Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OUTPUT FLUCTUATIONS PERSISTENCE: DO CYCLICAL SHOCKS MATTER?

The aim of this paper is to identify the different sources of persistence of output fluctuations. We propose an unobserved components model that allows us to decompose GDP series into a trend component and a cyclical component. We let the drift of the trend component to switch between different regimes according to a first-order Markov process. To calculate an appropriate p-value for a test of linearity we propose a bootstrap procedure, which allows for general forms of heteroskedasticity. The performance of the bootstrap is checked by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. Our study concerns the U.S. As suggested by the Endogenous Growth theory, cyclical shocks appear to play an important role on the observed persistence of output. We argue that the traditional explanation of persistence, which is related to Real Business Cycle models with exogenous productivity, is not consistent with our data. We also find that the majority of business cycle fluctuations in the U.S. are due to real shocks.
Tree photosynthesis modulates soil respiration on a diurnal time scale

To estimate how tree photosynthesis modulates soil respiration, we simultaneously and continuously measured soil respiration and canopy photosynthesis over an oak‐grass savanna during the summer, when the annual grass between trees was dead. Soil respiration measured under a tree crown reflected the sum of rhizosphere respiration and heterotrophic respiration; soil respiration measured in an open area represented heterotrophic respiration. Soil respiration was measured using solid‐state CO2 sensors buried in soils and the flux‐gradient method. Canopy photosynthesis was obtained from overstory and understory flux measurements using the eddy covariance method. We found that the diurnal pattern of soil respiration in the open was driven by soil temperature, while soil respiration under the tree was decoupled with soil temperature. Although soil moisture controlled the seasonal pattern of soil respiration, it did not influence the diurnal pattern of soil respiration. Soil respiration under the tree controlled by the root component was strongly correlated with tree photosynthesis, but with a time lag of 7–12 h. These results indicate that photosynthesis drives soil respiration in addition to soil temperature and moisture.
Antimicrobial Efficacy of the Essential Oil of Origanum Vulgare From Algeria

Objective: This study aimed to identify the chemical composition and the antibacterial properties of essential oil from origanum vulgare growing wild in Algeria. Methods: The antibiotic activity of the essential oil was assessed on 05 strains of Bacillus (B. amyloliquefaciens FZB42, B. amyloliquefaciens S499, B. subtilis ATCC 21332, B. licheniformis ATCC 14580, B. pumilus), using the method of diffusion in a solid medium. MIC was determined by the method of integration in an agar medium. Results: The essential oil extracted from the aerial part of Origanum vulgare harvested in Azzaba located at Skikda city (North-east of Algeria) gave a yield of 2.50 %. Its analysis by CG/SM allowed the identification of 25 components, principally phenols and terpenes. The main constituents are p-Cymene (24.01 %), Thyme (23.49 %) and Carvacrol (21.31 %). The five strains showed high sensitivity towards the essential oil with inhibition diameters ranging from 21.5 mm to 41 mm and a MIC of 0.4 mg/ml. Conclusion: The essential oil of Origanum vulgare proved to be endowed with bactericidal properties against Bacillus strains.
Eye Tracking Reveals Processes that Enable Conjoint Choices to Become Increasingly Efficient with Practice

Choice-based conjoint is a popular technique for characterizing consumers’ choices. Three eye-tracking studies explore decision processes in conjoint choices that take less time and become more accurate with practice. These studies reveal two simplification processes that are associated with greater speed and reliability. Alternative focus gradually shifts attention toward options that represent promising choices, whereas attribute focus directs attention to important attributes that are most likely to alter or confirm a decision. Alternative and attribute focus increase in intensity with practice. In terms of biases, the authors detect a small but consistent focus on positive aspects of the item chosen and negative aspects of the items not chosen. They also show that incidental exposures arising from the first-examined alternative or from alternatives in a central horizontal location increase attention but have a much more modest and often insignificant impact on conjoint choices. Overall, conjoint choice is found to be a process that is (1) largely formed by goal-driven values that respondents bring to the task and (2) relatively free of distorting effects from task layout or random exposures.
Paper vs. Screen

