Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Labor Policy and the Second Generation of Economic Reform in India

During its time in office, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government continued the process of economic reform initiated by the Congress government in 1991 and sustained by the United Front government during 1996–98. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at its core, the NDA faced not only the problem of managing its extremely diverse coalition, but also the complexities of moving onto a “second generation” of reform – one that required both a broadening and deepening of the agenda, as well as attention to a number of reforms that should, by most accounts, have been accomplished in the first generation, but were not. Labor reform–along with agricultural liberalization – is often seen as among the most significant pieces of unfinished business from India’s first generation of reforms. A complete overhaul of India’s industrial relations regime – including the conditions under which workers can be hired and fired, the rules governing union recognition, and the mechanisms for resolving employment disputes – is considered long overdue by the World Bank and other observers. India’s restrictive labor regulations are widely regarded as unsuitable for its increasingly globalized economy. The existence of such first generation “leftovers” highlights India’s unorthodox sequencing of its economic reforms – the result of political compulsions, to be sure, but also of genuine uncertainty among decisionmakers about the right path to follow. At a deeper level, this unusual sequencing calls into question the very idea of there being clear-cut “generations” of reform at all – anywhere in the world, either in theory or in practice. This paper thus begins from the premise that first and second generation reforms are not, primarily, headings under which it is possible
Price as an Indicator of Quality: Report on an Enquiry

I. Introduction It is generally accepted that price may enter into the determination of consumers' choice in two ways: as an indicator of cost and as an indicator of quality. Contemporary demand theory rests heavily on the first of these two functions while the second tends to be treated as if it were an exceptional and anomalous phenomenon, to be mentioned only in order to be dismissed as unimportant. Indeed, it is of considerable analytical convenience to ignore price as a quality indicator, because if this is not done, the utility function of the individual must be formulated so as to incorporate an additional set of independent variables, namely the prices of all the commodities in the market. The problem is not intrinsically insoluble but it leads to difficulties which can be avoided simply by denying the relevance of this aspect of price.
Volatile Capital Flows: Taming Their Impact on Latin America

This book discusses the issues associated with the capriciousness of capital flows into Latin America, examining macroeconomic and financial sector impact, as well as offering policy recommendations for achieving stability despite volatile capital flows. The authors review recent experience with international capital flows in Latin America, and discuss the policy issues that surround them.
E-commerce in Hong Kong: an empirical perspective and analysis

Purpose – The main objective of this study is to develop a framework for: identifying the reasons for using e‐commerce; understanding the implications of e‐commerce in companies; and implementing and applying e‐commerce successfully for improved organizational competitiveness and success.Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire was designed, pre‐tested, modified, and used to capture data on e‐commerce in Hong Kong. Based on the feedback from the pilot‐test, the questionnaire was modified and a final questionnaire was developed and mailed to companies in Hong Kong. In the survey, conducted with Hong Kong companies, the perceived benefits and perceived barriers of e‐commerce implementation are discussed.Findings – The conceptual model based on the analysis of literature and some reported case experiences is developed using the current issues that have been highlighted as important e‐commerce success factors of implementation. The major factors that influence the application and implementatio.
Learning Science in a High School Learning Environment in Papua New Guinea.

This paper reports part of a wider study that investigated classroom-learning environment, and the enacted teaching and learning practice in a Grade 9 high school science classroom in Papua New Guinea. Findings from the study revealed that the informal traditional practice of teaching and learning in Papua New Guinea differed significantly from the modern approach adopted by the country based on imported models from the West. There was evidence to show that the informal traditional teaching and learning practice in Papua New Guinea of "story telling" and "apprenticeship style" models did not readily facilitate learning for understanding and students taking responsibility for their own learning. Accordingly, there were conflicts in students' roles as learners between the new approach and the traditional expectations of students which impeded progress in learning. The study recommended that in order to maximise students' learning and understanding of science concepts in the Papua New Guinea classroom observed, cultural sensitivity should be incorporated in the pedagogy
Bone response to a pure titanium implant surface modified by laser etching and microarc oxidation.

