Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral Contraceptive Use and Risk of Breast Carcinoma In situ

There is some indication that oral contraceptive use may be associated with a small increase in risk of invasive breast cancer; however, oral contraceptive use in relation to breast carcinoma in situ (BCIS) has rarely been studied. We investigated oral contraceptive use in relation to risk of BCIS in a large population-based case-control study. Female residents of Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire aged 20 to 74 years with a new diagnosis of BCIS (n = 1,878) were identified from statewide tumor registries in 1997 to 2001. Age-matched female controls (n = 8,041) were randomly selected from population lists. Information on oral contraceptive use and other risk factors was collected during structured telephone interviews. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using logistic regression. In multivariate models, ever use of oral contraceptives was associated with a small and marginally significant increase in BCIS overall (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.99-1.25) and for ductal carcinoma in situ (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-1.31). No strong associations were detected according to age started, duration, time since first or last use, or oral contraceptive use relative to the first full-term pregnancy. The slightly increased risk of BCIS seemed limited to former users (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.00-1.27) and women without a family history of breast cancer (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.32 for ever versus never use). Consistent with invasive breast cancer, these results suggest that oral contraceptive use is at most a minor contributor to BCIS risk. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(11):2262–9)
ISO 26000: a standard for human rights?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the issues in the development of ISO 26000 a new standard for social responsibility.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the experience of the author as Chair of the UK Committee on ISO 26000.Findings – The development of ISO 26000 has been fraught with politics, yet it is a powerful statement of the moral and practical issues facing companies and other organisations.Originality/value – The piece offers a perspective of the issues arising from the multi‐stakeholder approach to developing a global human rights standard from a participant in the process.
Resisting self-regulation: an analysis of sport policy programme making and implementation in Sweden

Political programming of sport has become the new orthodoxy in many countries where the strive for a more healthy and civically engaged population is intertwined with an ambition to encourage and make responsible individuals and organizations for meeting societal goals. Although much effort has been put into studying this phenomenon, there is still a shortage of understanding of how, why and with what results sport policy programmes are made and implemented. To address this shortage this article reports on a study of the largest government intervention in sport in Sweden with the purpose of exploring processes of responsibilization and self-regulation at play in the relationship between the government and sport as well as between sport organizations on different levels. Results show how sport has received a more salient position on the government agenda, where more instrumental goals have been accompanied by increased resources to aid in their attainment. This process has assisted in the ambitions to modernize sports organizations by encouraging development through self-regulation. The sports organizations involved have embraced the new goals and resources. However, instead of self-regulating in the desired direction, each organizational level in the sports system has forwarded the responsibility for development to the next level below. This process has left the sports clubs with the full responsibility of meeting the government goals, a responsibility they have not accepted. Understandings of these phenomena and processes are discussed by pointing to the specific institutional landscape and tradition of Swedish sport.
Business as Usual? Ambitions of Profit Maximization and the Theory of the Firm

What constitutes the ultimate aim of managers of businesses remains a contestable question that has been debated by both economists and management scholars for several decades. We collected and analyzed survey data from 159 managers of UK based companies and explored the latter’s overriding ambitions for their businesses. We combined our survey data with detailed financial information contained in the FAME (Financial Analysis Made Easy) database, which allowed us to verify and complement the reported survey results. Irrespective of possible constraints in the market in which they operate, we conclude that managers act “as if” they were the perfectly informed agents of neoclassical economic theory who aim for profit maximization as their overriding business objective, even though – in real life or ex post – their objectives may not necessarily move from this ambition into a reality.
Balanced scorecard and causal model development: preliminary findings

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to show a preliminary examination of the effects of the development of the causal model of the strategy in the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard. Studies on the Balanced Scorecard adoption show that many organizations that adopted the Balanced Scorecard did not develop a causal model of their strategy. The study seeks to examine the differences in Balanced Scorecard implementation of adopters who developed a causal model of their strategy and those who did not.Design/methodology/approach – Mailed survey was used to collect the data.Findings – It was found that Balanced Scorecard adopters who did not develop a causal model of their strategy experienced specific problems more than those who developed a causal model of their strategy. It affected the outcomes and ease of implementation of the Balanced Scorecard.Research limitations/implications – The small number of responses obtained in this study due to the relatively recent adoption of the Balanced Scorecar.
Hindcasting the Madden‐Julian Oscillation With a New Parameterization of Surface Heat Fluxes

