Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Job Search and Null Offers: A Model of Quantity Constrained Search

The model of search chosen for analysis here incorporates the possibility of unsuccessful search by assuming a probability of receiving a zero or 'null' offer. It is therefore a simple model of quantity constrained job search in which individuals learn about the quantity constraint they face during the course of search (the distribution of wages being assumed known). This sort of model is plausible if it is believed that labour markets are characterised by quantity rather than wage adjustment. It is also a model popular in empirical studies of labour market transition probabilities. In the next section the 'null' offer model of job search is outlined and the reservation wage for the case of learning about the null offer probability is derived. Since only an implicit expression is possible for the reservation wage section II presents the results of some numerical analysis conducted using the adaptive null offer model. The implications of learning for a model of labour market transition probabilities are also considered. In section III some further applications of the model are discussed and the results of the paper summarised.
Religion, Science, and Rationality

A fundamental debate has surfaced within the social-scientific study of religion. Though fueled by new, economic models of religious behavior, the debate finds its origins in a growing body of empirical findings. These findings challenge the received wisdom that religious beliefs and behavior are grounded in primitive, pre-scientific, and non-rational thinking. The distorting force of the received wisdom is underscored by the body of “stylized facts” that it has spawned. For example: (1) religion must inevitably decline as science and technology advance; (2) individuals become less religious and more skeptical of faith-based claims as they acquire more education, particularly more familiarity with science; and (3) membership in deviant religions is usually the consequence of indoctrination (leading to aberrant values) or abnormal psychology (due to trauma, neurosis, or unmet needs). Nearly all educated people “know” these statements to be true, even though decades of research have proved them false (Stark and Bainbridge 1985, Hadden 1987, Greeley 1989). Our review of traditional claims and contemporary data leads us to conclude that standard social-scientific theories of religious behavior have accorded unwarranted status to the assumption of nonrationality. The view of religion as nonrational, not to mention irrational, emerged from a 19th century scholarly tradition largely devoid of empirical support and tainted by prejudice, ignorance, and antireligious sentiment. Taken for granted, the standard view has hobbled religious research, promoted public misconceptions, and distorted law and politics (particularly the legal decisions and political fears concerning “cults” and “fundamentalists”).
Compact device for CO2 optical sensing using macroporous silicon photonic crystals

A photonic crystal based on a macroporous silicon structure has been fabricated and successfully used for the detection of carbon dioxide. In this paper, the device and the measurement results are presented. The sensing device here described uses an optical approach to the detection of the gas. The use of a photonic crystal allows creating a compact device working in the medium infrared spectral range. A 700 nm square lattice macroporous structure was fabricated by electrochemical etching, creating a photonic gap centered at the 4.2 μm, a CO2 absorption line. The obtained results rely only on the absorption spectra measurement.
Doubly Approximate Nearest Neighbor Classification

Nonparametric classification models, such as K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), have become particularly powerful tools in machine learning and data mining, due to their simplicity and flexibility. However, the testing time of the KNN classifier becomes unacceptable and the KNN's performance deteriorates significantly when applied to data sets with millions of dimensions. We observe that state-of-the-art approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) methods aim to either reduce the number of distance comparisons based on tree structure or decrease the cost of distance computation by dimension reduction methods. In this paper, we propose a doubly approximate nearest neighbor classification strategy, which marries the two branches which compress the dimensions for decreasing distance computation cost as well as reduce the number of distance comparison instead of full scan. Under this strategy, we build a compressed dimensional tree (CD-Tree) to avoid unnecessary distance calculations. In each decision node, we propose a novel feature selection paradigm by optimizing the feature selection vector as well as the separator (indicator variables for splitting instances) with the maximum margin. An efficient algorithm is then developed to find the globally optimal solution with convergence guarantee. Furthermore, we also provide a data-dependent generalization error bound for our model, which reveals a new insight for the design of ANN classification algorithms. Our empirical studies show that our algorithm consistently obtains competitive or better classification results on all data sets, yet we can also achieve three orders of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art libraries on very high dimensions.
Fluctuations of CD4+ T‐cell subsets in remitting‐relapsing multiple sclerosis