PURPOSE To compare the bone responses to a pure titanium machined implant surface and one that has been modified by laser etching and microarc oxidation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-eight threaded implants with a machined surface were manufactured from rods of commercially pure titanium. The control group consisted of 24 implants with a machined surface. The test group consisted of 24 machined-surface implants that were modified by laser etching and treated by microarc oxidation in an electrolyte solution containing Ca2+ and PO43- ions. The implants were analyzed by energy-dispersive x-ray and scanning electron microscopy. Next, the two types of implants were inserted in the tibiae of 12 New Zealand White rabbits; one of the two tibiae received two control implants and the opposite side received two test implants. After 2, 4, and 6 weeks, the rabbits were sacrificed. Prior to sacrifice, all rabbits were injected with fluorescent-labeled achromycin and calcein. Samples were cut and ground for histomorphologic observation, and the mineralization appositional rate and the osseointegration index were measured and analyzed. RESULTS Proportional spacing craters were found with a diameter of 100 microm and a depth of 80 to 100 microm at intervals of 100 microm around the test surface, and a porous titanium dioxide coating on the surface with pores of 1 to 5 micro in diameter was also produced. Carbon, oxygen, calcium, and phosphonium were detected by electronic probe. The ratio of calcium to phosphonium was 1.418, and the crystal structure of x-ray diffractive patterns indicated pure anatase phases. Compared with the control samples, the mineralization ratio and the osseointegration index of the bone around the test implants were higher (P = .00). CONCLUSIONS The porous titanium dioxide coating produced by laser etching and microarc oxidation treatment improved the bone response versus that seen around machined titanium implants and enhanced the bone formation rate. It was concluded that the surface chemistry and topography, either separately or together, play an important role in the bone response to implants.
Changing Linkages Between Work and Poverty in Rural America1

The changing relationship between work and poverty in non-metropolitan (nonmetro) America is documented using data from the 1980 and 1990 March supplements of the Current Population Survey. Specifically, this paper assesses changing differentials in the proportion of poor people who are working; documents the rapid rise in poverty among nonmetro and metropolitan (metro) workers during the 1979—1989 period, especially among young adults and females; and provides evidence of growing inequality between metro and nonmetro workers, a pattern that cannot be explained by differences in work attachment, human capital, or job characteristics. The results imply that poverty is a persistent if not increasingly harsh reality for workers in rural America.
Collaborative Cohort Study of an Intervention to Reduce Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit

Objective. To evaluate the impact of a multifaceted intervention on compliance with evidence-based therapies and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rates. Design. Collaborative cohort before-after study. Setting. Intensive care units (ICUs) predominantly in Michigan. Interventions. We implemented a multifaceted intervention to improve compliance with 5 evidence-based recommendations for mechanically ventilated patients and to prevent VAP. A standardized CDC definition of VAP was used and maintained at each site, and data on the number of VAPs and ventilator-days were obtained from the hospital's infection preventionists. Baseline data were reported and postimplementation data were reported for 30 months. VAP rates (in cases per 1,000 ventilator-days) were calculated as the proportion of ventilator-days per quarter in which patients received all 5 therapies in the ventilator care bundle. Two interventions to improve safety culture and communication were implemented first. Results. One hundred twelve ICUs reporting 3,228 ICU-months and 550,800 ventilator-days were included. The overall median VAP rate decreased from 5.5 cases (mean, 6.9 cases) per 1,000 ventilator-days at baseline to 0 cases (mean, 3.4 cases) at 16–18 months after implementation (P < .001) and 0 cases (mean, 2.4 cases) at 28-30 months after implementation (P < .001). Compared to baseline, VAP rates decreased during all observation periods, with incidence rate ratios of 0.51 (95% confidence interval, 0.41–0.64) at 16–18 months after implementation and 0.29 (95% confidence interval, 0.24–0.34) at 28–30 months after implementation. Compliance with evidence-based therapies increased from 32% at baseline to 75% at 16–18 months after implementation (P < .001) and 84% at 28–30 months after implementation (P < .001). Conclusions. A multifaceted intervention was associated with an increased use of evidence-based therapies and a substantial (up to 71%) and sustained (up to 2.5 years) decrease in VAP rates.
Relative Morbidity and Mortality of Panniculectomy-Combined Surgical Staging in Endometrial Cancer

Objective To examine intraoperative and postoperative complication rates for surgical staging combined with panniculectomy for endometrial cancer. Methods A prospectively collected institutional surgical database was used to identify patients with endometrial cancer who underwent hysterectomy-based surgical staging between December 2008 and August 2014 (n = 551). The cases were grouped into surgical staging with panniculectomy (panniculectomy group, n = 11 [2.0%]), laparotomy without panniculectomy (laparotomy group, n = 208 [37.7%]), and laparoscopy (minimally invasive surgery group, n = 332 [60.3%]). Major complication and surgical wound complication rates within 30 days from surgery were compared. Results The panniculectomy group had a significantly higher body mass index compared with other approaches (panniculectomy group, laparotomy group, and minimally invasive surgery group: 60.4, 35.7, and 34.1; P < 0.001) and had a high stage I disease rate (90.9%, 61.5%, and 88.3%; P < 0.001). Mean pannus weight was 5733 g (4.4% of body weight). Intraoperative major complication rates were statistically nonsignificant across the groups (0%, 7.2%, and 4.2%; P = 0.23); however, the panniculectomy group had a significantly higher postoperative major complication rate compared with other approaches (36.4%, 16.3%, and 5.1%; P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis controlling for age, ethnicity, body habitus, medical comorbidities, and tumor factors, panniculectomy remained an independent predictor for increased risk of postoperative major complications (adjusted odds ratio, 4.37; P = 0.043). Surgical mortality rates were similar across the groups (0%, 0.5%, and 0%; P = 0.44). Among superobese patients (n = 50), intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were statistically similar across the 3 groups (all, P > 0.05). Conclusion Although panniculectomy-combined surgical staging is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, the majority recovered uneventfully, making this approach a feasible treatment option, especially for superobese patients with endometrial cancer.
SMEs Failure Prediction: Literature Review