Students are increasingly learning through online environments that deliver different experiences from traditional classrooms. In this study, participants’ learning environments were manipulated using two independent variables, each with two levels for a total of four conditions: study medium, which is the focus of this paper (text was presented either on paper or a screen), and in-text prompts (metacognitive or non-metacognitive in nature). Ninety-two participants were randomly assigned to one of the conditions in a between-subject design; during the study, they each read three expository texts, completed a comprehension test after each text, and responded to a survey at the end of the study. Participants who read text on paper tended to take more notes and spend more time studying than those who read from a screen, but comprehension differences were negligible. Results from this study can inform dialogue about the effects of technology in classrooms.
The course of the great depression: a consistent business cycle dating approach

This study dates business cycles in 10 European countries, the United States, and Japan between 1925 and 1936. The aim is to establish a consistent dating of the world economic crisis, which is a precondition for understanding the sharp economic decline in many countries during the interwar period. Three approaches were applied that are common in business cycle dating. First, a deskriptive analysis infers on recessions based on the two-consecutive quarters approach often associated with the US National Bureau of Economic Research. Second, the time series is decomposed into trend and cycle using the Hodrick-Prescott (1980) filter. The third approach is to use Markov-regime switching models, which was proposed by Hamilton (1989) for such purposes. The results of confirm that the Great Depression was a global phenomenon, not limited to the US or Germany. Business cycle comovement in the interwar period is at a level comparable to the post-WWII period. This finding points at the contribution of international business cycle integration to the course of the decline in single countries.
The Role of Carbon in Promoting Healthy Soils

As the effects of land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change become increasingly severe, soils have become one of the most vulnerable resources in the world. Soils are a major carbon reservoir containing more carbon than the atmosphere and terrestrial vegetation combined. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is dynamic, however, and human impacts on soil can turn it into either a net sink or a net source of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG). Enormous scientific progress has been achieved in understanding and explaining SOC dynamics. Protection and monitoring of SOC stocks at national and global levels, however, still face complicated challenges impeding effective on-the-ground policy design and regionally adapted implementation.
Audiologic Monitoring of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Patient on Aminoglycoside Treatment with Long Term Follow-Up

Objective: Early identification of ototoxic hearing loss provides physicians the opportunity to adjust the therapeutic treatment in order to minimize or prevent hearing loss requiring rehabilitation, depending on a patient's overall treatment picture Method: About fifty newly patiens of MDR-TB who are to be treated by second line drug will be enrolled to the purposed study. -Hearing status of these patient would we advised to undergo evaluation of their audiometry status before the commencement of the treatment.The auditory status evalution comprising of tuning fork test pure tone audimatory would be performed at the interval of 1month. Results:Hearing loss of 15 decibels (dB) at two or more frequencies, or at least 20 dB hearing loss at at least one frequency, was found in 18% of our total population treated with aminoglycosides (amikacin, kanamycin and/or streptomycin). In the group treated with kanamycin this percentage was 15.6. None of the factors sex, age, treatment duration, total aminoglycoside doses or first serum creatinine concentration, was found to be associated with hearing loss. Conculsion:Aminoglycosides used in MDR-TB patients may result in irreversible hearing loss involving higher frequencies and can become a hearing handicap as speech frequencies are also involved in some of the patients thus underlining the need for regular audiologic evaluation in patients of MDR-TB during the treatment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 30 -09-2017 Date of acceptance: 14-10-2017 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Symmetric Double-Eye Structure in Hurricane Bertha (2008) Imaged by SAR

