Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Money, credit and asset prices: (Re)-learning to read their message For the ECB Colloquium, Otmar Issing's Festschrift "Monetary policy: a journey from theory to practice"

It is a great pleasure and honour for me to have been invited to participate in this Colloquium for Otmar Issing’s Festschrift. Over the years, Otmar has made an indelible contribution to monetary policymaking, first at the Bundesbank, and later at the ECB. He has helped to ensure that, in the face of unprecedented challenges, this new institution has quickly gained much of the credibility and prestige that the Deutsche Bundesbank had earned through its impressive track record in securing low inflation but over a much longer period. In making this contribution, Otmar has displayed a number of salient qualities. First, an unflagging belief in the virtues of monetary stability as an essential building block of a well-functioning society, with its benefits extending well beyond the economic sphere (eg, Issing (2004a)). Second, a balanced blend between theory and pragmatism, combining a healthy scepticism for the latest fashion of the day with an open mind, ready to assimilate new conceptual insights (eg, Issing (2001). And last but not least, a “thick skin”, which has allowed him to support the institution in the steadfast pursuit of its goals against sometimes heavy political and academic criticism. In what follows, I would like to reflect on one aspect of Otmar’s thinking that has deeply influenced the ECB’s strategic framework and in which all of these personal qualities have been very much in evidence, viz. the role of quantitative – monetary and credit – aggregates in monetary policy. I would
Embedded server with Wake on LAN function

The number of IT equipments is rapidly and continuously increasing. But it leads also to high energy consume. Various solutions are concerned for minimizing the energy consumption. Wake on LAN is one of these solutions. It is a function through which PCs and other Internet connected equipments and devices are remotely woken up from sleeping states when they need to work. This paper presents a novel implementation of the Wake on LAN function. An embedded system directly connected to Internet is used for waking up PCs or other equipments and devices connected to Internet.
Cars Talk to Phones: A DSRC Based Vehicle-Pedestrian Safety System

The prevalence of smartphones presents a unique opportunity to develop a system that can have a significant impact on reducing the annual 400,000 fatalities from pedestrian traffic accidents. This system gives 360 degrees, extended range, NLOS view where both the driver and the pedestrian are warned of a possible collision. This, the first of its kind, system was developed from a two year collaborative research effort between Honda and Qualcomm to leverage DSRC so vehicles can communicate with smartphones to preempt a possible collision between a pedestrian (with a smartphone) and an approaching vehicle. This paper describes the pedestrian and vehicle-based algorithms and gives an overview of how this system warns both the driver and the pedestrian so they can take evasive action and prevent a collision. We present the results from our field tests where we demonstrate several pedestrian safety scenarios and present the over- the-air performance data collected in the field tests. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges and present possible approaches to reducing false positives, minimizing spectrum and channel congestion and improving security and localization.
Components of Economic Policy Uncertainty and Predictability of US Stock Returns and Volatility: Evidence from a Nonparametric Causality-in-Quantile Approach

Predicting stock returns has significant implications for asset allocation, investment performance, and testing market efficiency. To this end, we examine whether U.S. stock returns and volatility can be predicted from a comprehensive set of financial and economic uncertainty indicators as well as migration-related uncertainty measures. We employ the nonparametric causality-in-quantile approach which is robust to misspecification errors since it captures nonlinearities in returns distribution. Our decision to use this approach is motivated by the presence of nonlinearity in our examined series, suggesting that the Granger causality test based on a linear framework is likely to suffer from misspecification. Our findings reveal that aggregate economic policy uncertainty (EPU) together with its different sub-components possess predictive information for U.S. stock returns and volatility barring few cases. In general, the prediction is strongest for returns volatility than for returns. Moreover, we document the ability of the recently developed migration-related EPU and migration fear measures in predicting financial market volatility. Our study therefore, provides evidence that level of aggregate and sub-components of policy uncertainty tends to cause stock market returns, and primarily, volatility.
Plant Flavonoid Content Modified by Domestication

