Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Aid Cause Trade? Evidence from an Asymmetric Gravity Model

Anderson and vanWincoop (2003) developed what has become the standard framework for framing and interpreting empirical work using the gravity model. Its main advantage is that it recognizes and tackles the issue of endogeneity of prices. Hoverer, two shortcomings of their framework are that 1) it relies heavily on an assumption of symmetry among countries; and 2) it requires nonlinear estimations. For issues related to North-South trade, the assumption of symmetry is problematic. In this paper we develop an asymmetric extension of the Anderson-vanWincoop framework appropriate to the analysis of North-South trade. To avoid nonlinear estimations, we also use an appropriately extended version of Baier and Bergstrand’s (2006) method of estimating a linear approximation to the model—thus permitting estimation using (“good old”) OLS and easily compute comparative statics. As an illustration of its use, we examine the empirical link between foreign aid and trade. The results are striking. The coefficients are positive and significant, matching a long list of empirical results in the aid and trade literature. However, the comparative statics shows that aid affects prices so as to reduce the volume of trade of non-donor Northern exporters. Since most Northern countries are non-donors, the total volume of exports from the North actually decreases.
Crystal-Chemical Regularities and Identification Criteria in Fe-Bearing, K-Dioctahedral 1M Micas from X-ray Diffraction and Infrared Spectroscopy Data

Iron-bearing K-dioctahedral 1M and 1Md micas are abundant in diverse geological environments and vary in composition from illite to celadonite through Fe-illite, Al-glauconite, and glauconite. The chemistry and structural features of these micas are complex and heterogeneous, reliable diagnostic criteria are lacking, and the conventional mineralogical nomenclature is ambiguous, which complicate the identification of these mica varieties. The objectives of the present study were to reveal the structural and crystal-chemical variability in Fe-bearing, K-dioctahedral 1M micas and to define composition ranges and identification criteria for the mica varieties in the series. A collection of samples of various compositions was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Analysis of the relationships between unit-cell parameters and cation composition showed that the series included four groups, namely, Fe-bearing illites, Al-glauconites, glauconites, and celadonites and each group was characterized by a specific combination of unit-cell parameters and variation ranges. The illite group contained two distinct subgroups; Fe-bearing, Mg-rich illites and Feillites; which differ in the range of cation compositions and in FTIR characteristics. The boundary between Fe-illites and Al-glauconites occurs at a unit cell b value of ~9.05 Å and at ratios of octahedral Al to total trivalent octahedral cations that range between 0.60 and 0.65. The partially overlapping cation composition and cell parameter ranges may complicate the distinction between Al-glauconites and glauconites, which can still be unambiguously differentiated using FTIR data. The dramatically different XRD and FTIR characteristics confirmed that glauconite and celadonite should be treated as separate mineral species. The distinctive features of celadonite are relatively low csinβ values and reduced |ccosβ/a| values combined with b parameters lower than glauconites, but similar to Fe-illites. Celadonites also have distinct and sharp FTIR absorption bands at specific positions in the Si-O and OH stretching regions.
Computing Robust Standard Errors for Within-Groups Estimators

The purpose of this note is to explain how to use standard packages to calculate heteroskedasticity and serial c orrelation consistent standard errors for within-groups estimators of a linear regression model from panel data. The within-groups estimat or is calculated as the least squares estimator in a transformed mult ivariate regression with cross-equation linear restrictions. The Whit e standard errors obtained in this way are the desired ones. Copyright 1987 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Selective Serial Multi-Antibody Biosensing with TOPAS Microstructured Polymer Optical Fibers

We have developed a fluorescence-based fiber-optical biosensor, which can selectively detect different antibodies in serial at preselected positions inside a single piece of fiber. The fiber is a microstructured polymer optical fiber fabricated from TOPAS cyclic olefin copolymer, which allows for UV activation of localized sensor layers inside the holes of the fiber. Serial fluorescence-based selective sensing of Cy3-labelled α-streptavidin and Cy5-labelled α-CRP antibodies is demonstrated.
A Review on an Approach to Minimize Storage Requirement in Cloud Using DeDuplication Mechanism

