Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
International Reserves, Credit Constraints, and Systemic Sudden Stops

Why do emerging market economies simultaneously hold very high levels of international reserves and foreign liabilities? Moreover, why, even with such huge amounts of international reserves, did countries barely use them during the Global Financial Crisis? I argue that including international reserves as an implicit collateral for external borrowing in a small open economy model subject to exogenous financial shocks can explain both of these puzzling facts. I find that the model can obtain ratios of international reserves and net foreign liabilities to GDP similar to those of Latin American countries. Additionally, the optimal policy implies that the government accumulates international reserves before a sudden stop and that there is a small depletion during it. Finally, an alternative policy of keeping international reserves constant at the average level yields results very similar to those of the optimal policy during sudden stops, highlighting the stabilizing role of international reserves even if central banks do not use them.
The Dual Role of Oat Bran Water Extract in Bone Homeostasis Through the Regulation of Osteoclastogenesis and Osteoblast Differentiation

The number of patients with bone metabolic disorders including osteoporosis is increasing worldwide. These disorders often facilitate bone fractures, which seriously impact the patient’s quality of life and could lead to further health complications. Bone homeostasis is tightly regulated to balance bone resorption and formation. However, many anti-osteoporotic agents are broadly categorized as either bone forming or anti-resorptive, and their therapeutic use is often limited due to unwanted side effects. Therefore, safe and effective therapeutic agents are needed for osteoporosis. This study aims to clarify the bone protecting effects of oat bran water extract (OBWE) and its mode of action. OBWE inhibited RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand)-induced osteoclast differentiation by blocking c-Fos/NFATc1 through the alteration of I-κB. Furthermore, we found that OBWE enhanced BMP-2-stimulated osteoblast differentiation by the induction of Runx2 via Smad signaling molecules. In addition, the anti-osteoporotic activity of OBWE was also evaluated using an in vivo model. OBWE significantly restored ovariectomy-induced bone loss. These in vitro and in vivo results showed that OBWE has the potential to prevent and treat bone metabolic disorders including osteoporosis.
Sign-changing blowing-up solutions for the critical nonlinear heat equation

Let $\Omega$ be a smooth bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^n$ and denote the regular part of the Green's function on $\Omega$ with Dirichlet boundary condition as $H(x,y)$. Assume that $q \in \Omega$ and $n\geq 5$. We prove that there exists an integer $k_0$ such that for any integer $k\geq k_0$ there exist initial data $u_0$ and smooth parameter functions $\xi(t)\to q$, $0<\mu(t)\to 0$ as $t\to +\infty$ such that the solution $u_q$ of the critical nonlinear heat equation \begin{equation*} \begin{cases} u_t = \Delta u + |u|^{\frac{4}{n-2}}u\text{ in } \Omega\times (0, \infty),\\ u = 0\text{ on } \partial \Omega\times (0, \infty),\\ u(\cdot, 0) = u_0 \text{ in }\Omega, \end{cases} \end{equation*} has the form \begin{equation*} u_q(x, t) \approx \mu(t)^{-\frac{n-2}{2}}\left(Q_k\left(\frac{x-\xi(t)}{\mu(t)}\right) - H(x, q)\right), \end{equation*} where the profile $Q_k$ is the non-radial sign-changing solution of the Yamabe equation \begin{equation*} \Delta Q + |Q|^{\frac{4}{n-2}}Q = 0\text{ in }\mathbb{R}^n, \end{equation*} constructed in \cite{delpinomussofrankpistoiajde2011}. In dimension 5 and 6, we also prove the stability of $u_q(x, t)$.
The Energetic Benefit of Robotic Gait Selection

Humans and animals use a variety of gaits to move energetically economically across a large range of speeds. Can legged robots similarly benefit from multiple gaits? We aim to answer this question for a specific robot: the planar biped RAMone. Using optimal control with a detailed model, we show that energy consumption can be significantly reduced by switching from walking at low speeds to running at high speeds [1].
Query 2 Vec : Learning Intentions from Heterogenous Search Logs

