Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social support and negative and positive outcomes of experienced traumatic events in a group of male emergency service workers

The paper investigates the relationship between perceived social support in the workplace and both negative (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms) and positive outcomes (post-traumatic growth) of experienced traumatic events in a group of male emergency service workers. Data of 116 workers representing emergency services (37.1% firefighters, 37.1%, police officers and 30% medical rescue workers) who have experienced a traumatic event in their worksite were analyzed. The range of age of the participants was 21–57 years (M = 35.27; SD = 8.13). Polish versions of the Impact of Event Scale – Revised and the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory were used to assess the negative and positive outcomes of the experienced event. A perceived social support scale was measured by the scale What support you can count on. The data obtained from the study revealed the negative dependence of social support from supervisors with PTSD symptoms and positive – social support from co-workers with post-traumatic growth. Moreover the results of the study indicate the positive relationship between negative and positive outcomes of experienced traumatic events in the workplace. Perceived social support plays a more important role in gaining benefits from trauma than preventing negative outcomes of the experienced traumatic event. Support from co-workers, compared to support from supervisors, has greater importance.
Information content of Islamic Private Debt Announcement: Evidence from Malaysia

Different types of Islamic debts have been increasingly utilized as preferred means of debt funding by Malaysian private firms in recent years. This study examines the impact of Islamic debts announcement on private firms’ stock returns. Our sample includes forty five listed companies on Bursa Malaysia involved in issuing of Islamic debts during 2005 to 2008. The abnormal returns and cumulative average abnormal returns are calculated and tested using standard event study methodology. The results show that a significant, negative abnormal return occurs one day before announcement date. This negative abnormal return is representing market participant’s adverse attitude toward Islamic private debt announcement during the research period. Keywords—Announcement effect, Event study, Islamic debts, Malaysia, Sukuk
Money down the Drain: Mandated Professional Development

Federal, state, and district policy mandates are increasingly affecting primary grade teachers—especially, those in at-risk schools, given that they face more mandated curriculum and professional development. This study investigated K–3 teachers in two inner-city schools as they navigated through various mandates. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. The results indicated that the teachers attempted to make sense of the curricular changes and that they had confidence in their colleagues’ abilities. They were concerned about how to implement the expected changes from these mandates and what impact the mandates would have on their students’ achievements; however, little change was observed in their instruction.
Semi-supervised deep learning by metric embedding

Deep networks are successfully used as classification models yielding state-of-the-art results when trained on a large number of labeled samples. These models, however, are usually much less suited for semi-supervised problems because of their tendency to overfit easily when trained on small amounts of data. In this work we will explore a new training objective that is targeting a semi-supervised regime with only a small subset of labeled data. This criterion is based on a deep metric embedding over distance relations within the set of labeled samples, together with constraints over the embeddings of the unlabeled set. The final learned representations are discriminative in euclidean space, and hence can be used with subsequent nearest-neighbor classification using the labeled samples.
Multifactor productivity in manufacturing industries

William Gullickson A ccording to newly released multifactor productivity data for the 1984-88 period, the slow growth prevalent throughout the U.S. economy over the 1974-82 period has improved substantially in manufacturing. ’ For many broad manufacturing industry groups, productivity growth trends since 1979 are comparable to those from 1949-73, when productivity growth was faster. However, slow growth persists in the more aggregate business sector.
Improved Anchorage of Ti6Al4V Orthopaedic Bone Implants through Oligonucleotide Mediated Immobilization of BMP-2 in Osteoporotic Rats

The aim of the present study was to test the biocompatibility and functionality of orthopaedic bone implants with immobilized oligonucleotides serving as anchor stands for rhBMP-2 and rhVEGF-A conjugated with complementary oligonucleotides in an osteoporotic rat model. Al2O3-blasted acid etched Ti6Al4V implants, carrying oligonucleotide anchor strands and hybridized with rhBMP-2 or rhVEGF-A through complementary 31-mer oligonucleotide stands were inserted into the proximal tibia of ovariectomized rats. At the time of surgery (15 weeks after ovariectomy) microCT analysis showed significantly lower bone mineral density compared to non-ovariectomized animals. Bone-implant contact (BIC) and pullout-force were not negatively affected by non-hybridized anchor strands. Twelve weeks after surgery, a significantly higher pullout force was found for BMP-2 hybridized to the anchor strands compared to non-hybridized anchor strands or native samples, and on histomorphometric analysis BIC was highest in the BMP group. Thus, we could show the biocompatibility and in vivo functionality of this modular, self-organizing system for immobilization and subsequent release of BMP-2 in vivo.
Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases in Children

