Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Employee Share Ownership on Worker Attitudes: a Longitudinal Case Study

In spite of the proliferation of employee share ownership in the UK over the last 10 years, there are still relatively few studies seeking to evaluate its effects. The present paper reports a longitudinal case study of worker attitudes. Our focus is whether there was any attitude change over period of twelve months following the introduction of employee share ownership in a particular establishment. Our control group was those who chose not to join the scheme; we were therefore looking for a differential change in attitudes between joiners and non-joiners. We conclude that there was no change in attitudes which should be attributed to the scheme. On the basis of this single case study, we are cautious about generalising on the impact of employee share option schemes, but two propositions have significance. First, our results are an important qualification to those from some of the earlier case studies in the literature on employee attitudinal responses to share ownership schemes. Second, our longitudinal research method gave us insights on the patterns of attitudinal dynamics that the more usual research approach would not have revealed.
Conformational epitope on gp120 important in CD4 binding and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 neutralization identified by a human monoclonal antibody

A human monoclonal antibody designated 15e is reactive with the envelope glycoprotein (gp120) of multiple isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Antibody 15e also neutralizes HIV-1 with broad specificity and blocks gp120 binding to CD4. Characterization of the 15e epitope shows that it is conformation dependent and is distinct from previously recognized functional domains of gp120, suggesting that this epitope represents a novel site important for HIV-1 neutralization and CD4 binding. These findings have implications for the development of a vaccine for AIDS.
The Effects of Changing Margin Levels on Futures Market Activity, the Composition of Traders in the Market, and Price Performance

In December 1984 the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System released "A Review and Evaluation of Federal Margin Regulation" (Federal Reserve Bank 1984). This study reexamined the purpose and the necessity of federal margin regulation in light of the changing structure of U.S. and foreign financial markets. Four major issues related to the effect and usefulness of security margin requirements were discussed, including (a) the diversion of credit from productive investment to purely speculative endeavors; (b) the protection of unsophisticated investors, who might overextend their private financial resources; (c) the protection of brokers from customer default; and (d) the use of credit limitations to forestall undue destabilizing price fluctuations. Two issues related to the coordination of margin requirements on securities, options, and fu-
Evaluating the Impact of Catastrophic Health Payments on School Interruption: The case of Mexico

Catastrophic health disbursements produce numerous injuries in the families experiencing them. Increasing the level of impoverishment and reducing the expenditure on basic needs such as education, are expected to be the most disastrous consequences in which uncovered families may be involved. Through the use of a matching procedure and a diff-in-diff method, the impact of out-of-pocket health expenditures on school interruption is measured for the case of Mexico. Consistent with the theory and recent empirical evidence, the findings expose that households experiencing an unexpected health shocks with disturbing effects on financial stability, have a negative impact on youth living within the affected family to finish schooling on time. Besides, it is found that initial endowments and parental background are determinant factors in the decision-making process when economic hardship is present.
A Balancing Method for PMEPR Reduction in OFDM Signals

A relation is established between the strength of a binary code over the alphabet {+1,-1}, and its ability to reduce peak-to-mean envelope power ratio (PMEPR) in n-subcarrier (OFDM) signals. Based on this relation, a method is proposed to deterministically bound PMEPR of such signals using coordinate-wise multiplication by a balancing vector (BV) chosen from a code of given strength. A practical probabilistic scheme considering a small number of candidate codewords is devised. For this scheme, estimates on the PMEPR reduction achievable with arbitrary high probability are derived. In particular, the scheme provides for large n PMEPR of lnn+2.01lnlnn with (ln2)middot(log2n)2+1 bits of redundancy, the failure probability at most e-n, and testing n/(lnlnn) candidate BVs. Finally, several practical settings are considered. For example, for quaternary phase-shift keying, n=128, the scheme with 36 bits of redundancy (18 redundant subcarriers), by testing only 4 BVs provides over 2 dB PMEPR reduction, for any failure rate below 10-2.5
Tying as a Response to Demand Uncertainty

