Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unemployment and unemployment protection in three groups of countries

This report examines unemployment protection with emphasis on three groups of countries: 1) OECD, 2) Central-East Europe and the Former Soviet Union; and 3) East and South Asia. Section 1 notes the presence of various public social protection programs including pensions, work injury insurance, health insurance, and unemployment benefits. Section 2 describes the measurement of unemployment in these countries and provides details of their unemployment protection programs including unemployment insurance, unemployment assistance, and severance pay schemes. Section 3 explores the costs of providing unemployment protection. It decomposes the cost of unemployment protection into three components: 1) the unemployment rate; 2) the share of weeks of unemployment that are compensated; and 3) the replacement rate (average benefits as a proportion of average wages). Cross country evidence regarding these components of costs is briefly reviewed. Comments on the potential costs of unemployment insurance for Asian economies are offered. Section 4 examines alternatives to unemployment insurance and unemployment assistance for addressing the loss of earnings and increase in poverty associated with unemployment. The four alternatives are severance pay, temporary public employment, social investment funds, and community loan funds. Some observations are made on the comparative strengths and weaknesses of these alternatives.
A Dense Material Segmentation Dataset for Indoor and Outdoor Scene Parsing

A key algorithm for understanding the world is material segmentation, which assigns a label (metal, glass, etc.) to each pixel. We find that a model trained on existing data underperforms in some settings and propose to address this with a large-scale dataset of 3.2 million dense segments on 44,560 indoor and outdoor images, which is 23x more segments than existing data. Our data covers a more diverse set of scenes, objects, viewpoints and materials, and contains a more fair distribution of skin types. We show that a model trained on our data outperforms a state-of-the-art model across datasets and viewpoints. We propose a large-scale scene parsing benchmark and baseline of 0.729 per-pixel accuracy, 0.585 mean class accuracy and 0.420 mean IoU across 46 materials.
Proposed Running Head : Rummaging through Earth ’ s attic Editorial correspondence to :

We explore the likelihood that early remains of Earth, Mars, and Venus have been preserved on the Moon in high enough concentrations to motivate a search mission. During the Late Heavy Bombardment, the inner planets experienced frequent large impacts. Material ejected by these impacts near the escape velocity would have had the potential to land and be preserved on the surface of the Moon. Such ejecta could yield information on the geochemical and biological state of early Earth, Mars and Venus. In order to determine whether the Moon has preserved enough ejecta to justify a search mission, we calculate the amount of Terran material incident on the Moon over its history by considering the distribution of ejecta launched from the Earth by large impacts. In addition, we make analogous estimates for Mars and Venus. We find, for a well mixed regolith, that the median surface abundance of Terran material is roughly 7 ppm, corresponding to a mass of approximately 20,000 kg of Terran material over a 10 x 10 square km area. Over the same area, the amount of material transferred from Venus is 1-30 kg, and material from Mars as much as 180 kg. Given that the amount of Terran material is substantial, we estimate the fraction of this material surviving impact with intact geochemical and biological tracers.
Transcriptomic analysis reveals the rareness of genetic assimilation of gene expression in environmental adaptations

Genetic assimilation is the evolutionary process by which an environmentally induced phenotype becomes genetically encoded and constitutive. Genetic assimilation has been proposed as a concluding step in environmental adaptation, but its prevalence has not been systematically investigated. Analyzing transcriptomic data collected upon reciprocal transplant, we address this question in the experimental evolution, domestication, or natural evolution of seven diverse species. We find that genetic assimilation of environment-induced gene expression is the exception rather than the rule and that substantially more genes retain than lose their expression plasticity upon organismal adaptations to new environments. The probability of genetic assimilation of gene expression decreases with the expression level and number of transcription factors controlling the gene, suggesting that genetic assimilation results primarily from passive losses of gene regulations that are not mutationally robust. Hence, for gene expression, our findings argue against the purported generality or importance of genetic assimilation to environmental adaptation.
Tactical Differences in Coping With Rejection Sensitivity: The Role of Prevention Pride

