LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Economics, equity and sustainable development

Abstract As a fashionable catchword, ‘sustainable development’ has provoked a large but nebulous literature. In the interests of communication and relevance it is necessary to narrow down the various definitions that have been given and show how a revised conception of sustainable development can be integrated into practical decisionmaking. This article suggests one approach. Sustainable development is categorized by economic change subject to ‘constancy of the natural capital stock’—the stock of environmental assets is held constant while the economy is allowed whatever social goals are deemed appropriate. Such a rule, which has its own difficulties, accommodates the main concerns of the advocates of sustainability—equity between generations, equity within a generation, economic resilience to external shocks, and uncertainty about the functions and values of natural environments in social systems. It may also accommodate some of the concerns of the ‘deep ecology’ movement by respecting rights in nature.
A 1Tb 4b/cell 64-stacked-WL 3D NAND flash memory with 12MB/s program throughput

Since the first demonstration of a production quality three-dimensional (3D) stacked-word-line NAND Flash memory [1], the 3b/cell 3D NAND Flash memory has seen areal density increases of more than 50% per year due to the aggressive development of 3D-wordline-stacking technology. This trend has been consistent for the last three consecutive years [2-4], however the storage market still requires higher density for diverse digital applications. A 4b/cell technology is one promising solution to increase bit density [5]. In this paper, we propose a 4b/cell 3D NAND Flash memory with a 12MB/s program throughput. The chip achieves a 5.63Gb/mm2 areal density, which is a 41.5% improvement as compared to a 3b/cell NAND Flash memory in the same 3D-NAND technology [4].
Factors influencing new graduate nurse burnout development, job satisfaction and patient care quality: a time-lagged study.

AIM
To test a hypothesized model linking new graduate nurses' perceptions of their manager's authentic leadership behaviours to structural empowerment, short-staffing and work-life interference and subsequent burnout, job satisfaction and patient care quality.


BACKGROUND
Authentic leadership and structural empowerment have been shown to reduce early career burnout among nurses. Short-staffing and work-life interference are also linked to burnout and may help explain the impact of positive, empowering leadership on burnout, which in turn influences job satisfaction and patient care quality.


DESIGN
A time-lagged study of Canadian new graduate nurses was conducted.


METHODS
At Time 1, surveys were sent to 3,743 nurses (November 2012-March 2013) and 1,020 were returned (27·3% response rate). At Time 2 (May-July 2014), 406 nurses who responded at Time 1 completed surveys (39·8% response rate). Descriptive analysis was conducted in SPSS. Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to test the hypothesized model.


RESULTS
The hypothesized model was supported. Authentic leadership had a significant positive effect on structural empowerment, which in turn decreased both short-staffing and work-life interference. Short-staffing and work-life imbalance subsequently resulted in nurse burnout, lower job satisfaction and lower patient care quality 1 year later.


CONCLUSION
The findings suggest that short-staffing and work-life interference are important factors influencing new graduate nurse burnout. Developing nurse managers' authentic leadership behaviours and working with them to create and sustain empowering work environments may help reduce burnout, increase nurse job satisfaction and improve patient care quality.
Multiscale X-ray image contrast enhancement based on limited adaptive histogram equalization

In this paper, a novel image contrast enhancement method, based on multiscale transform and contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, is proposed for enhancing the X-ray images. Firstly, the Laplacian pyramid based the multiscale transform is adopted to decompose the input image, which can extract the characteristic of multiscale the image. Secondly, the contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) is used for enhancing the contrast of image. Comparing with the traditional adaptive histogram equalization (AHE) and global histogram equalization, the CLAHE effectively intensifies the image at the same time restrains noise enlarged. In order to make the enhanced image become more smoothing, we adjust the contrast of low frequency coefficients. Finally, the inverse Laplacian pyramid transform is applied to reconstruct image which can obtain the enhanced image. We tested the proposed algorithm on medical X-ray images, and experimental results show that the presented algorithm is effective for contrast enhancement of image. The performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm uses the contrast evaluation criterion for image and information entropy.
Syndicated Loan Spreads and the Composition of the Syndicate Jongha Lim University of Missouri

