Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Weather or Not? Examining the Impact of Meteorological Conditions on Public Opinion regarding Global Warming

AbstractPublic opinion surveys in the United States have shown a substantial shift in American public views on global warming between 2008 and 2012. During the period between 2008 and 2010, surveys tracked a significant decline in the number of Americans that believed there was evidence that global warming was occurring. Then, during 2011 and 2012, surveys began to show a rebound in belief among Americans that global warming was indeed happening. This study serves to further establish the significant role that weather played in the short-term fluctuations in public opinion regarding global warming that has been observed since 2008. First, the study shows that individuals regularly refer to weather-related factors when explaining how they arrived at their conclusion that the planet is either warming or not warming and that these explanations correspond with broad weather patterns observed over the 2008–12 time frame. The study also finds that actual weather conditions, and specifically seasonal snowfall, s.
From a club to a bureaucracy: JAA, EASA, and European aviation regulation

Theories of institutionalization tend to focus on organizational factors to understand an institution's development. This paper argues that institutionalization is just as much a matter of environmental compliance and tolerance with the emerging institution as it is a matter of intra-organizational development. The paper reports on a study of the transfer of regulatory authority of European aviation from the Joint Aviation Authority to the EU agency EASA.
Prevalence of dental caries in schoolchildren living in rural and urban areas: results from the first region-wide Italian survey.

PURPOSE The collection of comprehensive epidemiological data for dental caries of Italian schoolchildren in both rural and urban areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS The dft and DMFT indices were recorded from 27163 6-to-9-year-old children attending the primary schools of Abruzzo, a region of Central Italy, according to the World Health Organization recommendations. RESULTS The number of surveyed children were 5413, 8359, 8362 and 5026 in the 6-, 7-, 8- and 9-year-old groups respectively; the percentages of children positive for caries were 39.5, 48.3, 54.4 and 60.8 respectively. The mean dft (SD) values of the age groups were 1.57 (2.67), 1.79 (2.59), 1.88 (2.47) and 2.02 (2.45) respectively, with mean DMFT (SD) values of 0.07 (0.37), 0.18 (0.62), 0.37 (0.90) and 0.55 (1.09) respectively. All outcomes were significantly greater in schoolchildren living in rural areas compared with those living in urban areas, and these differences were more pronounced in the permanent dentition of the older groups. Of particular note, there was a SiC Index (DMFT) of 2.22 for the 9-year-old children living in rural areas. CONCLUSION This survey initially reports the dental caries prevalence in a very large sample of Italian schoolchildren and shows that the WHO global goal for 2000 has been largely achieved in 6-year-old children, although more efforts are needed to reach the new global goal for 2015. The large differences in caries prevalence between different areas (rural and urban) and their behaviour related to the age group of the samples constitute useful findings if prevention programs are to be established in Italy.
Ultrastructural studies on the uterovaginal sperm-host glands of the domestic hen, Gallus domesticus.

Ultrastructural studies were made on the uterovaginal sperm-host glands from virgin and inseminated hens. Their fine structure differs only in the presence of spermatozoa in the glandular lumina. Ciliated and non-ciliated epithelial cells were present; the former occurred in the neck region of the tubular glands and merged with the general vaginal surface epithelium. The true glandular epithelium was composed of non-ciliated cells which showed evidence of high metabolic and secretory activities. The secretion contained carbohydrate and lipid but apocrine secretion rich in glycogen was also observed occasionally. The significance of these secretions in relation to the survival of the stored spermatozoa is discussed. The non-ciliated cells contained many cytoplasmic filaments resembling tonofibrils. It is suggested that these confer contractility on the gland cells, so mobilizing the spermatozoa in response to unknown periodic stimuli associated with oviposition or ovulation. The stored spermatozoa did not form an intimate association with the lining cells of the glands but the covering membranes of the heads of spermatozoa adhered to each other. It is suggested that this might be due to the absence of antiagglutinating factors in the sperm-host glands.
Characterization of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Isolated from Hospitalized Patients in Palestine

