Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drinking pattern and mortality in middle-aged men and women.

AIMS To address the prospective association between alcohol drinking pattern and all-cause mortality. DESIGN Population-based cohort study conducted between 1993 and 2003. SETTING Denmark. PARTICIPANTS A total of 26 909 men and 29 626 women aged 55-65 years. MEASUREMENTS We obtained risk estimates for all-cause mortality for different levels of quantity and frequency of alcohol intake adjusted for life-style factors, including diet. FINDINGS During follow-up, 1528 men and 915 women died. For the same average consumption of alcohol, a non-frequent intake implied a higher risk of death than a frequent one. CONCLUSIONS Drinking pattern and not just the total amount of alcohol consumed is important for the association between alcohol intake and mortality. These results suggest that future public guidelines concerning sensible alcohol drinking should include messages about drinking pattern together with quantity of alcohol.
The direct visualization of structural array from laminin to dystrophin in sarcolemmal vesicles prepared from rat skeletal muscles

It has been biochemically shown that dystrophin and α‐ and β‐dystroglycan form an oligomeric complex which links laminin, a component of the basement membrane, to components of the subsarcolemmal cytoskeleton in skeletal muscle fibers. In the present study the dystrophin‐glycoprotein complex and its structural relationships to laminin and subsarcolemmal cytoskeleton were ultrastructurally examined in crude surface membranes prepared from rat skeletal muscles. Sarcolemmal vesicles within crude surface membranes were identified and characterized by fine protrusions on their outer surface and electron‐dense materials or patches associated with the inner surface. These two components were seen to be in register with each other across the sarcolemma. The fine protrusions were immunolabeled by anti‐α‐dystroglycan and reassociated with exogenous laminin. Immunolabeling in combination with laminin reassociation demonstrated that the electron‐dense materials contained dystrophin at laminin‐binding domains of the membrane. In addition, they were often associated with very fine filaments. These results provide morphological evidence for the biochemically proposed model of molecular array of dystrophin complex from the basement membrane to the subsarcolemmal cytoskeleton.
Exploring Locational Equilibria in a Competitive Broadband Access Market: Theoretical Modeling Approach

Due to strong local competition in the broadband access market, strategic locational planning is very important for service providers. In this paper, we explore locational equilibria in a competitive broadband market under several situations: with and without customer loyalty and under different initial market conditions. To do this, we propose a competitive broadband location model based on probabilistic patronage behavior, explicitly considering the characteristics of the broadband market and competitive structures. Also, we suggest iterative algorithms to identify spatial equilibria. We show that competing location strategies may lead to a stable spatial configuration of market share.
The Sensory Basis of Reading Problems

Learning to read is much more difficult than learning to speak. Most children teach themselves to speak with little or no difficulty. Yet a few years later when they come to learn to read they have to be taught how to do it; they do not pick up reading by themselves. This is because we speak in words and syllables, but we write in phonemes. Syllables do not naturally break down into the sounds of letters and letter units (i.e., phonemes) because these do not correspond to physiologically distinct articulatory gestures (Liberman, Shankweiler, & Studdert-Kennedy, 1967). Alphabetic writing was only invented when people realized that syllables could be artificially divided into smaller acoustically distinguishable phonemes that could be represented by a small number of letters. But these distinctions are arbitrary cultural artifacts, and their mastery was originally confined to a select social class. And until about 100 years ago it did not matter much if the majority of people could not read; the acquisition of reading probably had no serious disadvantages. Reading requires the integration of at least two kinds of analysis (Castles & Coltheart, 1993; Ellis, 1984; Manis, Seidenberg, Doi, McBride-Chang, & Petersen, 1996; Morton, 1969; Seidenburg, 1993). First, the visual form of words, the shape of letters, their order in words, and common spelling patterns, which is termed their orthography, has to be processed visually. Their orthography yields the meaning of familiar words very rapidly without needing to sound them out. But for unfamiliar words, and all words are fairly unfamiliar to the beginning reader, the letters have to be translated into the speech sounds (i.e., phonemes) that they stand for, and then those sounds have to be melded together in inner speech to yield the word and its meaning. Reading exclusively by the phonological route is more time consuming than if words can be accessed directly without requiring phonological mediation.
Are hunting clubs the solution to small stock depredation? The case of Ceres, 1979 and 1980