The past decade has seen significant changes in the structure of the corporate lending market, with non-bank institutional investors playing larger roles than they historically have played. These non-bank institutional lenders typically have higher required rates of return than banks, but invest in the same loan facilities. We hypothesize that non-bank institutional lenders invest in loan facilities that would not otherwise be filled by banks, so that the arranger has to offer a higher spread to attract the non-bank institution. In a sample of 20,031 leveraged loan facilities originated between 1997 and 2007, we find that, loan facilities including a non-bank institution in their syndicates have higher spreads than otherwise identical bank-only facilities. Contrary to risk-based explanations of this finding, non-bank facilities are priced with premiums relative to bank-only facilities of the same loan package. These premiums for non-bank facilities are substantially larger when a hedge or private equity fund is one of the syndicate members. Consistent with the notion that firms are willing to pay spread premiums when loan facilities are particularly important to the firm, we find that firms spend the capital raised by loan facilities priced at a premium faster than other loan facilities, especially when the premium is associated with a non-bank institutional investor. Contact information: Jongha Lim, Department of Finance, University of Missouri, email: limjong@missouri.edu; Bernadette A. Minton, Department of Finance, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210: email: minton_15@fisher.osu.edu; Michael S. Weisbach, Department of Finance, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, email: weisbach@fisher.osu.edu. We would like to thank Zhenyi Huang and Jongsik Park for excellent research assistance, and participants in a seminar at University of Missouri, Ohio State University, and Penn State University, as well as Zahi Ben-David, Isil Erel, John Howe, Wei Jiang, Kai Li, Robert Prilmeier, Shastri Sandy, Berk Sensoy, Pei Shao, René Stulz, and Jun Yang for helpful suggestions.
Retinal development and photoreceptor synaptic ultrastructure are altered by abnormal rearing light regimes

The effects of light rearing regimen on distal retinal development and photoreceptor ultrastructure were investigated using light and electron microscopy. Zebrafish larvae were reared in constant light, control/cyclic light (14 hr light/10 hr dark), or constant dark conditions until 4 or 8 days postfertilization (dpf). Gross retinal morphology was not altered by light rearing conditions; however, ultrastructural differences were noted both within and between age groups. Significant differences were seen in photoreceptor outer segments (OS) and synaptic ribbons, the size of cone photoreceptor mitochondria, and postsynaptic horizontal cell spinules. Larvae reared in constant dark displayed reduced pigment dispersion; OS development was delayed and cone mitochondria were smaller at 4dpf, two results that reversed by 8dpf. Photoreceptor terminals of larvae reared in all treatment conditions displayed anchored synaptic ribbons with arciform densities and no significant differences in ribbon number. Ribbons were 3040% longer in photoreceptor terminals within the constant light treatment. The number of horizontal cell spinules invaginating into cone terminals varied and the spinule-to-ribbon ratio was higher in control and constant light-reared tissue by more than 2x at 4dpf. By 8dpf, this ratio was significantly highest in retinas reared in control/cyclic light conditions. Taken together, these results show that abnormal light rearing conditions affect synaptic structure in distal retina. These changes suggest a mechanism for the physiological and behavioral deficits reported in zebrafish larvae grown under constant light and/or dark conditions.
Beyond crowd judgments: Data-driven estimation of market value in association football

Association football is a popular sport, but it is also a big business. From a managerial perspective, the most important decisions that team managers make concern player transfers, so issues related to player valuation, especially the determination of transfer fees and market values, are of major concern. Market values can be understood as estimates of transfer fees—that is, prices that could be paid for a player on the football market—so they play an important role in transfer negotiations. These values have traditionally been estimated by football experts, but crowdsourcing has emerged as an increasingly popular approach to estimating market value. While researchers have found high correlations between crowdsourced market values and actual transfer fees, the process behind crowd judgments is not transparent, crowd estimates are not replicable, and they are updated infrequently because they require the participation of many users. Data analytics may thus provide a sound alternative or a complementary approach to crowd-based estimations of market value. Based on a unique data set that is comprised of 4217 players from the top five European leagues and a period of six playing seasons, we estimate players’ market values using multilevel regression analysis. The regression results suggest that data-driven estimates of market value can overcome several of the crowd’s practical limitations while producing comparably accurate numbers. Our results have important implications for football managers and scouts, as data analytics facilitates precise, objective, and reliable estimates of market value that can be updated at any time. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )
Open-access bacterial population genomics: BIGSdb software, the PubMLST.org website and their applications

