Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal Problem Drinking and Child Mental Health

ABSTRACT Background: Offspring of individuals with alcohol use disorders have been shown to have elevated risk for mental health problems. Objectives: To examine the association between maternal problem drinking and child mental health as assessed by three informants in three European countries. Methods: Data were drawn from the School Child Mental Health in Europe study. Maternal alcohol use was assessed using the alcohol use disorders identification test. Child mental health was assessed using the mother and teacher versions of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire, and the child self-reported Dominic interactive. Analyses were performed on 2,678 individuals, 6–11 year olds. Results: Adjusting for variables associated with maternal drinking, among children eight years old or younger, excessive drinking was not significantly associated with mental health problems, whether reported by the mother, teacher or by the child. However, among girls eight years old and above, problem drinking was associated with conduct problems as reported by the mother (OR = 4.19), teacher reported total difficulties (OR = 4.69), and peer relationship problems (OR = 8.86). It was also associated with the presence of any child-reported disorder (OR = 3.88), externalizing (OR = 5.55) and internalizing disorders (OR = 4.42). Conclusions/Importance: Adjusting for sociodemographic variables and for psychological distress, maternal problem drinking was not significantly associated with child mental health problems in boys or in girls ages six to eight. The association was only present among girls ages 8–11. Examining relationships between mothers and their daughters in the peripubertal period may be a critical window for the development of effective intervention strategies.
Effects of single-dose dexmedetomidine on the quality of recovery after modified radical mastectomy: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2 agonist with analgesic, anxiolytic, and anti-inflammatory properties. We investigated the effect of a single dose of dexmedetomidine on patient-perceived quality of recovery and clinical recovery variables after modified radical mastectomy under general anesthesia in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. METHODS After Institutional Review Board approval, ninety two female patients were randomly allocated to receive intravenously either saline (Group C, N.=46) or 0.5 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine (Group D, N.=46) five min before the end of surgery. The quality of recovery was assessed using a 40-item quality-of-recovery scoring system (QoR-40) preoperatively and 24 h after surgery. Pain intensity, rescue analgesics, and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) were assessed at postanesthesia care unit (PACU), 1-6 h, and 6-24 h after surgery. RESULTS Postoperative global QoR-40 scores were higher in Group D compared with Group C (181 [175-187] vs. 174 [154.5-181.5], P=0.004); postoperative QoR-40 scores were improved in the dimensions of emotional state, physical comfort, and psychological support. Total amount of tramadol during 24 h after surgery was significantly lower in Group D than in Group C (54 vs. 76 mg, P=0.006). The incidence of PONV was lower in Group D than in Group C in PACU (21% vs. 43%, P=0.026) and 6-24 h period after surgery (10% vs. 41%, P=0.012). Heart rate and mean blood pressure were significantly lower in Group D as compared with Group C at 5 min after administration of dexmedetomidine, 1 min after extubation, and 20 min after arrival in PACU. CONCLUSION The use of a single dose dexmedetomidine improved the quality of recovery and reduced analgesic requirements and the incidence of PONV in the early postoperative period after modified radical mastectomy.
Critical discussion on (100) and (110) orientation dependent transport: nMOS planar and FinFET

Electron mobility on (100) and (110) planar FETs and SOI FinFETs was evaluated. It is experimentally demonstrated that the (110) sidewall of FinFETs does not present a drawback in terms of electron mobility - contrary to results obtained on (110) planar MOSFETs. This is comprehensively explained by a combination of first principles and empirical approach closely matching the experimental data.
Clostridium difficile: improving the prevention paradigm in healthcare settings

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major public health problem worldwide with significant morbidity and mortality that is spread by spores and fecal oral transmission. A variety of risk factors have been identified. Some risk factors such as age, are not amenable to change, while others such as antimicrobial utilization have resulted in broadly implemented antimicrobial stewardship programs. New risk factors are emerging such as proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, irritable bowel disease (IBD) and obesity, with others yet to be determined. Prevention of spread of CDI is imperative, since therapy remains imperfect. We review established and emerging risks for CDI and offer potential preventative strategies with the use of a multidisciplinary CDI prevention bundle checklist.
Financial Accelerator at Work: Evidence from Corn Fields

This paper tests financial accelerator models. Using a novel dataset on agricultural production, we examine how exogenous productivity shocks arising from variation in temperature are propagated into the future. We find that past weather shocks have persistent effects on land values and productivity up to two years following the shock. Propagation and amplification of productivity shocks are both significantly larger during the farm debt crisis of the 1980s and amongst farms in lower income counties. Finally, we find higher investment in farm equipment and decreased borrowing following a positive weather shock.
The association between banks' performance ratios and market-determined measures of risk

The primary objective of this study was to determine how successful the banks' financial ratios had been in reproducing the market-determined measures of risks. Two measures of market risk, systematic risk given by beta and total risk represented by the standard deviations, for 59 commercial banks over the period of January 1986 to September 1990 were calculated. Each risk measure was regressed (using both OLS and the Ridge regression methods) on the banks' financial ratios to determine the existence of a linear relationship. Findings of this study are somewhat contradictory to prior studies. The financial ratios failed to explain the variablity in market risks significantly.
Plasma Membrane Budding as an Alternative Release Mechanism of the Extracellular Enveloped Form of Vaccinia Virus from HeLa Cells