The two major autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) include Graves' disease (GD) and autoimmune thyroiditis (AT); both of which are characterized by infiltration of the thyroid by T and B cells reactive to thyroid antigens, by the production of thyroid autoantibodies and by abnormal thyroid function (hyperthyroidism in GD and hypothyroidism in AT). While the exact etiology of thyroid autoimmunity is not known, it is believed to develop when a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental encounters leads to breakdown of tolerance. It is important to recognize thyroid dysfunction at an early stage by maintaining an appropriate index of suspicion.
Implications of a Learning Organisation for Social Justice in Poverty Stricken Communities: A Theoretical Perspective

Abstract The term “social justice” cuts across disciplines and theoretical orientations. Critical theory underpinned the study reported on in this article. Many South African schools, particularly in poverty stricken communities, still experience insurmountable economic and social injustices despite progress since the apartheid regime. The injustices manifest in poverty, inequalities and unequal distribution of educational resources, impacting on the achievement gap. While social justice is a concern in the literature, South African literature has little on how to apply the concept of a learning organisation to reclaim a commitment to social justice. The article argues that schools perceived as learning organisations are sites of social and political struggle that can promote and encourage human rights to fundamental freedoms for all, without discrimination. This requires progressive teachers and critical thinking by students to transform dehumanising social milieus into communities of participation embodying the values of progress and human emancipation.
Central Banking, Monetary Theory and Practice

Celebrating the contribution that Charles Goodhart has made to monetary economics and policy, this unique compendium of original papers draws together a highly respected group of international academics, central bankers and financial market regulators covering a broad range of issues in modern monetary economics. Topics discussed include: central bank independence; credibility and transparency; the inflation forecast and the loss function; monetary policy experiences in the US and the UK; the implications of Goodhart’s Law; the benefits of single versus multiple currencies; and money, near monies and credit.
Moving to Prosperity? The Effect of Prolonged Exposure to Neighborhood Deprivation

ABSTRACT Place of living has been associated with a variety of effects but is often considered stationary. Newer research reveals that the accumulation of deprivation conveys many of the effects that were initially thought to be captured by place of birth or current place of living; however, the view of accumulation as a static entity implies that only the length of residency matters. This study uses registry data to follow a cohort (N = 256,345) from birth to age 30 years. It investigates the effects of prolonged exposure to deprived neighborhoods on educational attainment and examines whether these effects are the same for those who accumulate exposure at different times. The study finds that exposure is important for educational attainment but that the effect differs at different life stages.
Highly spectrally efficient Ngara Rural Wireless Broadband Access Demonstrator

The cost of building high data rate (≈100 Mb/s per user) wireless internet access networks in rural areas can be significantly reduced by minimizing the number of access points to be deployed, each covering a larger area with a larger user capacity. Given that the available spectrum is limited even in rural areas especially at a lower frequency (VHF and UHF), which typically has an advantage of efficiently covering a larger area, the spectral efficiency of the access system needs to be improved many times over that currently feasible by commercially available technologies. We have developed a new technology suitable for wireless internet access in rural areas that achieved a spectral efficiency of 67 bits/s/Hz, which is believed to be the highest reported in the literature, on a practical low-cost hardware. This paper describes the highly spectrally efficient Ngara Rural Wireless Broadband Access Demonstrator.
Surface Soil Carbon Storage in Urban Green Spaces in Three Major South Korean Cities

Quantifying and managing carbon (C) storage in urban green space (UGS) soils is associated with the ecosystem services necessary for human well-being and the national C inventory report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Here, the soil C stocks at 30-cm depths in different types of UGS’s (roadside, park, school forest, and riverside) were studied in three major South Korean cities that have experienced recent, rapid development. The total C of 666 soil samples was analyzed, and these results were combined with the available UGS inventory data. Overall, the mean soil bulk density, C concentration, and C density at 30-cm depths were 1.22 g·cm−3, 7.31 g·C·kg−1, and 2.13 kg·C·m−2, respectively. The UGS soil C stock (Gg·C) at 30-cm depths was 105.6 for Seoul, 43.6 for Daegu, and 26.4 for Daejeon. The lower C storage of Korean UGS soils than those of other countries is due to the low soil C concentration and the smaller land area under UGS. Strategic management practices that augment the organic matter supply in soil are expected to enhance C storage in South Korean UGS soils.
Pleasing Scents: The Effect of Gender Incongruent Scents on the Repurchase Intention of the Consumers

