Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PENTAZOCINE VERSUS PENTAZOCINE WITH RECTAL DICLOFENAC FOR POSTOPERATIVE PAIN RELIEF AFTER CESAREAN SECTION- A DOUBLE BLIND RANDOMIZED PLACEBO CONTROLLED TRIAL IN A LOW RESOURCE AREA.

BACKGROUND The unimodal approach of using pentazocine as post-cesarean section pain relief is inadequate, hence the need for a safer, easily available and more effective multimodal approach. AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of rectal diclofenac combined with intramuscular pentazocine for postoperative pain following cesarean section. METHODS In this double blind clinical trial, 130 pregnant women scheduled for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned to two groups. Group A received 100mg diclofenac suppository and group B received placebo suppository immediately following surgery, 12 and 24h later. Both groups also received intramuscular pentazocine 30mg immediately following surgery and 6 hourly postoperatively in the first 24 h. Postoperative pain was assessed by visual analogue scale at end of surgery and 2, 12 and 24 h after surgery. Patient satisfaction scores were also assessed. RESULTS One hundred and sixteen patients completed the study. Combining diclofenac and pentazocine had statistically significant reduction in pain intensity at 2, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively compared to pentazocine alone (p <0.05). No significant side effects were noted in both groups. The combined group also had significantly better patient satisfaction scores. CONCLUSION The addition of diclofenac suppository to intramuscular pentazocine provides better pain relief after cesarean section and increased patient satisfaction.
Race for the Exits: The Unraveling of Japan's System of Social Protection

“This creative and important book addresses the most profound conundrum posed by Japanese politics in the past few decades: Given economic collapse and the failure of reform, why aren’t the Japanese up in arms? The writing is lively, the research thorough, the argumentation consistently helpful. Schoppa’s take on the relationship between exit and voice will interest comparativists and political economists, and his special attention to the plight of women in the Japanese labor market will attract readers in gender studies. Race for the Exits also has much to say to those interested in how public policy can address market failures. ” —Frances Rosenbluth, Yale University
Managing the unknowable : strategic boundaries between order and chaos in organizations

Preface. The Author. New Mind--Sets for Managing the Future. The Failure of Conventional Management: Using Orderly Strategies in a Disorderly World. Stable Instability: Creating the Far--from--Equillibium Organization. Creativity and Continuous Chaos: Discovering the Undiscovered in Complex Organizations. Strategic Thinking and Continuous Contention: Confronting an Open--Anded Future. Strategic Agenda: Deciphering the Patterns in Goals and Actions. Strategic Control: Managing the Boundary Between Plans and Change. Participation, Heirarchy, and Stability: Finding the Middle Ground. Steps Toward Managing an Unkowable Future. Note. Index.
Neural signal for counteracting pre-action bias in the centromedian thalamic nucleus

Most of our daily actions are selected and executed involuntarily under familiar situations by the guidance of internal drives, such as motivation. The behavioral tendency or biasing towards one over others reflects the action-selection process in advance of action execution (i.e., pre-action bias). Facing unexpected situations, however, pre-action bias should be withdrawn and replaced by an alternative that is suitable for the situation (i.e., counteracting bias). To understand the neural mechanism for the counteracting process, we studied the neural activity of the thalamic centromedian (CM) nucleus in monkeys performing GO-NOGO task with asymmetrical or symmetrical reward conditions. The monkeys reacted to GO signal faster in large-reward condition, indicating behavioral bias toward large reward. In contrast, they responded slowly in small-reward condition, suggesting a conflict between internal drive and external demand. We found that neurons in the CM nucleus exhibited phasic burst discharges after GO and NOGO instructions especially when they were associated with small reward. The small-reward preference was positively correlated with the strength of behavioral bias toward large reward. The small-reward preference disappeared when only NOGO action was requested. The timing of activation predicted the timing of action opposed to bias. These results suggest that CM signals the discrepancy between internal pre-action bias and external demand, and mediates the counteracting process—resetting behavioral bias and leading to execution of opposing action.
Exploring Student-Teacher Interactions in Longitudinal Achievement Data