The PubMLST.org website hosts a collection of open-access, curated databases that integrate population sequence data with provenance and phenotype information for over 100 different microbial species and genera.  Although the PubMLST website was conceived as part of the development of the first multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme in 1998 the software it uses, the Bacterial Isolate Genome Sequence database (BIGSdb, published in 2010), enables PubMLST to include all levels of sequence data, from single gene sequences up to and including complete, finished genomes.  Here we describe developments in the BIGSdb software made from publication to June 2018 and show how the platform realises microbial population genomics for a wide range of applications.  The system is based on the gene-by-gene analysis of microbial genomes, with each deposited sequence annotated and curated to identify the genes present and systematically catalogue their variation.  Originally intended as a means of characterising isolates with typing schemes, the synthesis of sequences and records of genetic variation with provenance and phenotype data permits highly scalable (whole genome sequence data for tens of thousands of isolates) means of addressing a wide range of functional questions, including: the prediction of antimicrobial resistance; likely cross-reactivity with vaccine antigens; and the functional activities of different variants that lead to key phenotypes.  There are no limitations to the number of sequences, genetic loci, allelic variants or schemes (combinations of loci) that can be included, enabling each database to represent an expanding catalogue of the genetic variation of the population in question.  In addition to providing web-accessible analyses and links to third-party analysis and visualisation tools, the BIGSdb software includes a RESTful application programming interface (API) that enables access to all the underlying data for third-party applications and data analysis pipelines.
Effects of nutritional supplementation combined with low-intensity exercise in malnourished patients with COPD.

STUDY OBJECTIVES
The first aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nutritional supplementation combined with low-intensity exercise on body components, exercise tolerance, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in malnourished patients with COPD. The second aim of this study was to examine the degree of systemic inflammation and the actual changes in levels of systemic CRP, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-8 actual changes after a combination of nutritional supplementation and low-intensity exercise in these patients.


DESIGN
A prospective randomized trial.


PATIENTS
Thirty-two moderate to severe, clinically stable malnourished COPD patients.


METHODS
Patients were randomly divided into a nutritional supplementation with low-intensity exercise group and a control group. Lung function, maximum inspiratory and expiratory muscle force, the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ), the 6-min walking distance (6MWD), and the Borg scale were measured at baseline and were re-assessed at 3 months after intervention. The degree of systemic inflammation and the changes in levels of systemic CRP, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-8 were assessed before and after a combination nutritional supplementation with low-intensity exercise.


RESULTS
Body weight and FFM increased significantly after 12 weeks of nutritional supplementation therapy in patients with COPD. The dietary intake energy increased and the REE:REEpred ratio decreased significantly in the nutrition with low-intensity exercise group. PI(max), Quadriceps muscle force and the 6-min walking distance (6MWD) increased significantly from baseline through week 12. Health status, as assessed by CRQ, improved in the domains of dyspnea and total sores significantly in the nutrition with low-intensity exercise group after intervention. In this group, hsCRP, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα, decreased significantly after intervention compared with the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The combination of nutritional supplementation with low-intensity exercise training was successful in increasing weight and energy intake as well as exercise capacity and health-related QOL in our patients. Moreover, REE and major inflammatory cytokines decreased significantly after nutritional supplementation with low-intensity exercise training. The present study results suggest a potential role for the combination of nutritional supplementation and low-intensity exercise in the management of malnourished patients with COPD.
Breath condensate pH in children with cystic fibrosis and asthma: a new noninvasive marker of airway inflammation?

STUDY OBJECTIVES
The noninvasive assessment and monitoring of airway inflammation could be important in respiratory disease. The pH of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a promising marker. Although pH has been measured in the EBC of adults with inflammatory airway diseases, no study has measured this in children.


DESIGN
This study aimed to assess whether there is a change in pH in the EBC of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and asthma, and to try to determine whether pH could be used as a marker of airway inflammation. Furthermore, the relationships among EBC pH, severity of disease, and oxidative stress were studied.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
We studied 20 children with CF (mean [+/- SEM] age, 7 +/- 3 years), 20 children with asthma (mean age, 7 +/- 2 years), and 15 age-matched healthy children (mean age, 7 +/- 2 years). The pH of EBC was measured using a pH meter.


MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
Lower pH values were observed in the EBC of children with CF and asthma compared to control subjects (mean pH, 7.23 +/- 0.03 and 7.42 +/- 0.01 vs 7.85 +/- 0.02, respectively). Furthermore, relationships among EBC pH, severity of asthma, and the presence of an infective exacerbation of CF was found. There was a negative correlation between exhaled pH and exhaled leukotriene B(4) concentrations (r = -0.5; p < 0.005).


CONCLUSION
We conclude that the measurement of EBC pH may be useful in the evaluation of airway inflammation in children with asthma and CF.
Sexual practices among unmarried adolescents in Tanzania

BACKGROUND
Sexual activities are increasingly changing from the cultural point of view what they used to be. Knowledge of these practices among adolescents may be a basis to create awareness among adolescents on practices that involve risks. This study aims to assess sexual practices among unmarried adolescents in Tanzania.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among in-school and out-of-school but unmarried adolescents aged 10 to 19 in five locations in Tanzania. A questionnaire was used to collect information and to characterize sexual practices among these adolescents.