Internal dynamical processes play a critical role in hurricane intensity variability. However, our understanding of internal storm processes is less well established, partly because of fewer observations. In this study, we present an analysis of the hurricane double-eye structure imaged by the RADARSAT-2 cross-polarized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) over Hurricane Bertha (2008). SAR has the capability of hurricane monitoring because of the ocean surface roughness induced by surface wind stress. Recently, the C-band cross-polarized SAR measurements appear to be unsaturated for the high wind speeds, which makes SAR suitable for studies of the hurricane internal dynamic processes, including the double-eye structure. We retrieve the wind field of Hurricane Bertha (2008), and then extract the closest axisymmetric double-eye structure from the wind field using an idealized vortex model. Comparisons between the axisymmetric model extracted wind field and SAR observed winds demonstrate that the double-eye structure imaged by SAR is relatively axisymmetric. Associated with airborne measurements using a stepped-frequency microwave radiometer, we investigate the hurricane internal dynamic process related to the double-eye structure, which is known as the eyewall replacement cycle (ERC). The classic ERC theory was proposed by assuming an axisymmetric storm structure. The ERC internal dynamic process of Hurricane Bertha (2008) related to the symmetric double-eye structure here, which is consistent with the classic theory, is observed by SAR and aircraft.
BEYOND FLOOD HAZARD MAPS: DETAILED FLOOD CHARACTERIZATION WITH REMOTE SENSING, GIS AND 2D MODELLING

Abstract. Flooding is considered to be one of the most destructive among many natural disasters such that understanding floods and assessing the risks associated to it are becoming more important nowadays. In the Philippines, Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) are two main technologies used in the nationwide modelling and mapping of flood hazards. Although the currently available high resolution flood hazard maps have become very valuable, their use for flood preparedness and mitigation can be maximized by enhancing the layers of information these maps portrays. In this paper, we present an approach based on RS, GIS and two-dimensional (2D) flood modelling to generate new flood layers (in addition to the usual flood depths and hazard layers) that are also very useful in flood disaster management such as flood arrival times, flood velocities, flood duration, flood recession times, and the percentage within a given flood event period a particular location is inundated. The availability of these new layers of flood information are crucial for better decision making before, during, and after occurrence of a flood disaster. The generation of these new flood characteristic layers is illustrated using the Cabadbaran River Basin in Mindanao, Philippines as case study area. It is envisioned that these detailed maps can be considered as additional inputs in flood disaster risk reduction and management in the Philippines.
Industrial Policies in Production Networks

Many developing countries adopt industrial policies favoring selected sectors. Is there an economic logic to this type of industrial policy? I answer this question by characterizing industrial policy in production networks. Market imperfections compound through backward demand linkages, causing largest size distortions in upstream sectors. My key finding is that the distortion in sectoral size is a nonparametric su cient statistic for the social value of promoting that sector, thus there is an incentive for a well-meaning government to subsidize upstream sectors. Furthermore, aggregate e↵ects of sectoral interventions can be simply summarized by the cross-sector covariance between my su cient statistic and policy spendings. My su cient statistic predicts sectoral policies in South Korea in the 1970s and in modern-day China, suggesting that interventions might have generated positive aggregate e↵ects in these economies. JEL Codes: C67, O11, O25, O47 Word Count: 12,758 *Previous circulated under title “Industrial Policies and Economic Development”. I am indebted to Daron Acemoglu and Abhijit Banerjee for their continuous guidance and support, and I thank Chad Jones, Daniel Green, Nathaniel Lane, Atif Mian, Ezra Oberfield, Michael Peters, Nancy Qian, Richard Rogerson, Jesse Shapiro, and Aleh Tsyvinski for detailed feedbacks. I thank Marios Angeletos, Pol Antras, David Atkin, Sandeep Baliga, David Baqaee, Arnaud Costinot, Nobu Kiyotaki, Pete Klenow, David Laibson, Jen-Jen La’O, Ben Moll, Dilip Mookherjee, Torsten Persson, Dani Rodrik, Gerard Roland, Alp Simsek, Andrei Shleifer, Michael Song, Ludwig Straub, Pengfei Wang, Shang-Jin Wei, David Weil, Ivan Werning, Michael Song, Heiwai Tang, Rob Townsend, Venky Venkateswaran, We Xiong, Daniel Xu, Xiaodong Zhu, Fabrizio Zilibotti, as well as seminar participants at MIT, Harvard, BU, Rochester, HKUST, JHU-SAIS, Princeton, Brown, Kellogg MEDS, NYU Stern, Yale, NBER-China meeting, Stanford SITE, Bank of Canada-University of Toronto conference, NBER “firm and production networks” meeting, Tsinghua research program on growth and institutions, “firms in emerging economies” conference at Jinan university, China international conference in macroeconomics, UIBE-GVC workshop, and the Chinese economy summer institute for helpful comments. †Princeton University. Email: ernestliu@princeton.edu. Address: 214 Julis Rabinowitz Bldg, Princeton NJ 08544.
Strain rate-induced phase transitions in an impact-hardening polymer composite