Abstract Plant domestication can modify and weaken defensive chemical traits, reducing chemical defenses in plants and consequently their resistance against pests. We characterized and quantified the major defensive flavonols and isoflavonoids present in both wild and cultivated murtilla plants (Ugni molinae Turcz), established in a common garden. We examined their effects on the larvae of Chilesia rudis (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Insect community and diversity indices were also evaluated. We hypothesized that domestication reduces flavonoid contents and modifies C. rudis preference, the insect community, and diversity. Methanolic extracts were obtained from leaves of U. molinae plants and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Results showed higher insect numbers (86.48%) and damage index (1.72 ± 0.16) in cultivated plants. Four new first records of insects were found associated with U. molinae. Diversity indices, such as Simpson, Shannon, and Margalef, were higher in cultivated plants than in wild plants. Furthermore, eight isoflavonoids were identified in U. molinae leaves for the first time. The five flavonols showed higher concentrations in wild U. molinae leaves (89.8 μg/g) than in cultivated plants (75.2 μg/g); however, no differences were found in isoflavonoids between wild and cultivated plants. The larvae of C. rudis consumed more leaf material of cultivated plants than wild plants in choice (3.8 vs. 0.8 mm2) and no-choice (7.5 vs. 3.0 mm2) assays. Our study demonstrates that domestication in U. molinae reduces the amount of flavonoids in leaves, increasing the preference of C. rudis and the insect community.
Meinungsumfragen im Journalismus. Nachrichtenwert, Präzision und Publikum

Der vorliegende Artikel befasst sich mit der Qualität von Zeitungsberichten im Zusammenhang mit Befragungsresultaten. Mit Hinweis auf die drei Begriffe Nachrichtenwert, Präzision und Publikum werden die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen beleuchtet, mit denen Medienschaffende bei der Redaktion von Befragungsberichten konfrontiert sind. Es wird quantitativ untermauert, dass Meinungsumfragen Nachrichtenwert haben und – auch außerhalb von Wahlen – in die mediale Berichterstattung einfließen. Gleichzeitig wird aufgezeigt, dass die Präzision dieser Berichte häufig zu wünschen übrig lässt und zum Teil Nachrichtenwerte durch Fehlund Überinterpretationen konstruiert werden. Deshalb werden anschließend einige Anregungen zur Optimierung der Berichterstattung formuliert. Der Fokus der Darstellung ist auf die Journalistinnen und Journalisten gerichtet. In Umkehrung der Perspektive lassen sich implizit auch Schlussfolgerungen für die Produzentinnen und Produzenten von Befragungsdaten ablesen. In der Annahme jedoch, dass der demoskopische Markt funktioniert, kann man von der Hoffnung ausgehen, dass eine professionelle Nachfrage seitens des Journalismus auch das Angebot der Demoskopie verändert und möglicherweise sogar verbessert.
Do the Returns to Political Capital Rise or Fall in China's Transition Period?

With the 2005 CGSS data,this article studies how the returns to political capital (represented by party membership) have changed in China's market transition using the time-effect comparison approach. Our results show that the returns to political capital tend to fall with the transition. Political capital may be beneficial to the access to advantageous positions and market liberalization tends to weaken this mechanism.
Planning and the making of a propertied landscape

Abstract Although property is a basic ingredient of planning, its repercussions on the profession have rarely been considered. Building on the critical analysis of property, I argue that planning is giving in to the “property effect,” the unquestioned assumption that natural and built landscapes are propertied. Looking specifically at one case-study of land-use planning in Tibneen (Lebanon), I show planning interventions replicate inequalities embedded in property relations, maintain the dominance of propertied representation of the landscape, and limit possible claims over natural and built landscapes to those formulated within the framework of the ownership model. Consequently, land-use planning determines the possible futures of particular towns and regions through the institutional structures of the property regimes in place and within the historically and geographically contingent political-economies where these regimes operate.
Reducing Major Lower Extremity Amputations After the Introduction of a Multidisciplinary Team for the Diabetic Foot