This article examines requirements tying of a competitively supplied good to a monopolized good. It expands the set of market conditions in which this instrument is known to be profitable. With heterogeneous, privately informed buyers, a firm can profit by tying two goods even when demands for the goods are price independent - providing the demands are stochastically dependent. We investigate the profitability of tying as a response to stochastic demand, as well as the effects of tying on prices and the extent of the market served.
Two new species of Cylicospirura Vevers, 1922 (Nematoda: Spirocercidae) from carnivores in southern Africa, with validation of the related genera Gastronodus Singh, 1934 and Skrjabinocercina Matschulsky, 1952.

Two new species of Cylicospirura Vevers, 1922 are described from carnivores from southern Africa. Cylicospirura crocutae Junker et Mutafchiev sp. n. from Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben) in Zimbabwe is distinguished from its congeners by combinations of characters, including the presence of four cephalic and four external labial papillae, while internal labial papillae were not distinct, the presence of groups of small accessory teeth between the six large tricuspid teeth, the fifth and the sixth pairs of the caudal papillae being equidistant from the cloaca, and a large ratio of length of the muscular oesophagus to that of the glandular oesophagus. Cylicospirura pardalis Junker et Mutafchiev sp. n. from Panthera pardus (Linnaeus) in the Republic of South Africa is characterized by having tricuspid teeth with large, claw-like, abaxial cusps, four cephalic and six internal labial papillae. Based on the number of caudal papillae and the position of the vulva, the subgenera Gastronodus Singh, 1934 and Skrjabinocercina Matschulsky, 1952 are re-elevated to generic rank. Amended diagnoses are proposed for the genera Cylicospirura, Gastronodus and Skrjabinocercina. Petrowospirura lyncis Matschulsky, 1952 is recognized as valid and, together with P. petrowi Sadykhov, 1957 and P. barusi Arya, 1979, is transferred to Cylicospirura as C. lyncis (Matschulsky, 1952) Junker et Mutafchiev comb. n. , C. petrowi (Sadykhov, 1957) Junker et Mutafchiev comb. n. and C. barusi (Arya, 1979) Junker et Mutafchiev comb. n. , respectively.
Self-employment and the business cycle: evidence from Poland

Two reasons for undertaking self-employment can be distinguished. The first treats self-employment as the only way of avoiding unemployment. According to this view self-employment is countercylical and acts as a buffer. The second reason emphasises the entrepreneurial, risk-taking nature of self-employment, which according to this view is procyclical and similar to wage employment. This article examines these views by looking at labour market flows obtained from the Polish LFS. As the self-employed account for about 20% of the working population in Poland knowledge about their behaviour over the business cycle is of particular importance. The results point to countercyclical behaviour of self-employed farmers and the entrepreneurial nature of own-account workers and entrepreneurs with employees.
Stability of the Electroweak Vacuum: Gauge Independence and Advanced Precision.