Prevention pride reflects a person’s subjective history of success in preventing negative outcomes, leading to a strategic avoidance of errors of commission (e.g., explicit mistakes) in new situations. Two studies examined the impact of prevention pride on the strategies that highly rejection sensitive (HRS) people use to cope with the anxiety of anticipated rejection and the negative feelings elicited by perceived rejection. It was hypothesized that prevention pride orientation would lead HRS people toward covert and passive rather than overt and active forms of negative coping. Results indicated that HRS individuals who were also high in prevention pride reported increased use of self-silencing, presumably to prevent rejection. When rejection was perceived, however, they expressed hostility passively, by reducing positive behavior (e.g., withdrawing love and support) while inhibiting direct, active acts of hostility (e.g., yelling).
The impact of age within academic year on adult outcomes

Children born at the end of the academic year have lower educational attainment, on average, than those born at the start of the academic year. Previous research has shown that the difference is most pronounced early in pupils’ school lives, but remains evident and statistically significant in high-stakes exams taken at the end of compulsory schooling. Those born later in the academic year are also significantly less likely to participate in post-compulsory education than those born at the start of the year. We provide the first evidence on whether these differences in childhood outcomes translate into differences in the probability of employment, occupation and earnings for adults in the UK. We also examine whether there are differences in broader measures of well-being such as self-perceived health and mental health. We find that the large and significant differences observed in educational attainment do not lead to pervasive differences in adulthood; those born towards the end of the academic year are more likely to experience unemployment (which is particularly true for females and those that don’t achieve a degree level qualification) but in general there are few substantial or statistically significant differences in terms of occupation, earnings and self-perceived health and mental health. It is not clear why this should be the case, but if employers reward productivity equally as they learn more about their workers, irrespective of their educational attainment, then this lack of significant differences may not be surprising. This paper is supplemented by an online appendix which can be viewed here
Optimal Excess Risk Bounds for Empirical Risk Minimization on p-Norm Linear Regression

We study the performance of empirical risk minimization on the $p$-norm linear regression problem for $p \in (1, \infty)$. We show that, in the realizable case, under no moment assumptions, and up to a distribution-dependent constant, $O(d)$ samples are enough to exactly recover the target. Otherwise, for $p \in [2, \infty)$, and under weak moment assumptions on the target and the covariates, we prove a high probability excess risk bound on the empirical risk minimizer whose leading term matches, up to a constant that depends only on $p$, the asymptotically exact rate. We extend this result to the case $p \in (1, 2)$ under mild assumptions that guarantee the existence of the Hessian of the risk at its minimizer.
Very high rates of cooling and uplift in the Alpine belt of the Betic Cordilleras, southern Spain

Cooling-rate estimates of 150-350 °C/m.y. , suggesting magnitudes of uplift and exhumation of ∼15-20 km at rates of 5-10 km/m.y. , are proposed for the final stage of the orogenic development in a major part of the Betic Cordilleras. The results are based on a combination of radiometric and paleontological dates. Six isotopic chronometers (muscovite and biotite whole-rock Rb-Sr, muscovite and biotite 40 Ar/ 39 Ar, biotite K-Ar, and whole-rock Rb-Sr) yield analytical ages between 23 and 18.5 Ma for rocks from Alpine nappe complexes. Nappe-sealing marine sedimentary rocks contain early Miocene foraminifera and nannoplankton indicating minimum ages of 18-15.5 Ma. The very high estimates of cooling and uplift-exhumation rates suggest tectonic unroofing, which is tentatively connected geodynamically to lithospheric slab detachment and concomitant diapirism in the upper mantle, and extensional tectonics in the crustal section.
Microphysical modeling of cirrus 2. Sensitivity studies