We analyzed the incidence of lower extremity amputations (LEAs) in the 3rd Health Care Area of Madrid before and after the March 2008 introduction of a multidisciplinary team for managing diabetic foot disease. We compared the amputation rates in people with and without diabetes during 2 periods: before (2001-2007) and after (2008-2011) the introduction of a Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Unit (MDFU). We also analyzed the trend of the amputation rates by joinpoint regression analysis and measured the annual percentage change (APC). During the study period, 514 nontraumatic LEAs were performed, 374 (73%) in people with diabetes and 140 (27%) in people without the disease. The incidence of LEAs showed a significant reduction in major amputations in people with diabetes, from 6.1 per 100 000 per year (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.9 to 7.2), in the 2001 to 2007 period, to 4.0 per 100 000 per year (95% CI = 2.6 to 5.5) in the 2008 to 2011 period (P = .020). There were no changes in incidence of minor or total amputations in the diabetic population or in amputations in the nondiabetic population during the study period. Joinpoint regression analysis showed a significant reduction in the incidence of major LEAs in diabetic population with an APC of −6.6% (95% CI = −10.2 to −2.8; P = .003), but there were no other significant changes. This study demonstrates that the introduction of a multidisciplinary team, coordinated by an endocrinologist and a podiatrist, for managing diabetic foot disease is associated with a reduction in the incidence of major amputations in patients with diabetes.
A Review of Aeronautical Electronics and Its Parallelism With Automotive Electronics

Aeronautical electronics and communication technologies have evolved from the analog domain to the digital domain, and nowadays, planes are complex structures serviced by many standalone systems that communicate through data buses. Many of these systems have found applicability in other sectors. This paper reviews the most recent technologies in modern aircraft and identifies their application in the automotive sector. It also identifies automotive electronics as applied in planes.
Twisted amide reduction under Wolff-Kishner conditions: synthesis of a benzo-1-aza-adamantane derivative.

A synthesis of 4,5-benzo-1-aza-tricyclo[4.3. 1.1(3,8)]undecane (1), a benzo-1-aza-adamantane derivative, is described and features a previously unknown application of the Wolff-Kishner reduction of a nonresonance stabilized or "twisted" amide. An intermediate amino ester is converted to a severely "twisted amide", which, when exposed to hydrazine in alcohol, provides the corresponding "twisted" amino hydrazone. Wolff-Kishner conditions (KOH/ethylene glycol, 200 degrees C) provide the reduced target 1 without hydrolysis to amino acid derivatives. These operations are conveniently performed in a single flask in high yield.
Chinese Investment and Business in Canada: Ethnic Entrepreneurship Reconsidered

T HE APPARENT SUCCESS of overseas Chinese in business has been the subject of intense research. In North America, what has intrigued researchers has been the concentration of some minority immigrants in certain identifiable businesses such as food services, retailing and clothing manufacturing that are traditionally associated with the ethnic enclave, especially given the fact that historically many of these immigrants had been the target of severe discrimination. ' Simply put, the question has to do with why immigrant minorities like the Chinese appear to have been able to overcome hostile social conditions and harsh economic opportunities in various host societies where they were one-time migrants or sojourners to succeed in business entrepreneurship. Thus far, the explanation tends to fall into two broad categories. The first one focuses on the primordial culture of the Chinese as a driving force for their economic success, and emphasizes the traditional ethos of industriousness, perseverance, frugality, familism and cultural affinity as conducive to business development.2 The second position stresses the
Differences in treatment and metabolic abnormalities between normo- and hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes: the Skaraborg Hypertension and Diabetes Project.

