Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Transnational Labour Migration Empowering for Women? Re-evaluating the Case of Married Sri Lankan Domestic Maids

The empowerment potential of transnational labour migration by women has been debated in the field of women’s migration studies. This paper examines the case of women from Sri Lanka, a key home country of low-skilled female labour migrating to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Using the methodological approach of the case study, the survey found that labour migration does ensure that access to productive resources leads to a measure of economic empowerment in the household. Yet, many women migrants faced intra-household socially disempowering experiences that in turn downplayed their economic contributions. Empowerment as a consequence of migration rested upon a complex interplay of economic factors and contextspecific non-economic factors; the latter were found to be more powerful determinants of women’s empowerment.
Enhanced expression of cytokines may play a fundamental role in the mechanisms of immunologically mediated recurrent spontaneous abortion

Objectives. To determine circulatory levels of 1L‐1 β, TNFα, IFN‐γ and Neopterin in immunologically mediated recurrent abortion. Design. Blood samples were withdrawn from both groups of first trimester recurrent abortion and controls for the determination of serum IL‐lβ, TNFα, IFN‐γ by the corresponding IRMA and serum neopterin by a double antibody RIA. Setting. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cairo University Hospitals. Patients. Thirty pregnant women in their first trimester who presented with inevitable abortion with history of at least 3 prior spontaneous consecutive abortions, in addition to twenty‐three pregnant women in their first trimester presented with their first miscarriage due to chromosomal anomalies (controls). Every attempt was made to eliminate the possible known contributing factors of recurrent abortion except for the presence of cervical mucus sperm antibodies which were present in 24 out of 30 cases. Interventions. None. Results. Serum ILiβ, TNFα and IFN‐γ levels of the abortion group were significantly elevated when compared to the corresponding levels of controls. The incidence of abnormal high values of these cytokines varied between 40 to 70%. There was no significant difference of serum neopterin between abortion and control groups. The increase of IFNγ, the most active principle inducing neopterin release, was below the concentration needed for neopterin stimulation. Conclusions. In view of the proven findings that cytokines do have detrimental effects on implantation, trophoblast proliferation, embryo development and fetal survival, our results suggest a potential mechanism of immunologic recurrent abortion which involves the secretion of IL‐iβ. TNFα, IFNγ and other cytokines by activated endometrial lymphocytes and macrophages in response to either trophoblast or sperm antigens and these cytokines could partially defuse or penetrate into the systemic circulation.
An Estimated Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model of Taiwanese Economy

In this paper, I estimate an open economy DSGE model for the Taiwanese economy. The model features multiple sources of real and nominal rigidities, including price and wage stickiness, investment and bond adjustment costs, as well as incomplete pass-through of exchange rates. Contrary to the usual practice in the literature, monetary policy is modeled as a money supply rule instead of an interest rate rule, to be consistent with the policy regime in Taiwan. The model is estimated using Bayesian techniques. The estimated model is used to characterize monetary policy in Taiwan and assess relative importance of various shocks and frictions in Taiwanese economy
Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools. Executive Summary.

See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb. edu/gaston_pubs Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, and the Urban Education Commons
Short-rotation forest plantations - economic feasibility in eastern Colorado.

ABSTRACT This study examines the economic feasibility of short-rotation intensive culture tree plantations as an alternative crop for farmers and ranchers in eastern Colorado. Numerous wood biomass production scenarios were evaluated using standard economic criteria. All scenarios gave negative economic results even when including a federal subsidy program. The best two scenarios, one irrigated and the other not, applied herbicides and fertilization, and produced wood chips as a product using a 10-year rotation. Compared with other studies land and harvest costs were proportionally less, however unit production costs were higher. The overall economic analysis was most sensitive to changes in yields and market prices. While the economic performance is marginal, rural landowners in eastern Colorado may still wish to consider these plantations given their substantial environmental and sustainability benefits. A reevaluation should be conducted if more comprehensive yield information becomes available or ther.
A history and review of the European Quality Award Model

Purpose – Through the analysis of a crucial period of the history of quality in Europe – the creation of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and the development of the European Quality Award – the author, who was a protagonist of the narrated events, aims to reveal some historical aspects that are generally ignored and that should explain some of the peculiarities of the award model. Taking stock of the present situation, some directions taken in the TQM/Excellence Model's development and use are questioned, and the author reasserts his views on the whole matter.Design/methodology/approach – For the historical part the author has based his research on public documents, EFQM Newsletters and internal documentation and personal correspondence with the protagonists of the events that are mentioned. The author will be glad to share with students who want to conduct research in this area his personal records. The following discussion is mostly based on the author's findings and experiences, co.
Participation in Higher Education in Australia: Equity and Access

