Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GLOBALIZATION AND FISCAL MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG

This paper studies the impact of globalization on the fiscal management of the Hong Kong economy. Globalization refers to two distinct developments (Gilpin, 2000, p.353). The first development is the social, economic, and technical unification of the globe. With the advent of the technological revolution in communication and transportation, cultural and territorial barriers that divide societies are falling apart. Consequently, political, social and economic activities are becoming worldwide in scope. The second development is that transnational economic forces are breaking down national boundaries and integrating national economies. International trade and financial flows are creating a highly interdependent global economy. Generally speaking, globalization is a spatial phenomenon that links the world together by the growing interdependence and interconnectedness between states as a result of the intensification of international social, political, and economic activities (Held, 1995, p.12). These developments have significantly affected the operation of the Hong Kong economy and the fiscal philosophy of the Hong Kong government. The essence of this paper is to evaluate the values and financial policies as adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in response to the challenges of globalization.
A Smart Sentiment Analysis System in Word, Sentence and Text Level

Recently, sentiment analysis of text is becoming a hotspot in the study of natural language processing, which has drawn interesting attention due to its research value and extensive applications. This paper introduces a smart sentiment analysis system, which is to satisfy three aspects of sentiment analysis requirement. These are Chinese sentiment word recognition and analysis, sentiment related element extraction and text orientation analysis. Promising results and analysis are presented at the end of this paper.
Institutional Change, Regional Features and Economic Performance in EU's Transition Countries

The aim of this paper is to contribute to throw some light on the main differences/similarities and dynamics in institutional frameworks, regional/sectoral features and economic performance in the eight transition countries that became EU members in May 2004 (8CEECs). In the second section, a partial review of the main theoretical and empirical literature on the "great transformation" (Kornai, 2006) is presented, with a particular attention to the researches focusing on the relationship between institutional change and economic performance and to the studies considering some regional features of the transition processes. Some stylized facts for the eight CEECs are presented in the third section, by distinguishing (i) initial conditions, (ii) institutional changes and progress in transition and (iii) economic performance (GDP growth, unemployment and employment rates, etc.). In the forth section, the empirical results on some regional (NUTS 3) features (convergence, concentration and specialisation) of the 8-CEECs are discussed. Finally, an attempt to econometrically investigate some determinants of regional income convergence and national GDP and employment dynamics is presented in the fifth section, by highlighting the role of institutional change and some regional features. The main policy implications, concerning both European and national economic policies, are presented in the conclusive section.
Handbook of Moral and Character Education

The cognitive and neuro-sciences have made great strides in uncovering the nature of human psychobiology in recent years. Moral educators have yet to make much of their ﬁndings. The three theories presented here capitalize on recent research that has implications for building moral personalities and cultivating morally-adept citizens (Lapsley & Narvaez, 2004b; Narvaez & Lapsley, 2009). 1 Adaptive Ethical Expertise blends deliberative and intuitive development for ethical expertise development. The Integrative Ethical Education model is a step-by-step model intended for integration into academic instruction at all levels. Triune-Ethics Theory, a more comprehensive theory of moral development rooted in neurobiological processes, has implications for moral education as well. All three theories address the development of moral personhood. Approaches to education for moral character are typically divided into two opposing views that are rooted in different philosophical paradigms
How Relational Capabilities Matter? Organizational Context and Performance of Internationally Oriented SMEs

This article sheds light on the organizational context enhancing development of relational capabilities and examines the significance of relational capabilities for SMEs' financial and non-financial performance. The firm's relational capability is measured separately in customers' and suppliers' networks. This study is based on a sample of 67 SMEs from the five most internationalized industries in Slovenia. Research hypotheses are tested with linear regression models. The results support our prediction that fostering internal social capital, coupled with the usage of economic motivators, augments a firm's relational capability in a supplier network, which in turn is associated with better performance outcomes, both financial and non-financial. The results on relational capability in a customer network with respect to performance are less conclusive, indicating that vertical ties of internationally oriented SMEs (with suppliers and customers) are not of equal importance.
Title Robust H ∞ filtering for uncertain 2-D continuous systems

This paper considers the problem of robust filtering for uncertain two-dimensional (2-D) continuous systems described by the Roesser state-space model. The parameter uncertainties are assumed to be norm-bounded in both the state and measurement equations. The purpose is the design of a 2-D continuous filter such that for all admissible uncertainties, the error system is asymptotically stable, and the norm of the transfer function, from the noise signal to the estimation error, is below a prespecified level. A sufficient condition for the existence of such filters is obtained in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). When these LMIs are feasible, an explicit expression of a desired filter is given. Finally, a simulation example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Safe Driving App for Smart Phones