The recently developed maximum entropy production (MEP) model, an alternative parameterization of surface heat fluxes, is incorporated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. A pair of WRF cloud‐resolving experiments (5 km grids) using the bulk transfer model (WRF default) and the MEP model of surface heat fluxes are performed to hindcast the October Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO) event observed during the 2011 Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign. The simulated surface latent and sensible heat fluxes in the MEP and bulk transfer model runs are in general consistent with in situ observations from two research vessels. Compared to the bulk transfer model, the convection envelope is strengthened in the MEP run and shows a more coherent propagation over the Maritime Continent. The simulated precipitable water in the MEP run is in closer agreement with the observations. Precipitation in the MEP run is enhanced during the active phase of the MJO with significantly reduced regional dry and wet biases. Large‐scale ocean evaporation is stronger in the MEP run leading to stronger boundary layer moistening to the east of the convection center, which facilitates the eastward propagation of the MJO.
Aegean Territorial Waters Conflict: An Evolutionary Narrative

Delimitation of the territorial waters and continental shelf in the Aegean Sea constitutes a constant source of conflict and produces recurrent crises between Greece and Turkey. This article explores directions that the Greek—Turkish dispute over the delimitation of territorial waters can take through an evolutionary game framework. Crises are found to follow routines and practices involving challenges to the status quo and reactions preceding mutual retreat. Hence, the status quo in the Aegean Sea can persist even in the form of aggressive behavior. It is also possible that the dispute will evolve into a stable state of conflict where no cooperative foreign policy can survive.
Competitive conditions and market power of Islamic and conventional commercial banks

Purpose – The expansion of the Islamic banking industry seems to accentuate the banking competition in MENA and Southeast Asia where conventional and Islamic banks coexist. In this context, the research aims\ to examine the competitive conditions and the market power of the conventional and Islamic banks during the period 2004-2009 in MENA and Southeast Asia region. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a variety of structural and non-structural measures related to the traditional approach and the new empirical approach of the industrial organization. The methodology is based on set of measures of the competition and market power. The first measure is a set of concentration ratios (C3, C5) and Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI). The second measures are the Panzar and Ross H statistic and the Lerner index based on econometric estimations with the aim of evaluating the structure of market and measuring its power in terms of price setting. Findings – The results indicate that under the HHI index, both .
Towards Building Large Scale Multimodal Domain-Aware Conversation Systems

While multimodal conversation agents are gaining importance in several domains such as retail, travel etc., deep learning research in this area has been limited primarily due to the lack of availability of large-scale, open chatlogs. To overcome this bottleneck, in this paper we introduce the task of multimodal, domain-aware conversations, and propose the MMD benchmark dataset. This dataset was gathered by working in close coordination with large number of domain experts in the retail domain. These experts suggested various conversations flows and dialog states which are typically seen in multimodal conversations in the fashion domain. Keeping these flows and states in mind, we created a dataset consisting of over 150K conversation sessions between shoppers and sales agents, with the help of in-house annotators using a semi-automated manually intense iterative process. With this dataset, we propose 5 new sub-tasks for multimodal conversations along with their evaluation methodology. We also propose two multimodal neural models in the encode-attend-decode paradigm and demonstrate their performance on two of the sub-tasks, namely text response generation and best image response selection. These experiments serve to establish baseline performance and open new research directions for each of these sub-tasks. Further, for each of the sub-tasks, we present a 'per-state evaluation' of 9 most significant dialog states, which would enable more focused research into understanding the challenges and complexities involved in each of these states.
Genetic and Psychosocial Predictors of Aggression: Variable Selection and Model Building With Component-Wise Gradient Boosting