The success of deep learning has been applied to many natural language processing applications such as language model, machine translation, parsing, sentiment analysis and so on. The recent improvement of neural language model such as Word2Vec improves accuracy of word embedding with much lower computational cost. The Word2Vec, however, is not properly designed to extract user intentions from search logs due to their sparssness and heterogeneity such as clicks, sessions, documents and so on. In this paper, we propose Query2Vec that simultaneously learns sparse clicks, sessions and textual documents to improve query embedding task and collection ranking task by extracting deep intentions from the long tail queries. We tested our model on real click data collected during 2014 from a commercial search engine in Korea.
An endophytic Myrothecium inundatum producing volatile organic compounds

Department of Plant Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA. Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. Center for Lab Services/RJ Lee Group, 2710 North 20 Ave., Pasco, Washington Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven Connecticut 06511, USA. Department of Chemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA.
On the Spaces and Dimensions of Geographical Systems

To remove the confusion of concepts about different sorts of geographical space and dimension, a new framework of space theory is proposed in this paper. Based on three sets of fractal dimensions, the geographical space is divided into three types: real space (R-space), phase space (P-space), and order space (O-space). The real space is concrete or visual space, the fractal dimension of which can be evaluated through digital maps or remotely sensed images. The phase space and order space are both abstract space, the fractal dimension values of which cannot be estimated with one or two maps or images. The dimension of phase space can be computed by using time series, and that of order space can be determined with cross-sectional data in certain time. Three examples are offered to illustrate the three types of spaces and fractal dimension of geographical systems. The new space theory can be employed to explain the parameters of geographical scaling laws, such as the scaling exponent of the allometric growth law of cities and the fractal dimension based on Horton’s laws of rivers.
Assessment Of The Socioeconomic Effects Of The Napier Stunt Disease On Small Scale Dairy Production In Bungoma District, Kenya

Napier grass stunt disease (NSD) has been a major challenge to sustainable smallholder dairy production in Kenya. A household (HH) survey was conducted using personal interviews to assess the effect of NSD on level of milk production and on milk income at household level in Bungoma District, Western Kenya. Data were collected using structured questionnaires in a cross-sectional survey involving 130 respondents in five selected divisions of the larger Bungoma District. Descriptive statistics were used to assess farmers‟ opinions on the extent of NSD infestation on farms. Cobb Douglas (CD) two stage least square (2SLS) model was used to determine the effects of NSD and other variables on the yield of milk. A log linear regression was used to determine the effects of NSD and other variables on the household milk income. Descriptive results indicate that there was an average drop from two cows to one cow that could be fed on an acre of Napier. The CD 2SLS results show that the area under Napier had a positive significant effect on the area of Napier grass under the NSD. Furthermore, NSD had a significant negative impact on milk yield (p<0.05). Gender, farming experience, and alternative sources of feed were found to have a significant negative influence on milk yield. Prevailing market milk price and number of cattle had a positive influence on milk yield. Napier stunt disease had a significant negative impact on monthly gross margins (GM) per cow (p<0.05). The estimates in Kshs were 4325, 4122, 1433, 2689 and 1782 for Kibabii, Sang‟alo, Bumula, Malakisi and Webuye, respectively. The GM estimates were also influenced by other household characteristics such as HH size, push pull practice, land under Napier grass, milk output, and milk prices all of which had a positive impact. The study provides useful information about the effects of the NSD on small scale dairy production and on specific socioeconomic parameters that farmers, extensionists, researchers and policy makers can use in designing appropriate interventions towards mitigating the negative effects of NSD on overall dairy productivity.
Underwater Options and the Dynamics of Executive Pay-to-Performance Sensitivities