Experimental automobiles in the past have included sensors to record data preceding test crashes. Later after analysis, crash scenarios are analysed and studied to avoid future crashes. With more than 10 million car accidents reported in the India each year, car manufacturers have shifted their focus of a passive approach, e.g., airbags, seat belts, and antilock brakes, to something more active by adding features associated with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADASs) and collision avoidance systems. But the vehicles consisting these add-ons are extremely expensive. Since, add-ons ultimately add on to the cost of the vehicle it is not very convenient for the user. Therefore to solve this problem we present a Smart Phone application as cell phones are already available in abundance and are also portable. Given its accessibility and portability, the smart phone application can bring a driver to assist any vehicle without regard for on-vehicle communication system requirements. Road quality tends to be variable, with bumpy roads and potholes being common place even in the heart of cities. The application Safe Driving App for Smart Phones detects these bumps and assists the driver for a safe driving. Also, if the driver is not well or if he falls asleep behind the wheel his life may be in danger. Hence an application that can detect patterns like weaving pattern and sudden acceleration and sudden deceleration is developed. That is, basically if the driver is driving at normal speed but suddenly accelerates or decelerates. To assure that the driver is safe, a message is sent along with the current location to the contacts registered by the user. Also, if the driver is perfectly fine he can stop the sending of message by touching the screen in the time window. It is an affordable and smart choice over expensive add-ons. General Terms Safe driving, smart phones, assist driver
The effects of dual task gait and balance training in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review

ABSTRACT In patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), the ability to perform simultaneous tasks may be impaired. However, there is no consensus as to whether the strategy of use dual task (DT) should be used with PD patients during gait and balance training because DT can increase the risk of falls. Therefore, it is necessary to critically analyze the relevant studies and evaluate the indications for the use of DT and its effects as a therapeutic strategy. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the effects of DT gait and balance training in individuals with PD. A total of 602 studies were found. After applying the eligibility criteria, seven studies were selected (three clinical trials, one uncontrolled clinical trial, and three pilot studies). Despite the poor methodological quality, the studies indicated the use of DT during gait and balance training may be beneficial for people with mild to moderate PD in compare of single-task or no intervention. The use of DT during training presented benefits related to gait (gait speed, step length and cadence) and balance (mediolateral and anteroposterior balance in closed-eyes tests). The current scenario shows that using DT in the training seems not to be harmful and could be part of the rehabilitation of PD patients. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings, and it would be the most importance that these studies stratify individuals with degrees of disease severity to verify the effect of using the DT during training.
Mobile device use when caring for children 0‐5 years: A naturalistic playground study

ISSUE ADDRESSED Over the past decade, mobile device use has increased significantly. Adults are now using their mobile device whilst undertaking a range of work and social activities. This naturalistic study aimed to understand parents/carers' use of mobile devices and their associated beliefs about mobile device use whilst caring for children aged five and younger in playgrounds. METHODS A mixed methods approach was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from parents/carers. Data were collected by observations (n = 50) and interviews (n = 25) in playgrounds on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. RESULTS Of the 50 observed parents/carers, 76% (n = 38) used their mobile device, with usage time extending to 17.2 minutes of the 20 minute observation period. Text-/type-related mobile device use was most often used (69.6%), followed by voice-related (23.7%) and camera-related mobile device use (6.7%). The 25 interviewed parents/carers beliefs on mobile device use were centred on three themes: diversity of mobile device use, child relationships and mobile device use and the physical environment and mobile device use. CONCLUSION This study adds to the limited research into parent/carer mobile device use, which has become an integral part of peoples' lifestyle. However, research is required to better understand how parent/carer mobile device use may impact on child supervision and interaction. SO WHAT? : Mobile device use is increasing. We need to better understand its public health impact.
Institutional context effects on managerial practices in a European multinational company

El presente estudio investiga el efecto de los contextos institucionales sobre las practicas de gestion en una empresa multinacional. Se aplico un cuestionario para medir practicas de gestion actuales e ideales en cuatro subsidiarias de la misma empresa multinacional. Los resultados muestran que las practicas de gestion en subsidiarias que operan en paises con un mayor nivel de regulacion laboral son menos formales y dirigidas que aquellas subsidiarias localizadas en paises con menor grado de regulacion institucional del mercado laboral. Tambien se encontro que los grados de aceptacion de tales practicas difieren significativamente dependiendo de los contextos institucionales: en contextos menos restrictivos, las practicas formales y directivas son consideradas mas deseables que en los contextos institucionales mas restrictivos. Se argumenta que hay una relacion inversa entre la flexibilidad de los contextos institucionales de las subsidiarias y la flexibilidad de sus practicas (formalidad y directividad). Se discuten las implicaciones y limitaciones de este estudio.
Gender of Interviewer Effects in a Multi-topic Centralized CATI Panel Survey