The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes Acinetobacter baumannii as a source of global outbreaks and epidemics especially due to its increasing resistance to commercially available antibiotics. In this study, 69 single patient multidrug resistant isolates collected from all over Palestine, except Gaza, were studied. All the isolates were resistant to all the β–lactam antibiotics including the carbapenems. Of the 69 isolates, 82.6% were positive for blaOXA-23, 14.5% were positive for blaOXA-24, and 3% were positive for blaOXA-58. None were positive for blaOXA-143 and blaOXA-235. In addition, 5.8% and 0% were positive for blaNDM and blaKPC, respectively. Of the 69 isolates, none were positive for the aminoglycoside aphA6 gene while 93% were positive for the aphA1 gene. The acetyltransferases aacC1 and aacA4 genes tested positive in 22% and 13% of the isolates, respectively. The ompA biofilm-producing virulence gene was detected in all isolates. Finally, Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) of 13 isolates revealed that more than one strain of A. baumannii was circulating in Palestinian hospitals as results revealed that 7 isolates were of ST208, 2 isolates ST218, 1 isolate ST231, 1 isolate ST348, and 2 new Sequence Types. The detection of these drug resistant pathogens is a reminder of the importance of active surveillance for resistant bacteria in order to prevent their spread in hospital settings.
A 53-to-68GHz 18dBm power amplifier with an 8-way combiner in standard 65nm CMOS

CMOS circuits operating up to 60GHz have been demonstrated to satisfy the market demand for high data rates and frequency bandwidths [1–6]. However, 60GHz products need an improvement in power performance as well as transistor reliability for large signal operation. Moreover, Class-A or Class-AB power amplifiers (PA) are mandatory to overcome the difficulty of the limited maximum available gain (MAG) at mm-Wave frequencies [1–6] and the high linearity required by the OFDM modulation used in the IEEE 802.15. 3c wireless HD standard. That means a maximum drain-source voltage swing of twice the DC voltage, which introduces specific design or supply voltage in order to respect reliability constraints [1,7]. This paper describes a PA with 8 power-combined ways and cascode topology in a 7-metal-layer 65nm CMOS process which covers the full band for 60GHz wireless applications. The presented circuit operates at a standard supply of 1.2V or 1.8V, and achieves a saturated output power of 16.6dBm and 18.1dBm respectively. The measured output power is high for CMOS while insuring reliability for time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) and hot-carrier-injection (HCI) degradation.
Accessing Epstein-Barr Virus-Specific T-Cell Memory with Peptide-Loaded Dendritic Cells

ABSTRACT The conventional means of studying Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) memory, by in vitro stimulation with the latently infected autologous lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL), has important limitations. First, it gives no information on memory to lytic cycle antigens; second, it preferentially amplifies the dominant components of latent antigen-specific memory at the expense of key subdominant reactivities. Here we describe an alternative approach, based on in vitro stimulation with epitope peptide-loaded dendritic cells (DCs), which allows one to probe the CTL repertoire for any individual reactivity of choice; this method proved significantly more efficient than stimulation with peptide alone. Using this approach we first show that reactivities to the immunodominant and subdominant lytic cycle epitopes identified by T cells during primary EBV infection are regularly detectable in the CTL memory of virus carriers; this implies that in such carriers chronic virus replication remains under direct T-cell control. We further show that subdominant latent cycle reactivities to epitopes in the latent membrane protein LMP2, though rarely undetectable in LCL-stimulated populations, can be reactivated by DC stimulation and selectively expanded as polyclonal CTL lines; the adoptive transfer of such preparations may be of value in targeting certain EBV-positive malignancies.
Endoscopic Management of Acute Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction

Acute colonic pseudo−obstruction (ACPO), also referred to as Ogilvie’s syndrome, is a clinical condition that presents with the symptoms, signs, and radiographic appearance of acute large− bowel obstruction without a mechanical cause (Figure 1). ACPO is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Early detection and prompt, appropriate management are critical to minimize morbidity and mortality. The decision to intervene with active therapy is dictated by the patient’s clinical status. The risk of spontaneous colonic perforation in ACPO is estimated to be ap− proximately 3 %. The mortality rate in ACPO is approximately 40% when ischemia or perforation is present, compared with 15 % in patients with intact and viable bowel [1].
What is innovation and entrepreneurship? Lessons for larger organisations

In recent years a language has emerged that carries with it a great deal of hope and optimism. Enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation are just three of the terms that are used, often interchangeably, but with very little understanding and clarity. Whether or not this language has at its core the processes that will lead to the salvation of businesses and organisations, what is guaranteed is that progress will not be achieved unless there is greater clarity in this area. Entrepreneurship is often viewed as a small business/new venture phenomenon, but increasingly it is being applied in the corporate sector. Innovation is another well‐used term that unfortunately has a number of meanings attached. The aim of this paper is to explore the topics of entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly from the perspective of the larger organisation, with a view to bringing some clarity to usage of the terms. It is important that this clarity exists as language is at the core of individual, business, and organisational performance and success. The current confusion and uncertainty leads to lower levels of competitive output.
The role of Social Networks on the Entrepreneurial Drive of First Generation East African Origin Entrepreneurs in the Seattle Area

