Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Social Responsibility Beyond Borders: U.S. Consumer Boycotts of a Global Company Over Sweatshop Issues in Supplier Factories Overseas

The current research examines the effects of individualizing moral foundations (i.e., fairness and care) on consumer boycotts against the U.S. company that is entangled in an alleged sweatshop issue at a supplier’s factory in a developing country. On the basis of moral foundations theory, the current study tests six hypotheses that demonstrate the theoretical mechanism by which individualizing moral foundations have an impact on consumer boycott intentions through blame attributions and anger. Using a representative U.S. sample of 1,124 people, a national survey was conducted to test the proposed structural equation model. As predicted, results of mediation analysis showed that individualizing foundations, consisted of the fairness/care values, led to boycott intentions fully mediated by blame attribution and anger.
Airborne arsenic and urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites during boiler cleaning operations in a Slovak coal-fired power plant.

Little information is available on the relationship between occupational exposure to inorganic arsenic in coal fly ash and urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites. This study ws undertaken in a coal-fired power plant in Slovakia during a routine maintenance outage. Arsenic was measured in the breathing zone of workers during 5 consecutive workdays, and urine samples were obtained for analysis of arsenic metabolites--inorganic arsenic (Asi), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)--prior to the start of each shift. Results from a small number of cascade impactor air samples indicated that approximately 90% of total particle mass and arsenic was present in particle size fractions >/= 3.5 micron. The 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) mean arsenic air concentration was 48.3 microg/m3 (range 0.17-375.2) and the mean sum of urinary arsenic (SigmaAs) metabolites was 16.9 microg As/g creatinine (range 2.6-50.8). For an 8-hr TWA of 10 microg/m3 arsenic from coal fly ash, the predicted mean concentration of the SigmaAs urinary metabolites was 13.2 microg As/G creatinine [95% confidence interval (CI), 10.1-16.3). Comparisons with previously published studies of exposure to arsenic trioxide vapors and dusts in copper smelters suggest that bioavailability of arsenic from airborne coal fly ash (as indicated by urinary excretion) is about one-third that seen in smelters and similar settings. Arsenic compound characteristics, matrix composition, and particle size distribution probably play major roles in determining actual uptake of airborne arsenic. ImagesFigure 1. AFigure 1. BFigure 2.
Inequality , debt and growth

Foreword Like most economists, I internalised very early on in my career the concept of the "equity-efficiency tradeoff"; the idea that policy measures, such as progressive taxation or means-tested welfare benefits, that reduced income inequality would, because of their negative impact on incentives, be likely to reduce labour supply, effort and ultimately economic growth. At a theoretical level, this follows very clearly from the basic axioms of microeconomics. And even if we don't believe that people make their decisions according to those axioms, there is a kernel of truth to this idea: genuinely confiscatory taxation would reduce overall output because of the incentive impact. And since, in a civilised society, we don't want to let people starve if, for whatever reason, they don't have any money, society does need to recognise that there are both costs and benefits to policies that redistribute income. However, along the spectrum of what is politically and socially feasible in a developed economy, it has been clear for some time that empirically there is no necessary correlation, let alone causation, between income inequality and growth at a macroeconomic level. Countries with high or low levels of inequality can sustain higher or lower growth. This in itself is an interesting puzzle, given the very clear predictions of microeconomic theory. And more recently, there has been considerable interest in the idea that for various reasons inequality could actually reduce growth. This line of inquiry was brought into sharp focus by the financial crisis. The sharp, although differentiated, increase in inequality observed in most developed countries over the last three decades has gone hand in hand with both the increasing importance of the financial sector and of course the explosion in earnings for many of those working in that sector; given the role of the sector in the crisis, it is at least plausible to hypothesise that there is a relationship between inequality, macroeconomic and financial developments, and growth and the crisis. Both the rise in the importance of the financial sector and the rise in inequality were particularly marked in the UK. And the crisis and subsequent recession have been particularly severe here. So to understand why the crisis occurred, why the UK was so hard hit, and what policy should do now, it is essential to understand these interactions. This paper, prepared by NIESR for the Resolution Foundation, is one of the first contributions to our …
Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Suppress NHE-1 Upregulation in a Rabbit Model of Volume- and Pressure-Overload

