Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macrocognition in the Healthcare Built Environment (mHCBE): A Focused Ethnographic Study of “Neighborhoods” in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objectives: The objectives of this research were to describe the interactions (formal and informal), in which macrocognitive functions occur and their location on a pediatric intensive care unit, to describe challenges and facilitators of macrocognition using space syntax constructs (openness, connectivity, and visibility), and to analyze the healthcare built environment (HCBE) using those constructs to explicate influences on macrocognition. Background: In high reliability, complex industries, macrocognition is an approach to develop new knowledge among interprofessional team members. Although macrocognitive functions have been analyzed in multiple healthcare settings, the effect of the HCBE on those functions has not been directly studied. The theoretical framework, “macrocognition in the healthcare built environment” (mHCBE) addresses this relationship. Method: A focused ethnographic study was conducted including observation and focus groups. Architectural drawing files used to create distance matrices and isovist field view analyses were compared to panoramic photographs and ethnographic data. Results: Neighborhoods comprised of corner configurations with maximized visibility enhanced team interactions as well as observation of patients, offering the greatest opportunity for informal situated macrocognitive interactions (SMIs). Conclusions: Results from this study support the intricate link between macrocognitive interactions and space syntax constructs within the HCBE. These findings help increase understanding of how use of the framework of Macrocognition in the HCBE can improve design and support adaptation of interprofessional team practices, maximizing macrocognitive interaction opportunities for patient, family, and team safety and quality.
Proceeding in Parallel or Drifting Apart? A Systematic Review of Policy Appraisal Research and Practices

Policy appraisal has spread rapidly throughout the OECD and beyond, as has the associated academic literature. In this paper we present the findings of a systematic review of this literature. We assess the extent to which developments in academic research and in everyday appraisal practices have informed one other. While there are signs that policy appraisal research is moving away from the ‘technical–rational model’ of appraisal, both research and practice remain heavily informed by it. The review reveals that research and practice are interacting in subtle ways, but these fall well short of what is sought by advocates of more reflexive approaches. We systematically examine the exact pattern of research–practice interaction depicted in the literature and explore how this may change in the future.
Investigation of the block effect in LSO detectors

The block effect is the degradation in spatial resolution that exists when there are more scintillation crystals than photomultiplier tubes in a PET detector. In this study the block effect was measured for the Siemens-CTI Hi-Rez PET detector, a LSO block detector. The effect of changing gamma-ray interaction depth in the scintillation crystals in the Hi-Rez detector was also examined. These results are compared to results obtained with two BGO PET detectors; the Siemens-CTI HR+ and the GE Advance. The magnitude of the block effect in the central three crystal columns of the Hi-Rez detector was found to be negligible, while the magnitude of the block effect varied from 0.6 mm to 2.9 mm in the remaining crystal columns. Events that occurred at different crystal depths were decoded consistently in the central three crystal columns, and inconsistently in the remaining crystal columns. Previously, we found that the block effect was 0.9 mm in the GE Advance block detector, negligible for the edge crystals in the CTI HR+ block detector, and averaged 1.2 mm in the center crystals of the CTI HR+ block detector. In the GE Advance detector, events that occurred at different crystal depths were decoded consistently. In the CTI HR+ block detector, events that occurred deeper in the crystal had a greater probability of being positioned inaccurately. The results from the three detectors examined suggest that the inconsistent positioning of events that occur at different crystal depths contribute to the block effect, in both LSO and BGO block detectors
Protection of HLE B-3 cells against hydrogen peroxide- and naphthalene-induced lipid peroxidation and apoptosis by transfection with hGSTA1 and hGSTA2.