We perform a manifestly gauge-independent analysis of the vacuum stability in the standard model including two-loop matching, three-loop renormalization group evolution, and pure QCD corrections through four loops. All these ingredients are exact, except that light-fermion masses are neglected. We in turn apply the criterion of nullifying the Higgs self-coupling and its beta function in the modified minimal-subtraction scheme and a recently proposed consistent method for determining the true minimum of the effective Higgs potential that also avoids gauge dependence. Exploiting our knowledge of the Higgs-boson mass, we derive an upper bound on the pole mass of the top quark by requiring that the standard model be stable all the way up to the Planck mass scale and conservatively estimate the theoretical uncertainty. This bound is compatible with the Monte Carlo mass quoted by the Particle Data Group at the 1. 3σ level.
Application and validation of a computerized cough acquisition system for objective monitoring of acute cough: a meta-analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE The purpose of the meta-analysis was to understand the antitussive effect of treatment with dextromethorphan hydrobromide, 30 mg, vs placebo over a 3-h treatment period in patients with cough due to uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), and to show that the computerized system for acquisition and analysis of cough sound was consistent and reproducible across the individual studies. STUDY DESIGN The six studies used for the meta-analysis were randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, single-dose, placebo-controlled studies with a 3-h postdose cough evaluation period. SETTING One study was conducted in Durban, South Africa, and five studies were conducted in Bombay, India. Four studies took place in clinics, and two studies were in-home studies. PATIENTS Seven hundred ten adult patients with cough due to uncomplicated URTI who were otherwise healthy and who satisfied the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS For each patient, a standard baseline was calculated pretreatment, then a 3-h continuous cough recording was made after treatment was initiated. Five efficacy variables were measured in 30-min intervals: cough bouts, cough components, cough effort, cough intensity, and cough latency. The meta-analysis showed consistent results across most of the studies for each of the efficacy variables. It demonstrated significantly greater overall reductions in cough bouts, cough components, and cough effort, and an increase in cough latency for patients treated with dextromethorphan hydrobromide, 30 mg, vs those treated with placebo. CONCLUSION The results of a meta-analysis of the six clinical studies show that the antitussive effect of a single dose of dextromethorphan hydrobromide, 30 mg, has been established. The consistent nature of the results shows that the computerized cough acquisition and analysis system is a valid and reproducible methodology for evaluating cough associated with URTI.
Urban Elementary Teachers' Perspectives and Practices

Urban teachers alone cannot solve the complex social and economic problems that plague urban communities and schools; however, their efforts to effectively educate inner-city youth can begin to break the cycle of disadvantage. Therefore, urban teachers’ perspectives are essential in understanding the process of effectively instructing urban youth. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and practices of five urban educators through a postpositive theoretical lens. Participants for this study were five urban educators kindergarten through fourth grade, all of whom were teaching at one urban school. The participating teachers were chosen by criterion sampling with the help of the principal. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and observations during the course of one school year. A case study of each of the five urban educators provided a better understanding of: (a) factors that influenced each urban educator’s career choice; (b) how these urban educators describe their educational practices and beliefs about teaching; (c) the similarities and differences that can be found between urban educators’ beliefs and practices; (d) how these urban educators think cultural/ethnic background influences their instructional practices. Recommendations were made to improve current urban educators teaching practices, enhance future urban education, and encourage researchers to continue doing research in the field of urban education.
Tillering of Tifton 85 bermudagrass in response to nitrogen rates and time of application after cutting

Nitrogen fertilization is determinant for pasture productivity, as it results in increasing forage yield and is associated with the growth physiology of forage plants. An experiment was carried out in a greenhouse to evaluate the effects of nitrogen rates and times of application after cutting on Tifton 85 Bermuda grass (Cynodon spp.) tillering. Plants were grown in a Typic Quartzipsamment soil and nitrogen rates were 0, 80, 160 and 240 mg kg-1 of soil; times of application were immediately after and seven days after cutting. A 4 x 2 factorial experiment was set in a completely randomized block design (n= 4). Plants were evaluated in two sequential growth periods - 39 and 41 days. Nitrogen rates affected tiller density, considering the initial number of tillers in the second growth and the emerged and final number of tillers at the end of the growth periods. Tiller weight increased up to the nitrogen rate of 201 and 185 mg kg-1 of soil in the first and second growth periods, and the correlation coefficients between the final number of tillers and dry matter yields in the top part of the plant for these periods were 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. The rate of tiller development, evaluated in each of the seven-day periods, was affected by nitrogen rates and time of application. There was an effect of rates and time of application in the first and a significant interaction between rates and time in the second growth period.
Public Policy, Family Rules and Children's Media Use in the Home

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 INTRODUCTION 5 THE RESEARCH APPROACH 6 METHOD 8 UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF POLICIES 10 HOW FAMILIES THINK ABOUT AND USE TELEVISION 22 HOW FAMILIES THINK ABOUT OTHER MEDIA 40 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 45 APPENDIX A 50 APPENDIX B 51 REFERENCES 52
Characterization of human skeletal muscle Ankrd2.