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently have selective depletion of the CD45R+CD4+ T‐cell subset during active phases of disease. To study the relationship between changes in this subset and the onset of objective clinical exacerbations of disease, a longitudinal study was undertaken. Two CD4+ T‐cell subsets and two CD8+ T‐cell subsets were monitored by two‐color immunofluorescence using a fluorescence‐activated cell sorter. These subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes were monitored monthly for one year in a group of 9 patients with remitting‐relapsing MS and in 11 healthy age‐matched control subjects. Significant changes in the ratio of two CD4+ T‐cell subsets (CD45R−/ CD45R+) were detected in 7 of 9 patients with MS, but not in any of the control subjects. Of those 7 persons, 4 suffered major clinical relapses substantiated by alterations in the neurological examination. The other 3 suffered minor relapses with subjective clinical abnormalities. All 7 had increased CD4+ T‐cell subset ratios (%CD4+CD45R−/%CD4+CD45R+) within the month that new symptoms were reported. Most such increases resulted from a simultaneous depletion in the number of CD45R+CD4+ T cells and an increase in the number of CD45R−CD4+ T cells. One patient suffered a major relapse with no change in the ratio of CD4+ subsets but had a depletion of all CD4+ T cells. There were no consistent changes in any of the other subsets measured. These results indicate that a subgroup of patients with MS have abnormal fluctuations of two CD4+ T‐cell subsets, which may correlate with increased disease activity.
Fifteen-year follow-up of smoking prevention effects in the North Karelia youth project.

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the long-term effects of a school- and community-based smoking prevention program in Finland. METHODS Four intervention schools from North Karelia and two control schools from another province were chosen for the evaluation. Students who received the intervention were taught to resist social pressures to smoke. The program began in 1978 with seventh-grade students and ran through 1980, with a 15-year follow-up. In North Karelia, a community-based smoking cessation program for adults was also carried out. RESULTS Mean lifetime cigarette consumption was 22% lower among program subjects than among control subjects. Smoking and prevalence were lower up to the age of 21. CONCLUSIONS Long-term smoking prevention effects can be achieved if a school-based program using a social influence model is combined with community and mass media interventions.
Robust sampling-based trajectory tracking for autonomous vehicles

In real world motion planning tasks, autonomous vehicles can easily deviate away from their planned trajectories due to external disturbances, uncertain wheel/leg-terrain interaction, and other errors in the model used for planning. A possible solution to this problem consists in the continuous usage of replanning strategies. However, replanning is in general computationally intensive and its use should be minimized when possible. In this paper, a new methodology for robust trajectory tracking is proposed. The method generates, via sampling, correcting control inputs to drive the vehicle back to the desired trajectory. Due to the use of sampling, the methodology easily incorporates nonlinear planning models and integrates seamlessly with sampling-based motion planners. The paper presents simulation and preliminary experimental results showing the efficacy of the proposed approach and thus its potential application to motion planning tasks with real-time constraints.
Beyond the New Deal: Global Collaboration and Peacebuilding with BRICS Countries

In recent years the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding has been the locus of multilateral efforts to formulate coordinated aid approaches in fragile and conflict-affected states. It was established as a mechanism for consultation and deliberation on why the existing international aid and development regime was failing. The Dialogue includes the g7+ countries, a body representing the governments of at least 19 fragile and conflict-affected countries, which was established at a 2010 Ministerial-level meeting in Dili.
Agroecological Transition of Conilon Coffee (Coffea canephora) Agroforestry Systems in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil

Coffee is a very important product in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and most of it is planted as unshaded coffee monocultures, with few growers managing shaded coffee agroforestry systems (AFS). To analyze the opportunities and challenges associated with coffee agroforestry management, we conducted 58 semistructured interviews with coffee growers. In addition, we conducted a field investigation that tested production of Coffea canephora with the shade trees Australian Cedar (Toona ciliata), Jequitibá (Cariniana legalis), and Teak (Tectona grandis). Of the 58 interviewed farmers, 64% (37) were satisfied with the AFS. One of the main factors that caused satisfaction was obtaining income from sources other than coffee. Unsatisfied farmers mentioned the competition between shade trees and coffee shrubs. Cedar was the shade tree that grew most and reduced coffee production, while the combination with Jequitibá maintained more stable yields. We conclude that the higher the growth rate of trees, the higher the negative impact on the coffee production in the study areas.
Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics ( SinBerBEST ) Title OverCurrent Protection Scheme for SiC Power MOSFET DC Circuit Breaker Permalink