AIM To examine treatment and glucose control in type 2 diabetes patients with and without hypertension, and to explore differences in markers for insulin resistance and beta cell function. METHODS A community-based, cross-sectional observational study was carried out at the hypertension and diabetes outpatient clinic in primary health care, Skara, Sweden. The subjects were all the 400 patients with type 2 diabetes (202 men, 198 women) who underwent annual follow-up from May 1992 through September 1993; 204 of these also had hypertension. RESULTS The patients with both type 2 diabetes and hypertension had a higher b.m. i. (mean; 28.9 kg m(-2) (s.d.; 4.4) vs. 27.4 kg m(-2)(4.6)), higher triglycerides (2.0 mmol l(-1)(1.1) vs. 1.7 mmol l(-1)(1.1)), higher LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio (4.3(1.4) vs. 4.1(1.2)) and higher fasting insulin (8.5 mU l(-1)(1.1) vs. 6.6 mU l(-1)(1.1)). Conversely, glucose levels were lower; HbA1c (6.4%(1.4) vs. 6.8%(1.6)) and fasting blood glucose (8.1 mmol l(-1)(2.3) vs. 8.9 mmol l(-1)(2.7)) than in patients with type 2 diabetes alone. By the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), patients with type 2 diabetes alone had more impaired beta cell function. They also had a higher frequency of insulin treatment (20% vs. 12%) and were less often treated non-pharmacologically (33% vs. 50%). CONCLUSIONS Patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension constitute a high risk category with a more atherogenic risk factor profile related to the insulin resistance syndrome. Patients with type 2 diabetes without hypertension seem to constitute a subgroup of type 2 diabetes with predominately impaired beta cell function.
Communication of Business's and Software Engineers

Communications for the purpose of creating useful software are imperative. Techniques need to be in place to facilitate the flow of correct information from the requestor, and the creator. Without this the software will be of little use and discarded before it should be. In this paper we will present a systematic way to creating a question and answer flow of information. Details of the difference are between using the question and answer system and not will be reported in various ways. Our results will show the increase in efficiency of software creation by having fewer changes later in the project and improved usefulness to the end user.
The Fractal Dimension of Shanghai Stock Market Based on RBF Neural Networks

This paper tests the fractal dimension of Shanghai stock market through the neural networks from the point view of forecasting. Through a data experiment of radial basis function neural network, we find that the optimal embedding dimension is 6. As a result the fractal dimension of Shanghai stock market is about in the interval between 2 and 3. Therefore, the stock market is a chaotic system, and we must take the nonlinear analytical instruments. Finally, we discuss the effect and the reliability of the stock prediction based on chaotic characteristic.
Identification of the enzymatic basis for delta-aminolevulinic acid auxotrophy in a hemA mutant of Escherichia coli

The hemA mutation of Escherichia coli K-12 confers a requirement for delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). Cell extract prepared from the hemA strain SASX41B was incapable of producing ALA from either glutamate or glutamyl-tRNA, whereas extract of the hem+ strain HB101 formed colorimetrically detectable amounts of ALA and transferred label from 1-[14C]glutamate and 3,4-[3H]glutamyl-tRNA to ALA. Extracts of both strains converted glutamate-1-semialdehyde to ALA and were capable of aminoacylating tRNAGlu. Glutamyl-tRNA formed by extracts of both strains could be converted to ALA by the extract of hem+ cells. The extract of hemA cells did not convert glutamyl-tRNA formed by either strain to ALA. However, the hemA cell extract, when supplemented in vitro with glutamyl-tRNA dehydrogenase isolated from Chlorella vulgaris cells, formed about as much ALA as did the unsupplemented hem+ cell extract. We conclude from these observations that the enzyme activity that is lacking in the ALA auxotrophic strain carrying the hemA mutation is that of glutamyl-tRNA dehydrogenase.
The Limits of Market-Based Reforms

A number of sequential events spanning the last fifty years has given proponents of capitalism, advocating minimal state involvement in the economy, decisive victory, not only over socialism but over heavy government engagement in the economy The main contention of this piece is to prove that the failures of government and public sector did not necessarily make a strong case for the market reforms which was being promoted in SSA and other transition economies. In fact what is often distorted or misrepresented as the successes of unfettered markets are on closer examination evidences in favour of strong government and developmental states which have been able to overcome the so-called ‘Weingast Paradox'. Drawing from the historical experience and the successes of a few countries in Far East Asia in addition to the successes of China and India, we make strong case for government-driven economic development after policy-makers have been subjected to the constraints of political and economic institutions.
Enhancing phytoextraction: the effect of chemical soil manipulation on mobility, plant accumulation, and leaching of heavy metals.