We study the relationship between university participation and socioeconomic status (SES) in Australia, focusing on eligibility to attend university. Participation among those with similar eligibility to attend university does not vary by SES. Conditional on their Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) scores, low SES students are as likely to attend university as high SES students. We find that possession and the quality of ENTER scores (eligibility) rises with SES. Our results suggest better understanding and policy targeting of the link between SES and school achievement, which is an important part of improving equity and access in Australian higher education.
Incidence of mixed chimaerism and clinical outcome in 101 patients after myeloablative conditioning regimens and allogeneic stem cell transplantation

In the light of reduced intensity conditioning regimens for allogeneic transplantation, monitoring of donor cell engraftment acquires new relevance. We analysed the clinical significance of haematopoietic chimaerism as a parameter of patient outcome and detection of relapse for early intervention by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) after allogeneic transplantation. Between July 1994 and March 1999, 101 adult patients with malignant disease were evaluated. Median follow‐up was 15 months (range 0·7–56·5) after transplantation. Patients received busulphan‐containing (n = 82) or total body irradiation (TBI)‐containing (n = 19) regimens. Fifteen out of 98 (15%) patients with predictive chimaerism analyses relapsed, 5 out of 20 (25%) with mixed chimaerism (MC) and 10 out of 78 (13%) with complete donor chimaerism (CC) before apparent relapse. Seven patients received donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) as relapse therapy with conversion from MC to CC in all three patients with successful DLI. Our data stress the importance of chimaerism monitoring after allogeneic transplantation and demonstrate the more frequent occurrence of disease relapse in patients showing MC, rather than CC, after transplantation. Moreover, the assessment of chimaerism has been shown to be a valuable tool in monitoring the efficiency of donor lymphocyte infusions for relapse.
Physical activity and exercise dependence during inpatient treatment of longstanding eating disorders: an exploratory study of excessive and non-excessive exercisers.

OBJECTIVE To describe changes in physical activity (PA) and exercise dependence score during treatment of eating disorders (ED), and to explore correlations among changes in PA, exercise motivation, exercise dependence score and ED psychopathology in excessive and non-excessive exercisers. METHOD Thirty-eight adult females receiving inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or ED not otherwise specified participated in this prospective study. Assessments included accelerometer assessed PA, Exercise Dependence Scale, Reasons for Exercise Inventory, ED Examination, and ED Inventory. RESULTS Amount of PA was significantly reduced in non-excessive exercisers during treatment, in excessive exercisers there was a trend towards reduced amount of PA from admission to discharge. In excessive exercisers, reduced ED psychopathology was correlated with reduction in exercise dependence score and perceived importance of exercise to regulate negative affects, but not with importance of exercise for weight/appearance. These associations were not found in non-excessive exercisers. DISCUSSION Excessive exercise is an important issue in longstanding ED, and the excessive exercising patients need help to develop alternative strategies to regulate negative affects.
Has Portfolio Assessment Become Common Practice in EFL Classrooms? Empirical Studies from China

This paper describes the results of an investigation into the use of portfolio assessment (PA) in Chinese context, beginning with a survey of the rationale for the use of portfolios with students. Then the empirical study is presented and the teacher’s and the student’s as well as the English teaching advisor’s voices are revealed through excerpts collected from the questionnaire and the interviews. The findings show that portfolio assessment is in its infancy. The factors that might have hindered its progress are discussed.
Highway drivers willingness to pay for speeding violations in Taiwan

SUMMARY This study investigates the effects of various factors on highway drivers' speeding behaviour and estimates the amount of money that a highway driver is willing to pay for speeding violations in Taiwan. The contingent valuation method is applied to measure drivers' preference and to derive the value function of the amount of money. Logit and probit models are estimated to analyse the significant variables influencing speeding behaviour and to calculate the willingness to pay for speeding violations. The research results show that increasing speeding fines is an effective way to reduce illegal driving behaviour on highways. Significant variables affecting highway drivers' speeding behaviour include gender, engine capacity, past offenders in the previous year, and the risk-seeking characteristics of drivers. Finally, the logit and probit models show that the amounts of money that highway drivers are willing to pay for speeding violations are $US119 and $US116, respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Land-use Planning and Traveller-Gypsies: Towards Non-prejudicial Practice

