Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Segmented Labor Markets: New Evidence from a Study of Four Race-Gender Groups

Using data from a supplement to the 1983 Current Population Survey, the author tests hypotheses of segmented labor market theory. Two labor market sectors (a primary sector and secondary sector) are identified on the basis of occupational segmentation, as inferred from workers' answers to the question of whether specific skills or prior training were conditions for their employment. The results show significant unexplained earnings differentials across sectors for each of four groups: black men, black women, white men, and white women. Other segmented labor market hypotheses are also generally supported by the results, but distinct variations are found across the four groups.
Diffusion weighted MR imaging (DWI) and ADC values in endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To determine the sensitivity of MR imaging utilizing diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in detection of endometrial cancer and to compare the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values of malignant and normal endometrium. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Radiology Department, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, from January 2007 to December 2009. METHODOLOGY Patients were defined as undergoing MRI for suspected endometrial malignancy, and the controls were female subjects who underwent MRI examination for indications other than endometrial malignancy. Studied variables included the signal characteristics of the endometrium and ADC values. The sensitivity of DWI for the detection of endometrial carcinoma was calculated using histopathology as the gold standard, and the ADC values of the endometrium in patients and controls were recorded. The mean ADC values were compared using two-sided t- test with significance at p < 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. RESULTS Out of 52 patients, 10 had hyperintense, 40 had hypointense and 2 had isointense endometrium on T2 weighted imaging. On DWI, 42 patients had hyperintense and 10 patients had hypointense endometrium. In comparison, 40 controls had hypointense endometrium on DWI and 12 had hyperintense endometrium. The mean ADC value for abnormal endometrium was 0.730±0.215 x10-3 mm2/sec and of normal endometrium was 1.265±0.305 x10-3 mm2/sec (p < 0.001). The sensitivity for detection of endometrial carcinoma on DWI was 77.77%. False positive cases were found to be due to secretory and hyperplastic endometrium. False negative findings were found in a few cases of adenocarcinoma, endometroid carcinoma and clear cell sarcoma. CONCLUSION In patients with suspected endometrial carcinoma, MRI examination utilizing DWI was a sensitive tool in detecting endometrial cancers with significantly lower ADC values for carcinoma in general. Physiological and histopathological variants may be responsible for a few false results.
HERV‐K(HML‐2) GAG/ENV antibodies as indicator for therapy effect in patients with germ cell tumors

Germ cell tumors (GCT) are strictly associated with the expression of HERV‐K(HML‐2) proviruses, and the majority of GCT patients produce antibodies to structural proteins of these proviruses. The objective of our study was to determine the significance of the serological response to HERV‐K(HML‐2) Gag and Env proteins for diagnosis, management of GCT patients and estimation of the therapy success. The data document a strong association of HERV‐K(HML‐2) antibodies and the clinical manifestation of the disease and therapy success. HERV‐K(HML‐2) antibodies seem to have an important diagnostic value as well as indicator of chemotherapy success. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Exploring citizen perceptions of barriers to e-government adoption in a developing country

Purpose – This study aims to explore how citizens socialise and network in relation to using and adopting e-government. The paper suggests that governments need to consider social networks when introducing e-government initiatives. Using qualitative research, this study explores the reasons, fears, motivations and factors with respect to e-government relevant to two social groups of people, those who do and those who do not have regular access to the internet in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan. Design/methodology/approach – The study analyses the results of focus groups representing different social groups of Jordanian citizens across the digital divide. The focus groups followed the nominal group method to explore questions relating to e-government adoption. The nominal group method provided preliminary categorisations of responses; however, further initial and axial coding of data were used to analyse recordings of focus group transcripts. Findings – Contrary to previous research, this study highli.
Recombinationless meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have utilized the single equational meiotic division conferred by the spo13-1 mutation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. Klapholtz and R. E. Esposito, Genetics 96:589-611, 1980) as a technique to study the genetic control of meiotic recombination and to analyze the meiotic effects of several radiation-sensitive mutations (rad6-1, rad50-1, and rad52-1) which have been reported to reduce meiotic recombination (Game et al., Genetics 94:51-68, 1980); Prakash et al., Genetics 94:31-50, 1980). The spo13-1 mutation eliminates the meiosis I reductional segregation, but does not significantly affect other meiotic events (including recombination). Because of the unique meiosis it confers, the spo13-1 mutation provides an opportunity to recover viable meiotic products in a Rec- background. In contrast to the single rad50-1 mutant, we found that the double rad50-1 spo13-1 mutant produced viable ascospores after meiosis and sporulation. These spores were nonrecombinant: meiotic crossing-over was reduced at least 150-fold, and no increase in meiotic gene conversion was observed over mitotic background levels. The rad50-1 mutation did not, however, confer a Rec- phenotype in mitosis; rather, it increased both spontaneous crossing-over and gene conversion. The spore inviability conferred by the single rad6-1 and rad52-1 mutations was not eliminated by the presence of the spo13-1 mutation. Thus, only the rad50 gene has been unambiguously identified by analysis of viable meiotic ascospores as a component of the meiotic recombination system.
Development of a riboflavin and ultraviolet light‐based device to treat whole blood