The electronic circuit breaker used in DC microgrids are required to work within their safe operating areas bounded by temperature, voltage and current limits. Traditional approach managed to protect these switches through rapid current cut-off operations at over-load or fault situations, but failing to avoid the disturbance induced by transient current surges or noises which are not harmful to the grid operations. Aiming to increase the quality of circuit breaker operations and furthermore improve its reliability, this paper proposed a SiC MOSFET based DC circuit breaker based on the variable time-delay protection scheme. The cutoff operations only take place after proper delay time, which are precisely catered according to the transient thermal properties of SiC devices and the properties of DC loads. The proposed scheme has been implemented with hardware prototype and experimentally verified under different fault situations.
Mobilizing Public Opinion: Black Insurgency and Racial Attitudes in the Civil Rights Era

What motivates us to change our opinions during times of political protest and social unrest? To investigate this question, Taeku Lee's smartly argued book looks to the critical struggle over the moral principles, group interests, and racial animosities that defined public support for racial policies during the civil rights movement, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. Challenging the conventional view that public opinion is shaped by elites, Lee crafts an alternate account of the geographic, institutional, historical, and issue-specific contexts that form our political views. He finds that grassroots organizations and local protests of ordinary people pushed demands for social change into the consciousness of the general public. From there, Lee argues, these demands entered the policy agendas of political elites. Evidence from multiple sources including survey data, media coverage, historical accounts, and presidential archives animates his argument. Ultimately, Mobilizing Public Opinion is a timely, cautionary tale about how we view public opinion and a compelling testament to the potential power of ordinary citizens.
Efficacy of torque versus myocontrol for active, robotic-assisted rehabilitation of the shoulder after stroke: An experimental study

Here we investigate whether torque or myoelectric control was more efficient during active, robotic-assisted therapy. Eleven hemiparetic stroke patients employed the RehaArm-robot, which consist of an exoskeleton that supports the entire arm and measures in real time the joint position and moment of the shoulder, in four sessions of one hour on consecutive days. At each session, the patients repeatedly performed basic movements of the shoulder in passive and active mode. During the passive mode, subjects learnt the movements. During the active mode, subjects were asked to complete 40 task repetitions in 20 min for each modality, torque and myoelectric control. The number of repetitions achieved, completion rate (CR), was tracked for each control modality as well as subjects' opinion about the ease of use of each modality. The results showed that the severe-to-moderate group (Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment of the Upper Extremity<;=40) achieved a significantly higher CR in myoelectric control than in torque control (p<;0.05). For the mild group (>40), the CR was very similar for both control modalities. Subjectively, the two groups considered both control modalities similarly easy to use, being the myoelectric control slightly easier (higher median and middle fifty values). These results support the higher efficacy of the myoelectric control for active, robotic-assisted therapy.
Competing on Standards? Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, and Platform Technologies

Entrepreneurs often rely on intellectual property (IP) to earn a return on their innovations, and also compatibility standards, which allow them to supply specialized components for a shared technology platform. This paper compares the IP strategies of small entrepreneurs and large incumbents that disclose patents at 13 voluntary standard setting organizations (SSOs). These patents have a relatively high litigation rate. For small private firms, the probability of filing a lawsuit increases after disclosure to the SSO. For large public firms, the filing rate is unchanged. Although forward citations increase after disclosure for all firms, the size of this effect is the same for entrepreneurs and incumbents. These results suggest that standards increase the difference between large and small firms’ incentives to litigate, rather than the relative value of their patents. We conclude that because specialized technology providers cannot seek rents in complementary markets, they defend IP more aggressively once it has been incorporated into an open platform.
THE EFFECTS OF WATER RIGHTS AND IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY ON STREAMFLOW AUGMENTATION COST IN THE SNAKE RIVER BASIN

Three species of salmon in the Snake River Basin have been listed as endangered. Recovery efforts for these fish include attempts to obtain increased quantities of water during smolt migration periods to improve habitat in the lower basin. Agriculture is the dominant user of surface flows in this region. This study investigates farmer cost of a contingent water contract requiring the agricultural release of stored irrigation supplies in low flow years during critical flow periods. Results show that contingent contracts can provide substantial quantities of water at a relatively modest cost without significantly affecting the agricultural base of the area.
Influence of aqueous food simulants on potential nanoparticle detection in migration studies involving nanoenabled food-contact substances