We empirically analyze the dynamics of executives' pay-to-performance sensitivities. Option pay-to-performance sensitivities become weaker as options fall underwater, often leading to pressures to reprice options or restore pay-to-performance sensitivity in other ways. Building a detailed data set on executives' portfolios of stock and options, we find that the responsiveness of pay-to-performance sensitivities (created by all executive holdings of stock and options) to changes in stock price is large. The elasticity of pay-to-performance sensitivities with respect to stock price decreases is about 0.7 and is larger for high-option executives and for executives with high percentages of options already underwater. The dominant mechanism through which companies offset declines in option pay-to-performance sensitivities is larger option grants following stock price declines; on average, these larger grants restore approximately 40% of the stock-price-induced pay-to-performance sensitivity declines. Option repricings are inconsequential in this regard, despite the attention they have attracted. In looking at positive returns, we find the reverse: higher returns both directly increase pay-to-performance sensitivities and lead to larger option grants, which raise pay-to-performance sensitivities further. Thus, option grants to executives tend to be largest following large stock price increases or large stock price decreases. Copyright University of Chicago on behalf of the Institute of Professional Accounting, 2004.
A Characterization of Retailer Response to Manufacturer Trade Deals

In this article, the author provides a simple characterization of retailer response to manufacturer trade deals in terms of the consumer demand conditions that the retailer faces. Specifically, the author shows conditions on the curvature of consumer demand functions that make it optimal for a profit-maximizing retailer to pass through greater (less) than 100% of the trade deal amount it gets from a manufacturer. Using these conditions, the author demonstrates that whereas the linear and all concave consumer demand functions lead to less than 100% optimal retail pass-through, there exists a subset of convex consumer demand functions for which a retailer rationally engages in greater than 100% pass-through. This subset contains many commonly used demand functions, such as the constant elasticity demand function, the negative exponential demand function, and many other varying elasticity demand functions.
Customer Loyalty and Lifetime Value: An Empirical Investigation of Consumer Packaged Goods

It is traditionally accepted that customer loyalty is critical for a firm's profitability. Recent research, however, questions the effects of customer loyalty on profitability. In light of this controversy, we examine the financial effects of customer loyalty using the framework of customer lifetime value (CLV). Our analysis reveals that in the area of consumer packaged goods, customer loyalty is positively associated with customer revenue and customer retention, both of which drive CLV. Thus, customer loyalty is indeed a predictor of long-term customer profitability to a firm. For marketers, customer loyalty continues to be a legitimate end goal to pursue in marketing management.
THE CANADA–FRANCE ECLIPTIC PLANE SURVEY—L3 DATA RELEASE: THE ORBITAL STRUCTURE OF THE KUIPER BELT

We report the orbital distribution of the trans-Neptunian comets discovered during the first discovery year of the Canada–France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS). CFEPS is a Kuiper Belt object survey based on observations acquired by the Very Wide component of the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (LS-VW). The first year's detections consist of 73 Kuiper Belt objects, 55 of which have now been tracked for three years or more, providing precise orbits. Although this sample size is small compared to the world-wide inventory, because we have an absolutely calibrated and extremely well-characterized survey (with known pointing history) we are able to de-bias our observed population and make unbiased statements about the intrinsic orbital distribution of the Kuiper Belt. By applying the (publically available) CFEPS Survey Simulator to models of the true orbital distribution and comparing the resulting simulated detections to the actual detections made by the survey, we are able to rule out several hypothesized Kuiper Belt object orbit distributions. We find that the main classical belt's so-called ‘cold’ component is confined in semimajor axis (a) and eccentricity (e) compared to the more extended “hot” component; the cold component is confined to lower e and does not stretch all the way out to the 2:1 resonance but rather depletes quickly beyond a = 45 AU. For the cold main classical belt population we find a robust population estimate of N(Hg < 10) = 50 ± 5 × 103 and find that the hot component of the main classical belt represents ∼60% of the total population. The inner classical belt (sunward of the 3:2 mean-motion resonance) has a population of roughly 2000 trans-Neptunian objects with absolute magnitudes Hg < 10, and may not share the inclination distribution of the main classical belt. We also find that the plutino population lacks a cold low-inclination component, and so, the population is somewhat larger than recent estimates; our analysis shows a plutino population of N(Hg < 10)∼ 25+25−12 × 103compared to our estimate of the size of main classical Kuiper Belt population of N(Hg < 10) ∼ (126+50−46) × 103.
Chemistry of the Chilean Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis spp. chiloensis)