Abstract In 1979 and 1980 predators were under control on sheep farms in the Ceres Karoo. At the time, a subsidised hunting club assisted landowners with predator control measures. A farm-level analysis of data from the Ceres hunting club's logbooks reveals that four out of five farms have experienced no predator damage whatsoever. For those reporting problems, the typical loss was in the region of one per cent of the estimated turnover. Lynx (caracal), leopards and feral dogs were responsible for most of the damage. Black-backed jackals were not a serious concern, but were also more difficult to catch. Lynx and feral dogs were controlled with ease. Death of some innocent animals was also recorded. The hunting club system thus appears to be succeeding in controlling certain predators, albeit with adverse consequences to other animals. Exploratory statistical analysis establishes that livestock losses lead to increased control efforts, which in turn leads to the death of more targeted and untargeted animals. There is even some evidence that more control efforts reduce stock losses in the following year.
Opportunistic Refreshing Algorithm for eDRAM Memories

Embedded DRAM (eDRAM) is an alternative technology that can replace the area and power consumed by SRAM cache memories. eDRAM consumes half the area and an order of magnitude less power than SRAM, but has the drawback of access blockage caused by its periodic data refreshing. This paper presents an opportunistic refreshing algorithm along with the appropriate memory architecture and skim control logic. This architecture takes advantage of the access idleness of the internal partitions of the memory and enables most of the refreshing operations to run concurrently with the ordinary R/W access. This eliminates the refreshing burden almost completely. The algorithm was simulated with industrial DSP access traces, and outperformed in a wide range of eDRAM technologies and internal memory architectures.
Learning, job satisfaction and commitment: an empirical study of organizations in China

Purpose – This study seeks to fill the gap in the existing literature regarding relationships among organizational learning, culture, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in the Chinese context, particularly, in native Chinese enterprise settings.Design/methodology/approach – Based on well‐defined western concepts and instruments, and statistical analysis of the data collected from 919 employees in nine companies located in Guangdong, China, this study adopted an empirical design.Findings – There are positive interrelations among the three variables and, specifically, organizational learning culture serves as a predictor and job satisfaction serves a mediator.Research limitations/implications – Owing to directly utilizing some commonly‐applied western theoretical frameworks and instruments, findings may not fully detect the cultural nuances in the Chinese employees; the narrowly geographically‐concentrated sampling may prevent generalization of findings to the broad Chinese context.Practical im.
Nested PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Approach To Determine the Diversity of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Complex Microbial Communities

ABSTRACT Here, we describe a three-step nested-PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) strategy to detect sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in complex microbial communities from industrial bioreactors. In the first step, the nearly complete 16S rRNA gene was amplified using bacterial primers. Subsequently, this product was used as a template in a second PCR with group-specific SRB primers. A third round of amplification was conducted to obtain fragments suitable for DGGE. The largest number of bands was observed in DGGE patterns of products obtained with primers specific for the Desulfovibrio-Desulfomicrobium group, indicating a large diversity of these SRBs. In addition, members of other phylogenetic SRB groups, i.e., Desulfotomaculum, Desulfobulbus, and Desulfococcus-Desulfonema-Desulfosarcina, were detected. Bands corresponding to Desulfobacterium and Desulfobacter were not detected in the bioreactor samples. Comparative sequence analysis of excised DGGE bands revealed the identity of the community members. The developed three-step PCR-DGGE strategy is a welcome tool for studying the diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria.
The optimal call policy for convertible bonds: Is there a market memory effect?

This article examines the market memory effect in convertible bond markets. We look at the pricing of convertible bonds issued after the original issuer redeemed previous issues without giving an opportunity for investors to benefit from bond value appreciation. We find evidence that the market underprices new convertible bond issues of firms that called their previous convertible bonds early compared with new convertibles bonds of firms that called their previous convertibles late.
Alteration of a single tryptophan residue of the cellulose-binding domain blocks secretion of the Erwinia chrysanthemi Cel5 cellulase (ex-EGZ) via the type II system.

Cel5 (formerly known as endoglucanase Z) of Erwinia chrysanthemi is secreted by the Out type II pathway. Previous studies have shown that the catalytic domain (CD), linker region (LR) and cellulose-binding domain (CBD) each contain information needed for secretion. The aim of this work was to further investigate the secretion-related information present in the CBD(Cel5). Firstly(, )deleting a surface-exposed flexible loop had no effect on secretion. This indicated that some structural freedom is tolerated by the type II system. Secondly, mutation of a single tryptophan residue, previously shown to be important for binding to cellulose, i.e. Trp43, was found also to impair secretion. This indicated that the flat cellulose-binding surface of CBD(Cel5 )contains secretion-related information. Thirdly, CBD(Cel5) was substituted by the CBD(EGG) of Alteromonas haloplanctis endoglucanase G, yielding a hybrid protein CD(Cel5)-LR(Cel5)-CBD(EGG) that exhibited 90 % identity with Cel5, including the Trp43 residue. The hybrid protein was not secreted. This indicated that the Trp43 residue is necessary but not sufficient for secretion. Here we propose a model in which the secretion of Cel5 involves a transient intramolecular interaction between the cellulose-binding surface of CBD(Cel5) and a region close to the entry into the active site in CD(Cel5). Once secreted, the protein may then open out to allow the cellulose-binding surface of CBD(Cel5 )to interact with the surface of the cellulose substrate. An implication of this model is that protein molecules fold to a specific secretion-competent conformation prior to secretion that is different from the folding state of the secreted species.
New development: Transparency in the public sector