This article develops a model for longitudinal student achievement data designed to estimate heterogeneity in teacher effects across students of different achievement levels. The model specifies interactions between teacher effects and students' predicted scores on a test, estimating both average effects of individual teachers and interaction terms indicating whether individual teachers are differentially effective with students of different predicted scores. Using various longitudinal data sources, we find evidence of these interactions that is of relatively consistent but modest magnitude across different contexts, accounting for about 10 percent of the total variation in teacher effects across all students. However, the amount that the interactions matter in practice depends on the heterogeneity of the groups of students taught by different teachers. Using empirical estimates of the heterogeneity of students across teachers, we find that the interactions account for about 34 percent of total variation in teacher effects on different classes, with somewhat larger values in middle school mathematics. Our findings suggest that ignoring these interactions is not likely to introduce appreciable bias in estimated teacher effects for most teachers in most settings. The results of this study should be of interest to policy makers concerned about the validity of value-added teacher effect estimates.
The role of musical experience in Cantonese lexical tone perception by native speakers of Thai

Adult non-native perception is subject to influence from a variety of factors, including native language and musical experience. The present study investigates the influence of these two factors in the perception and learning of non-native lexical tones. Native Thai-speaking musicians and non-musicians completed pre-and post-test identification tasks on five Cantonese tones, with 4 days of lexical identification training. Higher identification accuracy scores for musicians suggest that extensive experience with musical pitch enhances perception of non-native linguistic pitch. However, patterns of tonal accuracy improvement were similar across groups and can be attributed to the influence of the L1 tonal system.
Educational Migration and Non-return in Northern Ireland (Summary)

Factors that influence graduate migration include employment opportunities, local ties to regions and knowledge of other regions. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (hereafter “the Commission”) in 2007 contracted the Employment Research Institute at Napier University, Edinburgh to collect and summarise research on Educational Migration and Non-Return in Northern Ireland. This update provides a summary of the key findings.
VNS: An integrated framework for vehicular networks simulation

Vehicular networks are becoming one of the most important emerging technologies to enable Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). A strong research effort has been made in the last few years in the design and development of new systems using vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. Therefore, a large-scale evaluation of these networks is of critical importance. However, due to the prohibitive costs of real test-beds, computer simulation is the only viable solution. Building upon previous work, we extend the state-of-the-art in the field of vehicular simulation by proposing an integrated framework for Vehicular Networks Simulation (VNS). The key point of this framework is the complete integration between the mobility and network components, given the fact not only the networking dynamics are greatly dependent on the mobility aspect, but also the network-enabled applications can influence the mobility patterns of ITS systems. Finally, to demonstrate the capabilities of this framework, we provide a large-scale analysis of 802.11p-based communications when used for the exchange of status advertisements between vehicles. We ran simulations for different scenarios including the urban scenario of the city of Porto with a realistic mobility pattern.
Essays on Option Markets: Empirical and Theoretical Learning Models

This thesis consists of three essays. The first two essays present empirical studies in which option market features related to information flows are examined. The third essay introduces a theoretical model to explain predictable dynamics in option pricing through the agents? learning process. In the first essay, I investigate the previously unexplored effects of asymmetric information on the adoption process of new equity options introduced into the market. I use a microstructure model to estimate measures of informational asymmetries. I discover that high informational asymmetries in the year prior to option listings produce larger levels of option adoption. Additionally, I find that option introductions induce reductions in asymmetric information. I also report that option bid-ask spreads start from low initial levels with a tendency to increase over time, which is unexpected since the introduced options are initially illiquid; however, this can be explained by the low level of initial activity by informed agents.The second essay examines whether the dynamics of the implied volatility surface of equity options contain exploitable predictability patterns. The option pricing predictability is expected due to the learning behaviour of agents in option markets. In particular, I explore the possibility that the dynamics of the implied volatility surface of individual equity options may be associated with subsequent movements in the volatility surface implicit in SP and hence it induces dynamics on the implied volatility surface. Furthermore, similarly to the predictability features observable in option market data, learning mechanisms make the option pricing dynamics predictable.
FDI, Exchange Rate, and Economic Growth in Hungary, 1995-2012: Causality and Cointegration Analysis

This paper investigates the causal relationship between FDI, GDP and the Euro/Hungarian Forint exchange rate in Hungary during the 1995-2012 period. Although the question has great significance from an economic policy standpoint, there has been little to no empirical analysis undertaken so far in the case of transition economies such as Hungary. Utilizing unit root and cointegration analysis, this study finds a stable long-run relationship among the included variables, thus an error correction model is developed to capture the short-and long-run behavior of the variables. In the long run, changes in rea lGDP are positively associated with changes in the stock of FDI, while changes in the real effective exchange have a negative effect. In the short run, a 1 % deviation of FDI from its long-run relationship will be corrected by 0.48 % the following year. The VEC model leads to the general conclusion that all the variables in the system have a short-run adjustment mechanism. Finally, the Block Granger Causality tests generate mixed results with regard to the direction of causality among the variables, thus leadingto the conclusion that they are all endogenous.
The Role of Knowledge Sharing on Individual Performance , Considering the Factor of Motivation-The Conceptual Framework