Data de-duplication is one of the data compression techniques that can be used to eliminate the repetitive data and can be used in cloud computing architecture. For privacy and security point of view convergent technique has been used to encrypt data before outsourcing. But previous systems have the limitation of convergent encryption and in proposed system applied the techniques of cryptographic tuning to make the encryption more secure and flexible. Data de-duplication prohibits the storage of repetitive blocks and implements the pointer concept which basically puts the pointer to the existing blocks. Access control is provided into the application which allows the data owner the freedom of selecting users to have access to the published file. The integrity of data outsourced to the cloud is managed by the hash calculation of any content following the proof-of-ownership module. Proposed system calculate hash of the content on source and destination side and request the hash for the cloud side to predict the tampering of data. The expected analysis shows the improvement in execution time and development cost.
Inference by Composition Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph . D . by

We propose a new approach for inference in computer vision which is based on visual composition. Using “Inference by Composition”, we try to determine to what degree one signal can be composed, as a puzzle, from chunks taken from another signal. The fewer and the larger the puzzle pieces are, the easier is the composition. Based on the complexity of this composition, we define a novel notion of similarity between visual signals and use it in various inference and learning problems for images, video and even audio. We provide a probabilistic model of composition, which is nonparametric and data-driven. Using this model, we derive an information theoretical formulation of visual composition and develop efficient inference algorithms. We demonstrate that “Inference by Composition” provides a unified framework which is applicable to a wide range of inference problems in computer vision and machine learning, including detecting suspicious behaviors in video, automatic visual inspection, action recognition, speaker recognition in audio, image classification and image segmentation.
A Different Derivation of the Calogero Conjecture

In a study by F. Calogero [1] entitled "Cosmic origin of quantization" an expression was derived for the variability of h with time, and its consequences if any, of such an idea in cosmology were examined. In this paper we will offer a different derivation of the Calogero conjecture based on a postulate concerning a variable speed of light, [2] in conjuction with Weinberg's relationship for the mass of an elementary particle.
Synthesis and Structure of 3-((2,6-Dichlorophenyl)(ethoxy)methyl)-4-hydroxy- 2H-chromen-2-one

The crystal structure of 3-[(2,6-dichlorophenyl)(ethoxy)methyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one was determined in the space group I2/a with cell constants a = 14.287(6)A, b = 8.335(4)A, c = 27.542(13)A, b = 98.99(4)˚. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with V = 3239(2)A 3 and Z = 8. p-p stacking of the aromatic residues of the title compound results in the formation of linear chains in the direction of the crystallographic c-axis.
Methods for Microeconometric Risk and Vulnerability Assessments

This"toolkit"provides quantitative tools to practitioners who want to undertake risk and vulnerability assessments using household data. While one could use price, exchange rate, and balance of payments data to examine macroeconomic shocks, and rainfall data to assess the severity of droughts and floods, we are ultimately interested in their impacts on households - thus the emphasis on household data.
Benchmarking government provision of social safety nets

The question of how much governments should spend on social programs generally, or safety nets in particular, is of great obvious interest to policymakers but is extremely difficult to address empirically. The approach in this paper differs from others by assuming that what governments can potentially do in terms of spending on social programs is given by what governments across the world are actually observed to be doing on average. After first briefly reviewing the existing methodologies, their limitations, and what can be learned, an analysis of 63 countries spending patterns from 1972-1997 is presented using a comparative benchmarking methodology. Unconditional rankings of spending on safety nets and other health and education social programs are refined by controlling for various factors which affect the ability to fund programs. Two sets of factors are examined: (i) structural features captured by regional dummy variables and characteristics of the underlying populations; and (ii) quality of government as reflected in measures of corruption, rule of law, political pressure, and others. Separate analyses are conducted across countries for selected welfare indicators such as the infant mortality rate and life expectancy at birth and for states in India, for which additional information is available on macroeconomic factors and institutional features influencing safety nets spending. The approach generates a picture as to how states are performing relative to international expenditure norms and may be useful to policymakers in determining the appropriate level of overall spending.
Social Protection Discussion Paper Series Incentives and the Role of Institutions in the Provision of Social Safety Nets

Institutions matter in the design and implementation of social programs in general and for social safety net programs in particular. This paper argues that what matters most for the success of programs are the incentives that are provided to stakeholders and actors through institutions. The paper critically examines the effects of different incentive structures that operate between program providers and the sponsors of programs and between providers and clients, illustrated with reference to developed and developing country examples. In light of these incentive effects, the paper then examines possible strategies for safety net implementation under three distinct institutional settings, including limited institutional capacity, nascent development, and more mature environments.
Monetary Policy in Economies with Little or No Money

