Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Oenanthotoxin and Related Compounds in Hemlock Water Dropwort Poisoning

1 The case histories are presented of three separate incidents of poisoning by ingestion of Hemlock Water Dropwort tubers (Oenanthe crocata). Two of these cases involved a fatality. 2 An analytical profile is provided for oenanthotoxin, the major toxic principal of the tubers. Chromatographic, spectroscopic and mass spectral data for related compounds are also given.
Encouraging Education in an Urban School District: Evidence from the Philadelphia Educational Longitudinal Study

Abstract We study a set of programs implemented in Philadelphia high schools that focus on boosting high school graduation, and especially college attendance, using data from the Philadelphia Educational Longitudinal Study (PELS). We examine the effects of these programs on a set of schooling‐related outcomes during and after high school. The PELS data‐set contains an unusually large amount of information on individuals prior to program placement. We use this information, in the context of both linear models and propensity score‐matching estimators, to attempt to correct for selective participation in these programs. We find evidence of positive effects of these programs on high school graduation and on both academic and non‐academic awards in high school, and similar negative effects on dropping out of high school. The results also suggest positive effects on attitudes and expectations about college attendance, and on college attendance.
Accounting and control in the founding of the New Settlements of Sierra Morena and Andalucia, 1767-72

Recently, a growing literature in accounting history has provided sociological interpretations of historical facts in which accounting was involved. Foucault's governmentality concept has contributed to such analysis, specifically in 19th and 20th century's cases. However, the analysis of 18th century and, specially, colonial organizations has not been made yet. Thus, this work is devoted to analyse how accounting is implicated in the control of a Spanish colonial project. The relationships between accounting and the enlightened discourses that improved the colonies are clear. Conversely, the role of the resistance in this case allows questioning the refereed accounting literature in governmentality.
The IMF Approach to Economic Stabilization

This paper explains the IMF approach to economic stabilization, with emphasis on its quantitative aspects. It argues that a Fund-supported program is a process, comprising six broadly defined phases, that evolves along a multiplicity of potential pathways delimited by the Fund's policies governing assistance to members and by the member's resolve to implement the measures needed to restore external payments viability. The paper discusses the three-pronged approach to stabilization that is at the core of all IMF programs, stresses the iterative character of the Fund's "financial programming" framework, and explains the rationale for setting quantitative performance criteria for fiscal and monetary policy in all Fund arrangements. A main theme of the paper is that IMF programs contain a great deal of flexibility to respond both to differences in circumstances and to changes in conditions in individual cases.
Tuberculosis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected and human immunodeficiency virus-exposed children in New York City

Background. Tuberculosis disease incidence increased sharply in New York City (NYC) in the late 1980s in children and adults. The relationship of tuberculosis disease in adults with the coincident epidemic of immunosuppression caused by HIV disease has been well-documented. This paper examines the relationship of tuberculosis and HIV in children in NYC. Methods. Information on tuberculosis was collected by retrospective chart abstraction in a cohort of HIV-exposed and infected children enrolled in a longitudinal study of HIV. Tuberculosis cases were ascertained by chart review or by matching HIV-infected and -exposed children to NYC Tuberculosis Registry cases. NYC Tuberculosis Registry data on children reported from 1989 to 1995, and not reported as HIV-infected, were used for comparison. Results. Tuberculosis disease was found in 45 (3%) of 1426 HIV-infected children (0.61 per 100 child years of observation) and in 5 (0.5%) of 1085 HIV-exposed uninfected children (0.2 per 100 child years). 30% of children were evaluated for HIV only after presenting with tuberculosis. Children with tuberculosis and HIV were more likely than other age-matched HIV-infected children to have decreased CD4+ T lymphocyte counts (66%vs. 37%, P = 0.02) and more likely than other NYC children with tuberculosis to have culture-confirmed and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. In this series 8 of 21 deaths in HIV-infected children with tuberculosis appeared to be related to tuberculosis. Conclusions. During a period of high tuberculosis incidence in NYC, 3% of HIV-infected children in our cohort had tuberculosis, higher than the rate in uninfected children born to HIV-positive mothers in the same cohort. Because of this association, HIV-infected children with pulmonary illness should be tested for tuberculosis; and all children with tuberculosis should be tested for HIV.
Why companies choose to lease instead of buy? Insights from academic literature