An impact-hardening polymer composite that is promising as a protective equipment material for its excellent performance and comfortable characteristics is shown. Falling weight impact experiments are performed to characterize its protective behavior, which is realized by absorbing energy and resisting deformation. From the mechanical tests in different strain rate, it is seen to undergo transitions from a viscous-liquid behavior to a rubbery behavior, then to a glassy behavior. These phase transition are found to be essential for their practical applications in the energy absorption and the deformation resistance.
The warm, the excited, and the molecular gas: GRB 121024A shining through its star-forming galaxy

We present the first reported case of the simultaneous metallicity determination of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxy, from both afterglow absorption lines as well as strong emission-line diagnostics. Using spectroscopic and imaging observations of the afterglow and host of the long-duration Swift GRB 121024A at z = 2.30, we give one of the most complete views of a GRB host/environment to date. We observe a strong damped Lyα absorber (DLA) with a hydrogen column density of log N(HI)=21.88±0.10, H2 absorption in the Lyman-Werner bands (molecular fraction of log(f) ≈−1.4; fourth solid detection of molecular hydrogen in a GRB-DLA), the nebular emission lines Hα, Hβ, [O ii], [O iii] and [N ii], as well as metal absorption lines. We find a GRB host galaxy that is highly star forming (SFR ∼ 40 M⊙ yr−1), with a dust-corrected metallicity along the line of sight of [Zn/H]corr = −0.6 ± 0.2 ([O/H] ∼ −0.3 from emission lines), and a depletion factor [Zn/Fe] = 0.85 ± 0.04. The molecular gas is separated by 400 km s−1 (and 1-3 kpc) from the gas that is photoexcited by the GRB. This implies a fairly massive host, in agreement with the derived stellar mass of log(M★/M⊙) = 9.9+0.2−0.3. We dissect the host galaxy by characterizing its molecular component, the excited gas, and the line-emitting star-forming regions. The extinction curve for the line of sight is found to be unusually flat (RV ∼ 15). We discuss the possibility of an anomalous grain size distributions. We furthermore discuss the different metallicity determinations from both absorption and emission lines, which gives consistent results for the line of sight to GRB 121024A.
Sales Tax Not Included: Designing Commodity Taxes for Inattentive Consumers

A spate of new research suggests that the salience of a tax dramatically shapes taxpayer behavior: the more salient a tax — i.e., the more prominent a good’s after-tax price — the more taxpayers respond. Policymakers make decisions about tax salience, whether they intend to or not, every time they impose a new tax, yet the normative implications of those decisions remain poorly understood. This note derives new guidelines for how policymakers can manipulate tax salience to promote efficiency. In particular, I show how levying a combination of high- and low-salience taxes can raise consumer welfare and further other social goals.
Food Additives in mozzarella Cheese: A Contribution for a Correct Analytical Determination