The sovereign debt crisis has emphasized the seriousness of the results of poor financial management and financial reporting. Financial reporting failure in the private sector earlier this century led to dramatic action. Although there have been widespread reporting failures in the public sector , there have been very few strong calls for action. This article looks at what is being done internationally to ensure high-quality accounting by governments, particularly solutions from the accounting profession.
Super-Resolution for GaoFen-4 Remote Sensing Images

In this letter, the application of super-resolution (SR) techniques to GaoFen(GF)-4, which is the most advanced geostationary-orbit earth observing satellite in China, remote sensing images is investigated and tested. One of the shortcomings of the geostationary-orbit-based earth observing satellite is the limitation of spatial resolution. However, human beings never stop pursuing higher resolution in images. This is the first experiment of applying SR to a sequence of low-resolution (LR) images captured by GF-4 within a short time period. One of the barriers for applying SR to remote sensing images is the large time gaps between those LR image acquisition, because the reflection characteristic of the ground may change within the time period when those LR images were captured. However, GF-4 has the unique advantage of capturing a sequence of LR images of the same region in minutes, i.e., working as a staring camera from the point view of SR. The reconstructed high-resolution images of some regions in Beijing and Hainan are shown and evaluated in this letter. This letter demonstrates that the application of SR to geostationary-orbit-based earth observation data is feasible and valuable, and it has the potential to be applied to the images acquired by all other geostationary-orbit-based earth observing systems.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cervical cancer screening among physicians in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate knowledge and practice of the Pap test, the role of HPV in the etiology of cervical cancer, and attitudes regarding the HPV vaccine of female physicians in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. METHODS A cross-sectional descriptive study using an interview with a structured questionnaire to obtain information regarding cervical cancer, practice in screening for cervical cancer, and attitudes of female physicians regarding the HPV vaccine in different health facilities in Saudi Arabia. The study was performed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between May and December 2009. RESULTS Of the 200 respondents, 70 (35%) physicians comprised gynecological doctors (GDs) group I, and 130 (65%) physicians comprised the non-gynecological doctors (NGDs) group II. The mean age was 36 years. A total of 63 (90%) in group I, and 87 (60.5%) in group II knew that HPV is a cause for cervical cancer. Forty-five (64.3%) in group I, and 44 (33.8%) in group II believed that cervical cancer was curable (p<0.05). A total of 182 (91%) physicians in the GDs and NGDs group knew that the Pap smear test is used as a screening method for cervical cancer. A total of 97 (48.5%) physicians knew about the HPV vaccine. When the physicians were provided with information regarding the HPV vaccine, 100 (50%) physicians stated they would recommend the vaccine to their patients. CONCLUSION Physicians in Saudi Arabia would benefit from further education regarding the available screening, prevention for HPV, and cervical cancer.
The Dose-Dependent Effects of Vascular Risk Factors on Dynamic Compensatory Neural Processes in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background/Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been associated with risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Previous investigations have suggested that vascular risk factors (VRFs) were associated with cognitive decline and AD pathogenesis, and the intervention of VRFs may be a possible way to prevent dementia. However, in MCI, little is known about the potential impacts of VRFs on neural networks and their neural substrates, which may be a neuroimaging biomarker of the disease progression. Methods: 128 elderly Han Chinese participants (67 MCI subjects and 61 matched normal elderly) with or without VRFs (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking and alcohol drinking) underwent the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological tests. We obtained the default mode network (DMN) to identify alterations in MCI with the varying number of the VRF and analyzed the significant correlation with behavioral performance. Results: The effects of VRF on the DMN were primarily in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (i.e., middle frontal gyrus). Normal elderly showed the gradually increased functional activity of DLPFC, while a fluctuant activation of DLPFC was displayed in MCI with the growing number of the VRF. Interestingly, the left DLPFC further displayed significantly dynamic correlation with executive function as the variation of VRF loading. Initial level of compensation was observed in normal aging and none-vascular risk factor (NVRF) MCI, while these compensatory neural processes were suppressed in One-VRF MCI and were subsequently re-aroused in Over-One-VRF MCI. Conclusions: These findings suggested that the dose-dependent effects of VRF on DLPFC were highlighted in MCI, and the dynamic compensatory neural processes that fluctuated along with variations of VRF loading could be key role in the progression of MCI.
The European Union Policies on the Protection of Infrastructure from Terrorist Attacks: A Critical Assessment