Background: Increased consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFAs) from fish oil (FO) may have cardioprotective effects during ischemia/reperfusion, hypertrophy, and heart failure (HF). The cardiac Na+/H+-exchanger (NHE-1) is a key mediator for these detrimental cardiac conditions. Consequently, chronic NHE-1 inhibition appears to be a promising pharmacological tool for prevention and treatment. Acute application of the FO ω3-PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) inhibit the NHE-1 in isolated cardiomyocytes. We studied the effects of a diet enriched with ω3-PUFAs on the NHE-1 activity in healthy rabbits and in a rabbit model of HF induced by volume- and pressure-overload. Methods: Rabbits were allocated to four groups. The first two groups consisted of healthy rabbits, which were fed either a diet containing 1.25% (w/w) FO (ω3-PUFAs), or 1.25% high-oleic sunflower oil (ω9-MUFAs) as control. The second two groups were also allocated to either a diet containing ω3-PUFAs or ω9-MUFAs, but underwent volume- and pressure-overload to induce HF. Ventricular myocytes were isolated by enzymatic dissociation and used for intracellular pH (pHi) and patch-clamp measurements. NHE-1 activity was measured in HEPES-buffered conditions as recovery rate from acidosis due to ammonium prepulses. Results: In healthy rabbits, NHE-1 activity in ω9-MUFAs and ω3-PUFAs myocytes was not significantly different. Volume- and pressure-overload in rabbits increased the NHE-1 activity in ω9-MUFAs myocytes, but not in ω3-PUFAs myocytes, resulting in a significantly lower NHE-1 activity in myocytes of ω3-PUFA fed HF rabbits. The susceptibility to induced delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs), a cellular mechanism of arrhythmias, was lower in myocytes of HF animals fed ω3-PUFAs compared to myocytes of HF animals fed ω9-MUFAs. In our rabbit HF model, the degree of hypertrophy was similar in the ω3-PUFAs group compared to the ω9-MUFAs group. Conclusion: Dietary ω3-PUFAs from FO suppress upregulation of the NHE-1 activity and lower the incidence of DADs in our rabbit model of volume- and pressure-overload.
Comparison of EMD Based Image Fusion Methods

Image fusion involves merging two or more images in such a way as to retain the most desirable characteristics of each. When a color visible image is fused with infrared image, the desired result is a color image with natural color appearance and full information. In this paper, an introduction to Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) theory and the results from three image fusion schemes based on EMD- Complex EMD(CEMD) and Bidimensional EMD(BEMD) are compared. The experimental results demonstrate that the new BEMD-based fusion method, proposed by this paper, can effectively produce a color fused image with the similar natural characteristics as the original color visible image and the quality of the fused image is the best.
Portfolio Analysis of Major Eastern European Stock Markets

The objective of this paper is to examine the investment opportunities presented by the newly emergent stock markets of Eastern Europe from the perspective of a US investor who invests solely in the US markets. An optimal investment strategy is derived for the stock markets of a select group of Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. It appraises the risks and rewards of investing in these countries based on market volatility as well as both foreign exchange and sovereign risks. It is shown that the derived optimal portfolio provides a riskadjusted return that either surpasses or equals the return realizable from investing in stock markets with lesser degrees of risk. The optimal portfolio is calculated based on daily stock-market returns for the emerging Eastern European countries, with the S&P 500 Index incorporated into the analysis. The portfolio's performance is evaluated using portfolio evaluation criteria.
Decision Support in Heart Disease Prediction System using Naive Bayes

Data Mining refers to using a variety of techniques to identify suggest of information or decision making knowledge in the database and extracting these in a way that they can put to use in areas such as decision support, predictions, forecasting and estimation. The healthcare industry collects huge amounts of healthcare data which, unfortunately, are not “mined” to discover hidden information for effective decision making. Discovering relations that connect variables in a database is the subject of data mining. This research has developed a Decision Support in Heart Disease Prediction System (DSHDPS) using data mining modeling technique, namely, Naive Bayes. Using medical profiles such as age, sex, blood pressure and blood sugar it can predict the likelihood of patients getting a heart disease. It is implemented as web based questionnaire application. It can serve a training tool to train nurses and medical students to diagnose patients with heart disease.
Deviance-Related Responses along the Auditory Hierarchy: Combined FFR, MLR and MMN Evidence

The mismatch negativity (MMN) provides a correlate of automatic auditory discrimination in human auditory cortex that is elicited in response to violation of any acoustic regularity. Recently, deviance-related responses were found at much earlier cortical processing stages as reflected by the middle latency response (MLR) of the auditory evoked potential, and even at the level of the auditory brainstem as reflected by the frequency following response (FFR). However, no study has reported deviance-related responses in the FFR, MLR and long latency response (LLR) concurrently in a single recording protocol. Amplitude-modulated (AM) sounds were presented to healthy human participants in a frequency oddball paradigm to investigate deviance-related responses along the auditory hierarchy in the ranges of FFR, MLR and LLR. AM frequency deviants modulated the FFR, the Na and Nb components of the MLR, and the LLR eliciting the MMN. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to elicit deviance-related responses at three different levels (FFR, MLR and LLR) in one single recording protocol, highlight the involvement of the whole auditory hierarchy in deviance detection and have implications for cognitive and clinical auditory neuroscience. Moreover, the present protocol provides a new research tool into clinical neuroscience so that the functional integrity of the auditory novelty system can now be tested as a whole in a range of clinical populations where the MMN was previously shown to be defective.
Robust digital fingerprinting for curves