Human Ankrd2 transcript encodes a 37-kDa protein that is similar to mouse Ankrd2 recently shown to be involved in hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. These novel ankyrin-rich proteins are related to C-193/CARP/MARP, a cardiac protein involved in the control of cardiac hypertrophy. A human genomic region of 14,300 bp was sequenced revealing a gene organization similar to mouse Ankrd2 with nine exons, four of which encode ankyrin repeats. The intracellular localization of Ankrd2 was unknown since no protein studies had been reported. In this paper we studied the intracellular localization of the protein and its expression on differentiation using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies produced to human Ankrd2. In adult skeletal muscle Ankrd2 is found in slow fibers; however, not all of the slow fibers express Ankrd2 at the same level. This is particularly evident in dystrophic muscles, where the expression of Ankrd2 in slow fibers seems to be severely reduced.
A retrospective multicenter evaluation of cutaneous melanomas in Turkey.

BACKGROUND We defined melanoma distribution in a large series of Turkish patients and evaluated the prognostic parameters of melanomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 1574 patients' data was retrospectively collected at 18 centers in Turkey. Demographic characteristics were questioned and noted. Prognostic parametres were evaluated based on sentinel lymph node involvement. RESULTS Mean age was 56.7 (4-99) years. While 844 (53.6%) cases were male, 730 (46.4%) cases were female. One thousand four hundred forty-seven (92%) cases were invasive melanoma and 127 (8%) cases were in-situ melanoma. The most common histopathological form was the superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) which was found in 549 patients (37.9%). It was followed by nodular melanoma in 379 (26.2%), acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) in 191 (13.2%) and lentigo maligna melanoma in 132 (9.1%), respectively. On univariate analysis, lymphovascular invasion (p<0.001), tumor thickness (p<0.001), histopathological subtype (p<0.001), Clark level (p=0.001), ulceration (p<0.001), ≥6/mm2 mitosis (p=0.005), satellite formation (p=0.001) and gender (p=0.03) were found to be associated with sentinel lymph node positivity. Regression was associated with sentinel lymph node negativity (p=0.017). According to multivariate analysis, lymphovascular invasion and tumor thickness were significant independent predictive factors of SLN positivity. Patient age, tumor localization, precursor lesions, lymphocytic infiltration and neurotropism were not related with sentinel lymph node involvement. CONCLUSIONS In this retrospective analysis, it was found that the prevalence of SSM is at a lower rate while the prevalence of ALM is at a higher rate when compared to western countries. According to Breslow index; most of the melanoma lesions' thickness were greater than 2 mm, corresponding Clark IV. Vascular invasion and tumor thickness are the most important factors for sentinel lymph node involvement.
Do rising levels of qualification alter work ethic, work orientation and organizational commitment for the worse? evidence from the UK, 1985–2001

Implications of rising levels of qualification for work attitudes—a hitherto neglected area in the debate on over‐education—are examined. Theories of post‐industrialism predicted that the spiralling educational requirements of an information‐based economy would undercut the Work Ethic and intensify employee demands for work roles built around expressive and self‐actualizing opportunities. Higher qualifications might also undermine job satisfaction and allegiance to employing organizations. Large British employee data sets for the past 20 years suggest that higher qualification is associated with higher commitment to paid work, is less clearly associated with an expressive work orientation than forecast and does not by itself reduce attachment to an employing organization. Post‐industrial theory thus proves a poor guide to the qualifications–work attitudes link. The data also points to the reinforcement over time of the Work Ethic and consolidation of instrumental work values among the higher qualified. For employers, the implications are none the less somewhat mixed: in particular, ostensible over‐qualification reduces scores for job satisfaction and organizational loyalty.
Efficiency of Chinese enterprises: Does human resource management matter?