The current research aims to outspread the sensory marketing research by (1) examining whether gender incongruent scents evoke nostalgia in the customers and secondly, by exploring if nostalgia can inflict feelings of pleasure and arousal and thus drives a consumer to develop a repurchase intention. The scent chosen was a masculine scent, targeted at female consumers of clothing outlets. A scent pretest was carried out to choose the most masculine, pleasing scent followed by an experiment conducted at the Malls of Twin Cities in which 288 participants participated. The data analysis was carried out using variance based partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM). The results confirmed that gender incongruent scents may evoke nostalgia. Moreover, creating feelings of pleasure and arousal leads a consumer to develop a positive repurchase intention. The findings of the study are important for the marketers to consider atmospheric cues as effective marketing strategies for the customer engagement in the retail settings. The research signifies the importance of scents in developing pleasure and arousal in a consumer; however, this alone is not important to develop a repurchase intention. Gender incongruent scents in addition to other ambient cues may prove to be an effective marketing tool for the marketers.
Characterization of the meta-Cleavage Compound Hydrolase Gene Involved in Degradation of the Lignin-Related Biphenyl Structure by Sphingomonas paucimobilisSYK-6

ABSTRACT Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 has the ability to transform a lignin-related biphenyl compound, 2,2′-dihydroxy-3,3′-dimethoxy-5,5′-dicarboxybiphenyl (DDVA), to 5-carboxyvanillic acid (5CVA) via 2,2′,3-trihydroxy-3′-methoxy-5,5′-dicarboxybiphenyl (OH-DDVA). In the 4.9-kb HindIII fragment containing the OH-DDVA meta-cleavage dioxygenase gene (ligZ), we found a novel hydrolase gene (ligY) responsible for the conversion of the meta-cleavage compound of OH-DDVA to 5CVA. Incorporation of 18O from H218O into 5CVA indicated there was a hydrolytic conversion of the OH-DDVA meta-cleavage compound to 5CVA. LigY exhibited hydrolase activity only toward themeta-cleavage compound of OH-DDVA, suggesting its restricted substrate specificity.
Differences in monetary policy transmission? A case not closed. Economic Papers No. 132, November 1998

The advent of EMU inspired a large literature searching for differences in the monetary policy transmission among European countries. Stylised facts seemed to arise, classifying the countries as having either rapid or slow transmission. Our paper takes a comprehensive look at the existing empirical results, and finds few recurrent features supporting the presumed stylised facts. The econometric part examines the difficulties of meaningful identification of a monetary shock. The paper proposes a general approach to reducing the identification space through economic restrictions. We conclude that uncertainties in macro-econometric analysis are too large to allow establishing any statistically significant differences.
How to (Re)Build Human Rights Consciousness and Behavior in Postconflict Societies: An Integrative Literature Review and Framework for Past and Future Research

The international community has developed multiple approaches to address large-scale human rights (HR) violations (e.g., genocide). In the current contribution, we first provide a review of different approaches to intergroup violence (AIVs), and explain how these approaches might (re-)establish HR consciousness and behavior in postconflict societies. We then integrate this literature with the HR literature and propose a framework to guide future research on the psychological underpinnings of different AIVs and their effects on HR. Informed by HR research, we argue for a multidimensional conception of HR consciousness (encompassing HR knowledge, endorsement, commitment, and restriction) and a distinction of internalized HR behavior versus HR compliance. These outcomes should be affected by an AIV through appraisals of the AIV (e.g., perceived fairness) and subsequent perceptions of ingroup and outgroup norms, perceptions of the outgroup, and emotions (e.g., anger). Further, appraisals should be affected largely by people’s group memberships and preexisting belief and attitudinal systems. Rather than providing an overall research program with a coherent and specific set of hypotheses, we provide a conceptual framework that clarifies what, according to AIV and HR literature, future research should focus on, and that can help to systematically take stock of past research.
A generation of an internationalised Australian dollar

When the Bretton Woods system collapsed in the early 1970s, Australia, unlike many other developed economies, did not move immediately to a floating exchange rate. Rather, exchange rate policy in Australia moved through several regimes, gradually providing an additional degree of flexibility in the exchange rate. Reforms did not always follow a preset plan but were often a response to external forces exposing deficiencies in the prevailing system.
Key Learnings from the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) Tier 1 Rodent Uterotrophic and Hershberger Assays