Hiding data in curves can be achieved by parameterizing a curve using the B-spline model and adding spread spectrum sequences in B-spline control points. In this paper, we propose an iterative alignment-minimization algorithm to perform curve registration and deal with the non-uniqueness of B-spline control points. We demonstrate through experiments the robustness of our method against various attacks such as collusion, geometric transformation, and printing-and-scanning. We also show the feasibility of our method for fingerprinting topographic maps and detecting fingerprints from printed copies.
Hue-preserving perceptual contrast enhancement

This paper proposes a novel model for contrast enhancement of RGB images. The average local contrast measure is increased within a variational framework which preserves the hue of the original image by coupling the channels. The user is enabled to intuitively control the level of the contrast as well as the scale of the enhanced details. Moreover, our model avoids large modifications of the original image histogram and thereby preserves the global illumination of the scene. The minimizer of the proposed functional is computed by a hybrid primal-dual algorithm. Numerical experiments show the reliability of the proposed approach in comparison with state-of-the-art methods.
Triploidy—Observations in 154 Diandric Cases

Hydatidiform moles (HMs) are abnormal human pregnancies with vesicular chorionic villi, imposing two clinical challenges; miscarriage and a risk of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). The parental type of most HMs are either diandric diploid (PP) or diandric triploid (PPM). We consecutively collected 154 triploid or near-triploid samples from conceptuses with vesicular chorionic villi. We used analysis of DNA markers and/or methylation sensitive-MLPA and collected data from registries and patients records. We performed whole genome SNP analysis of one case of twinning (PP+PM). In all 154 triploids or near-triploids we found two different paternal contributions to the genome (P1P2M). The ratios between the sex chromosomal constitutions XXX, XXY, and XYY were 5.7: 6.9: 1.0. No cases of GTN were observed. Our results corroborate that all triploid human conceptuses with vesicular chorionic villi have the parental type P1P2M. The sex chromosomal ratios suggest approximately equal frequencies of meiosis I and meiosis II errors with selection against the XYY conceptuses or a combination of dispermy, non-disjunction in meiosis I and meiosis II and selection against XYY conceptuses. Although single cases of GTN after a triploid HM have been reported, the results of this study combined with data from previous prospective studies estimate the risk of GTN after a triploid mole to 0% (95% CI: 0–1,4%).
Quality of Care The Trade-Off between Costs and Outcomes : The Case of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Objective. To investigate and to quantify the relationship between hospital costs and health outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals using individual-level data for costs and outcomes. Data Sources. VHA administrative files for the fiscal years 2000–2006. Study Design. Costs were defined as costs incurred during the index hospitalization for treatment of AMI. Mortality and readmission, assessed 1 year after the index hospitalization, were used as measures of clinical outcome. We examined health outcomes as a function of costs and other patient-level and hospital-level characteristics using a two-stage Cox proportional hazard model that accounted for competing risks within a multilevel framework. To control for patient comorbidities, we compiled a comprehensive list of comorbidities that have been found in other studies to affect mortality and readmissions. Principal Findings. We found that costs were negatively associated with mortality and readmissions. Every U.S.$100 less spent is associated with a 0.63 percent increase in the hazard of dying and a 1.24 percent increase in the hazard to be readmitted conditional on not dying. This main finding remained unchanged after a number of sensitivity checks. Conclusions. Our results suggest that there is a trade-off between costs and outcomes. The negative association between costs and mortality suggests that outcomes should be monitored closely when introducing cost-containment programs. Additional studies are needed to examine the cost–outcome relationship for conditions other than AMI to see whether our results are consistent.
Migrant labour market integration: the association between initial settlement and subsequent employment and income among migrants