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was applied to Chinese enterprises with different forms of ownership to estimate their efficiency. The efficiency scores obtained were further regressed against scores rating the implementation of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and other explanatory data. State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) were the least efficient, whereas foreign-owned firms were the most efficient. Tentative evidence was found of a relationship between SHRM practices and enterprise efficiency, but only in foreign- and collectively owned enterprises, indicating that Chinese enterprises lack management skills or/and are still subject to tight institutional constraints than their foreign-invested counterparts.
Methanogenic bacteria: presence in foodstuffs

Methanogenic bacteria are anaerobic, oxygen‐intolerant microorganisms, and it is only by studying the different habitats of such bacteria that fundamental information about their ecology becomes available. This research has evaluated methanogenic bacteria in apparently aerobic ecosystems, in foodstuffs not subjected to chemical‐physical reclamation processes, where the presence of methanogenic bacteria has never been investigated.
Blunted Fetal Response to Vibroacoustic Stimulation Following Chronic Exposure to Propranolol

A recent, prospective randomized trial has suggested that long-term use of prophylactic beta-adrenergic blocking agents may slow the rate of aortic dilation in those patients with Marfan's syndrome exhibiting evidence of existing dilation. Accordingly, administration of such medication from the midtrimester onward has been advocated in these patients. Acute oral administration of propranolol (80 mg) has been shown to depress fetal heart rate response to vibroacoustic stimulation. We present a case in which chronic administration of propranolol 150 mg/day to a patient with Marfan's syndrome with existing aortic root dilation was associated with repeated abnormal intrapartum fetal heart rate responses to vibroacoustic stimulation. Subsequent delivery of a nonhypoxic, nonacidotic infant suggests that maternal administration of beta-blockers should be considered in the interpretation of results of fetal vibroacoustic stimulation. This case also supports that in similar clinical presentations, ultrasonographic confirmation of the fetal startle response, or alternatively observation of the resulting fetal recoil may be utilized rather than the fetal heart rate, which may be modulated by maternal medications.
Increases in interleukin-6 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the infarct-related coronary artery of acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND To elucidate the involvement of inflammation in coronary artery occlusion, the regional changes in cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the infarct-related coronary artery were determined in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS Cardiac catheterization was carried out within 24 h of the onset of infarction in 36 patients. Blood samples were collected from the infarct-related coronary artery, the ascending aorta and the peripheral vein. Plasma interleukin (IL)-6 concentrations were elevated in all 3 samples. Particularly, the plasma IL-6 concentrations were 14.4 pg/ml in the infarct-related coronary artery, a value significantly greater than the respective 8.0 pg/ml and 6.5 pg/ml in the ascending aorta and peripheral vein. Plasma IL-6 concentrations in the infarct-related coronary artery had positive correlation with all of the following references measured by intravascular ultrasound: external elastic membrane cross-sectional area (EEM-CSA) (r=0.47, p<0.01), lesion EEM-CSA (r=0.51, p<0.01) and plaque area (r=0.48, p<0.01). MMP-9 was increased regionally in the infarct-related coronary artery, at 11.8 ng/ml vs 8.2 ng/ml in the ascending aorta (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that IL-6 at least is released from the ruptured vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque and that regional activation of macrophages is involved in the occlusive process of coronary artery in acute myocardial infarction.
A Model of Advertising and Product Quality

This essay presents a model of a single market in which goods of different qualities are sold and sellers advertise. Sellers advertise noncooperatively, knowing rivals' outlays and buyers' behavior patterns. Buyers react plausibly but not optimally to experience gained by purchasing and to sellers' advertising. Various properties of equilibria are analyzed. For some parameter values, the lowest-quality brands have the largest equilibrium market shares, advertising budgets, and profits. This is especially likely if buyers' behavior indicates confidence that better brands spend more on advertising.