivity models, and (3) a reduced flux limiter value of 0.03. We applied this model to gas-filled hohlraum experiments using high density carbon and plastic ablator capsules that had hohlraum He fill gas densities ranging from 0.06 to 1.6 mg/cc and hohlraum diameters of 5.75 or 6.72 mm. The new model predicts bang times to within ±100 ps for most experiments with low to intermediate fill densities (up to 0.85 mg/cc). This model predicts higher temperatures in the plasma than the old model and also predicts that at higher gas fill densities, a significant amount of inner beam laser energy escapes the hohlraum through the opposite laser entrance hole.
Undetermined impact of patient decision support interventions on healthcare costs and savings: systematic review

Objective To perform a systematic review of studies that assessed the potential of patient decision support interventions (decision aids) to generate savings. Design Systematic review. Data sources After registration with PROSPERO, we searched 12 databases, from inception to 15 March 2013, using relevant MeSH terms and text words. Included studies were assessed with Cochrane’s risk of bias method and Drummond’s quality checklist for economic studies. Per patient costs and projected savings associated with introducing patient decision support interventions were calculated, as well as absolute changes in treatment rates after implementation. Eligibility criteria Studies were included if they contained quantitative economic data, including savings, spending, costs, cost effectiveness analysis, cost benefit analysis, or resource utilization. We excluded studies that lacked quantitative data on savings, costs, monetary value, and/or resource utilization. Results After reviewing 1508 citations, we included seven studies with eight analyses. Of these seven studies, four analyses predicted system-wide savings, with two analyses from the same study. The predicted savings range from $8 (£5, €6) to $3068 (£1868, €2243) per patient. Larger savings accompanied reductions in treatment utilization rates. The impact on utilization rates was mixed. Authors used heterogeneous methods to allocate costs and calculate savings. Quality scores were low to moderate (median 4.5, range 0-8 out of 10), and risk of bias across the studies was moderate to high (3.5, range 3-6 out of 6), with studies predicting the most savings having the highest risk of bias. The range of issues identified in the studies included the relative absence of sensitivity analyses, the absence of incremental cost effectiveness ratios, and short time periods. Conclusion Although there is evidence to show that patients choose more conservative approaches when they become better informed, there is insufficient evidence, as yet, to be confident that the implementation of patient decision support interventions leads to system-wide savings. Further work—with sensitivity analyses, longer time horizons, and more contexts—is required to avoid premature or unrealistic expectations that could jeopardize implementation and lead to the loss of already proved benefits. Registration PROSPERO registration CRD42012003421.
wheel + ring = reel: the impact of route filtering on the stability of policy routing

BGP allows providers to express complex routing policies preserving high degrees of autonomy. However, unrestricted routing policies can adversely impact routing stability. A key concept to understand the interplay between autonomy and expressiveness on one side, and stability on the other side, is safety under filtering, i.e., guaranteed stability under autonomous usage of route filters. BGP route filters are used to selectively advertise specific routes to specific neighbors. We provide a necessary and sufficient condition for safety under filtering, filling the large gap between previously known necessary and sufficient conditions. Our characterization is based on the absence of a particular kind of dispute wheel, a structure involving circular dependencies among routing preferences. We exploit our result to show that networks admitting multiple stable states are provably unsafe under filtering. This is especially interesting from an operational point of view, since networks with multiple stable states actually happen in practice (BGP wedgies). Finally, we show that adding filters to an existing configuration may lead to oscillations even if the configuration is safe under any link failure. Unexpectedly, we find policy configurations where misconfigured filters can do more harm than network faults.
HIV-Infected Adults With a CD4 Cell Count Greater Than 500 Cells/mm3 on Long-Term Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Reach Same Mortality Rates as the General Population

Objective:To compare mortality rates in combination antiretroviral therapy (cART)-treated HIV-infected adults with mortality in the general population according to the level of CD4 cell count reached and the duration of exposure to cART. Methods:HIV-infected adults initiating a protease inhibitor-containing treatment between 1997 and 1999 were selected in the Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida et les hépatites virales (ANRS) APROCO and AQUITAINE cohorts. CD4 cell counts were estimated during follow-up using a 2-phase mixed linear model. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed in reference to the 2002 French population rates, overall and for the time period spent with a CD4 count ≥500 cells/mm3. To identify if and when mortality rates reached values of the general population, SMRs were computed successively with truncation at each year of follow-up. Results:The 2435 adults (77% men, baseline median age = 36 years, and baseline median CD4 count = 270 cells/mm3) had a median follow-up of 6.8 years. The SMR was 7.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.2 to 7.8). During the 5402 person-years spent with a CD4 count ≥500 cells/mm3, the mortality reached the level of the general population after the sixth year after cART initiation (SMR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.1 to 1.6). Conclusion:Although overall mortality was higher in cART-treated HIV-infected adults, a subgroup with especially good prognosis can be identified, and these characteristics should be targeted for long-term treatment.
Multidimensional data visualization: technical report no. DCSE/TR-2003-03

