Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simplified COPD screening: validation of the PiKo-6® in primary care.

AIMS To determine the accuracy of the forced expiratory volume ratio at one and six seconds (FEV1/FEV6) using a hand-held, expiratory flow meter (PiKo-6®, nSpire Health, Inc.) to screen for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care settings. METHODS Current and former smokers (≥ 50 years old) with no previous respiratory diagnosis (case finding [CF] = 204 subjects) or with an asthma diagnosis (differential diagnosis [DD] = 93 subjects) were evaluated using validated questionnaires, pre-bronchodilator (BD) FEV1/FEV6 and post-BD FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) spirometry. RESULTS The PiKo-6® FEV1/FEV6 showed good sensitivity and specificity (areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves [95% confidence intervals]: CF = 0.85 [0.79, 0.90]; DD = 0.88 [0.80, 0.96]) and exceeded the accuracy of the questionnaires. An FEV1/FEV6 cutoff < 0.75 provided optimal sensitivity (CF = 81%; DD = 86%) and specificity (CF = 71%; DD = 67%) for COPD screening. CONCLUSIONS The PiKo-6® allows simple and reliable screening for COPD which could optimise early referral for spirometry and early, targeted interventions for COPD.
A reliable simple method to extract the intrinsic material properties in millimeter/sub-millimeter wave domain

A simple method is presented to extract the material characteristics from the scattering parameters in the frequency domain. The method is based on “transmission” measurement data only and can give the complex permittivity and/or the absorption and refraction index via easy arithmetic operations with closed-form formulas. Therefore, a parametric error analysis will be feasible for metrological aspects to show important uncertainty contributions. The actual measurements have been performed with a compact quasi-optical free-space setup in the frequency band from 50 GHz to 500 GHz and the detailed results are presented to show the performance of the method.
Two translocations of chromosome 15q associated with dyslexia

Developmental dyslexia is characterised by difficulties in learning to read. As reading is a complex cognitive process, multiple genes are expected to contribute to the pathogenesis of dyslexia. The genetics of dyslexia has been a target of molecular studies during recent years, but so far no genes have been identified. However, a locus for dyslexia on chromosome 15q21 (DYX1) has been established in previous linkage studies. We have identified two families with balanced translocations involving the 15q21-q22 region. In one family, the translocation segregates with specific dyslexia in three family members. In the other family, the translocation is associated with dyslexia in one family member. We have performed fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) studies to refine the position of the putative dyslexia locus further. Our results indicate that both translocation breakpoints on 15q map within an interval of approximately 6-8 Mb between markers D15S143 and D15S1029, further supporting the presence of a locus for specific dyslexia on 15q21.
Familiarity and prevalence of Facebook use for social networking among individuals with traumatic brain injury

Objective: To examine use of Facebook among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify barriers preventing Facebook use. Method: An online survey was developed assessing frequency and barriers to use of Facebook. The survey was distributed electronically to individuals with TBI through four state brain injury associations. Ninety-six individuals with TBI completed the survey (60% female, age range: 23–70). Results: The relative majority of respondents (60%) reported using Facebook on a regular basis. Among those who reported not using Facebook, the most commonly reported barriers were security concerns and cognitive deficits. Approximately half of non-users indicated interest in learning to use the site, with 70% reporting that they would use it more if they were more knowledgeable about it. Both users and non-users indicated that they would be interested in receiving training to learn how to use Facebook better. Conclusions: Social networking sites are increasingly important in creating and maintaining social networks. A significant number of survey respondents expressed interest in further training on Facebook use. Increased use of social networking may have important implications for social integration among individuals with TBI.
Fronto-Limbic Alterations in Negatively Biased Attention in Young Adults with Subthreshold Depression

Attentional bias toward negative stimuli has been observed in major depression disorders (MDDs). Imaging studies suggest the engagement of fronto-limbic regions like amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and lateral prefrontal cortex, is related to negatively biased attention. However, neural correlates of attentional bias for negative stimuli in individuals with subthreshold depression (SubD), that is individuals who have clinically relevant depressive symptoms but do not fulfill the criteria for MDD, remain unclear. Here, we used functional neuroimaging and the dot-probe task to elucidate the neural substrates of negatively biased attention among individuals with SubD. Behavioral results found that individuals with SubD allocated more attention toward negative stimuli relative to neutral stimuli, which were not observed among non-depressed controls (NCs). Imaging results found greater amygdala and rostral ACC activity in attentional bias toward negative stimuli among participants with SubD compared to NCs; Additionally, participants with SubD showed reduced engagement of bilateral inferior frontal gyrus compared with NCs in the attentional processing of negative stimuli. Together, these results suggest that alteration of fronto-limbic systems relative to controls, known to be related to negative detection and attentional control, is associated with negatively biased attention in individuals with SubD.
High‐involvement innovation practices at Finnish workplaces