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review empirical research on the determinants of leasing. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews previous literature that has focused on studying the determinants of leasing decisions. It also discusses the determinants of the lease‐buy decision and the determinants of the choice between finance leases and operating leases. Findings Previous empirical studies show that there is no consensus as to whether debt and leases are complements or substitutes. However, there are some factors that affect the choice between leases and debt, such as size, taxes, nature of assets, financial constraints and management compensation. Leases tend to be more prevalent in some industries (such as air transport, retailing and services and utilities) than in others, and companies tend to lease assets that are less specific, of general usage and more liquid. Previous studies also show that higher leverage companies tend to use leases rather than other forms of financing. Research .
The Relationship Between Packaging and Consumers Purchase Intention: A Case Study of Nestlé Nigeria Product

This study investigated the effects of packaging on consumer purchasing intention, using Nestle Nigeria Plc as a case study. The objectives are to assess the degree to which packaging influence consumers purchase intention, to determine the rate at which packaging creates attention,. to know if package attracts customers attention to particular brand, enhances its image and influences consumer’s perceptions about the product, and to examine the effect of poor packaging on purchase intention of consumers and level of market share of an organisation. Survey research design was adopted for this study. Primary and secondary sources of data were used. The primary data include a structured questionnaire used to elicit information from the target respondents who were customers of Nestle Nigeria Plc. while the secondary data encompass the use newspapers, books, journals or periodicals, a total of 325 respondents were selected for the study using random sampling technique. Multiple regression analysis and t-test were used to test the hypotheses that were generated for the study at 0.01 significant levels. The findings showed that that 1% shift in packaging (as a whole) will result in 88.9% shift in consumer purchase intention. Also there is significant relationship between picture quality and customer purchase intention. The study reveal that a 1% shift in picture quality will result in 85.2% shift in customer purchase intention. The analysis further shows that labelling, colour combination and picture quality (as an elements of packaging) will jointly and independently predict consumer purchase intention given the respective results, Picture quality (β = .563, P < .01), Colour combination (β = .292, P < .01), Labelling (β = .329, P < .01), in the analysis based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that packaging is an engine that propel uniqueness of a product in the market, the picture quality and other attributes of packaging stand out amongst other products so as to draws attention of customers. More so, packaging attracts consumers’ attention particularly when consumers are not very familiar with the brands.
Marx and the crisis

This paper argues that Marx’s economics leads us to a deeper understanding of our current crisis than do either mainstream, Keynesian or ‘mainstream Marxist’ economics. First, Marx explains how a tendency for the rate of profit to fall in boom manifests in the generation and speculative investment of ‘surplus’ capital in the financial system/fictitious capital, providing a tendential basis for, rather than an accidental account of, financial bubbles/crises. Secondly, Marx’s understanding that crisis is absolutely necessary to restore the profit rate, and so return the economy to boom, explains why developed countries’ governments’ attempts to postpone or limit crises since the 1970s have merely prevented a decisive enough crisis to restore the profit rate. Persistently low profitability has simply caused the world economy to stagnate, with persistently surplus capital taking many disruptive, adventurous paths. Finally, I consider how Marx’s identification of when lending is ‘lending’, and when it is simply ‘usury’, can help us understand how the nature of the financial system has changed over the last forty years.
Born Global Firms and Informal Investors: Examining Investor Characteristics

A “Born Global” is a new venture with a global niche market focus from day one. Many of these firms experience high growth rates, but also, a considerable need for funding. This study contrasts informal investors involved in born global firms (“Born Global Investors”) with other informal investors. The underlying thesis is that the behavior of these investors reflects their investment philosophy, at least on a differential basis. The results suggest that born global investors differ from other informal investors in terms of deal origin, investment size, and exit preferences. Their experience as managers of large firms seems to be a particularly important factor, increasing investment capacity (income and fortune), while personal and professional networks influence the access to information about investment opportunities. The importance of these results for the development of born global firms is discussed.
Linearity and reliability of the mechanomyographic amplitude versus dynamic torque relationships for the superficial quadriceps femoris muscles