Multidimensional volumetric data are often used for storing information in various fields of science such as physics, astronomy etc. because they best match the character of the underlying phenomena. The information contained in such data is, however, usually very dense and thus difficult to understand without subsidiary tools. Proper visualization is definitely one of the most effective and crucial ones. Multidimensional data can be sorted according to various criteria. First, it is the domain, over which the data are defined, and which is usually two or three dimensional. Second, it is the dimension of the data values themselves, which is theoretically unlimited and depends on the application. Two or three dimensional vector fields can be encountered most frequently, but fields of quadratic tensors are also quite common. It is, however, necessary to realize, that the character of the data must be taken into account as well. Three dimensional vectors need to be treated in a different way than a set of three scalar values. The third important criterion is, whether the data vary in time. If so, they are usually called time dependent. Otherwise, we speak of time independent data. Such a variety of kinds of data implies even larger variety of visualization techniques. These may be again divided into categories according to various criteria. Obviously, the type of data to apply the particular technique to is the primary one. Among the secondary criteria e.g. the following aspects may belong; whether the approach focuses on the whole data set or just certain region, whether it visualizes t he actual data or some derived quantities (e.g. velocity magnitudes, gradients and other), whether it aims to be “photo-realistic” or not et cetera. This report aims to bring a summary of existing approaches that deal with multidimensional data visualization and to describe selected methods in detail. It should also introduce our previous work, which focused especially on isosurface extraction and gradient estimation, and present the goals of our future research.
Sensor-to-Symbol Reasoning for Embedded Intelligence

Sensor-to-symbol conversion lies at the heart of all embedded intelligent systems. The everyday world occupied by human stakeholders is dominated by objects that have symbolic labels. For an embedded intelligent system to operate in such a world it must also be able to segment its sensory stream into objects and label those objects appropriately. It is our position that development of a consistent and flexible sensor-to-symbol reasoning system (or architecture) is a key component of embedded intelligence.
Design for test features of the ARM clock control macro

The ability to apply a slow shift clock and an at-speed capture or functional clock is required to keep the average power down during test. A clock control macro (CCM) that can be attached to a PLL has been designed to meet the functional and structural test clocking needs of the Cortextrade-A8 microprocessor core. This includes a glitchless multiplexer, the ability to control separate clocks in isolation and the ability to switch between the reference clock and the PLL VCO clock. This clock control macro is different from previous ARM CCMs in that it has extra capability and it was coded to be synthesizable for reuse.
The spliced BZLF1 gene of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transactivates an early EBV promoter and induces the virus productive cycle

A spliced cDNA spanning the Epstein-Barr virus BZLF1 gene expresses the BZLF1 protein and is active in inducing the virus productive cycle. A deletion mutant which lacks the N-terminal half of the protein is inactive. Cotransfection experiments in EBV-negative B-lymphocyte cell lines demonstrated that the BZLF1 gene activates the promoter for the BSLF2 + BMLF1 gene in the absence of any other EBV gene product. These results confirmed that the spliced BZLF1 gene is the transactivating gene structure in BamHI-Z.
Surface Roughness in Incremental Sheet Metal Forming of AA5052

This paper presents the effect of forming parameters on the arithmetic mean surface roughness (Ra) of aluminum alloy built by a single-point incremental sheet metal forming process. Three investigated parameters are feed rate (12.5, 25 and 50 in/min), depth increment (0.015 and 0.030 in), and wall angle (45° and 60°). The results show that wall angle, depth increment and its interaction play an important role on the surface roughness, while feed rate has little effect. The optimal forming conditions for minimum surface roughness are feed rate of 25 in/min, depth increment of 0.015 in and wall angle of 45°.
Deformable Image Registration in the Analysis of Multiple Sclerosis

In medical image analysis, image registration is the task of finding corresponding features in two or more images, and using them to solve for the transformation that best aligns the images. Knowing the alignment allows information, such as landmarks and functional metrics, to be easily transferred between images, and allows them to be analyzed together. This dissertation focuses on the development of deformable image registration techniques for the analysis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease that damages the myelin sheath of nervous tissue. MS is known to affect the entire central nervous system (CNS), and can result in the loss of sensorimotor control, cognition, and vision. Hence, the four primary contributions of this dissertation are on the development and application of deformable image registration in the three areas of the CNS that are most currently studied for MS – the spinal cord, the retina, and the brain. First, for spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an approach is presented that uses deformable registration to provide atlas priors for automatic topologypreserving segmentation of the spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid. The method shows high accuracy and robustness when compared to manual raters, and allows spinal cord atrophy to be analyzed on large datasets without manual segmentations. Second, for spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging, a pipeline is presented that uses deformable registration to correct for susceptibility distortions in the images. The pipeline allows for accurate computation of spinal cord diffusion metrics, which are shown to be significantly correlated with clinical measures of sensorimotor function and disability levels. Third, for optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the retina, a deformable registration technique is presented that constrains the transformation to follow the OCT acquisition
Phase transitions in a complex network

We study a mean field model of a complex network, focusing on edge and triangle densities. Our first result is the derivation of a variational characterization of the entropy density, compatible with the infinite node limit. We then determine the optimizing graphs for small triangle density and a range of edge density, though we can only prove they are local, not global, maxima of the entropy density. With this assumption we then prove that the resulting entropy density must lose its analyticity in various regimes. In particular this implies the existence of a phase transition between distinct heterogeneous multipartite phases at low triangle density, and a phase transition between these phases and the disordered phase at high triangle density.