– This paper explores the relationship between Motivation, knowledge sharing and individual performance. First, it is argued that Motivation should be associated with Knowledge Sharing, second that Knowledge Sharing and individual Performance are strongly associated to each other. Next, the conceptual relationship between Motivation, knowledge sharing and individual performance has been established. After that, corresponding prepositions on Motivation and knowledge sharing and its relationship on individual performance has been given. This study adds to the understanding of the effects of knowledge sharing on individual performance, and gives implications to the practice of knowledge sharing.
Science knowledge and attitudes across cultures: a meta-analysis

The correlation between knowledge and attitudes has been the source of controversy in research on the public understanding of science (PUS). Although many studies, both quantitative and qualitative, have examined this issue, the results are at best diverse and at worst contradictory. In this paper, we review the evidence on the relationship between public attitudes and public knowledge about science across 40 countries using a meta-analytic approach. We fit multilevel models to data from 193 nationally representative surveys on PUS carried out since 1989. We find a small positive correlation between general attitudes towards science and general knowledge of scientific facts, after controlling for a range of possible confounding variables. This general relationship varies little across cultures but more substantially between different domains of science and technology. Our results suggest that PUS research needs to focus on understanding the mechanisms that underlie the clear association that exists between knowledge and attitudes about science.
Bullying and Harassment in Secondary Schools: A Critical Feminist Analysis of the Gaps, Overlaps, and Implications from a Decade of Research.

Scholarship investigating aggression between peers in school has been growing steadily since Dan Olweus published his seminal work on bullying, Aggression in the schools: Bullies and whipping boys, in 1978. Several studies emerged in the 1990’s that replicated Olweus’ work and established his terminology and methodology as the most influential in this field. The result of this dominant influence has been to establish a central body of research that is highly valid and reliable in certain areas, but one that perpetuates important omissions and silences in others. This literature review seeks to explore the knowledges presented in bullying and harassment studies in secondary schools through a critical feminist lens in order to identify the gaps in existing research. This review and critique will explore how existing gendered hierarchies in secondary schools and related aspects of social power have been examined and note those that have not been addressed in bullying and harassment studies with the goal of identifying key areas for further study. In order to situate this critical feminist analysis of bullying and harassment studies in the context of existing knowledges, it is important to investigate three related but distinct areas of educational research: bullying, harassment, and homophobia in schools and to connect them to the concept of gendered harassment. These three fields have been selected due to their strong theoretical ties to the areas of gender and bullying in schools. Questions relating to gender and sexual orientation will be central to this critique because this research is interested in exploring the relationships between gender, sexual orientation, and harassment in schools. As this review will demonstrate, there is a dearth of academic research connecting these areas. Although the issue of homophobia may appear to be linked solely to issues of sexual orientation, this article will argue that homophobic behaviors are often closely tied to the policing of gender role performances as constructed within a heterosexual matrix(Butler, 1990) in school. This is an important level of analysis that is often ignored when studying bullying and harassment in the school environment. Of these areas, bullying, harassment, and homophobia in secondary schools, the field of bullying research has the longest tradition and farthest reaching influences on investigations and interventions addressing aggression and the related physical and psychological harms in schools. Bullying has been recognized as a problem in schools worldwide and has been strongly influenced by Dan Olweus’ work in Norway. This research has had a strong impact on school practice as evidenced by the proliferation of anti-bullying policies and programs in schools today.
Outward Investment to China and Local Innovation of Taiwanese Manufacturing Firms

Does outward investment induce more domestic innovation or simply move local innovative efforts to foreign plants? This question is topical and relevant to Taiwan in view of its large share of outward investment concentrated in China and the special political relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of outward investment in China on domestic innovative activity in Taiwan. Overall, this study finds that a positive relationship exists between outward investment and innovation in terms of R&D intensity and patents, implying that investing in China is part of a global resource allocation strategy of Taiwanese multinational enterprises to allocate production in China and pay more attention to innovative activity in their domestic plants. Moreover, the deregulation of the policy regarding investing in China in 2001 has induced an upsurge in investment in China, although it does not seem to have brought about an outflow of technologies.
Design and Elementary Evaluation of a Highly-Automated Fluorescence-Based Instrument System for On-Site Detection of Food-Borne Pathogens