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the linearity and reliability of the mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude versus dynamic torque relationships for the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), and vastus medialis (VM) muscles. Nine healthy men and 11 healthy women performed submaximal to maximal, concentric, isokinetic muscle actions of the leg extensors at 30° s−1 on two occasions. Surface MMG signals were detected from the VL, RF, and VM of the dominant thigh during both trials. The ranges of the coefficients of determination for the MMG amplitude versus dynamic torque relationships were 0.01–0.94 for the VL, 0.01–0.84 for the RF, and 0.19–0.96 for the VM. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the linear MMG amplitude versus torque slope coefficients were 0.823 (VL), 0.792 (RF), and 0.927 (VM). These results indicate that, when analyzed for individual subjects, the MMG amplitude versus dynamic torque relationships demonstrated inconsistent linearity. When using MMG in the clinical setting, dynamic muscle actions of the superficial quadriceps femoris muscles do not appear to be appropriate for assessing changes in muscle function during strength training. Muscle Nerve, 2009
Spatial and Temporal Variation of Mortality and Deprivation 1: Widening Health Inequalities

In this paper we examine the relationship between premature mortality and material deprivation both over time (the intercensal period, 1981–91) and over space (for the population in wards and ward groups in Wales). Our focus is on the methods of analysis for small area (ward-based) multiple cross-section mortality data and their application to the substantive issue of the persistent and widening inequalities in Wales. In this paper we examine all-cause deaths and mortality by specific disease classes for groups (quintiles) of wards ranked according to standard measures of material deprivation. Although there have been reductions in premature mortality across all deprivation groups in Wales, over the decade, the gap has widened between the most and least deprived areas. Mortality decline in the largest disease category (circulatory) was found to be significantly lower in the most deprived quintile of wards than in the rest of Wales. Compared with results from the North of England, mortality decline in Wales has been rather greater.
A Global Investigation of Government and Community Stakeholder Influences on Large Company Engagement in Sustainability

Business organizations are increasingly expected to address sustainability issues and to disclose sociallyresponsible behaviors accurately and transparently, showing that they are effective at managing and beingproactive about sustainability challenges. Stakeholder theory was used as a framework to investigate whetherinfluence effects from two institutional stakeholder types were associated with the levels of strategic engagementin sustainability for large publicly listed firms in twenty five countries. Government and community institutioneffects were quantitatively evaluated as discrete stakeholders with influence on the level of sustainabilityengagement for firms. Generally, there was significant variation in the average level of company engagement insustainability, depending on the country. Specific findings on the effects of stakeholder influence showedmedium effect sizes and that there were significantly higher levels of strategic company engagement insustainability when there was an optimal level of national government institutional power and in nationalcommunities with positive norms supporting sustainability and citizen based political action.
Orchestrating innovation networks: The case of innovation brokers in the agri-food sector

This explorative study of network orchestration processes conducted by innovation brokers addresses new issues in bridging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and research institutes in innovation networks. The study includes four in-depth case studies in the agri-food sector from different countries: the Netherlands, Germany and France. A guiding research question is how innovation brokers successfully orchestrate innovation networks of SMEs. Based on literature research and cases, we conclude that the innovation broker may have great added value for innovation networks with divergent organizations, especially when the innovation broker takes the lead in three network orchestration functions: innovation initiation, network composition and innovation process management. In addition, the case findings offer best practices of innovation brokers for these orchestration processes.
Phase-Parametric Policies for Reinforcement Learning in Cyclic Environments

In many reinforcement learning problems, parameters of the model may vary with its phase while the agent attempts to learn through its interaction with the environment. For example, an autonomous car's reward on selecting a path may depend on traffic conditions at the time of the day or the transition dynamics of a drone may depend on the current wind direction. Many such processes exhibit a cyclic phase-structure and could be represented with a control policy parameterized over a circular or cyclic phase space. Attempting to model such phase variations with a standard data-driven approach (e.g. deep networks) without explicitly modeling the phase of the model can be challenging. Ambiguities may arise as the optimal action for a given state can vary depending on the phase. To better model cyclic environments, we propose phase-parameterized policies and value function approximators that explicitly enforce a cyclic structure to the policy or value space. We apply our phase-parameterized reinforcement learning approach to both feed-forward and recurrent deep networks in the context of trajectory optimization and locomotion problems. Our experiments show that our proposed approach has superior modeling performance than traditional function approximators in cyclic environments.
The Effects of Knowledge Attribute, Alliance Characteristics, and Absorptive Capacity on Knowledge Transfer Performance

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effects of knowledge attribute, alliance characteristics, and firm's absorptive capacity on the performance of knowledge transfer. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses in a sample of 137 alliance cases. The findings suggest that knowledge transfer performance is positively affected by the explicitness of knowledge and firm's absorptive capacity; that equity-based alliance will transfer tacit knowledge more effectively while contract-base alliance is more effective for the transfer of explicit knowledge; and that trust and adjustment have positive effects while conflict possesses a curvilinear effect on knowledge transfer performance.
International Coordination of Trade and Domestic Policies