The one-dimensional cirrus model described in part 1 of this issue has been used to study the sensitivity of simulated cirrus microphysical and radiative properties to poorly known model parameters, poorly understood physical processes, and environmental conditions. Model parameters and physical processes investigated include nucleation rate, mode of nucleation (e.g., homogeneous freezing of aerosols and liquid droplets or heterogeneous deposition), ice crystal shape, and coagulation. These studies suggest that the leading sources of uncertainty in the model are the phase change (liquid-solid) energy barrier and the ice-water surface energy which dominate the homogeneous freezing nucleation rate and the coagulation sticking efficiency at low temperatures which controls the production of large ice crystals (radii greater than 100 μm). Environmental conditions considered in sensitivity tests were CN size distribution, vertical wind speed, and cloud height. We found that (unlike stratus clouds) variations in the total number of condensation nuclei (CN) have little effect on cirrus microphysical and radiative properties, since nucleation occurs only on the largest CN at the tail of the size distribution. The total number of ice crystals which nucleate has little or no relationship to the number of CN present and depends primarily on the temperature and the cooling rate. Stronger updrafts (more rapid cooling) generate higher ice number densities, ice water content, cloud optical depth, and net radiative forcing. Increasing the height of the clouds in the model leads to an increase in ice number density, a decrease in effective radius, and a decrease in ice water content. The most prominent effect of increasing cloud height was a rapid increase in the net cloud radiative forcing which can be attributed to the change in cloud temperature as well as change in cloud ice crystal size distributions, It has long been recognized that changes in cloud height or cloud area have the greatest potential for causing feedbacks on climate change. Our results suggest that variations in vertical velocity or cloud microphysical changes associated with cloud height changes may also be important.
The contribution of TOPEX/POSEIDON to the global monitoring of climatically sensitive lakes

Remote sensing and long-term monitoring of closed and climatically sensitive open lakes can provide useful information for the study of climatic change. Satellite radar altimetry offers the advantages of day/night and all-weather capability in the production of relative lake level changes on a global scale. A simple technique which derives relative lake level changes is described with specific relevance to the TOPEX/POSEIDON geophysical data record data set. An assessment of the coverage and global tracking performance of both the NASA radar altimeter and the solid state altimeter over these lakes is discussed, and results are presented for the first 1.75 years of the mission. Lake level time series were acquired for 12 closed lakes, six open lakes, and three reservoirs, providing information in many cases where ground gauge data are unobtainable or the lake is inaccessible. The results, accurate to ∼4 cm rms, mark the beginning of a very accurate lake level data set, showing that TOPEX/POSEIDON can successfully contribute to the long-term global program.
Supplementary of “GFPose: Learning 3D Human Pose Prior with Gradient Fields”

To sample human poses from the learned pose prior pdata(x|c), we need to solve the reverse-time SDE (Eq. 5 in the main text). Following [5], we simulate the RSDE via the Predictor-Corrector (PC) sampler. We use the EulerMaruyama solver as the predictor and Identity as the corrector. We set the number of sampling steps N = 1000, start time T = 1.0 and the end time eps = 1e − 3. Please refer to Alg. 1 for the detailed sampling process.
New particle formation in the fresh flue-gas plume from a coal-fired power plant: effect of flue-gas cleaning

Abstract. Atmospheric emissions, including particle number and size distribution, from a 726 MWth coal-fired power plant were studied experimentally from a power plant stack and flue-gas plume dispersing in the atmosphere. Experiments were conducted under two different flue-gas cleaning conditions. The results were utilized in a plume dispersion and dilution model taking into account particle formation precursor (H2SO4 resulted from the oxidation of emitted SO2) and assessment related to nucleation rates. The experiments showed that the primary emissions of particles and SO2 were effectively reduced by flue-gas desulfurization and fabric filters, especially the emissions of particles smaller than 200 nm in diameter. Primary pollutant concentrations reached background levels in 200–300 s. However, the atmospheric measurements indicated that new particles larger than 2.5 nm are formed in the flue-gas plume, even in the very early phases of atmospheric ageing. The effective number emission of nucleated particles were several orders of magnitude higher than the primary particle emission. Modelling studies indicate that regardless of continuing dilution of the flue gas, nucleation precursor (H2SO4 from SO2 oxidation) concentrations remain relatively constant. In addition, results indicate that flue-gas nucleation is more efficient than predicted by atmospheric aerosol modelling. In particular, the observation of the new particle formation with rather low flue-gas SO2 concentrations changes the current understanding of the air quality effects of coal combustion. The results can be used to evaluate optimal ways to achieve better air quality, particularly in polluted areas like India and China.
Evidence for counterflow to the west wind drift off South America