The paper's arguments include: (1) Medium-of-exchange money will not disappear in the foreseeable future, although the quantity of base money may continue to decline. (2) In economies with very little money (e.g., no currency but bank settlement balances at the central bank), monetary policy will be conducted much as at present by activist adjustment of overnight interest rates. Operating procedures will be different, however, with payment of interest on reserves likely to become the norm. (3) In economies without any money there can be no monetary policy. The relevant notion of a general price level concerns some index of prices in terms of a medium of account. The liabilities of some official entity might serve as the medium of account, but there could be viable rivals if policy is poor. (4) A broad commodity-bundle monetary standard could be viable, even with a redemption medium, and there is scope for quantitative analysis of the properties of such a system. (5) The number of distinct national currencies may decline sharply, with the emergence of a small number of currency areas and floating exchange rates across these areas.
Monetary Policy Surprises and Exchange Rate Behavior

Central banks unexpectedly tightening policy rates often observe the exchange value of their currency depreciate, rather than appreciate as predicted by standard models. We document this for Fed and ECB policy days using eventstudies and ask whether an information effect, where the public attributes the policy surprise to an unobserved state of the economy that the central bank is signaling by its policy may explain the abnormality. It turns out that many informational assumptions make a standard two-country New Keynesian model match this behavior. To identify the particular mechanism, we condition on multiple asset prices in the eventstudy and model implications for these. We find that there is heterogeneity in this dimension in the eventstudy and no model with a single regime can match the evidence. Further, even after conditioning on possible information effects driving longer term interest rates, there appear to be other drivers of exchange rates. Our results show that existing models have a long way to go in reconciling eventstudy analysis with model-based mechanisms of asset pricing.
Bicomplex Riesz-Fischer Theorem

This paper continues the study of infinite dimensional bicomplex Hilbert spaces introduced in previous articles on the topic. Besides obtaining a Best Approximation Theorem, the main purpose of this paper is to obtain a bicomplex analogue of the Riesz-Fischer Theorem. There are many statements of the Riesz-Fischer (R-F) Theorem in the literature, some are equivalent, some are consequences of the original versions. The one referred to in this paper is the R-F Theorem which establishes that the spaces $l^2$ is the canonical model space.
Primary care blood tests before cancer diagnosis: National Cancer Diagnosis Audit data

Background Blood tests can support the diagnostic process in patients with cancer but how often they are used is unclear. Aim To explore use of common blood tests before cancer diagnosis in primary care. Design and setting English National Cancer Diagnosis Audit data on 39 752 patients with cancer diagnosed in 2018. Method Common blood test use (full blood count [FBC], urea and electrolytes [U&E], and liver function tests [LFTs]), variation by patient and symptom group, and associations with the primary care interval and the diagnostic interval were assessed. Results At least one common blood test was used in 41% (n = 16 427/39 752) of patients subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Among tested patients, (n = 16 427), FBC was used in 95% (n = 15 540), U&E in 89% (n = 14 555), and LFTs in 76% (n = 12 414). Blood testing was less common in females (adjusted odds ratio versus males: 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.87 to 0.98) and Black and minority ethnic patients (0.89, 95% CI = 0.82 to 0.97 versus White), and more common in older patients (1.12, 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.18 for ≥70 years versus 50–69 years). Test use varied greatly by cancer site (melanoma 2% [ n = 55/2297]; leukaemia 84% [ n = 552/661]). Fewer patients presenting with alarm symptoms alone were tested (24% [ n = 3341/13 778]) than those with non-alarm symptoms alone (50% [ n = 8223/16 487]). Median primary care interval and diagnostic interval were longer in tested than non-tested patients (primary care interval: 10 versus 0 days; diagnostic interval: 49 versus 32 days, respectively, P<0.001 for both), including among tested patients with alarm symptoms (primary care interval: 4 versus 0 days; diagnostic interval: 41 versus 22 days). Conclusion Two-fifths of patients subsequently diagnosed with cancer have primary care blood tests as part of their diagnostic process. Given variable test use, research is needed on the clinical context in which blood tests are ordered.
SOLEIL: An Integrated Approach for Designing and Developing Component-based Real-time Java Systems