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the dissemination of high‐involvement innovation practices at Finnish workplaces and to consider how their adoption can be promoted by means of a publicly‐funded R&D programme.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical material is based on a survey by the Finnish Workplace Development Programme TYKES. (TYKES is a governmental R&D programme for promoting simultaneous improvements in productivity and the quality of working life by granting funding to development projects at Finnish workplaces.)Findings – The interim results of the survey provide a strong evidence‐based argument in favour of the supportive role of the programme.Practical implications – The paper suggests areas where governments might introduce support programmes to foster the spread of innovative activity.Originality/value – The paper provides insights into support policy issues in Finland and will be of interest to those involved in that field.
Equality of Opportunity for Children in Egypt, 2000-2009: Achievements and Challenges

This paper provides relevant indicators and measurements useful for public policies seeking the expansion of equitable human development opportunities for Egyptian children and youth. To measure equitable access to opportunities, the authors use the Human Opportunity Index to examine the evolution of 16 basic opportunity indicators grouped in four sectors: education, basic housing services, early childhood development, and nutrition and hunger. The main findings show that during the last decade most opportunities for children and youth improved unambiguously,for the first two sectors, but were stagnant for nutrition and early childhood development opportunities. Although the urban-rural and interregional gaps were partially reduced, there are still substantial opportunity gaps between children in favorable and unfavorable circumstances. Parents' education, income per capita, urban-rural location, number of siblings, and regional location, are the five most important factors affecting equality of opportunity, although their impact varies across indicators.
Has the Preston Curve Broken Down?

Three apparently contradictory stylized facts characterize the relationship between per capita incomes and life expectancy: (i) the existence of a strong correlation between the level of life expectancy and the level of per capita income, (ii) the absence of a significant correlation between changes in per capita income and changes in life expectancy, and (iii) the persistence of twin peaks in the distribution of life expectancy, despite their progressive disappearance from the income data. This paper seeks to reconcile these apparently contradictory findings. We argue that a data generating process in which there is a relationship between income and life expectancy for high levels of development but not for low ones can explain these stylized facts, while models that apply a uniform relationship to all countries cannot. We also argue that the slope of the relationship between income and life expectancy is significantly overestimated by standard cross-sectional estimates, with the true slope being much lower for some countries and not statistically significantly different from zero for others. Lastly, we provide evidence from an error-correction model showing that the elasticity of life expectancy to incomes has been declining both for countries at high and low levels of development. We suggest that these results can be interpreted as showing that income matters only for countries that are close enough to the world health technological frontier.
Ritual Costumes and Status Transition: the Female Business Suit As Totemic Emblem

Michael R. Solomon, New York University Punam Anand, New York University ABSTRACT Modern ritual merits closer attention by consumer researchers. The widespread use of products as ritual artifacts is particularly noteworthy. The female business suit is conceptualized as an artifact which is integral to a modern rite de passage. "Magical qualities ascribed to the suit by novitiates are discussed, and ramifications for positioning strategies are considered. [ to cite ]: Michael R. Solomon and Punam Anand (1985) ,"Ritual Costumes and Status Transition: the Female Business Suit As Totemic Emblem", in NA Advances in Consumer Research Volume 12, eds. Elizabeth C. Hirschman and Moris B. Holbrook, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 315-318.
The Views of Family Companies on Venture Capital: Empirical Evidence from the UK Small to Medium-Size Enterprising Economy:

This explorative research paper draws evidence from a database of small to medium-size unquoted private companies (n = 240) in the UK and reports on the family business and venture capital relationship from the demand side. Following the review of literature relating to financial affairs of private companies, the main research inquiries are outlined and a set of generic hypotheses is elicited based on the pecking order theory—that is, private companies, including family-controlled ventures, have a propensity to finance their operations in a hierarchical fashion, first using internally available funds, followed by debt and, finally, external equity (Petitt & Singer, 1985). Univariate statistical analyses confirm that family companies adhere strongly to the pecking order principles of financial development. The paper explores factors governing the rationale of owner-managing directors of private and family companies for considering venture capital dealings as well as main areas of concern about the deal structures. The paper then concludes with a discussion of the policy implications from the perspective of the owner-manager, financier, and enterprise policy maker. To encourage equity development of smaller privately held companies, particularly family firms, there is room for policy initiatives that respect the financial philosophy of private companies.
Sources and utilization of foodstuffs in Belarusian households: results of the Grodno households survey

The paper is a documentation of a (non-representative) survey on the food situation of households in the Grodno region, Belarus. It covers the year between September 2000 and August 2001. The focus of the survey was on the sources of food in the households (purchase, own production, and receipt in non-monetary transactions between households) and on the utilization (consumption, feed use, sale, unpaid transfers to other households, and spoilage). The paper describes the survey design and the scope and quality of the compiled data set and it presents results of descriptive analyses. The survey households consume a well balanced diet based on potatoes and vegetables as the main staple food. 75 percent of the households use small land plots for food production and a third of the households keep livestock. Household food production provides an important contribution to food available in the households and the value of the produce represents a considerable part of average household income. Most of the self-produced food is consumed or given away in non-monetary transactions. Prices of foodstuffs differ in part significantly between different points of sale and between rural and urban areas.
Lipopolysaccharide and lipid A‐induced human blood lymphocyte activation as detected by a protein A plaque assay

Various purified cell wall lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from gram‐negative bacteria and derivatives of these LPS were tested for their stimulatory capacity for human peripheral blood cells. Immunoglobulin (Ig) production was tested by an indirect plaque‐forming cell assay using Staphylococcus aureus protein A‐coupled erythrocytes and specific anti‐Ig as developing serum. This method allows the detection of the majority of cells secreting Ig of a single class, and the number of plaque‐forming cells detected are approximately 100–1000 times the amount obtained using normal sheep red cells as targets. LPS containing the O antigen‐specific chain, as well as mutant products only containing lipid A and ketodeoxyoctonate trisaccharide, could induce cell division and antibody synthesis. The polypeptide antibiotic polymyxin B was found to inhibit LPS‐induced activation. Furthermore, purified lipid A, complexed with bovine serum albumin, was also found to activate human peripheral blood B cells. These findings demonstrate that human peripheral blood lymphocytes can be activated by LPS and also indicate that lipid A is the active part of these molecules.
Health and work of the elderly: subjective health measures, reporting errors and endogeneity in the relationship between health and work

This paper explores the interrelation between health and work decisions of older workers. For this, two issues are of relevance. Firstly, health and work may be endogenously related because of direct causal effects of health on work and vice versa, and because of unobservables that may affect both observed health and work outcomes. Secondly, social surveys usually contain self-assessed health measures and research indicates that these may be subject to endogenous, state-dependent reporting bias. A solution to the 'Health and Retirement Nexus' therefore requires an integrated model for work decisions, health production and health reporting mechanisms. We formulate such a model and estimate it on a longitudinal dataset of older Dutch males. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efforts at evicting street hawkers from the streets of Accra: the good and the bad

By operating in public spaces not authorized for trading activities, street hawkers offer various products for sale in order to eke out a living. However, the activity of street hawking finds itself at the wrong side of the laws governing the use of city-space. Several attempts by city authorities to evict hawkers operating at these unauthorized locations have yielded limited results. The number of street hawkers multiply day in and day out, even at locations previously not noted for hawking on the streets of Accra. This study sought to understand the motivation for the return of street hawkers amidst city authorities’ ban of street hawking and subsequent forceful eviction by city taskforce personnel. The study finds that hawkers have and will continue to resist eviction from the street as their own survival and that of an average of four (4) dependents solely rest on daily incomes made from hawking. The study also finds that the persistence of traffic congestion, the lack of effective policing of hawking spots, the minimal entry capital required to start hawking and the potential of obtaining substantial turnover over and above public sector wage will continue to fuel street hawking in Accra. The study recommends that an assessment and enforcement of the land use regulations as well an effective management of traffic flows in the city are likely to serve as a disincentive to hawking. Again street hawking is likely to be controlled if policies are directed at keeping children in school beyond junior high school level. Hawking in Accra is dominated by people who are not able to pursue academic study beyond senior high school and therefore have little employable skills. Suggestions are also made with regards to the reconciliation of data on street hawkers and their contributions to the economy both at the local and national level, in order to appreciate the demographic characteristics of city dwellers as well as their need to survive even as they strive to maintain modern cities and towns. Key words : Hawking, Metropolis, Accra, Taskforce, Living, City
Employment and Wage Adjustment: Insider-Outsider Control in a Polish Privatization Panel Study