PURPOSE To investigate the physiological role of two major alpha-class glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), hGSTA1-1 and hGSTA2-2 in protection against oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in human lens epithelial (HLE B-3) cells. METHODS Total GSTs were purified from HLE B-3 cells by glutathione (GSH)-affinity chromatography and characterized by Western blot analysis, isoelectric focusing, and kinetic studies. The relative contributions of the alpha-class GSTs and the Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-1 in GSH-dependent reduction of phospholipid hydroperoxide (PL-OOH) were quantitated through immunoprecipitation studies using separately the specific polyclonal antibodies against human alpha-class GSTs and GPx-1. HLE B-3 cell membranes were prepared, peroxidized, and used to examine whether hGSTA1-1 and hGSTA2-2 catalyzes the reduction of membrane PL-OOH in situ using the microiodometric and spectrophotometric assays. The protective effects of the alpha-class GSTs against H2O2- and naphthalene-induced LPO and apoptosis were examined by transfecting HLE B-3 cells with cDNAs of hGSTA1 and hGSTA2. RESULTS. HLE B-3 cells expressed only the alpha and pi class GSTs. The Michaelis-Menten constant (k(m)) and turnover number (k(cat)) of purified total GSTs toward phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PC-OOH) were found to be 30 +/- 4 microM and 1.95 +/- 0.26 seconds, respectively. The alpha-class GSTs accounted for approximately 65% of the total GPx activity of HLE B-3 cells toward PC-OOH. Our results demonstrate for the first time that hGSTA1-1 and hGSTA2-2 effectively catalyzed GSH-dependent reduction of membrane PL-OOH in situ in HLE B-3 cells. Transfection with hGSTA1 or hGSTA2 protected these cells from H2O2- and naphthalene-induced LPO and attenuated H2O2- and naphthalene-induced apoptosis through inhibiting caspase 3 activation. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that the alpha-class GSTs hGSTA1-1 and hGSTA2-2 play a major role as antioxidant enzymes and are the main determinants of the levels of LPO caused by oxidative stress in human lens epithelial cells.
The Opt-Out Revolution: A Descriptive Analysis

Using data from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. Census, I find little support for the opt-out revolution – highly educated women, relative to their less educated counterparts, are exiting the labor force to care for their families at higher rates today than in earlier time periods – if one focuses solely on the decision to work a positive number of hours irrespective of marital status or race. If one, however, focuses on both the decision to work a positive number of hours as well as the decision to adjust annual hours of work (conditional on working), I find some evidence of the opt-out revolution, particularly among white college educated married women in male dominated occupations.
Urban agriculture: addressing practical and strategic gender needs

This paper considers the role of urban agriculture in addressing the practical and strategic needs of African women, and assesses the gender implications of embracing urban agriculture as a development intervention strategy. Empirical evidence from Botswana and Zimbabwe points to the multi-faceted role of urban agriculture whereby some women use this activity to support their households on a daily basis, and others use it as an avenue for social and economic empowerment over the longer term. In order to benefit rather than burden women, the promotion and support of urban agriculture must take on an emancipatory agenda, which supports individual, practical and strategic goals, and ultimately challenges the structural conditions that give rise to women's involvement in the activity in the first place.
The Value of Land Use Patterns and Preservation Policies

Abstract In many communities, land-use and open-space preservation have become important concerns. Using a large dataset containing every home sale in the state of Massachusetts over 8 years, this paper simultaneously measures the impact of the mix of land-uses in the immediate neighborhood of a home on property values and the impact of a locally-implemented program, the Community Preservation Act (CPA), which provides funds for local open-space and historic preservation as well as affordable housing. I exploit the panel nature of the dataset to conduct a difference-in-differences analysis using local as well as house level fixed effects to overcome omitted variables bias. My results indicate that, on average, passage of the CPA reduces property values by about 1.5% in Massachusetts towns. However, when I allow the CPA effect to differ by county, I find some heterogeneity -- it increases property values in some communities and reduces them in others. Variation in local spending priorities appears to have little impact on property values or the effect of the CPA. Finally, I find that cropland and pasture, as well as low-density residential development, are the most preferred local land-uses, and that homes are more expensive as one increases distance to highways and active rail lines.
Corporate Governance and Cash Holdings: Evidence from the U.S. Property–Liability Insurance Industry

type="main" xml:lang="en"> This article examines the impact of board and finance committee characteristics on insurers' cash holdings using a sample of 1,454 U.S. stock property–liability insurer-year observations. We focus on the roles of independent board members and independent finance committee members. Our results suggest that independent board members allow managers to hold excess cash holdings to avoid underinvestment and play a monitoring role in managers' cash spending behavior in a regulated industry. The overall findings are consistent with the independent director responsibility hypothesis, which suggests that independent directors play a monitoring role in managers' cash spending behavior and avoiding underinvestment problems.
Has Chinese economy become more stable?

This article employs structural break tests of unknown point with nuisance parameter to test for possible break in China's business cycle volatility and identifies that the last quarter of 1995 is the significant structural break point. The paper then constructs a counterfactual analysis to examine the driving factors of the structural change in China's business cycle fluctuations. The results of several robustness analyses suggest that systematic improvements in macroeconomic policies account for 20%–40% of the change while the remaining portion is explained by the reduction in the volatility of random shocks. These findings provide important implications for the ongoing economic revolution and policy adjustment in China.
Does Earnings Management Affect Firms' Investment Decisions?