The Chilean strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis spp. chiloensis) is one of the progenitors of the cultivated strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa. Recent studies have started to disclose the chemical composition of the native fruit, the secondary metabolite occurrence and distribution in different plant parts as well as the biological activity of the main fruit constituents. This article revises the chemistry of the Chilean strawberry and compares some of the most characteristic constituents with that of the highly cultivated and worldwide known F. × ananassa. The main phenolic in the white strawberry are ellagic acid or hexahydroxydiphenolic acid-based hydrolysable tannins and procyanidins as well as flavonoid glycosides from quercetin and kaempferol. The general trend in the plant is the accumulation of condensed tannins of increasing molecular weight in the rhizomes while the leaf contains mainly hydrolysable tannins and flavonoids. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Evaluation of the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative: Final Report

This report presents the findings of the national evaluation of full service extended schools (FSES), part of the Government’s overall vision for all schools to offer a core set of extended activities by 2010. The FSES initiative sought to support the development in every local authority (LA) area of one or more schools which provide a comprehensive range of services on a single site, including access to health services, adult learning and community activities, as well as study support and 8am to 6pm wrap-around childcare.
Analysis of Random Variations and Variation-Robust Advanced Device Structures

In the past few decades, CMOS logic technologies and devices have been successfully developed with the steady miniaturization of the feature size. At the sub-30-nm CMOS technology nodes, one of the main hurdles for continuously and successfully scaling down CMOS devices is the parametric failure caused by random variations such as line edge roughness (LER), random dopant fluctuation (RDF), and work-function variation (WFV). The characteristics of each random variation source and its effect on advanced device structures such as multigate and ultra-thin-body devices (vs. conventional planar bulk MOSFET) are discussed in detail. Further, suggested are suppression methods for the LER-, RDF-, and WFV-induced threshold voltage (VTH) variations in advanced CMOS logic technologies including the double-patterning and double-etching (2P2E) technique and in advanced device structures including the fully depleted siliconon-insulator (FD-SOI) MOSFET and FinFET/tri-gate MOSFET at the sub-30-nm nodes. The segmentedchannel MOSFET (SegFET) and junctionless transistor (JLT) that can suppress the random variations and the SegFET-/JLT-based static random access memory (SRAM) cell that enhance the read and write margins at a time, though generally with a trade-off between the read and the write margins, are introduced.
High Aspect Ratio Plasmonic Nanotrench Structures with Large Active Surface Area for Label-Free Mid-Infrared Molecular Absorption Sensing

Mid-infrared spectroscopy offers unique sensing schemes to detect target molecules thanks to the absorption of infrared light at specific wavelengths unique to chemical compositions. Due to the mismatch of the mid-infrared light wavelength on the order of micron and nanometer size molecules, the interaction between them is typically weak, resulting in small signatures of absorption. Plasmonics can play an important role, enhancing photon–matter interactions by localization of light in small volumes or areas. Thus, it enables the increase of light absorption by molecules providing higher sensitivity. Here, we demonstrate the enhancement of infrared absorption in plasmonic trench structures that function as hyperbolic metamaterials. The metamaterial is composed of plasmonic trenches made of aluminum-doped zinc oxide. We use a 5 nm thick silica layer as a model analyte conformally coated around the plasmonic trenches, which absorbs light with wavelengths around 8 μm. The enhanced absorption is achieved by th.
Multi-Product O ¤ shoring