A simple, highly-automated instrument system used for on-site detection of foodborne pathogens based on fluorescence was designed, fabricated, and preliminarily tested in this paper. A corresponding method has been proved effective in our previous studies. This system utilizes a light-emitting diode (LED) to excite fluorescent labels and a spectrometer to record the fluorescence signal from samples. A rotation stage for positioning and switching samples was innovatively designed for high-throughput detection, ten at most in one single run. We also developed software based on LabVIEW for data receiving, processing, and the control of the whole system. In the test of using a pure quantum dot (QD) solution as a standard sample, detection results from this home-made system were highly-relevant with that from a well-commercialized product and even slightly better reproducibility was found. And in the test of three typical kinds of food-borne pathogens, fluorescence signals recorded by this system are highly proportional to the variation of the sample concentration, with a satisfied limit of detection (LOD) (nearly 102–103 CFU·mL−1 in food samples). Additionally, this instrument system is low-cost and easy-to-use, showing a promising potential for on-site rapid detection of food-borne pathogens.
A Novel Simple Current-mode Square/Triangular Wave Generator with Independently-Linearly Controllable Frequency and Amplitudes

Abstract In this paper, a current-mode square/triangular wave is presented. Due to operation in current-mode, the proposed circuit provides a wide frequency response, a low supply voltage, low power consumption and electronic controllability. Thus, it is very suitable for use in portable and battery-powered equipments. The proposed square/triangular wave generator consists of merely current mode Schmitt trigger and current mode integrator with current squarer, which can be fabricated into Integrated Circuit (IC) form through a CMOS technology. The features of the proposed circuit is that it can provide simultaneously both a square wave and a triangular wave whose frequency and amplitudes can be independently controlled by input bias currents. The performances of the proposed circuit are explored through HSPICE simulation program using BSIM3v3 parameters of AMIS 0. 5μm, they demonstrate good agreement to the theoretical anticipation. The proposed circuit works at as low as ±1V supply voltages; power consumption is merely 10. 9μW.
E-Commerce Stimuli and Practices In Malaysia

E-Commerce changes the way organizations do business. Recognizing the significance of ECommerce contributions to the nation’s economic growth, the Malaysian government introduced several stimuli to increase the practice of E-Commerce, particularly among SME, as they constituents about 84 percent of the Malaysian business enterprises. This paper looks at several stimulus provided by the Malaysian government in its effort to encourage SME to adopt E-Commerce as a tool to be more competitive in global markets. In addition, the study also describes E-Commerce practices among 266 SME retailers in four major cities in Malaysia. Personal interviews (using a structured questionnaire) were carried out to obtain responses from the retailers. The findings indicate E-Commerce practices among the Malaysian SME are still very low and are mainly for communication and marketing purposes. Lack of awareness and knowledge as well as skills were among the factors stated to be impeding the increase of E-Commerce usage among them. Therefore, relevant authorities must take note and concentrated efforts must be taken to overcome these impediments if Malaysia wants to be a major E-Commerce player in the region.
Globalization and the sex trade: trafficking and the commodification of women and children.

Capitalist globalization today involves an unprecedented “commodification” of human beings. In the last 30 years the rapidly growing sex trade has been massively “industrialized” worldwide (Barry; Jeffreys). This process of industrialization in both its legal and its illegal forms generates profits amounting to billions of dollars. It has created a market of sexual exchanges in which millions of women and children have been converted into sexual commodities. This sex market has been generated through the massive deployment of prostitution (one of the effects of the presence of military forces engaged in wars and/or territorial occupation (Strudevant and Stolzfus) in particular in the emerging economies the unprecedented expansion of the tourist industry (Truong) the growth and normalization of pornography (Poulin 2000) and the internationalization of arranged marriages (Hughes). The sex industry previously considered marginal has come to occupy a strategic and central position in the development of international capitalism. For this reason it is increasingly taking on the guise of an ordinary sector of the economy. This particular aspect of globalization involves an entire range of issues crucial to understanding the world we live in. These include such processes as economic exploitation sexual oppression capital accumulation international migration and unequal development and such related conditions as racism and poverty. (excerpt)