ABSTRACT: This paper examines whether firms manipulating their reported financial results make suboptimal investment decisions. We examine fixed asset investments for a large sample of public companies during the 1978–2002 period and document that firms that manipulate their earnings—firms investigated by the SEC for accounting irregularities, firms sued by their shareholders for improper accounting, and firms that restated financial statements—over-invest substantially during the misreporting period. Furthermore, following the misreporting period, these firms no longer over-invest, consistent with corrected information leading to more efficient investment levels. We find similar patterns for firms with high discretionary revenues or accruals. Our findings suggest that earnings management, which is largely viewed as targeting parties external to the firm, can also influence internal decisions.
Consumer Willingness to Pay for Catechin-enriched Yogurt: Evidence from a Stated Choice Experiment

ABSTRACT In recent years, food manufacturers have been devoting a large portion of their R&D budgets to the development of functional foods. Although functional foods exhibit a significant level of information asymmetry, consumers appear to be increasingly appreciative, recognizing their role in preventing or reducing health risks and/or improving other physiological functions. This paper quantifies the willingness to pay of a representative sample of 600 Italian consumers for a hypothetical yogurt using a web‐based stated choice experiment. The willingness to pay for two functional attributes (probiotics and catechin enrichment) was measured using the panel data version of a Random Parameters Logit model. The results show that respondents are willing to pay a premium for a catechin‐enriched yogurt (0.38 €/jar), which is well above their willingness to pay for the probiotic attribute (0.21 €/jar). Averaging the individual values across sample sub‐groups indicates that the willingness to pay for catechin enrichment may be related to age, income, health status, lifestyle and education. [EconLit citation: C25, C93, D12]
Technology spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): the active role of MNC subsidiaries in Argentina in the 1990s

Abstract The usual perspective on technology spillovers from FDI sees the MNC subsidiary as a passive actor. It presumes that the technological superiority that spreads from subsidiaries to other firms in the host economy is initially created outside it by MNC parent companies, and is delivered to subsidiaries via international technology transfer. The role of subsidiaries is little more than to act as a ‘leaky container’ lying between the technology transfer pipeline and the absorption of spillovers by domestic firms. This paper suggests a different model in which a substantial part of the potential for spillover is created within local subsidiaries as a result of their own knowledge-creating and accumulating activities in the host economy. We explore empirically the effects of these activities on technology spillovers from FDI using data for industrial firms in Argentina over the period 1992–96. The analysis suggests that significant results can be obtained incorporating subsidiaries' own technological activities as an explanatory variable of the spillover process.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage, infection and transmission in dialysis patients, healthcare workers and their family members.

BACKGROUND Carriage and subsequent infection with methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and its transmission between hospital and community settings have not been studied in dialysis patients and their contacts. METHODS Surveillance for nasal MRSA carriage and infection among dialysis patients, healthcare workers (HCWs) and their family members in a dialysis centre was prospectively undertaken during three time periods within 1 year. Molecular typing was used to determine epidemiological relationship. RESULTS Among 1687 samples collected, MRSA colonization rates were 2.41% (2/83) for peritoneal dialysis patients and 2.36% (12/509) for haemodialysis patients. Five (5/14) subjects subsequently had MRSA infection. The clinical MRSA isolates had the same molecular type as the colonized strains of the same person, indicating MRSA colonization preceded clinical infection. Significantly higher MRSA nasal carriage rates were observed among family members of HCWs than family members of dialysis patients (P = 0.0024). Only three major clones were observed. Pulmonary diseases (OR: 4.873, 95% CI: 1.668-14.235), recent admission to a hospital (OR: 2.797, 95% CI: 1.291-6.059) and recent antibiotics usage (OR: 2.319, 95% CI: 1.053-5.104) were also significantly associated with MRSA carriage. CONCLUSION Transmission of MRSA among dialysis patients, HCWs and their family members in a dialysis unit could be inferred. Monitoring and eradication of MRSA from patients, HCWs and their family members should be considered to prevent continuous spread between healthcare facilities and the community.
Determination of PCT on admission is a useful tool for the assessment of disease severity in travelers with imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) may be useful to predict complicated forms of malaria. A total of 30 consecutive travelers diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria over a two-year period were included in the study. Patients with complicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria showed higher levels of parasitemia (P = 0.0001), PCT (P = 0.0018), CRP (P = 0.0005), bilirubinemia (P = 0.004), and a lower platelet count (P<0.0001) compared with patients with uncomplicated forms. PCT levels above 5 ng/mL showed the highest value of specificity (0.86) and positive predictive factor (0.67) among other parameters, and equal sensitivity (0.67) was displayed by CRP levels above 150 mg/dl. None of the patients with complicated malaria showed PCT levels within normal limits (<0.5 ng/ml). Both PCT and CRP correlated with parasitemia (P<0.001) and showed areas under ROC curve of 0.83. At multivariate analysis, only PCT was associated with an increased risk of complicated malaria (OR 8.2, IC 95% 1.2–57.2, P = 0.03). The determination of PCT on admission showed better results compared to CRP, platelet count, and bilirubinemia and can be useful in non-endemic areas for the initial clinical assessment of disease severity in travelers with Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Exploring the role of internal communication during organisational change