This paper is motivated by two recent articles which show that numerous studies which analyzed gender of interviewer effects did not take interviewer nonresponse selection effects into account. For example, interviewers may be more successful at recruiting respondents with characteristics similar to themselves and who give answers that are similar to their own, and this may result in spurious gender of interviewer effects. Our research is novel because it uses data from a large panel survey in which the same respondent is asked the same questions repeatedly by interviewers of random genders using the centralized telephone mode. We use the panel design to show the importance of checking for all relevant variables in models where selection may cause bias. To this end, we use respondent fixed effects models as a reference to yield unbiased coefficients. We find gender of interviewer effects that are in line with social desirability theory on gender issues such as female discrimination. However, not all gender-related questions are affected by gender of interviewer effects and, in addition, we do not find any effects on political and (factual) household task related questions. In line with the notion of social distance, there is a higher likelihood that answers respondents are less comfortable with are given to interviewers of the same gender regarding (sensitive) health questions.
Directivity Steering Principle for Biomimicry Silicon Microphone

In this paper, we propose a novel sound source separation principle particularly suitable for the biomimicry silicon microphone [1][2]. Conventionally, sound source separation has been performed by a wavelength-sized array of pressure-sensitive microphones. But it requires long observation interval and much computational cost due to the learning scheme of the algorithm, necessity for statistical properties of sound, subband decomposition or FFT, and so on. While, in our biomimicry microphone, tiny gimbal supported diaphragm detects sound pressure and its spatial gradients simultaneously. We show that their weighted summation generates null sensitivity zones invariant to the sound frequency, which enables us to exclude noise sources with high temporal resolution without distorting the target sound. We theoretically describe the principle and confirm the efficiency by some experiments.
New Prognostic Biomarkers of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress in Septic Patients

in septic patients. Results: Recently some biomarkers of mitochondrial oxidative stress have been associated with prognosis in septic patients; they include circulating levels of malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, melatonin level, platelet level of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) or mitochondrial respiratory complex IV, and mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) haplogroup. Conclusions: Some biomarkers of mitochondrial oxidative stress (e.g. circulating levels of malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, melatonin level, platelet level of COX, mtDNA haplogroup) have been recently associated with mortality in septic patients. These biomarkers could assist in the prognostic classification of septic patients and open new research lines in their treatment.
Morphological Diagnostics in Paediatric Glaucoma-Analysis of the Disc Damage Likelihood Scale by KOWA Non Mydriatic Fundus Camera and its Correlation toHRT and OCT

Title: Morphological diagnostics in paediatric glaucoma Background: Morphological parameters vary in paediatric glaucoma with a minor knowledge on standard values available compared to an adult cohort. Accordingly, we designed a study to assess the objectively measured disc damage likelihood scale (DDLS) by KOWA stereophotography as a novel parameter in comparison to standard glaucoma diagnostics, HRT 3 and OCT. Methods and Findings: Prospective study of 47 eyes (n=47) categorized into three groups; 14 normal optic discs (11 female f, 3 male m, 12.7 ± 6.1years), 15 glaucoma suspects (3f, 12m, 11.7 ± 3.1years) and 18 paediatric glaucoma (10f, 8m, 11.2 ± 2.5years). Stereometric measurements of the optic disc by KOWA camera, Moorfields regression analysis (MRA) and glaucoma probability score (GPS) of the HRT3 and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) of the OCT were analysed. Results were split in 2 groups: Diagnosis 1 was defined as “outside normal limits”, Diagnosis 2 as “borderline or outside normal limits”. Referring to Diagnosis 1 and 2, DDLS did not show a significant correlation with MRA, GPS and RNFL in glaucoma suspects, healthy children and paediatric glaucoma. In paediatric glaucoma the correlation of the GPS compared to KOWA rim/disc ratio was significant in all six quadrants; supernasal (r=-0.794 p=0.006), nasal (r=-0.845 p=0.002), inferonasal (r=-0.659 p=0.038), infertemporal (r=-0.636 p=0.048), temporal (r=-0.656 p=0.039) and superotemporal segment (r=-0.755 p=0.012). Regarding the area under the curve (Receiving operating characteristics ROC) the highest predictive power was demonstrated by DDLS (0.669-0.833) compared to R.Burk (0.142-0.595) and F.S. Mikelberg (0.050-0.619) coefficients considering all devices. Conclusions: The DDLS showed the highest predictive power for glaucomatous damage compared to glaucoma coefficients of the established devices. Additionally, the gold standard of optic nerve head assessment still includes the examination of the fundus photography. As stereo photography is an easy and timesaving instrument, it might be an additive tool in paediatric glaucoma.
Vertical, lateral and temporal structure in larval distributions at hydrothermal vents