ABSTRACT Research focused on assessing potential consumer exposure to nanoparticles released from nano-enabled food-contact materials (FCMs) has often reached conflicting conclusions regarding the detection of migrating nanoparticles. These conflicting conclusions, coupled with the potential for nanoparticles to be unstable in certain food simulants, has necessitated a closer look at the role played by food simulants recommended for use in nanoparticle migration evaluation. The influence of aqueous food simulants on nanoparticles under migration evaluation conditions is reported herein. The stability of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) spiked into three food simulants (water, 10% ethanol and 3% acetic acid) was investigated using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), ultrafiltration, electron microscopy (EM), and single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS). While 3% acetic acid induced significant oxidative dissolution of AgNP to silver ions, there were very minor to no changes in the physicochemical properties of AgNP in water and 10% ethanol.
Innovation and risk in EC financial market regulation: new instruments of financial market intervention and the Committee of European Securities Regulators

Discusses the regulation of EC financial markets in the period following the Financial Services Action Plan. Examines risks generated by the scale of the FSAP regulatory changes, and whether new types of intervention are developing to mitigate those risks. Focuses on the role and influence of the Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) at Level 3 of the Lamfalussy process, the CESR's constitutional basis, accountability and legitimacy risks, the MiFID Level 3 process, the European Parliament and Council Directive 2003/6 (Market Abuse Directive) Level 3 process, and the evolution of CESR's accountability model.
Internal and international migration in Mexico: 1995–2000

Using micro data from Mexico and US 2000 population censuses and following a multi-choice variant of Roy's (1951) model, this article pools into one model the determinants of internal and international migration in México, while paying explicit attention to the potential problem of self-selection. The results reveal that ignoring multiple destinations in the migration decision might lead to erroneous inferences about the determinants of migration and the type of selection. After controlling for wage differences, the results suggest that single adult men with low schooling levels tend to migrate to the US while married women and men with higher levels of schooling tend to migrate within Mexico. We also found that there are strong differences between domestic and international social networks.
P450 aromatase: a key enzyme in the spermatogenesis of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis sicula

ABSTRACT P450 aromatase is a key enzyme in steroidogenesis involved in the conversion of testosterone into 17β-estradiol. We investigated the localization and the expression of P450 aromatase in Podarcis sicula testes during the different phases of the reproductive cycle: summer stasis (July–August), early autumnal resumption (September), middle autumnal resumption (October–November), winter stasis (December–February), spring resumption (March–April) and the reproductive period (May–June). Using immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that the P450 aromatase is always present in somatic and germ cells of P. sicula testis, particularly in spermatids and spermatozoa, except in early autumnal resumption, when P450 aromatase is evident only within Leydig cells. Using real-time PCR and semi-quantitative blot investigations, we also demonstrated that both mRNA and protein were expressed in all phases, with two peaks of expression occurring in summer and in winter stasis. These highest levels of P450 aromatase are in line with the increase of 17β-estradiol, responsible for the spermatogenesis block typical of this species. Differently, in autumnal resumption, the level of P450 aromatase dramatically decreased, along with 17β-estradiol levels, and testosterone titres increased, responsible for the subsequent renewal of spermatogenesis not followed by spermiation. In spring resumption and in the reproductive period we found intermediate P450 aromatase amounts, low levels of 17β-estradiol and the highest testosterone levels determining the resumption of spermatogenesis needed for reproduction. Our results, the first collected in a non-mammalian vertebrate, indicate a role of P450 aromatase in the control of steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis, particularly in spermiogenesis. Summary: P450 aromatase is an enzyme that produces 17β-estradiol and plays a key role in the control of spermatogenesis in Podarcis sicula.
Tweet Factors Influencing Trust and Usefulness During Both Man-Made and Natural Disasters

To this date, research on crisis informatics has focused on the detection of trust in Twitter data through the use of message structure, sentiment, propagation and author. Little research has examined the usefulness of these messages in the crisis response domain. Toward detecting useful messages in case of crisis, in this paper, we characterize tweets, which are perceived useful or trustworthy, and determine their main features. Our analysis is carried out on two datasets (one natural and one man made) gathered from Twitter concerning hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the Boston Bombing 2013. The results indicate that there is a high correlation and similar factors (support for the victims, informational data, use of humor and type of emotion used) influencing trustworthiness and usefulness for both disaster types. This could have impacts on how messages from social media data are analyzed for use in crisis response.