While the economic reform in the Chinese Mainland improves the overall standard of living in China, the fast economic growth, inevitably, created a lot of social problems: the widespread of the level of corruption is just an example. Since corruption is a social practice, it takes time to correct such an unwelcomed behaviour. Therefore, it is important that in educating the younger generation, Chinese educators, especially business educators, must place more emphasis on ethics education. However, how ethical is business educators? This is an interesting question but not frequently asked. This is especially important when society relies on this group of people to build up the future of a nation. This research is designed to investigate the ethical standards of business educators in China. The findings of this study suggested that there was no significant difference between Chinese academic staff with different personal attributes; except in three areas: household income, academic seniority and gender. Introduction For recent decades, business educators have been called on to provide a greater emphasis on ethics education. One interesting question which is seldom asked is: “How ethical are business educators? ” This is an important question because if business educators are having a tendency to behaviour unethically, how can society rely on them to provide a greater emphasis on teaching our future leaders to act in an ethical and socially responsible manner. Despite the importance of this topic, few studies have been carried out in this area and this is especially understudied in China. Studies on business ethics education have become important in China because of the unhealthy upsurge in corruption in recent years. Hence, the aim of this research is to investigate the current ethical position of university professors in China. This paper is divided into six sections. The next section discusses the background of this study. The design of research instrument is explained in section three. Section four presents the hypotheses to be tested in this research. The results of the study are shown in section five while the concluding section provides some implications for future research.
The long-term sealing ability of an epoxy resin root canal sealer used with five gutta percha obturation techniques.

AIM The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term sealing ability (both apical and coronal) of an epoxy resin root canal sealer (AH26) when used with different gutta-percha obturation techniques. METHODOLOGY Straight single-rooted teeth with mature apices were divided into 10 groups of 75 teeth and one group of 40 control teeth. Root canals were prepared according to the crown-down/step-back technique and using both 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and an EDTA paste. Root canals were obturated using cold lateral condensation, warm vertical condensation and hybrid condensation of gutta-percha; and with Thermafil and Soft-Core obturators. AH26 was used as the sealer in all cases. After root canal filling, each group was divided into five individual groups of 15 teeth. The first group of 15 teeth was kept for 1 day, the second for 1 week, the third for 4 months, the fourth for 6 months and the fifth for 12 months at 37 degrees C in vacutainers in 80% relative humidity. The teeth were immersed in India ink for 90 h, each root was split and sectioned longitudinally, and the maximum extent of leakage was measured using a stereomicroscope at x6 magnification. RESULTS Leakage occurred whatever filling technique was combined with AH26. The number of teeth with gross leakage increased with time up to 4 months, but did not appear to increase between 6 and 12 months storage. The degree of apical leakage and the number of leaking teeth in the Soft-Core obturator groups was significantly higher than all four other gutta-percha obturation techniques. Up to 4 months the degree of coronal leakage and the number of leaking teeth in the Thermafil groups was significantly higher than the other gutta-percha obturation techniques, except for Soft-Core. In the Soft-Core obturator groups the degree of coronal leakage and the number of leaking teeth was significantly higher than the other gutta-percha obturation techniques, except for Thermafil at all evaluation times. CONCLUSION The hybrid gutta-percha condensation technique was superior to the other four obturation techniques in respect of apical leakage. Coronal leakage was significantly greater during the first 4 months for the Thermafil system as compared to the three condensation techniques; coronal leakage was significantly greater at all time periods for the Soft-Core system. There were no significant differences between the Thermafil and the Soft-core system.
Human papillomavirus and cervical cancer

Abstract Cervical cancer is by far the most common HPV-related disease. About 99.7% of cervical cancer cases are caused by persistent genital high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Worldwide, cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women with an estimated 528,000 new cases reported in 2012. Most HPV infections clear spontaneously but persistent infection with the oncogenic or high-risk types may cause cancer of the oropharynx and anogenital regions. The virus usually infects the mucocutaneous epithelium and produces viral particles in matured epithelial cells and then causes a disruption in normal cell-cycle control and the promotion of uncontrolled cell division leading to the accumulation of genetic damage. There are currently two effective prophylactic vaccines against HPV infection, and these comprise of HPV types 16 and 18, and HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 virus-like particles. HPV testing in the secondary prevention of cervical cancer is clinically valuable in triaging low-grade cytological abnormalities and is also more sensitive than cytology as a primary screening. If these prevention strategies can be implemented in both developed and developing countries, many thousands of lives could be saved.
Persistent endothelial dysfunction in humans after diesel exhaust inhalation.