We examined larval abundance patterns near deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the East Pacific Rise to investigate how physical transport processes and larval behavior may interact to influence larval dispersal from, and supply to, vent populations. We characterized vertical and lateral distributions and temporal variation of larvae of vent species using high-volume pumps that recov- ered larvae in good condition (some still alive) and in high numbers (up to 450 individuals sample -1 ). Moorings supported pumps at heights of 1, 20, and 175 m above the seafloor, and were positioned directly above and at 10s to 100s of meters away from vent communities. Sampling was conducted on 4 cruises between November 1998 and May 2000. Larvae of 22 benthic species, including gastropods, a bivalve, polychaetes, and a crab, were identified unequivocally as vent species, and 15 additional species, or species-groups, comprised larvae of probable vent origin. For most taxa, abundances decreased significantly with increasing height above bottom. When vent sites within the confines of the axial valley were considered, larval abundances were significantly higher on-vent than off, sug- gesting that larvae may be retained within the valley. Abundances of all vent species varied signifi- cantly among sample dates; the variation was not synchronized among taxa, except for consistently low abundances during November 1998. Lateral distributions did not vary among major larval groups (gastropods, polychaetes and bivalves), although polychaetes showed anomalously high abundances off-vent at 1 m above bottom. Lateral patterns also did not vary among species of gastropods, indicat- ing that hydrodynamic processes may be transporting diverse species in similar ways. However, the species-level differences in temporal patterns indicate that there is substantial discontinuity in the abundance of individual species at vent communities, possibly due to timing of spawning and/or behavioral interactions with flow.
Activation of human T cells by FcR nonbinding anti-CD3 mAb, hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala)

Dimeric Fc receptor (FcR) nonbinding anti-CD3 antibodies have been developed to minimize toxicities associated with classical anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies (e.g., OKT3). Studies with murine analogs of non-FcR–binding antibodies have shown reduced mitogenicity compared to OKT3. In a trial of an FcR nonbinding humanized anti-CD3 mAb hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala) for treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes, we found significant increases in IL-10 and IL-5 in the serum of 63% and 72% of patients, respectively, and TNF-α and IL-6 levels that were lower than those previously reported following OKT3 therapy. The activation signal delivered by hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala) was associated with calcium signaling and cytokine production by previously activated human cells in vitro. However, the production of IL-10, compared to IFN-γ on a molar basis, was greater after culture with hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala) than with OKT3. Flow cytometric studies confirmed that OKT3 induced IFN-γ and IL-10 production, but hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala) induced only detectable IL-10 production in CD45RO+ cells. Moreover, in vivo, we found IL-10+CD4+ T cells after drug treatment. These cells were heterogeneous but generally CD45RO+, CTLA-4–, and expressed CCR4. A subgroup of these cells expressed TGF-β. Thus, the non-FcR binding anti-CD3 mAb, hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala) delivers an activation signal to T cells that is quantitatively and qualitatively different from OKT3. It leads to the generation of T cells that might inhibit the autoimmune response and may be involved in the beneficial effect on β cell destruction in Type 1 diabetes.
Advances in Clinical Sample Preparation for Identification and Characterization of Bacterial Pathogens Using Metagenomics

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) plays an increasing role in communicable disease control through high-resolution outbreak tracing, laboratory surveillance and diagnostics. However, WGS has traditionally relied on microbial culture in order to obtain pathogen specific DNA for sequencing. This has severely limited the application of whole genome sequencing on pathogens with fastidious culturing requirements. In addition, the widespread adoption of culture-independent diagnostic tests has reduced availability of cultured isolates for confirmatory testing and surveillance. These recent developments have created demand for the implementation of techniques enabling direct sequencing of microbial genomes in clinical samples without having to culture an isolate. However, sequencing of specific organisms from clinical samples can be affected by high levels of contaminating DNA from the host and other commensal microorganisms. Several methods have been introduced for selective lysis of host cells and/or separate specific organisms from a clinical sample. This review examines the different approaches for sample preparation that have been used in diagnostic and public health laboratories for metagenomic sequencing.
Catfishes as prey items of Potamotrygonid stingrays in the Solimões and Negro rivers, Brazilian Amazon

In spite of the fact that catfish have rarely been reported as food items in the diets of freshwater stingrays, they are commonly observed in the stomach contents of species inhabiting the Solimoes and Negro rivers in the Brazilian Amazon. The stomach contents of six rays from the Solimoes River and 64 from the Negro River were analyzed, and catfishes (distributed among the families Callichthyidae, Cetopsidae, Doradidae and Loricariidae) were found in the stomach contents of four and 10 of these rays, respectively, comprising a frequency of occurrence of 20%. These data indicate a relevant participation of catfishes in the diets of potamotrygonid rays in the Amazon, and may reflect the regional diversity and abundance of Siluriformes in the region.