For heavy metal-contaminated agricultural land, low-cost, plant-based phytoextraction measures can be a key element for a new land management strategy. When agents are applied into the soil, the solubility of heavy metals and their subsequent accumulation by plants can be increased, and, therefore, phytoextraction enhanced. An overview is given of the state of the art of enhancing heavy metal solubility in soils, increasing the heavy metal accumulation of several high-biomass-yielding and metal-tolerant plants, and the effect of these measures on the risk of heavy metal leaching. Several organic as well as inorganic agents can effectively and specifically increase solubility and, therefore, accumulation of heavy metals by several plant species. Crops like willow (Salix viminalis L.), Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. ], corn (Zea mays L.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) show high tolerance to heavy metals and are, therefore, to a certain extent able to use the surpluses that originate from soil manipulation. More than 100-fold increases of lead concentrations in the biomass of crops were reported, when ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was applied to contaminated soils. Uranium concentrations could be strongly increased when citric acid was applied. Cadmium and zinc concentrations could be enhanced by inorganic agents like elemental sulfur or ammonium sulfate. However, leaching of heavy metals due to increased mobility in soils cannot be excluded. Thus, implementation on the field scale must consider measures to minimize leaching. So, the application of more than 1 g EDTA kg(-1) becomes inefficient as lead concentration in crops is not enhanced and leaching rate increases. Moreover, for large-scale applications, agricultural measures as placement of agents, dosage splitting, the kind and amount of agents applied, and the soil properties are important factors governing plant growth, heavy metal concentrations, and leaching rates. Effective prevention of leaching, breeding of new plant material, and use of the contaminated biomass (e.g., as biofuels) will be crucial for the acceptance and the economic breakthrough of enhanced phytoextraction.
Whole saliva and the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome: an evaluation of patients who complain of dry mouth and dry eyes. Part 1: Screening tests.

UNLABELLED Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a common autoimmune disorder characterised by generalised desiccation, exocrine hypofunction and serologic abnormalities, More than 90% of the patients are women. OBJECTIVE To determine if whole saliva could be used to diagnose this disease. SETTING The study was conducted at the School of Dental Medicine, SUNY, at Stony Brook. PATIENTS There were 49 subjects (48 F; 1 M), the mean age was 54 +/- 13 years. In order to be admitted into the study, they had to complain of dry mouth and dry eyes. TESTS Whole saliva was collected by the spitting method. "Screening Tests" were employed to measure the salivary flow rate, pH, buffer capacity; lactobacillus and yeast concentrations. Chemical tests were performed to determine protein, albumin, sodium and amylase activity. Lacrimal dryness was assessed by the Schirmer and Rose-Bengal methods. RESULTS Based on the sialometric findings, the patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1: those with abnormally low resting (RFR) and stimulated (SFR) flow rates; Group 2: those with a low RFR but normal SFR; and Group 3: those with normal salivary flow rates. The group 1 patients were unique: their saliva demonstrated a low pH and buffer capacity, high lactobacillus and yeast concentrations, decreased protein output and amylase activity, and elevated albumin and sodium. Moreover, virtually all of them had abnormally low lacrimal flow rates. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggested that whole saliva could be used to provisionally diagnose SS. Critical to this diagnosis was an abnormally low stimulated whole saliva flow rate. Other requisites included a low resting flow rate, the presence of dry mouth and dry eyes and evidence of lacrimal hypofunction. All of these attributes can easily be obtained by dentists in their clinics.