In this paper, we incorporate o¤shoring of labor-intensive goods in a model with multi-product rms, and explore its implications in partial and general oligopolistic equilibrium. We identify important aspects of this phenomenon and argue that improvements in o¤shoring opportunities can a¤ect the geographic organization of a rm and its product range. Multi-product rms internalize supply linkages (exible manufacturing) and demand linkages (cannibalization e¤ect). In partial equilibrium, we nd that more products are produced o¤shore on a larger scale and rms expand their product range with better prospects for o¤shoring. We identify the cannibalization e¤ect as an important transmission mechanism within multi-product rms and show that the latter e¤ect hits domestic labor demand in addition to the well-known relocation e¤ect. Interestingly in general equilibrium these e¤ects lead to adjustments in domestic factor prices and may cause a partial re-relocation of product lines. Keywords: Multi-Product Firms, Cannibalization E¤ect, Product Range, E¢ ciencyseeking O¤shoring, General Oligopolistic Equilibrium. JEL Classi cation: F12, F 23, L23 We thank Daniel Baumgarten, Lisandra Flach, J. Peter Neary, Tobias Seidel, Mirjam Wuggenig, Stephen Yeaple, and participants in International Economics Workshop in Göttingen 2012, ETSG 2012 in Leuven, O¤shoring and International Production Conference in Tuebingen 2013, Midwest Economic Theory and International Trade Meetings in Ann Arbor 2013, EGIT conference at CESifo 2014, and SFB TR 15 conference in Mannheim 2014. yDepartment of Economics, D-80539 Muenchen, Germany; tel. : (+49) 2180 5824 ; e-mail: Carsten.Eckel@econ.lmu. de; internet: http://www.intecon. vwl.uni-muenchen.de/. zCorresponding author. Department of Economics, D-80539 Muenchen, Germany; tel. : (+49) 218
Parental death as a vital conjuncture? Intergenerational care and responsibility following bereavement in Senegal

This article explores the ways that parental death represents a ‘vital conjuncture’ for Serer young people that reconfigures and potentially transforms intergenerational caring responsibilities in different spatial and temporal contexts. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with young people (aged 15–27 years), family members, religious and community leaders and professionals in rural and urban Senegal, I explore young people's responses to parental death. ‘Continuing bonds’ with the deceased were expressed through memories evoked in homespace, shared family practices and gendered responsibilities to ‘take care of’ bereaved family members, to cultivate inherited farmland and to fulfil the wishes of the deceased. Parental death could reconfigure intergenerational care and lead to shifts in power dynamics, as eldest sons asserted their position of authority. While care-giving roles were associated with agency, the low social status accorded to young women's paid and unpaid domestic work undermined their efforts. The research contributes to understandings of gendered nuances in the experience of bereavement and continuing bonds and provides insight into intra-household decision-making processes, ownership and control of assets. Analysis of the culturally specific meanings of relationships and a young person's social location within hierarchies of gender, age, sibling birth order and wider socio-cultural norms and practices is needed.
Aided Diagnosis of Breast Cancer Using Image ProcessingTechniques and Neural Networks with Logistic Regression

Mammography is the available examination for theearly detectionof signs of breast cancer such as masses, calcifications, bilateral asymmetry and architectural distortion. Because of the limitation of human observers, computers have a major role in detecting early signs of cancer. Thewide range of features that defineabnormalities and the fact that they are often indistinguishable from the surrounding tissue make the computer-aided and diagnosis of breast abnormalities a challenge. This thesis explores ways of using known image processing and machine learning techniques for computer-aided breast cancer detection using mammogram images,with the aim of finding a potentially good method for computer-aided breast cancer detection based on mammogram images, and helps pathologist in decision making. A concrete application is designed and implemented, including both initial image processing and subsequent cancer detection through the use of machine learning algorithms based on neural networks and logistic regression. The application isevaluated on a set of mammogram images and the results are presented in detail and discussed. This thesis is distinguished in using a combination of neural networks and logistic regression in breast cancer detection, as well as the use of real breast cancer images obtained in cooperation with King Hussein Cancer Center.