Mozzarella is an unripened cheese widely consumed worldwide. Due to short shelf-life of these products, the addition of few food additives, such as citric acid and lactic acid is allowed by the actual Legislation. However, these two compounds are present in the aqueous phase of milk, making difficult a correct discrimination between products with added food additives from those declared as “with no added food additives”. This work is collocated in this contest. It may be considered as a contribution for a correct food additives determination in mozzarella cheese. 14 samples (7 with citric acid declared on the label and 7 without declared food additives) were analysed, by using a reliable analytical method by ion chromatography with conductivity detection, for the quantification citric acid. The results were compared in order to verify a statistically significant difference between two data populations. The same samples were analysed, by using a validated ion chromatography with conductivity detection method, for the determination of lactic acid, and the results were evaluated in order to give a contribution to the determination of a maximum natural level of lactic acid in mozzarella cheese, in products without added food additives. Regarding citric acid, a cut-off value, equal to 0.65 g kg-1 was suggested as maximum admissible level in products without added food additives; while, as it concerns lactic acid, a maximum level corresponding to 4.0 g kg-1 was suggested.
Importance of crop varieties and management practices: evaluation of a process-based model for simulating CO2 and H2O fluxes at five European maize (Zea mays L.) sites

This paper is a modelling study of crop management impacts on carbon and water fluxes at a range of European sites. The model is a crop growth model (STICS) coupled with a process-based land surface model (ORCHIDEE). The data are online eddy-covariance observations of CO2 and H2O fluxes at five European maize cultivation sites. The results show that the ORCHIDEE-STICS model explains up to 75% of the observed daily net CO2 ecosystem exchange (NEE) variance, and up to 79% of the latent heat flux (LE) variance at five sites. The model is better able to reproduce gross primary production (GPP) variations than terrestrial ecosystem respiration (TER) variations. We conclude that structural deficiencies in the model parameterizations of leaf area index (LAI) and TER are the main sources of error in simulating CO2 and H2O fluxes. A number of sensitivity tests, with variable crop variety, nitrogen fertilization, irrigation, and planting date, indicate that any of these management factors is able to change NEE by more than 15%, but that the response of NEE to management parameters is highly site-dependent. Changes in management parameters are found to impact not only the daily values of NEE and LE, but also the cumulative yearly values. In addition, LE is shown to be less sensitive to management parameters than NEE. Multi-site model evaluations, coupled with sensitivity analysis to management parameters, thus provide important information about model errors, which helps to improve the simulation of CO2 and H2O fluxes across European croplands.
Privacy Vulnerabilities in the Practices of Repairing Broken Digital Artifacts in Bangladesh

This article presents a study on the privacy concerns associated with the practice of repairing broken digital objects in Bangladesh. Historically, repair of old or broken technologies has received less attention in ICTD scholarship than design, development, or use. As a result, the potential privacy risks associated with repair practices have remained mostly unaddressed. This article describes our three-month ethnographic study that took place at 10 major repair sites in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We show a variety of ways in which the privacy of an individual’s personal data may be compromised during the repair process. We also examine people’s perceptions around privacy during repair, and its connections with their broader social and cultural values. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for future research to strengthen the repair ecosystem in developing countries. Taken together, our andings contribute to the growing discourse around post-use cycles of technology.
Cloud Properties Simulated by a Single-Column Model. Part II: Evaluation of Cumulus Detrainment and Ice-Phase Microphysics Using a Cloud-Resolving Model

Abstract This paper is the second in a series in which kilometer-scale-resolving observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and output from the University of California, Los Angeles/Colorado State University cloud-resolving model (CRM) are used to evaluate the single-column model (SCM) version of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System model. Part I demonstrated that kilometer-scale cirrus properties analyzed by applying the SCM’s assumptions about cloud vertical overlap and horizontal homogeneity to its profiles of cloud water/ice mixing ratio, cloud fraction, and snow flux differed from the cloud radar observations while the CRM simulation reproduced most of the observed cirrus properties. The present study evaluates, through a comparison with the CRM, the SCM’s representation of detrainment from deep cumulus and ice-phase microphysics in an effort to better understand the findings of Part I. This study finds that, although the SCM’s detrainment rate.