Respect for equality and racial diversity are accepted as key tenets to sound contemporary planning practice (for example, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister [ODPM], 2005a; Royal Town Planning Institute [RTPI], 2007b). This is supported by a body of normative work extolling the virtues of a pluralist approach to planning the built environment (for example, Young, 1990; Sandercock, 1998; Thomas, 2000). However, this aspiration is undermined by those who point out the potential of the planning system to serve as a mechanism for exclusion and social control (for example, Yiftachel, 1995; Thomas & Krishnarayan, 1994), with such insights having some grounding in surveys of planning practice in a variety of contexts (for example, Quadeer, 1997; Loftman & Beazley, 1998; Ellis, 2001; Thompson, 2003; Harwood, 2005). Thus, despite a general policy commitment to accommodating difference, examples of general exclusion and specific discrimination appear to be common. This paper explores how Traveller-Gypsies, amongst the most marginalized and deprived sections of society in Britain and Ireland (Kenrick & Bakewell, 1995; Hawes & Perez, 1996; Donahue et al., 2003; Cemlyn & Clark, 2005), are accommodated within the UK planning system. The socio-economic position and standard of living of Traveller-Gypsies is heavily influenced by their ability to secure good quality sites for their specific accommodation needs, predominantly in caravans. This means that, like a number of other groups (for example, Lane, 2006), the planning system is one of the most important factors that determine Traveller-Gypsies’ socio-economic standing and exclusionary status. This paper will review the marginalization of Traveller-Gypsies and highlight how some of the assumptions made in current planning practice may be interpreted as being discriminatory against their cultural identity. It is argued that by framing this issue in terms of both racism and anti-nomadism, it is possible to outline a
Institutional Resilience Meets Critical Junctures: (re)allocation of Power in Three British Parties Post-devolution

How do parties react when their institutional environment is federalized or devolved? This article investigates how the three dominant British parties have responded to devolution in terms of internal reallocation of power. Party change is evaluated in the light of a functionalist and an institutionalist perspective. We find that Labour has moved incrementally away from centralism; the Conservative Party has changed more extensively towards stratarchy, while the Liberal Democrats, already federalized pre-devolution, have been the least affected of the parties. Our findings lend some support to the institutionalist thesis that (functionally driven) party change is restrained by distinct organizational legacies. However, critical junctures, typically induced by electoral failure, could facilitate a party’s break with organizational legacies to embark on more extensive reform.
Aging and Work Ability: The Moderating Role of Job and Personal Resources

Objective: Demographic changes involving western countries and later retirements due to the recent pension reforms induce a gradual aging of the workforce. This imply an increasing number of workers with health problems and a decreasing of ability to work. In this direction, the present study aims at examining the role of job and personal resources between age and work ability within nurses. Method: The study was cross-sectional and not randomized; data were collected by a self-report questionnaire during a multi-center survey conducted in two Italian hospitals in 2016. In this way, 333 nurses were reached. Results: Multiple linear regression showed that age is significantly and negatively associated to work ability, and that job resources (e.g., decision authority and meaning of work) and personal resources (e.g., hope and resilience) moderate the relationship between age and work ability. Discussion: These results highlight that investing in work and personal resources to support WA is even more relevant for those professions where high physical effort is required.
Dividends as a Signalling Mechanism: The Case of Illiquid Stock Markets

Dividends payment is an important signalling device used by corporations. Through the dividend policy, firms can ‘separate’ themselves and let the market, in an environment of asymmetric information, correctly assess their value. However, it is not clear that this mechanism is effective in markets subject to liquidity shocks. We addressed this problem by developing a model where liquidity shocks occur with a certain probability and the stockholder must sell some illiquid assets at a discount in order to cover his cash needs. The results show that under certain conditions and except for the very extreme cases, dividends in fact can still be used as a signalling mechanism by companies in illiquid markets.
Prognostic significance of immunoglobulin phenotype in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Seventy-six consecutive untreated patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and classified according to Binet's staging system were studied at the clinical presentation. Several immunologic parameters (number of total and T circulating lymphocytes and their surface membrane immunoglobulin [Smlg] phenotypes and levels of serum Ig) were evaluated with the aim of identifying a biologic marker of prognostic relevance. In this series of persons, Binet staging confirmed its usefulness as a prognostic index (P less than .001). With regard to Smlg, they were mu-type in 41 cases (53.9%), mu-type plus delta-type in 29 cases (38.2%), alpha-type in one case, and not detectable in five cases. No correlations were found between clinical stage and immunoglobulin phenotype, although all but one patient in stage C showed mu-type Smlg alone. On analyzing the survival curves of our patients according to different Smlg phenotypes, we found that patients with only mu-type Smlg had a poorer prognosis (P less than .05) than those with mu-type plus delta-type; this difference was even more significant (P less than .01) in patients in stage A, whereas there were no statistical differences in those in stages B and C. Because the appearance of surface heavy chain of delta-type could be an expression of cell maturation, these results suggest that in B-CLL the presence of phenotypically more mature leukemic cells may correlate with better clinical prognosis, particularly in the early phase of the disease.
Effect of dose on response to adrenocorticotropin in extremely low birth weight infants.