ABSTRACT The neighbourhood effects literature indicates that a person's place of residence may affect their socio-economic situation. This study examines the association between the initial settlement and immigrants’ employment and income. Previous studies mostly used administratively defined geographical units of study, which may have led to an underestimation of neighbourhood effects. The current study uses individualized neighbourhoods, where neighbourhoods are constructed based on each individual's closest neighbours using geocoded register data, on different scales. In this way, more of the individual's actual neighbourhood is captured. The longitudinal study follows three cohorts of migrants and examines the relationship between the initial neighbourhoods that migrants settle in and their employment and income, in the short and medium-long term. The results show clear associations between neighbourhoods of initial settlement and labour market integration. Starting off in neighbourhoods with high levels of deprivation is associated with lower levels of employment while settling in affluent neighbourhoods is associated with higher incomes. Findings are stable for different migrant cohorts and in the short and long term. Neighbourhood effects are substantial especially for those settling in the most deprived or the most affluent neighbourhoods.
It's Great But Not Necessarily About Attention

I point out that Mack and Rock manipulated both expectation and attention and suggest that their results ('inattentional blindness') may have been caused by lack of expectation rather than lack of attention. This alternative reading of Mack and Rock's results is supported by other findings, which suggest that 'pure' manipulations of expectation produce 'blindness' whereas 'pure' manipulations of attention do not. Why should failure to expect or anticipate a stimulus lead to 'blindness'? In psychophysics, stimuli near threshold typically require a degree of familiarity to be consciously perceived. Perhaps the same is true for the supra-threshold stimuli used by Mack and Rock. This may reflect the fact that the human visual system uses natural and acquired 'priors' to solve the probabilistic problem of perception.
Altering Conidial Dispersal of Alternaria solani by Modifying Microclimate in Tomato Crop Canopy

Early blight of tomato caused by Alternaria solani, is responsible for severe yield losses in tomato. The conidia survive on soil surface and old dry lower leaves of the plant and spread when suitable climatic conditions are available. Macroclimatic study reveals that highest inoculum concentration of Alternaria spores appeared in May 2012 to 2013 and lowest concentration during January 2012 to 2013. High night temperature positively correlated and significantly (P < 0.01) involved in conidial spore dispersal and low relative humidity (RH) displayed significant (P < 0.05) but negative correlation with conidial dispersal. The objective of the study was to modify microclimatic conditions of tomato crop canopy which may hamper conidial dispersal and reduce disease severity. We evaluated effect of marigold intercropping and plastic mulching singly and in consortia on A. solani conidial density, tomato leaf damage and microclimatic parameters as compar to tomato alone (T). Tomato-marigold intercropping–plastic mulching treatment (T + M + P) showed 35–39% reduction in disease intensity as compared to tomato alone. When intercropped with tomato, marigold served as barrier to conidial movement and plastic mulching prevented evapotranspiration and reduced the canopy RH that resulted in less germination of A. solani spores. Marigold intercropping and plastic mulching served successfully as physical barrier against conidial dissemination to diminish significantly the tomato foliar damage produced by A. solani.
Organizational Commitment of University Staff and Lecturers: A Case Study of Mahamakut Buddhist University

Organizational commitment is a positive feeling of employees towards their organization. Employees with high organizational commitment will contribute their effort and work to achieve the goals and objectives of organization; they are the most important part to the success of an organization. The purposes of this research were: (1) to study an organizational commitment of university staff and lecturers; (2) to find a difference in organizational commitment of university staff and lecturers classified by demographic profile; (3) to find a relationship between factors influencing organizational commitment and organizational commitment of university staff and lecturers; and (4) to find the most important factors influencing organizational commitment of university staff and lecturers. The population and samples in this study were 212 participants who were staff and lecturers of Mahamakut Buddhist University. The results of the study showed that, in total, an organizational commitment of university staff and lecturers can be interpreted as highly committed. In particular, university staff and lecturers are highly committed to maintaining organizational reputation, followed by job satisfaction, maintaining organizational citizenship, and accepting and following the rules and regulations of organization respectively. The results of hypothesis testing showed that university staff and lecturers differing in gender and educational level had no different organizational commitment. University staff and lecturers differing in age group, marital status, monthly income, and work experience had different organizational commitment. There was a positive relationship between factors influencing organizational commitment and organizational commitment of university staff and lecturers. Job security was the most important factor influencing organizational commitment, followed by happiness at workplace, co-worker relationship, and benefits and compensation respectively. Recommendations for this research are as follows: The university should encourage staff and lecturers to fully express their knowledge and potential beneficial to improve their work performance. The university should explain the reasons to staff and lecturers if rules and regulations have to be changed appropriately for the growth and development of the university; by this way, staff and lecturers will be satisfied with changes in rules and regulations of the university respectively. In addition, the university should consider benefits and compensations as the main factors for staff and lecturers to work in the university over the long run. Keywords: Education, Organizational Commitment, University Staff and Lecturers