An XBT section with station intervals of 11 km, from 45° to 35°S along 92°W, taken February 1979, provides the first clear picture of the meridional thermal structure across the west wind drift in this sparsely sampled transition zone. At least two mesoscale isotherm structures are found which show vertical excursions of up to 250 m over horizontal distances of about 70 km and vertical coherence to depths of sampling limit at 1600 m; locations appear coincident with major ridge features in the Chile Rise. The inferred westward flow patterns are evaluated as possible source mechanisms for the tongue of low-salinity surface water known to extend westward from the Chile coast.
Monetary policy , debt and unemployment

It can scarcely have escaped the attention of those who follow monetary policy in Sweden that the members of the Executive Board have held differing opinions for some time now. Most people have probably also noted that a minority of the Executive Board members – consisting of my colleague Karolina Ekholm and myself, in case anyone was not aware of this – has advocated a more expansionary monetary policy than the one that has been conducted and that the Riksbank intends to conduct in accordance with the repo-rate path advocated by the majority during the coming period.
Rock Mechanics Aspects of Well Productivity in Marginal Sandstone Reservoirs: Problems, Analysis Methods, and Remedial Actions

Rock mechanics may directly or indirectly affect productivity decline; however, remediation in sandstone reservoirs may be possible. Several mechanisms are linked to rock-mechanics aspects through local pore-pressure changes and induced deformations of the formation rock. Plugging may further induce rock mechanical failure around the well. Two principles of direct sand control are discussed [i.e., borehole reinforcement (expandable screens, gravel packing, propped fracturing, and chemical consolidation) and filtering (standalone screens, gravel packs, frac packs, and prepacked screens)] along with their effects on productivity and, therefore, reservoir depletion, scaling, sand production, filter-cake mobilization, and fines migration.
Revised Moche Chronology Based on Bayesian Models of Reliable Radiocarbon Dates

The Moche civilization of the north coast of Peru is thought to be the first state-level society in South America. Understanding of the emergence, spread, and decline of this society, however, has been based almost entirely on relative ceramic phases, rather than absolute dates. This article reevaluates Moche political dynamics and intersite affiliations using radiocarbon dates associated with diagnostic ceramic styles. The phases of ceramic styles at individual sites are estimated using Bayesian models of published 14C dates that have passed explicit selection criteria for reliability. The site-specific phases are incorporated into a regional chronology, which adds additional support to the idea that Moche was a collection of independent polities with complex and nuanced relationships. Based on absolute dates, Moche civilization appears to have spanned between cal AD 200–900, with a significant and socially meaningful increase in stylistic homogeneity between cal AD 600–650.
D″ anisotropy beneath Southeast Asia

Earthquakes from the Banda Sea and Flores Sea region recorded at the Kyrgyz Network in the Tien Shan region show evidence for anisotropy in the lowermost mantle beneath South East Asia. Shear‐wave splitting is measured for the ScS phase after a receiver‐side correction is applied. Individual results show scatter in measured time lag and fast direction, but stacking these gives a stable estimate of 0.8 ± 0.04 s and 43 ± 4 degrees. This equates to a fast‐shear wave with a polarisation deviation from horizontal (at the bounce point) of around 9 degrees. The simplest model to explain is a transversely isotropic medium with a slight dip to the east, and an inferred anisotropy of ∼0.25%. This is compatible with previous observations of VSH > VSV for this region. Scenarios which might explain the observed anisotropy include sheared melt pockets or aligned post‐perovskite crystals associated with palaeosubduction of the Pacific plate and Indian plate.
Microwave polarimetric measurements of the sea surface brightness temperature from a blimp during the Coastal Ocean Probing Experiment (COPE)