Over the last decade we witness a steady grow of complexities in real-time systems. Today, developers have to face real-time constraints in almost every software system, from embedded software to financial systems, internet services, and computer entertainment industry. To address this widespread challenge, the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ) has been proposed. However, RTJS itself introduces many nonintuitive rules and restrictions that doom its programming model to be highly error-prone. Moreover, in contrast to the approaches for mainstream software development, the engineering technologies, tools, and frameworks for real-time systems are nowhere near as groundbreaking. The vision behind this dissertation is to ultimately close the gap between real-time programming and today's software technology. Therefore, this dissertation investigates scalable software engineering techniques for RTSJ programming. Our fundamental philosophy is to introduce high-level abstractions of RTSJ concepts in order to leverage development of real-time Java systems. As the first contribution of this thesis, we introduce domain components - an approach to unified expression and manipulation of domain-specific concerns along the software development lifecycle. We use the domain components to construct high-level abstractions of RTSJ specifics that ultimately allow developers to achieve full separation of functional and RTSJ-specific concerns in the development lifecycle. We thus allow developers to reuse and tailor the systems for variously constraining real-time requirements. Second, we propose SOLEIL- a component framework for development of RTSJ systems, the framework introduces a development methodology mitigating the complexities of the RTSJ programming model. Furthermore, we introduce the HULOTTE toolset for automatic instantiation of developed applications. In this process, the functional implementation is separated from RTSJspecific code which is automatically instantiated. In consequence, the development process is fully transparent, RTSJ complexities are hidden from the developers, and the process itself highly resembles to the standard Java development. Finally, the domain component concept and the RTSJ rules and restrictions are defined in the Alloy language which allows us to formally verify that the development process and outcoming software systems are compliant with RTSJ. To validate the approach, we conduct several case studies challenging our proposal from different perspectives. First, performed benchmarks show that the overhead of the SOLEIL framework is minimal in comparison to manually written object-oriented applications while providing more extensive functionality. Second, considering the state-of-the-art RTSJ programming methods, we achieve better separation of functional and RTSJ concerns, thus increasing efficiency of the development process. Finally, we demonstrate universality of the domain component concept by showing its ability to address various domain-specific challenges.
TerraService.NET: An Introduction to Web Services

This article explores the design and construction of a geo-spatial Internet web service application from the host web site perspective and from the perspective of an application using the web service. The this http URL web service was added to the popular TerraServer database and web site with no major structural changes to the database. The article discusses web service design, implementation, and deployment concepts and design guidelines. Web services enable applications that aggregate and interact with information and resources from Internet-scale distributed servers. The article presents the design of two USDA applications that interoperate with database and web service resources in Fort Collins Colorado and the TerraService web service located in Tukwila Washington.
Sticky prices in the euro area: a summary of new micro-evidence 1

This paper presents original evidence on price setting in the euro area at the individual level. We use micro data on consumer (CPI) and producer (PPI) prices, as well as qualitative survey information. Our main findings are: (i) prices in the euro area are sticky and stickier than in the US; (ii) there is evidence of heterogeneity and of asymmetries in price setting behaviour; (iii) there is no strong downward price rigidity and (iv) the importance of theories such as implicit or explicit contracts, marginal costs and coordination failure is confirmed, whereas menu costs, pricing thresholds and costly information explanations are weakly supported. JEL codes: C25, D40, E31
Sorry kids, Iron Man's superpowers aren't unique

Every superhero has its own unique set of skills. Just about any Iron Manobsessed fan could tell you that. They could also give you an in-depth description of any of their favorite comic book characters and respective superpowers. Well, we have news for you and that obsessed fan; there are many more characters in the Marvel Universe than you might have thought, and most of your favorite childhood heroes possess powers similar to those of Stan Lee’s superheroes. As it turns out, there are more than 900 characters hidden within the Wikipedia category “Marvel Comics superheroes,” and approximately 85 percent of entries include a description of superpowers right at the top of the page. This information was the basis of our analysis. In this column, we present the uncanny resemblance between the superpowers of your favorite bedtime story companions and the vast superhero network provided by the Marvel Universe and its inhabitants.