This paper builds upon work already completed by the authors on the nature of the link between internal communication and the successful implementation of change management programmes in Northern Ireland companies. During 1999 and 2000 the theoretical foundation in the requisite areas of this study was completed. Then in the latter half of 2000 and the early months of 2001 the pilot phase of the research was undertaken. The purpose of this paper is therefore to contextualise and relay the findings of the study thus far.
Entrepreneurship Research (1985–2009) and the Emergence of Opportunities

In order to identify shifts and trends in the entrepreneurship literature over the past 25 years, we conduct a bibliometric study involving new data from the 2000–2009 era building on 1985–1999 data to study entrepreneurship research published in the major management journals. Our findings indicate that entrepreneurship articles now have a significant presence in the mainline “A” journals. Furthermore, we contend that this presence signals legitimacy and, more importantly, a growing exchange among researchers studying entrepreneurship. The area of entrepreneurial opportunities and nascent ventures is showing signs of growth and in our view represents an area where entrepreneurship is contributing back to the broader research conversation in organizational studies.
Industrial application of biological self-healing concrete: challenges and economical feasibility

Self-healing concrete has been scrutinized by several researchers and some industrial concrete producers in relation to the remediation of the occurrence of micro-cracks. Such cracks are a quite well known problem that can lead to corrosion of the steel reinforcement and thus to the possible failure of the entire concrete structure. The need to repair these cracks as soon as possible leads to maintenance costs which can be of the order of â‚¬130 (direct costs) per m3 of concrete. Recent scientific studies indicate that a Microbial Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP), using microbial spores as active agent, can be an alternative for the actual repair methods. However, the production of bacterial spores is yet imposing considerable costs. According to some concrete producers they would be willing to pay about â‚¬15 to â‚¬20 per m3 of concrete for a bio-based self-healing product. However, the actual cost of spores production and encapsulation represent a total cost which is orders of magnitude higher. This article analyzes the costs for the biological self-healing in concrete and evaluates the industrial challenges it faces. There is an urgent need to develop the production of a bio-additive at much lower costs to make the biological self-healing industrial applicable. Axenic production and a possible non-axenic process to obtain ureolytic spores were analyzed and the costs calculations are presented in this paper.
Reconfigurable antenna challenges for future radio systems

Future radio systems, such as software defined radio and cognitive radio concepts give rise to significant challenges for antenna design and in particular reconfigurable antenna design. Whilst there are many possible ways in which such systems could be configured, this paper discusses some of the range of possible antenna requirements, and some design approaches are outlined. Demonstrator antennas are described. Results for three antennas, suitable for small and medium sized terminals, are given, in which integration into a single antenna of wideband and narrowband functionality, necessary for search and operation respectively, is achieved. The design of an array with band switching, which may be useful in system base stations that require both spatial and spectral discrimination, is also discussed.
Stabilizing GAN Training with Multiple Random Projections

Training generative adversarial networks is unstable in high-dimensions as the true data distribution tends to be concentrated in a small fraction of the ambient space. The discriminator is then quickly able to classify nearly all generated samples as fake, leaving the generator without meaningful gradients and causing it to deteriorate after a point in training. In this work, we propose training a single generator simultaneously against an array of discriminators, each of which looks at a different random low-dimensional projection of the data. Individual discriminators, now provided with restricted views of the input, are unable to reject generated samples perfectly and continue to provide meaningful gradients to the generator throughout training. Meanwhile, the generator learns to produce samples consistent with the full data distribution to satisfy all discriminators simultaneously. We demonstrate the practical utility of this approach experimentally, and show that it is able to produce image samples with higher quality than traditional training with a single discriminator.