New survey data for a panel of Polish firms is used to study employment and wage adjustment in state-owned enterprises, new private firms, and insider- and outsider- controlled privatized firms. In contrast to earlier studies, dynamic panel data estimators (GMM) allow for endogeneity of observed variables and partial adjustment to shocks. Asymmetric demand and productivity shocks have differeing effects across ownership categories that are missed by the simpler and more aggregated specifications used in the previous transition literature. We do seem to confirm rent-seeking behaviour in insider-controlled firms and find significant size-wage and employment-growth wage effects.
Pre‐qualification education of registered accountants and auditors in South Africa: Perspectives on whether the education process is normatively justifiable

In order to ensure that registered accountants and auditors (RAAs) discharge their functions in the public interest, the RAA profession, through its governing bodies, should establish, maintain and ensure compliance with among other things an identified set of educational requirements. The research objective is twofold: Firstly, to provide a normative description of pre‐qualification professional education and, secondly, to evaluate the extent to which the current pre‐qualification education process applicable to RAAs in South Africa is normatively justifiable. A study of the literature on general professional education and on education in the field of accountancy facilitated the achievement of the first objective, while the second objective was addressed by means of a comparative analysis of the basic prequalification educational requirements applicable to prospective RAAs and the normative description of professional education presented. The current educational process permits latitude for factors and practices that are not wholly justifiable within a normative definition of professional education. The lack of normative justification for several aspects of the system will impede the achievement of sound educational objectives.
Ultra-wideband bandpass filter with hybrid microstrip/CPW structure

A novel ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) is presented using the hybrid microstrip and coplanar waveguide (CPW) structure. A CPW nonuniform resonator or multiple-mode resonator (MMR) is constructed to produce its first three resonant modes occurring around the lower end, center, and higher end of the UWB band. Then, a microstrip/CPW surface-to-surface coupled line is formed and modeled to allocate the enhanced coupling peak around the center of this UWB band, i.e., 6.85GHz. As such, a five-pole UWB BPF is built up and realized with the passband covering the entire UWB band (3.1-10.6GHz). A predicted frequency response is finally verified by the experiment. In addition, the designed UWB filter, with a single resonator, only occupies one full-wavelength in length or 16.9mm.
Modernity and Nostalgia: Art and Politics in France Between the Wars

France Revisited: Landscape as lieu de memoire - Re-embracing the Motif A Moralised Landscape The Landscape of the Trenches The Landscape of the Body. Rusticising the Modern: Choosing the Regional Mosel Sculpture's Neo-Medieval Lineage Painting's Naturalistic Lineage Micons of the Regional - the French Peasantry Mythic Identities - the Artist as Peasant, Landed Aristocrat, and constructeur Ludus Pro Patria 1920s Paris - a not so moveable feast. A Crisis of Confidence: From Machinism to the Organic - Years of Reckoning - 1927 to the Depression The Machine Aesthetic Reconsidered Visions of Dystopia. The Return to Man: Le Monde Sans Ame A Young Man's Home Biological Man. At the Fairs: The Colonial Body of France Colonial Rustic Regionalism Revitalised - the 1937 Fair Realisme de droite, realisme de gauche Projecting on to Spain. In Defence of French Art: Mechanisms of Exclusion Fitting the terrien Mould Jew or israelite? The Final Stroke Conclusion: A Moralised Tale Notes.
Optimal Monetary Policy with Labor Market Frictions: The Role of the Wage Channel

This paper introduces right‐to‐manage bargaining into a labor search model with sticky prices instead of standard efficient bargaining and examines the Ramsey‐optimal monetary policy. Without real wage rigidity, even when the steady state is inefficient, price stability is nearly optimal in response to technology or government shocks. Right‐to‐manage bargaining creates the wage channel to inflation, because there is a direct relationship between real wages and real marginal cost. In the presence of the wage channel, price markups consist of only real marginal cost, and real wages and hours per worker are determined such as in the Walrasian labor market.