Rationale: Given datasets with a large or diverse set of predictors of aggression, machine learning (ML) provides efficient tools for identifying the most salient variables and building a parsimonious statistical model. ML techniques permit efficient exploration of data, have not been widely used in aggression research, and may have utility for those seeking prediction of aggressive behavior. Objectives: The present study examined predictors of aggression and constructed an optimized model using ML techniques. Predictors were derived from a dataset that included demographic, psychometric and genetic predictors, specifically FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) polymorphisms, which have been shown to alter response to threatening stimuli, but have not been tested as predictors of aggressive behavior in adults. Methods: The data analysis approach utilized component-wise gradient boosting and model reduction via backward elimination to: (a) select variables from an initial set of 20 to build a model of trait aggression; and then (b) reduce that model to maximize parsimony and generalizability. Results: From a dataset of N = 47 participants, component-wise gradient boosting selected 8 of 20 possible predictors to model Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) total score, with R2 = 0.66. This model was simplified using backward elimination, retaining six predictors: smoking status, psychopathy (interpersonal manipulation and callous affect), childhood trauma (physical abuse and neglect), and the FKBP5_13 gene (rs1360780). The six-factor model approximated the initial eight-factor model at 99.4% of R2. Conclusions: Using an inductive data science approach, the gradient boosting model identified predictors consistent with previous experimental work in aggression; specifically psychopathy and trauma exposure. Additionally, allelic variants in FKBP5 were identified for the first time, but the relatively small sample size limits generality of results and calls for replication. This approach provides utility for the prediction of aggression behavior, particularly in the context of large multivariate datasets.
Use of robust variance components models to analyse triglyceride data in families

A robust approach for analysis of variance components models is presented which does not rely on the assumption of multivariate normality for its validity. This approach uses the multivariate normal distribution as a ‘working model’ but obtains standard errors for the final estimators which do not depend on this underlying distribution. By using the observed variance in the first derivatives of the multivariate normal ‘working model’ to modify the conventional score test, hypotheses regarding specific components can also be tested without relying directly on the assumption of multivariate normality. A special case is presented where both the modified score test and the likelihood ratio test are equally robust, and simulated data are used to illustrate this situation. Measurements of triglyceride levels in 391 individuals in 60 families randomly selected from the membership of a health maintenance organization are used to illustrate this robust approach to variance components.
Competitive strategies and firm performance: the mediating role of performance measurement

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role performance measurement plays in the relationship between competitive strategies and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach - This study conducted a mail-survey of Thai listed companies in 2009. A total of 101 Thai listed companies’ executives, each representing their company, participated in this study. The SPSS version 11.5, path-analytical model is adopted to analyze the survey data obtained. Findings - This study finds that generally, all competitive strategies positively and significantly enhance firm performance through performance measurement. Specifically, firms’ differentiation strategy not only has a direct and significant impact on firm performance but also it has indirect and significant impact on firm performance through financial measures. Cost leadership strategy that firms pursue does not directly affect firm performance. However, it does so indirectly and significantly through financial performance measures. Research limitations/implications - Future research could consider the use of longitudinal data to ascertain more clearly these causal relationships. Practical implications - The paper offers managerial implications that whether a firm chooses to pursue cost leadership or differentiation strategies, a strong emphasis on performance measurement will ensure the positive impact on firm performance in a fierce competitive environment. Originality/value - This paper adds to the existing theoretical discussion and analyses the research and findings on the mediating role of performance measurement on the relationship between competitive strategy and firm performance.
Another Look At The Carpenter's Tools: A Reply To Plog

When I first re ad the title of Stanley Plog’s (19 90) critique, &dquo;A Carpenter’s Tools: An Answer to Stephen L. J. Smith’s Review of Psychocentrism/Allocentrism,&dquo; I expected to get either &dquo;hammered&dquo; or &dquo;screwed. &dquo; Fortunately, Plog is a gentleman as well as a scholar. I appreciate his considered response to my article; our exchange is also likely to help draw greater attention to the technical details of psychocentrism/ allocentrism, which was an explicit goal ofmy original article. Plog raises a couple of interesting issues that I would like to discuss further. Since it was not possible for my response to appear in the same issue as his critique, I will provide brief quotations from his critique to illustrate what I believe are his
Reinforcement Learning for Relation Classification From Noisy Data

Existing relation classification methods that rely on distant supervision assume that a bag of sentences mentioning an entity pair are all describing a relation for the entity pair. Such methods, performing classification at the bag level, cannot identify the mapping between a relation and a sentence, and largely suffers from the noisy labeling problem. In this paper, we propose a novel model for relation classification at the sentence level from noisy data. The model has two modules: an instance selector and a relation classifier. The instance selector chooses high-quality sentences with reinforcement learning and feeds the selected sentences into the relation classifier, and the relation classifier makes sentence-level prediction and provides rewards to the instance selector. The two modules are trained jointly to optimize the instance selection and relation classification processes.Experiment results show that our model can deal with the noise of data effectively and obtains better performance for relation classification at the sentence level.
The role of productivity in China's growth: new estimates