This article aims to provide an assessment of the evolution and contribution since 2001 of the European Union infrastructure and transport protection policies to the European fight against terrorism. Using the avowed goals of the Protect strand of the 2005 EU Counter-terrorism Strategy as a yardstick, the intention here is to evaluate the extent to which reality matches the aspirations present in the European political discourse and in particular the overall aim of ‘strengthen[ing] the defences of key targets, by reducing their vulnerability to attacks, and also by reducing the resulting impact of an attack’. In this way, special attention is paid to the outcomes from a number of initiatives in the field such as the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP), the Critical Infrastructure Warning Information Network (CIWIN), the Action Plan for the Enhancement of the Security of Explosives, the directives and regulations on aviation and maritime security and others. Continuing the pattern set out by the other contributions in this issue, the objective is to assess the degree to which initiatives have led to practical results, the political and institutional factors that have facilitated the process of policy development and implementation, the obstacles that have stood in the way of the practical realization of the initial objectives and, finally, lessons learnt.
Regional Heterogeneity in the Private and Social Returns to Human Capital

Abstract It is thought that policies aimed at encouraging the accumulation of human capital in less productive regions can constitute a key factor in development. However, the effectiveness of this policy depends in large part on each region's capacity to give returns to human capital. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the existence of substantial spatial variations in private and aggregate returns to human capital, indicating that development policies based on stimulating the accumulation of education differ in effectiveness. Results for the Spanish regions suggest that regional variations in social returns are greater than those in private returns.
Joint inventory and pricing decisions for perishable products with two‐period lifetime

We consider a periodic review model over a finite horizon for a perishable product with fixed lifetime equal to two review periods. The excess demand in a period is backlogged. The optimal replenishment and demand management (using price) decisions for such a product depend on the relative order of consumption of fresh and old units. We obtain insights on the structure of these decisions when the order of consumption is first‐in, first‐out and last‐in, first‐out. For the FIFO system, we also obtain bounds on both the optimal replenishment quantity as well as expected demand. We compare the FIFO system to two widely analyzed inventory systems that correspond to nonperishable and one‐period lifetime products to understand if demand management would modify our understanding of the relationship among the three systems. In a counterintuitive result, we find that it is more likely that bigger orders are placed in the FIFO system than for a nonperishable product when demand is managed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2013
Education in Production

There have been several studies of the demand for education as an investment good1 which generally take input and product prices as given and concentrate on computing (internal) rates of return to investment in schooling. Although these estimates usually indicate returns that are high by most standards, there is considerable variation, both through time and space, which points to the need for a clearer understanding of the underlying factors affecting profitability of investment in people. For such an analysis, education must be viewed not only as an investment but also as a factor of production. In this paper, I consider the question: Why has the incentive been maintained for a relative expansion in the supply of skilled labor in the United States? Three alternative explanations are considered, and one is pursued with an empirical analysis of factors determining relative wages among skill classes in agriculture. As we would expect for any factor of production, the evidence suggests that the return to education is affected by factor ratios, but ratios do not tell the whole story. In agriculture, much of the "leverage" distinguishing college graduates from less schooled persons has its roots in technical change as reflected in the level of research activity. Thus the incentive for acquiring a college education is based on dynamical considerations of changing technology; and if technology becomes stagnant, this incentive is reduced and may disappear. Convincing evidence of the maintained incentive for acquiring schooling is found in Gary Becker's (1964) estimates of private rates of return which are reproduced in table 1. When these rates of return are compared to the
Local Equity Market Participation and Stock Liquidity

This paper investigates the relationship between local equity market participation and stock liquidity. We use county-level racial composition as a proxy for local retail participation. We find that stocks headquartered in counties with a higher white percentage are more liquid. This effect is stronger among stocks with a high retail concentration (i.e., small size, low institutional ownership, low price). Our findings support Admati & Pfleiderer (1988. Review of Financial Studies, 1, 40). that noise trading increases liquidity under endogenous informed trading, i.e., the impact on liquidity is stronger when there are more institutional investors located nearby, especially the ones with “small” investment styles and “transient” trading styles.