RATIONALE Exposure to combustion-derived air pollution is associated with an early (1-2 h) and sustained (24 h) rise in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We have previously demonstrated that inhalation of diesel exhaust causes an immediate (within 2 h) impairment of vascular and endothelial function in humans. OBJECTIVES To investigate the vascular and systemic effects of diesel exhaust in humans 24 hours after inhalation. METHODS Fifteen healthy men were exposed to diesel exhaust (particulate concentration, 300 microg/m(3)) or filtered air for 1 hour in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study. Twenty-four hours after exposure, bilateral forearm blood flow, and inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers were measured before and during unilateral intrabrachial bradykinin (100-1,000 pmol/min), acetylcholine (5-20 microg/min), sodium nitroprusside (2-8 microg/min), and verapamil (10-100 microg/min) infusions. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Resting forearm blood flow, blood pressure, and basal fibrinolytic markers were similar 24 hours after either exposure. Diesel exhaust increased plasma cytokine concentrations (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6, p < 0.05 for both) but appeared to reduce acetylcholine (p = 0.01), and bradykinin (p = 0.08) induced forearm vasodilatation. In contrast, there were no differences in either endothelium-independent (sodium nitroprusside and verapamil) vasodilatation or bradykinin-induced acute plasma tissue plasminogen activator release. CONCLUSIONS Twenty-four hours after diesel exposure, there is a selective and persistent impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation that occurs in the presence of mild systemic inflammation. These findings suggest that combustion-derived air pollution may have important systemic and adverse vascular effects for at least 24 hours after exposure.
TOURISM AND THE ECONOMY OF TANZANIA: A CGE ANALYSIS*

Although much literature exists to demonstrate the importance of tourism as a foreign exchange earner, little is known about how tourism expansion affects the economy of a developing country (LDC). This paper employs a CGE analysis to demonstrate the potential contribution of tourism for economic growth in Tanzania using a SAM for 1992. The efficacy of tourism taxation and infrastructure development as important ways to amplify the beneficial impact of tourism is demonstrated. The findings indicate that tourism expansion has substantial impact on the economy as shown by increases in real GDP, total welfare and exports. Improvement of infrastructure appreciably amplifies the effects of tourism expansion and tourism taxation has an unambiguously favourable impact on tax revenue and welfare. As LDCs lack sufficient resources to enhance growth, tourism may provide as a source of tax revenue to finance infrastructure projects that will benefit the economy as whole, as well as tourists.
Policy Punctuations: U.S. Budget Authority, 1947-1995

Baumgartner and Jones (1993) described a process of punctuated equilibrium in their study of policymaking in the United States since World War II Evidence was drawn from a series of particular issue-areas, but the model has implications for all areas of policymaking In this paper, we explore the validity of this approach with a new dataset that tabulates congressional budget authority at the Office of Management and Budget subfunction level across all areas of the federal budget for the entire postwar period We find that government spending is characterized by much greater change than is typically portrayed in the literature, even if there is great stability for most categories most of the time In addition, overall patterns of spending have been affected by two large-scale punctuations These punctuations divide national spending into three epochs one of postwar adjustment, lasting until FY 1956; one of robust growth, lasting from 1956 through 1974, and one of restrained growth, beginning in FY 1976 We test the epoch hypothesis against three plausible rival hypotheses: changes in the robustness of the postwar economy; partisan divisions; and public opinion The epoch hypothesis survives all of these rivals whether modeled individually or together This paper provides empirical evidence that punctuations occur, not just in some programs or subsystems, but also throughout government.
R-Square: Noise or Firm-Specific Information?

This paper examines the debate about R-square as an indicator of information quality: Does low R-square indicate high resolution of uncertainty through the arrival of firm-specific information, or does it indicate a high level of firm-specific uncertainty (noise)? Tests involving the accruals, net operating assets, post-earnings announcement drift, and V/P anomalies all reject the former high-information resolution interpretation. An examination of the relation between R-square and the earnings response coefficient, which provides a direct test of the high-information interpretation, also favors the noise interpretation. Finally, the noise interpretation is further bolstered by results from several other tests relating the strength of firm fundamentals to R-square.
Benford’s Law as an Indicator of Fraud in Economics

Abstract Contrary to intuition, first digits of randomly selected data are not uniformly distributed but follow a logarithmically declining pattern, known as Benford’s law. This law is increasingly used as a ‘doping check’ for detecting fraudulent data in business and administration. Benford’s law also applies to regression coefficients and standard errors in empirical economics. This article reviews Benford’s law and examines its potential as an indicator of fraud in economic research. Evidence from a sample of recently published articles shows that a surprisingly large proportion of first digits, but not of second digits, contradicts Benford’s law.