Experimental data obtained with a microwave dual-frequency radiometer at 23.87 and 31.65 GHz and a polarimeter at 37.0 GHz installed on a blimp during the Coastal Ocean Probing Experiment in 1995 are analyzed. Observations of the downwelling atmospheric radiation as a function of angle were used to achieve a highly accurate absolute calibration. The dependence of the sea surface brightness temperature on nadir and azimuthal angles is considered. The experimental data are compared with theoretical calculations based on several models of sea wave spectra. Models proposed by Romeiser et al. [1997] and Elfouhaily et al. [1997] fit well to the COPE azimuthal measurements and data averaged over azimuthal angle are in between of values predicted by spectrum models by Apel [1994] and Elfouhaily et al. [1997]. The conclusion is made about high sensitivity of the polarized radiometric measurements to parameters of gravity-capillary spectrum.
Laboratory experiments simulating the geomorphic response to tectonic uplift

[1] We present the results of an experimental study of topography dynamics under conditions of constant precipitation and uplift rate. The experiment is designed to develop a complete drainage network by the growth and propagation of erosion instabilities in response to tectonic perturbations. The quantitative analysis of topographic evolution is made possible by using telemetric lasers that perform elevation measurements at an excellent level of precision. We focus our study on the effect of initial surface organization and of uplift rate on both the transient dynamics and the steady state forms of topography. We show that the transient phase is strongly dependent on the initial internally drained area, which is found to decrease exponentially with time. The topography always reaches a steady state whose mean elevation depends linearly on uplift rate with a strictly positive value when uplift is zero. Steady state surfaces are characterized by a well-defined slope–area power law with a constant exponent of −0.12 and an amplitude that depends linearly on uplift rate with a strictly positive value when uplift is zero. These results are consistent with a stream power law erosion model that includes a nonnegligible threshold for particle detachment. Uncertainty regarding the sediment transport length is resolved by calibrating the transient dynamics with a surface process model. Reappraising published results on the linear dependency between mean elevation, or relief, and denudation rate, we suggest that an erosion threshold is worth considering for large-scale systems.
Organic reactions increasing the absorption index of atmospheric sulfuric acid aerosols

Unlike most environments present at Earth's surface atmospheric aerosols can be favorable to organic reactions. Among them, the acid‐catalyzed aldol condensation of aldehydes and ketones produces light‐absorbing compounds. In this work the increase of the absorption index of sulfuric acid solutions 50–96 wt. % resulting from the uptake of gas‐phase acetaldehyde, acetone, and 2‐butanone (methyl ethyl ketone), has been measured in the near UV and visible range. Our results indicate that the absorption index between 200 and 500 nm for stratospheric sulfuric aerosols exposed to 100 pptV of acetaldehyde (1 pptV = 10−12 v/v) would increase by four orders of magnitude over a two‐year lifetime. Rough estimates based on previous radiative calculations suggest that this reaction could result in an increase of the radiative forcing of sulfate aerosols of the order of 0.01 W m−2, and that these processes are worth further investigation.
One-Way Operators in Laterally Varying Media

The usual assumption in one-way propagation is that the propagation velocity may be kept constant within the lateral support of the operator. For rapidly varying medium parameters this approach leads to inaccurate and sometimes even unstable results. In this paper we propose one-way operators (based on modal decomposition) that properly account for the lateral variations of the medium parameters and that are unconditionally stable. We illustrate with some examples that these operators are accurate for all propagation angles between -90 and +90 degrees.