RESULTS
About 32% of adolescents reported being sexually active; a higher proportion being males than females. The only inquired and reported sexual practices include vaginal sex, masturbation, oral and anal sex. About 15% of sexually active adolescents reported having multiple sexual partners. Significantly more males reported having multiple partners than females. Nearly 42% of sexually active adolescents reported having used a condom during most recent sexual act. Females reported older partners at first sexual act.


CONCLUSION
Adolescents experience several sexual practices that include penetrative and non-penetrative. More males reported being sexually active than females. Despite adolescents reporting having multiple sexual partners, reported condom use during the most recent sexual act was low. We advocate for a more enhanced approach of reproductive health education that includes safer sex to adolescents without forgetting those in-schools.
Lossless image cryptography algorithm based on discrete cosine transform

The science of cryptography has recently attracted significant attention, as progressively more information is stored and transmitted in electronic form. Cryptography is the discipline of using codes to encrypt data into an unreadable format that only the targeted recipients can decrypt and read. Encryption methods can be divided into two categories: lossy and lossless. In lossy encryption methods, the decrypted image details are vulnerable to distortion. Lossless encryption methods are more relevant when marginal distortion is not tolerable. In this research, the authors propose a novel lossless encryption/decryption technique. In the proposed algorithm, the image is transformed into the frequency domain, where low and high frequencies are processed in a way that guarantees a secure, reliable, and an unbreakable form. The encryption algorithm uses the discrete cosine transform to convert the target image into the frequency domain, after which the encryption involves scattering the distinguishable DC value using a reversible weighting factor amongst the rest of the frequencies. The algorithm is designed to shuffle and reverse the sign of each frequency in the transformed block before the image blocks are transformed back to the pixel domain. The results show a total change in the encrypted image pixel values, concealing the image details. The decryption algorithm reverses the encryption steps and returns the image to its original form without any loss in the pixel values. Based on the application’s requirements, .the decryption algorithm can perform with or without a decryption key, The encryption algorithm is suitable for applications that require secure transport of high quality data.
Computationally Manageable Combinational Auctions

There is interest in designing simultaneous auctions for situations such as the recent FCC radio spectrum auctions, in which the value of assets to a bidder depends on which other assets he or she wins. In such auctions, bidders may wish to submit bids for combinations of assets. When this is allowed, the problem of determining the revenue maximizing set of nonconflicting bids can be difficult. We analyze this problem, identifying several different structures of permitted combinational bids for which computational tractability is constructively demonstrated and some structures for which computational tractability cannot be guaranteed. (Spectrum Auctions; Combinatorial Auctions; Multi-Item Simultaneous Auctions; Bidding with Synergies; Computational Complexity)
Nonparetic arm force does not overinhibit the paretic arm in chronic poststroke hemiparesis.

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether nonparetic arm force overinhibits the paretic arm in patients with chronic unilateral poststroke hemiparesis.


DESIGN
Case-control neurophysiological and behavioral study of patients with chronic stroke.


SETTING
Research institution.


PARTICIPANTS
Eighty-six referred patients were screened to enroll 9 participants (N=9) with a >6 month history of 1 unilateral ischemic infarct that resulted in arm hemiparesis with residual ability to produce 1Nm of wrist flexion torque and without contraindication to transcranial magnetic stimulation. Eight age- and handedness-matched healthy volunteers without neurologic diagnosis were studied for comparison.


INTERVENTIONS
Not applicable.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Change in interhemispheric inhibition targeting the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1) during nonparetic arm force. We hypothesized that interhemispheric inhibition would increase more in healthy controls than in patients with hemiparesis.


RESULTS
Healthy age-matched controls had significantly greater increases in inhibition from their active to resting M1 than patients with stroke from their active contralesional to resting ipsilesional M1 in the same scenario (20%±7% vs -1%±4%, F1,12=6.61, P=.025). Patients with greater increases in contralesional to ipsilesional inhibition were better performers on the 9-hole peg test of paretic arm function.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings reveal that producing force with the nonparetic arm does not necessarily overinhibit the paretic arm. Though our study is limited in generalizability by the small sample size, we found that greater active contralesional to resting ipsilesional M1 inhibition was related with better recovery in this subset of patients with chronic poststroke.