The main purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the empirical methodologies utilized in bankruptcy prediction and the potential predictors of organization failure by emphasis in Small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In developing countries, small-scale businesses are the most important source of new employment opportunities. Governments throughout the world attempt to promote economic progress by focusing on small-scale enterprises. Despite the fact that SMEs play an increasingly important role in providing new products and employment opportunities, SMEs in Thailand have encountered many difficulties, especially financing. SMEs frequently lack access to institutional credit, causing them to encounter high financing costs and facing failure. The economic, financial, and social losses resulting from these failures are significant. Thus, it is valuable to try to develop methods to predict such failures. However, there are only very few studies dealing with failure prediction methods for SMEs compared to those that focus on listed companies context. The studies examined SMEs failure or survival such as Keasey and Watson (1987), Laitinen (1992), Wagner (1994), Huyghebaert and Gaeremynck (2000), Watson (2003), Bilderbeek and Pompe (2005), April (2005), Altman and Sabato (2007) and Fantazzini and Figini (2009b). It is important to note that the studies mentioned earlier were not conducted for the case of Thailand.
How the Network Position of R&D Team Managers and Members Affects Their Evaluations of Creative Performance

Monitoring the creative performance of R&D teams as the nucleus of creating new knowledge is inherently difficult. In most cases, only the team managers and team members can be tapped as reliable sources of information. However, there are indications that neither team managers nor team members provide a sufficient introspection to evaluate the R&D team's creative performance. This contradiction was investigated in 51 R&D teams by examining the team managers' and members' network position and their resulting performance evaluations. The central findings of the study are that team managers and members evaluate the creative performance of their R&D teams more negatively when the amount and variety of information they are supplied are insufficient and that there are no relevant differences between team managers' and team members' evaluations or network positions.
Childhood Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Unresolved Issues

Chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), defined as a platelet count of below 150 × 109/L persisting for more than 6 months from onset of illness, occurs in approximately 20% to 25% of children with acute-onset ITP. A small subset of these patients (approximately 5%) will manifest symptomatic, severe thrombocytopenia (platelet counts <20 × 109/L) at 1 year or longer following diagnosis, and may require splenectomy. Complete/partial response rates following splenectomy in children with primary chronic ITP are of the order of 70% to 75%; response rates are lower in children with secondary ITP and those with complex autoimmune cytopenias (e.g., Evans syndrome). Laparoscopic splenectomy is increasingly preferred over open splenectomy. Patients should be immunized with the pneumococcal, Haemophilus type b and meningococcal vaccines before splenectomy; the duration of postsplenectomy antibiotic prophylaxis using penicillin or an equivalent antibiotic is controversial but should be at least until 5 years of age and for a minimum of 1 year postsplenectomy. Some experts advocate life-long antibiotic prophylaxis. Treatment of postsplenectomy failures is a challenge; partial/complete remission rates are low, and multimodality therapy may be more efficacious than monotherapy. The presence of an accessory spleen should be sought and removal considered if present. The role of newer treatment modalities such as anti-CD 20 remains to be established.
Cloning and Characterization of the Human Activity-dependent Neuroprotective Protein*

We have recently cloned the mouse activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP). Here, we disclose the cloning of human ADNP (hADNP) from a fetal brain cDNA library. Comparative sequence analysis of these two ADNP orthologs indicated 90% identity at the mRNA level. Several single nucleotide polymorphic sites were noticed. The deduced protein structure contained nine zinc fingers, a proline-rich region, a nuclear bipartite localization signal, and a homeobox domain profile, suggesting a transcription factor function. Further comparative analysis identified an ADNP paralog (33% identity and 46% similarity), indicating that these genes belong to a novel protein family with a nine-zinc finger motif followed by a homeobox domain. The hADNP gene structure spans ∼40 kilobases and includes five exons and four introns with alternative splicing of an untranslated second exon. The hADNP gene was mapped to chromosome 20q12–13.2, a region associated with aggressive tumor growth, frequently amplified in many neoplasias, including breast, bladder, ovarian, pancreatic, and colon cancers. hADNP mRNA is abundantly expressed in distinct normal tissues, and high expression levels were encountered in malignant cells. Down-regulation of ADNP by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides up-regulated the tumor suppressor p53 and reduced the viability of intestinal cancer cells by 90%. Thus, ADNP is implicated in maintaining cell survival, perhaps through modulation of p53.
An in situ Enamel Section Model for Assessment of Enamel Re/Demineralization Potential