The success of GATT negotiations in lowering tariff barriers worldwide has shifted attention to the use of domestic policies as a secondary trade barrier, raising the question of how to deal with domestic policies within an international trade agreement. Currently, no theoretical basis exists for considering the allocation of scarce enforcement power at the international level over trade and domestic policies within a unified agreement. This paper provides such a framework in a model of self-enforcing international agreements. It is shown that, when limited enforcement power prevents countries from implementing a fully efficient set of trade and domestic policies, tariff barriers are the most efficient means of affording countries protection so as to maintain the viability of the agreement. This result supports current GATT language which allows governments the use of tariffs but prohibits the use of domestic policies as "disguised" trade restrictions.
An Empirical Analysis of Fiscal Deficits and Inflation in Nigeria

The relationship between fiscal deficits and inflation has provoked considerable interest in the macroeconomics literature. While the theory postulates that fiscal deficits lead to inflation, empirical research has been less conclusive about the relationship. This paper reexamines the issue in the context of a developing country, Nigeria, using data over 1970–2006, a period of persistent inflationary trends. We adopted a modeling approach that incorporates cointegration techniques and structural analysis. The results reveal a positive but insignificant relationship between inflation and fiscal deficits in Nigeria. We did not also find any strong evidence linking past levels of fiscal deficits with inflation in Nigeria during the period. Rather, we report a positive long run relationship between money supply and inflation in the Nigerian economy, suggesting that money supply is procyclical and tends to grow at a faster rate than inflation rate. Key words: Fiscal deficit; Inflation; Cointegration; Money supply; Nigeria
Safety and efficacy of daily Revactin® in men with erectile dysfunction: a 3-month pilot study

Background The earliest sign of an ongoing change in a man’s erectile function (EF) is the increase in his refractory period. This is due to the onset of an aging related apoptosis of the corporal smooth muscle cells (CSMC) as a result of oxidative stress (ROS) within the CSMC itself. In response, the CSMC begin to upregulate the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme presumably to achieve high levels of nitric oxide (NO) used to combat ROS. Treatment of aged rats for 2 months with the nutraceutical Revactin®, known to stimulate the iNOS-NO-cGMP pathway in CSMC, resulted in (I) an increase in CSMC content with a decrease in corporal fibrosis, (II) decrease in systemic ROS, and (III) improvement in EF. To determine whether Revactin® could be used in the clinical setting, a pilot safety study was conducted. Methods Fifty-four middle aged men (mean age 57.8±10.7; range, 33–77 years) were recruited for this safety study. Patients were given Revactin® twice daily (total daily dose of 500 mg of ginger root, muira puama, and Paullinia cupana and 1,600 mg of L-citrulline) and were asked to complete the IIEF-15 questionnaire [domains: EF, orgasmic function (OF), sexual desire (SD), intercourse satisfaction (IS), overall satisfaction (OS)] at baseline (B), 1 month (M1), 2 months (M2) and 3 months (M3) and report any side effects. Those on erectogenic medications at B were requested to stop taking them during the trial. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon paired test and Friedman rank test for trend. Results Revactin® was safe with only 5 patients reporting treatment side effects (e.g., dyspepsia, heartburn, migraine) and none considered severe. For those who stayed on the regimen (M1 =32; M2 =22; M3 =16), there was an increase in median domain scores for EF, OF, SD, IS, and OS over 3 months compared to baseline median scores but statistical significance was found only in the EF, IS, and OS median domain scores. Trend analysis indicated significant trend in EF, OS & IS (P<0.05). For the EF domain, the median scores were: M1 =21, M2 =22, M3 =19 relative to the B =16, 15.5, and 14.5, respectively (P<0.05). Overall, approximately 50% of the patients reported a significant improvement in EF (P<0.05). The major reason for trial discontinuation (M1 =22, M2 =9 and M3 =6) was non-compliance with pro-erectile medications. Conclusions Revactin®, a combination of 3 nutraceuticals packaged with L-citrulline, appears to have the same excellent safety profile known for each of its individual four components. The early improvement in EF seen in about 50% of these patients may be due to the elevated levels of cGMP produced via this iNOS-cGMP pathway. Further longitudinal studies with Revactin® appear warranted.