CONTEXT Various cosyntropin doses are used to test adrenal function in premature infants, without consensus on appropriate dose or adequate response. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to test the cortisol response of extremely low birth weight infants to different cosyntropin doses and evaluate whether these doses differentiate between groups of infants with clinical conditions previously associated with differential response to cosyntropin. DESIGN The design was a prospective, nested study conducted within a randomized clinical trial of low-dose hydrocortisone from November 1, 2001, to April 30, 2003. SETTING The setting was nine newborn intensive care units. PATIENTS The patients included infants with 500-999 g birth weight. INTERVENTION The drug used was cosyntropin, at 1.0 or 0.1 microg/kg, given between 18 and 28 d of birth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE We measured the cortisol response to cosyntropin. RESULTS Two hundred seventy-six infants were tested. Previous hydrocortisone treatment did not suppress basal or stimulated cortisol values. Cosyntropin, at 1.0 vs. 0.1 microg/kg, yielded higher cortisol values (P < 0.001) and fewer negative responses (2 vs. 21%). The higher dose, but not the lower dose, showed different responses for girls vs. boys (P = 0.02), infants receiving enteral nutrition vs. not (P < 0.001), infants exposed to chorioamnionitis vs. not (P = 0.04), and those receiving mechanical ventilation vs. not (P = 0.02), as well as a positive correlation with fetal growth (P = 0.03). A response curve for the 1.0-microg/kg dose for infants receiving enteral nutrition (proxy for clinically well infants) showed a 10th percentile of 16.96 microg/dl. Infants with responses less than the 10th percentile had more bronchopulmonary dysplasia and longer length of stay. CONCLUSIONS A cosyntropin dose of 0.1 microg/kg did not differentiate between groups of infants with clinical conditions that affect response. We recommend 1.0 microg/kg cosyntropin to test adrenal function in these infants.
The Development of Quality Managers in the Hospitality Industry: Do Employee Development Programs Make Cents?

Employee development is the process of providing employees with opportunities to grow within an organization. While there is much research conducted on the value of training, there is little scholarship conducted on developing employees to prepare them for positions of greater responsibility. Given the high turnover prevalent in the hospitality industry, and the cost of this turnover, it is imperative that we understand this construct, as well as how employee development might impact key human resources measures such as employee job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to stay. This report presents a review of the existing literature and examples of employee development programs that appear to be working, while also offering suggestions for areas of future research.
THE SHORT‐RUN AND LONG‐RUN FACTOR‐MARKET CONSEQUENCES OF IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES*

This paper applies the production-theory approach to assess the impact on domestic wages and employment of immigration to the United States. Inputs are disaggregated between recent immigrants, non-recent immigrants, native workers, and capital. Census cross-sectional data for 1980 and for 123 metropolitan areas are used. Empirical estimates are reported for alternative functional forms with special attention devoted to required curvature conditions which have frequently been violated in previous work. Elasticity estimates are reported for alternative settings, including for the short run where we view domestic factor prices as given and the long run where we treat them as flexible.
The effects of strategic corporate philanthropy on consumer perceptions: an experimental assessment

There are many objectives for corporate philanthropic activity beyond altruism. Financial gain, increased image, and thwarting negative publicity have been suggested as potential objectives for corporate giving. This dissertation develops a 2X2 classification schema as a framework for empirical investigation and managerial decision making. Additionally this dissertation examines current models of corporate philanthropy and develops a new model for the use of philanthropy in crisis management using stakeholder theory. Finally it presents experimental assessments of various types of philanthropy based on the classification schema. Philanthropic activity is assessed in the context of two controlled experiments. The first experiment examines the perceptions of African-Americans versus other ethnic groups based on philanthropic activity directed toward African-Americans versus the general population. These perceptions are also examined in the context of a crisis (after a firm has been found to be discriminatory toward African-Americans) versus a good will gesture. A second experiment will conduct a closer examination of philanthropic activity in the crisis context by replicating the crisis conditions in the first experiment with modified experimental manipulations based on the results of the first study. Results indicate philanthropy is an effective strategic option for corporate or brand image objectives, but ineffective for brand evaluation and purchase objectives. In addition philanthropy directed toward a particular segment also has a positive effect on consumers outside of that segment. Finally, philanthropy as a part of a recovery strategy appears to have a consistent but marginal effect on consumer perceptions of brand equity variables.