In the United States, blood components are commonly used for patients in need of massive transfusion after blood loss. In combat situations, when severe traumatic injuries occur far from a hospital, fresh whole blood is a valuable transfusion therapy because components may not be available. The risk of infectious or immunological complications from fresh whole blood transfusions could be mitigated by a system that reduces pathogen loads and inactivates white blood cells (WBCs). Such a system is in development and utilizes riboflavin and ultraviolet light to provide pathogen reduction and WBC inactivation.
Electoral systems and intra-party candidate selection processes: Influences on legislators' behavior

OF THE DISSERTATION Electoral Systems and Intra-party Candidate Selection Processes: Influences on Legislators’ Behavior by Yael Shomer Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Washington University in St. Louis, 2010 Brian F. Crisp, Chair Andrew D. Martin, Chair How legislators behave and how cohesively parties act are influenced, to a great extent, by the institutional environment within which they operate. While most research has regarded each institution separately, this dissertation project seeks to theorize and to empirically examine the complex institutional context that affects legislators’ behavior and representation styles. I specifically shed light on how electoral systems and intra-party candidate selection processes, separately and in combination, influence how much legislators emphasize their unique individualistic behaviors at the expense of their parties’ collective unified reputations. I argue that electoral systems and candidate selection procedures conditionally structure the incentives and institutional environment within which a legislator operates. Chapter 2 presents a theoretical/conceptual distinction between electoral systems and intra-party candidate selection processes and critiques the current literature that usually amalgamates them into a single factor. I further justify this distinction by empirically showing the lack of a strong association between the two institutions. Chapter 3 presents my theory concerning the distinct and combined conditional effect of electoral systems and selection processes on legislators’ behavior. I support my ii assertions using party-level models that use Rice cohesion scores and Weighted Rice cohesion scores as outcome variables. Chapter 4 tests my theory using individual level analysis which uses the ideological distance of a legislator from the median position of his or her party as a measure of behavior. To this end, I have collected a number of unique data sets that include information about parties’ candidate selection processes, parties’ cohesion measures, and individual legislators’ ideological distances. Using these original data sets, I can support my theory concerning the conditional combined effect of electoral systems and intra-party candidate selection processes on legislators’ behavior. The incentives and constraints legislators face are more convoluted than scholars previously assumed.
DEVIATIONS FROM CONSTITUENT INTERESTS: THE ROLE OF LEGISLATIVE STRUCTURE AND POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE STATES

This paper investigates the determinants of state spending over 1960-90. Recent empirical studies suggest that state government expenditure is greater than the electorate desires. The authors' main finding is that expenditure was positively related to the number of seats in a state's legislature. This is consistent with the hypothesis that logrolling leads representatives to spend more than their constituents would like. The authors also find that political parties do not have a pronounced effect on overall levels of expenditure but do influence the composition of spending. In particular, Democratic control of state government is associated with higher levels of welfare spending. Copyright 1995 by Oxford University Press.
Effect of Serial Microdermabrasion on the Ceramide Level in the Stratum Corneum

BACKGROUND Microdermabrasion has become a popular method for superficial resurfacing of the epidermis. Despite the popularity of this technique, few studies have examined changes in the levels of lipids (especially ceramide) in the stratum corneum following microdermabrasion. OBJECTIVE To assess and analyze changes in the ceramide level in the stratum corneum during the course of serial aluminum oxide microdermabrasion. METHODS Eleven healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Each participant underwent microdermabrasion once a week for 5 weeks. Following each procedure, the ceramide level in the resulting epidermal scales was measured. RESULTS A statistically significant increase in the ceramide level in the stratum corneum was observed following the first and second microdermabrasion sessions. After the third and fourth sessions, the ceramide level returned to baseline. CONCLUSION The results suggest that microdermabrasion alters the epidermal ceramide level. These findings provide the first evidence of alterations in the lipid barrier following microdermabrasion.
Private Equity Premium Puzzle Revisited