In 2009, companies began screening compounds using the US Environmental Protection Agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). EDSP has two tiers: Tier 1 includes 11 assays to identify compounds with potential endocrine activity. This article describes two laboratories' experiences conducting Tier 1 uterotrophic and Hershberger assays. The uterotrophic assay detects estrogen receptor agonists through increases in uterine weight. The advantages of the uterotrophic rat models (immature vs. adult ovariectomized) and exposure routes are discussed. Across 29 studies, relative differences in uterine weights in the vehicle control group and 17α-ethynylestradiol–positive control group were reasonably reproducible. The Hershberger assay detects androgen receptor (AR) agonists, antagonists, and 5α-reductase inhibitors through changes in accessory sex tissue (AST) weights. Across 23 studies, AST weights were relatively reproducible for the vehicle groups (baseline), testosterone propionate (TP) groups (androgenic response), and flutamide + TP groups (antiandrogenic response). In one laboratory, one and four compounds were positive in the androgenic and antiandrogenic portions of the assay, respectively. Each compound was also positive for AR binding. In the other laboratory, three compounds showed potential antiandrogenic activity, but each compound was negative for AR binding and did not fit the profile for 5α-reductase inhibition. These compounds induced hepatic enzymes that enhanced testosterone metabolism/clearance, resulting in lower testosterone and decreased capacity to maintain AST weights. The Hershberger androgenic and antiandrogenic performance criteria were generally attainable. Overall, the uterotrophic and Hershberger assays were easily adopted and function as described for EDSP screening, although the mode of action for positive results may not be easily determined.
Automatic detection of welding defects using texture features

In this paper we present a new approach to detecting weld defects from digitalised films based on texture features. Texture is one of the most important features used in recognising patterns in an image. However, these features are not yet commonly exploited in the analysis of X-ray images in NDT. The paper describes two groups of widely used texture features: 1) features based on the cooccurrence matrix, which gives a measurement of how often one grey value will appear in a specified spatial relationship to another grey value on the image; and 2) features based on 2D Gabor functions, i.e., Gaussian shaped band-pass filters, with dyadic treatment of the radial spatial frequency range and multiple orientations, which represent an appropriate choice for tasks requiring simultaneous measurement in both space and frequency domains. The proposed approach to detecting weld defects follows a general pattern recognition scheme based on three steps: segmentation, feature extraction and classification. That is, in our case, 1) potential defects are segmented using an edge detector based on the Laplacian-of-Gauss operator; 2) texture features of the potential defects are extracted; and 3) the most relevant features are used as input data on a statistical classifier. This preliminary study makes a contribution to the improvement of the automatic detection of welding defects.
RNA-Seq Analyses Generate Comprehensive Transcriptomic Landscape and Reveal Complex Transcript Patterns in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

RNA-seq is a powerful tool for comprehensive characterization of whole transcriptome at both gene and exon levels and with a unique ability of identifying novel splicing variants. To date, RNA-seq analysis of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been reported. In this study, we performed transcriptome analyses for 10 matched pairs of cancer and non-cancerous tissues from HCC patients on Solexa/Illumina GAII platform. On average, about 21.6 million sequencing reads and 10.6 million aligned reads were obtained for samples sequenced on each lane, which was able to identify >50% of all the annotated genes for each sample. Furthermore, we identified 1,378 significantly differently expressed genes (DEGs) and 24, 338 differentially expressed exons (DEEs). Comprehensive function analyses indicated that cell growth-related, metabolism-related and immune-related pathways were most significantly enriched by DEGs, pointing to a complex mechanism for HCC carcinogenesis. Positional gene enrichment analysis showed that DEGs were most significantly enriched at chromosome 8q21.3–24.3. The most interesting findings were from the analysis at exon levels where we characterized three major patterns of expression changes between gene and exon levels, implying a much complex landscape of transcript-specific differential expressions in HCC. Finally, we identified a novel highly up-regulated exon-exon junction in ATAD2 gene in HCC tissues. Overall, to our best knowledge, our study represents the most comprehensive characterization of HBV-related HCC transcriptome including exon level expression changes and novel splicing variants, which illustrated the power of RNA-seq and provided important clues for understanding the molecular mechanisms of HCC pathogenesis at system-wide levels.
Critical Issues and Trends : Culture Change ; Health Promoting Community Design The Influence of the Media Environment on Physical Activity : Looking for the Big Picture

Concern about the obesity epidemic in America—and in many other nations—has galvanized health professionals, advocacy organizations, public policy makers, and ordinary citizens to demand action. Knowing precisely what actions to call for, however, is another matter. Many factors in contemporary life have been implicated—factors related to both increased caloric intake and decreased caloric output— but a coherent explanation of their relative importance, and mutability, has been slower to develop. In this paper, I examine one of these factors, the media environment, in an attempt to better understand its influence on one mechanism hypothesized to be underlying the obesity epidemic, decreased physical activity. Even this modest undertaking, however, is fraught with uncertainty because of a paucity of evidence. Although firm conclusions and actionoriented recommendations are the objective of this review, the state of the evidence may be better suited to starting a discussion than to ending it. This paper is organized into four sections. The first two sections examine trends in physical activity and the media environment, respectively, in the United States over the past several decades. The third section examines opportunities to influence the media environment for the purpose of promoting physical activity. The final section presents research questions, the answers to which will enhance our certainty as to the best path forward.