The impressive growth of the Chinese economy in the past three decades has attracted a lot of attention and hence the research interest of many scholars and policy makers. One of the focuses in the literature is the role of productivity in China's economic growth. This paper aims to revisit the debate about the role of productivity in China's growth, to provide an updated estimate of productivity growth and hence to make a contribution to the understanding of China's economic growth in recent years. Its objective is to propose and apply a growth accounting technique to assess economic performance in China, in particular the role of technological progress in China's recent growth. The findings about the latter may have important policy implications for the sustainability of China's economic growth in the future.
Coping with weather adversity and adaptation to climatic variability: a cross-country study of smallholder farmers in South Asia

Concerns over climate change and climatic variability are growing in South Asia because of the potential detrimental impacts of these phenomena on livelihoods. Such growing concerns demonstrate a need to assess how farmers simultaneously cope with extreme events and adapt to climatic variability. Based on household surveys of 2660 farm families conducted in Nepal's Terai, coastal Bangladesh, and the Indian state of Bihar, this paper seeks to (1) explore farmers’ coping strategies under adverse weather events; (2) identify key adaptation measures used by farmers; and (3) explore the policy interventions required to adjust agriculture to climatic variability. The study reveals that migration is the most important coping strategy of the households in Bihar and coastal Bangladesh, while reliance on credit markets is the most important in Terai. Farmers in the areas with higher rainfall variability pursue a higher number of coping strategies compared to farmers in areas with lower rainfall variability. Food available months are also higher in areas with higher rainfall variability. Across all sites, the most frequently mentioned adaptive practices are changing cropping patterns and adoption of resilient crop varieties. A large number of farmers place emphasis on breeding crop varieties that tolerate adverse weather. Governments should implement a number of planned activities to cope with adverse events, with the aim that these activities would be synergistic with adaptation to climate change.
Video Inpainting for Arbitrary Foreground Object Removal

In this paper, we propose a robust video inpainting method under challenging background conditions such as occlusion, complex visual pattern, overlaid object clutter and depth variation observed in a moving camera. We propose a confidence score based on the normalized difference between observed depth of potential background point and predicted distance in 3D space. Potential points from neighbor frames are collected, refined, and weighted to choose small number of qualified observations to fill in the region of removed object in the current frame. Our method is evaluated with both public dataset and our own video clips and compared to multiple state of the art video inpainting methods showing outperforming performance.
NETWORK EFFECTS, SOFTWARE PROVISION, AND STANDARDIZATION*

In this paper, the authors examine the software provision decision of software firms. The provision decision by software firms determines the value and, hence, the market share of competing hardware technologies. The authors show how the provision decision by software firms determines whether multiple hardware technologies are supported in equilibrium or whether there is de facto standardization, with only one hardware technology supplied with software in equilibrium. They show that when consumers place a high value on software variety there is a suboptimal amount of standardization by the market. Copyright 1992 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Tenure and natural resources in the Gambia: summary of research findings and policy options.

This summary report synthesizes the central research findings of the Working Group on Resource Tenure and Land Use Planning and the Law Reform Commission of The Gambia, recommending a series of tenure policy options for both government and donor agencies. Specific programs and projects are also discussed. The team conducted a series of case studies (presented here as annexes) on the tenure situations found in different agroecological zones in The Gambia. This summary report comprises key tenure issues about tenure and natural resource management in The Gambia. It looks at definitions of tenure and resource-management vocabulary, formal legislation and customary tenure arrangements, and areas where tenure issues are the most contentious. Having identified the key problems in the current tenure systems, the report then addresses various approaches that government and donors may wish to take in confronting these problems. These proposals range from replacing customary tenure regimes with new legal frameworks to looking for ways to strengthen established customary arrangements. The report goes on to consider how individuals working in the natural resource domain can better respond to tenure concerns through designing and implementing projects. Finally, the report focuses on specific policy actions that the government may wish to take in the short, medium, and long term to address the concerns raised.