In this paper, I extend the results of Moskowitz and Vissing-Jorgensen (2002) on the returns to entrepreneurial investments in the United States. First, following the authors’ methodology I replicate the original findings from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) for the period 1989–1998 and show that the returns to private and public equity are similar. I then extend the period under consideration using data from subsequently released waves of SCF 2001, 2004, and 2007 and assess the robustness of their results to this extension. I find that the “private equity premium puzzle” is not a robust feature of the data and does not survive beyond the period of high public equity returns in the 1990s. In particular, returns to entrepreneurial equity remain largely unaffected when public equity returns plunge to near zero values between 1999 and 2001. The average return to private equity exceeds public equity return in 1999-2007 and for the period 1989-2007 as a whole. To validate the results, I provide alternative measures of private equity returns in the data.
Strategic Groups and the Structure-Performance Relationship

STATISTICAL analyses of the structureperformance relationship in manufacturing industries have invariably assumed that an industry's member firms differ only in their market shares. This paper demonstrates that this assumption is often incorrect, and that the complexity of the structure of strategic groups populating an industry exerts a significant influence on its performance. In the following sections we explain the sources and significance of strategic groups, derive hypotheses about their influence on an industry's profitability, and test these hypotheses on a sample of producer-good industries.
Ethnic Cleavages and Irregular War: Iraq and Vietnam

The conflict in Iraq has been portrayed as “ethnic” civil war, a radically different conflict from “ideological” wars such as Vietnam. We argue that such an assessment is misleading, as is its theoretical foundation, which we call the “ethnic war model. ” Neither Iraq nor Vietnam conforms to the ethnic war model's predictions. The sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni militias is not simply the outcome of sectarian cleavages in Iraqi society, but to an important extent, a legacy of U.S. occupation. On the other hand, although Vietnam was a society riven by ethnic cleavages, the Vietnam War also fails to conform to the ethnic war model. We show that there is no necessary overlap between ethnic conflict and ethnic war. Some ethnic conflicts evolve into ethnic wars, and others develop dynamics virtually indistinguishable from those of ideological civil wars. We suggest that the state's role is essential in transforming conflicts into either ethnic or irregular wars. We conclude with an analysis of the current situation and future prospects in Iraq.
NEOSPOROSIS IN CATTLE

Neosporosis is caused by the protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum. It is essentially responsible for abortion in cattle and various neuro-muscular conditions in dogs. Until 1988, N. caninum was confused with Toxoplasma gondii, a closely related parasite (Dubey et al. 1988a,b). In 1989, Thilsted and Dubey reported the presence of cerebral and cardiac lesions in several aborted bovine foetuses originating from a single farm. In the following years the parasite was identified in the tissues of many bovine aborted fetuses but also of stillbon calves and, rarely, of clinically affected newborn calves (Dubey et al. 1989; Dubey et al. 1990; Anderson et al. 1991; Barr et al. 1991). Since then, N. caninum has been identified on all continents and is considered as a major cause of abortion in cattle (Dubey, 2005).
Corporate insurance market in the People’s Republic of China: some macro and micro perspectives

This paper analyses the development, regulation and future trend of the corporate insurance market in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Using data for 212 Chinese listed companies over the period 1997‐99, this study provides some preliminary empirical evidence regarding the property insuring behaviour of Chinese companies. I find that the level of property insurance spending in Chinese companies is inversely related to company size and leverage. Additionally, the purchase of property insurance appears to vary according to geographical location and industry sectors. However, foreign ownership does not appear to have important influences on the managerial property insurance decisions in the Chinese corporate sector. The findings of this study could thus have important implications for various groups (e.g., corporate lenders and foreign insurers) that are interested in the Chinese corporate sector and insurance markets.
Comparison of Tracheal Aspirates and Protected Brush Catheter Specimens for Identifying Pathogenic Bacteria in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

Bacterial respiratory infections are common in patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation, and antibiotic selection often is based upon the results of smears and cultures of tracheal aspirates (TA). This study was designed to determine the reliability of gram stains, cultures and antibody-coating of bacteria in TA by comparing them with the results of quantitative cultures of specimens obtained by protected brush catheters (PBC) inserted into involved areas of lung parenchyma. Twenty-two patients on mechanical ventilation for at least 72 hours, with new radiographic infiltrates and fever, were studied. Tracheal aspiration was performed in the usual manner using sterile disposable kits. Immediately thereafter, patients underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and PBC specimens were obtained from the areas of new radiographic infiltrates. Tracheal aspirates were gram stained and cultured aerobically, and antibody coating of bacteria was determined by fluorescence microscopy. Quantitative culture of PBC specimens contained ≥ 103 colony forming units per brush in 16 of the 22 patients; a smaller number of organisms was present in two additional patients. In TA from all 22 patients, gram stains revealed polymorphonuclear neutrophils and bacteria. Cultures of TA revealed potential pathogens in 20 patients, and in 15, multiple pathogens were present. The bacteria isolated from PBC also were present in 14 of the 16 patients with ≥ 103 CFU in PBC cultures (88%). Antibody coating was present in TA from 12 patients, and antibody coating correlated poorly with cultures of PBC specimens. The authors conclude that while gram stains and cultures of TA are often nonspecific, organisms cultured from lung parenchyma using PBC usually also are present in TA. The presence of antibody-coating does not improve the specificity of gram stain results.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION USING THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURE INDEX