An enamel-section-carrying intra-oral appliance to predict the results of double-blind anti-caries studies has been developed. Initial validation was against the F concentration effect attained in a clinical trial where three sodium monofluorophosphate (SMFP) dentifrices were used. Original appliance-based work showed significant differences in remineralization between non-F and F dentifrices, but not between different F dentifrices. However, it was shown later that acidified gel-prepared lesions were not as responsive as solution-prepared lesions to de- and remineralizing processes, and lesion remineralization rates were found to be dependent on initial lesion size. An in situ cross-over study was then repeated with use of acid-solution-created lesions, and seven volunteers completed the project. Each brushed twice daily × 2 min with either 0,1000, or 2500 ppm F, as SMFP dentifrice. After a two-week wash-out, subjects wore the appliances for four weeks. Enamel mineral content was assessed at 0, two, and four weeks via microradiography/microdensitometry, and a statistically significant dose-response was obtained between non-F and F as well as between 1000 and 2500 ppm F pastes, i.e., as per the three-year clinical trial data. Hence, the model's suitability for pre-clinical screening was confirmed. It has also been used in caries microbiological studies, in root caries investigations, and currently in chewing gum cariogenicity experiments.
Collision rates for rare cell capture in periodic obstacle arrays strongly depend on density of cell suspension

Recently, computational modelling has been successfully used for determination of collision rates for rare cell capture in periodic obstacle arrays. The models were based on particle advection simulations where the cells were advected according to velocity field computed from two dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. This approach may be used under the assumption of very dilute cell suspensions where no mutual cell collisions occur. We use the object-in-fluid framework to demonstrate that even with low cell-to-fluid ratio, the optimal geometry of the obstacle array significantly changes. We show computational simulations for ratios of 3.5, 6.9 and 10.4% determining the optimal geometry of the periodic obstacle arrays. It was already previously demonstrated that cells in periodic obstacle arrays follow trajectories in two modes: the colliding mode and the zig–zag mode. The colliding mode maximizes the cell-obstacle collision frequency. Our simulations reveal that for dilute suspensions and for suspensions with cell-to-fluid ratio 3.5%, there is a range of column shifts for which the cells follow colliding trajectories. However we showed, that for 6.9 and 10.4%, the cells never follow colliding trajectories.
J un 2 01 3 Deep Learning of Representations : Looking Forward

Deep learning research aims at discovering learning algorithms that discover multiple levels of distributed representations, with higher levels representing more abstract concepts. Although the study of deep learning has already led to impressive theoretical results, learning algorithms and breakthrough experiments, several challenges lie ahead. This paper proposes to examine some of these challenges, centering on the questions of scaling deep learning algorithms to much larger models and datasets, reducing optimization difficulties due to ill-conditioning or local minima, designing more efficient and powerful inference and sampling procedures, and learning to disentangle the factors of variation underlying the observed data. It also proposes a few forward-looking research directions aimed at overcoming these
Experimental Assessment of Polyphonic Tones With Cochlear Implants

Hypothesis We hypothesized that cochlear implant (CI) users are able to discriminate tones consisting of 1 and 2 modulation frequencies when the stimuli are applied through direct electrical stimulation. Background Music perception is a very challenging task for CI users. In music, multiple tones often occur simultaneously, an essential feature of harmony. Proper encoding of simultaneous tones is crucial to musical perception and appreciation. With current implant processing strategies, CI users are severely impaired in the perception of pitch and polyphony. Methods The ability of CI users to identify the number of simultaneous tones was assessed. Stimuli were applied with direct electrical stimulation. Stimuli with 1 modulation frequency were applied on a basal, a middle, and an apical electrode to determine if there was an effect of cochlear region. Stimuli with 2 modulation frequencies were applied on combinations of an apical electrode together with a basal or a middle electrode. Additionally, 2 modulations frequencies were presented at the same time on an apical electrode only. Results Results demonstrate that subjects were generally able to identify the number of modulation frequencies in the presented stimuli. Performance for 1 modulation frequency stimuli was significantly above chance level on all 3 electrodes tested. Performance was best on the apical and the middle electrode, followed by the basal electrode. Subjects were also able to identify 2 modulation frequencies significantly above chance level on all 3 combinations tested. Performance was best on combination apical-basal followed by apical-middle. Performance was worst when 2 modulation frequencies were applied on an apical electrode only, but it was still significantly above chance level. Conclusion If sound processing strategies were to use concurrent modulation frequencies on multiple or single electrodes, then possibly polyphonic tones would be better perceived by CI users yielding better music and language perception.