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between corporate social responsiveness and organizational characteristics. Using a ratio comparing the number of environmental disclosures that are made internally by the firm with external environmental disclosures (Environmental Disclosure Index), an empirical analysis was done using data from 24 chemical companies. The study's results showed that there was an inverse relationship between the firm's social responsiveness and the firm's size and a positive relationship with the firm's financial performance. The study's results did not indicate a significant relationship between the level of corporate social responsiveness and the capital expenditures and pollution emissions released by the firms.
Field degrees and multiplicities for non-integral extensions

Let R be a graded subalgebra of a polynomial ring S over a field so that S is algebraic over R. The goal of this paper is to relate the generator degrees of R to the degree [S : R] of the underlying quotient field extension, and to provide a numerical criterion for S to be integral over R that is based on this relationship. As an application we obtain a condition guaranteeing that a ring of invariants of a finite group is a polynomial ring.
Public awareness, education, and marine mammals in captivity

Increasing popularity of marine parks as tourist attractions brought with it a number of concerns. Considerable attention has been paid to investigate issues, such as the ethics of keeping marine mammals in captivity, welfare of captive marine mammals, and the educational and conservational abilities of marine parks. Little research has been conducted to explore the public�s awareness and opinions of these issues. Public awareness is an important tool to understand the quality of a marine park�s products and services. This study was designed to investigate the public�s awareness of welfare of captive marine mammals, educational and conservational purposes of marine parks, and to examine public awareness and opinions of Dunlap and Van Liere�s New Environmental Paradigm. A total of 120 respondents from St. Catharines, Canada completed either a visitor or a nonvisitor questionnaire. Results indicated that most people were aware of the issues of welfare of captive marine mammals and educational opportunities offered by marine parks, but showed less awareness of the conservational issues. However, results also indicated that respondents were well aware of, and agree with, the concerns expressed in the New Environmental Paradigm.
Teachers' Perceptions of Working Conditions: The Difference Between Static and Improving Schools in Kentucky

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the changes concerning teachers’ perceptions of working conditions within Kentucky’s District 180 Priority Schools. The District 180 Priority Schools comprises of 41 secondary schools that ranked in the bottom fifth percentile on the Kentucky School Report Card. Schools were divided into two categories, static or improving, based upon student achievement changes from 2009 until 2013. The study utilized results from the 2011 and 2013 TELL Kentucky Survey to determine whether changes in teachers’ perceptions of working conditions were statistically significant from 2011 to 2013 in the areas of instructional time, availability of facilities and resources, community support and involvement, student conduct, teacher leadership, school leadership, professional development, and instructional practices and support. This quantitative study used a one-way ANOVA to identify changes over time within groups and between groups. Results indicate that teachers’ perceptions in static schools did not change significantly; however, changes in teachers’ perceptions in improving schools were statistically significant.
Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression and hematopoietic supportive capacity of immortalized murine stromal cell lines derived from fetal liver and adult bone marrow

SummaryOntogeny-specific differences in hematopoietic behavior may be influenced by unique adhesive interactions between hematopoietic cells and the microenvironment, such as that mediated by vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1, CD 106). Although VCAM-1 is variably expressed during vertebrate development, we hypothesized that VCAM-1 expression might be linked to the enhanced capacity of the fetal liver microenvironment to support hematopoiesis. To test this we used immortalized murine stromal cell lines derived from midgestation fetal liver and adult bone marrow to compare the functional expression of VCAM-1. Molecular analysis of VCAM-1 expression was performed on stromal cell lines using Northern blot analysis, immunoprecipitation studies, and solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hematopoietic studies were performed by coculturing fetal liver cells with stromal cell lines, and the functional readout was determined by high-proliferative potential colony-forming cell (HPP-CFC) adherence assays. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, we observed greater expression of VCAM-1 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein on an adult marrw stromal cell line. In functional studies, anti-VCAM-1 antibody inhibited the binding of nearly half of the HPP-CFCs to adult marrow stroma but had a minimal effect on their binding to fetal liver stroma, despite the greater adherence of HPP-CFCs to fetal stroma. We conclude that VCAM-1 influences the hematopoietic supportive capacity of immortalized murine stroma derived from adult bone marrow. Our studies suggest that cellular interactions other than those mediated by VCAM-1 are involved in the increased adhesive capacity of immortalized murine stroma derived from fetal liver.