ABSTRACT In HeLa cells the assembly of modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), an attenuated vaccinia virus (VV) strain, is blocked. No intracellular mature viruses (IMVs) are made and instead, immature viruses accumulate, some of which undergo condensation and are released from the cell. The condensed particles may undergo wrapping by membranes of the trans-Golgi network and fusion with the plasma membrane prior to their release (M. W. Carroll and B. Moss, Virology 238:198-211, 1997). The present study shows by electron microscopy (EM), however, that the dense particles made in HeLa cells are also released by a budding process at the plasma membrane. By labeling the plasma membrane with antibodies to B5R, a membrane protein of the extracellular enveloped virus, we show that budding occurs at sites that concentrate this protein. EM quantitation revealed that the cell surface around a budding profile was as strongly labeled with anti-B5R antibody as were the extracellular particles, whereas the remainder of the plasma membrane was significantly less labeled. To test whether budding was a characteristic of MVA infection, HeLa cells were infected with the replication competent VV strains Western Reserve strain (WR) and International Health Department strain-J (IHD-J) and also prepared for EM. EM analyses, surprisingly, revealed for both virus strains IMVs that evidently budded at the cell surface at sites that were significantly labeled with anti-B5R. EM also indicated that budding of MVA dense particles was more efficient than budding of IMVs from WR- or IHD-J-infected cells. This was confirmed by semipurifying [35S]methionine-labeled dense particles or extracellular enveloped virus (EEVs) from the culture supernatant of MVA- or IHD-J-infected HeLa cells, respectively, showing that threefold more labeled dense particles were secreted than EEVs. Finally, although the released MVA dense particles contain some DNA, they are not infectious, as assessed by plaque assays.
Institutional embeddedness of local willingness to Pay for Environmental Services: evidence From Matiguás, Nicaragua

The concept of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) has gained increasing popularity in the conservation literature as it offers the potential to reconcile opposing social and ecological objectives by paying land owners for the positive environmental externalities they generate on their land. Based on extensive fieldwork in Matiguas, Nicaragua, this paper aims to complement the literature on locally-financed PES schemes in agricultural watersheds. Using both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, it inquires into the under-researched demand-side potential by assessing local willingness to pay (WTP) for water and watershed services in an upstream-downstream setting. Our results show a significant WTP for improved water services and a clear local consciousness about upstream-downstream interdependencies, suggesting potential for a ‘Coasean’ water-related PES scheme. Contrary to expectations, the feasibility of such a locally-financed PES system is however undermined by prevailing local perceptions of agricultural externalities and entitlements, questioning the fairness of such payments. Also low levels of mutual trust seem to undermine the credibility of the PES framework. The viability and acceptance of locally-financed PES mechanisms will thus also depend on the prior social production of cognitive synergies and improved collective action.
Locally Sparse Estimator for Functional Linear Regression Models

ABSTRACT A new locally sparse (i.e., zero on some subregions) estimator for coefficient functions in functional linear regression models is developed based on a novel functional regularization technique called “fSCAD. ” The nice shrinkage property of fSCAD allows the proposed estimator to locate null subregions of coefficient functions without over shrinking nonzero values of coefficient functions. Additionally, a roughness penalty is incorporated to control the roughness of the locally sparse estimator. Our method is theoretically sounder and computationally simpler than existing methods. Asymptotic analysis reveals that the proposed estimator is consistent and can identify null subregions with probability tending to one. Extensive simulations confirm the theoretical analysis and show excellent numerical performance of the proposed method. Practical merit of locally sparse modeling is demonstrated by two real applications. Supplemental materials for the article are available online.
Prospects for equitable growth in rural sub-Saharan Africa

Improving agricultural technology equitably in Africa has been difficult in the past because of the vast differences, as well as weak institutions and infrastructure in its many regions. However, the prospects for equitable growth are good for several reasons. The distribution of land has not deteriorated, and there are few landless people in Africa. Technical packages do not favor large farms over small ones, and Africa's social institutions support people with a safety net for sources of income. The author, however, points out that equitable growth, though possible is not assured and several research and policy initiatives will be needed to capitalize on the potential. First, research must continue to focus on technology appropriate for small farms and crops. Policy makers must no longer withhold assistance from service enterprises or nonfarm activities of women. Rural infrastructure has to be upgraded, and finally, governments will need to monitor land tenure and tenancy.
Equilibrium Unemployment Dynamics

The global dynamics of Pissarides' (1990) equilibrium model of aggregate unemployment are studied in the case of increasing returns to scale in production and constant returns to scale in the matching process. An equilibrium is a dynamic path for the aggregate number of matches generated by best-response search and recruiting investment decisions under rational expectations. Necessary and sufficient conditions for multiple equilibria, including limit cycles, are derived, and illustrative examples are computed. The application of saddle-loop bifurcation theory is a novel feature of the analysis. Since one equilibrium Pareto dominates all the others, a macroeconomic coordination problem exists. Copyright 1999 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
Advice and monitoring in venture finance

This paper provides empirical insight into the role of contracts and legal systems for managing investor–investee relationships along two dimensions: providing advice and addressing conflict. We examine a new detailed dataset from European venture capital (VC) funds. We match very specific contractual terms in VC contracts with the effort (total time spent) and advice that VCs provide to their entrepreneurial investee firms. We also analyze VC–entrepreneur conflicts. We compare the importance of contractual versus non-contractual governance mechanisms, as well as the role of legal systems in different countries for facilitating VC–entrepreneur relationships. The data indicate VC cash-flow and control rights significantly facilitating effort and advice that VCs provide to entrepreneurs. VC–entrepreneur conflicts are closely tied to the quality of laws in which the entrepreneur resides: higher quality legal systems mitigate VC–entrepreneur conflicts. The data further indicate that non-contractual governance mechanisms significantly facilitate VC advice and mitigate VC–entrepreneur conflicts. The results provide a unique unifying look into the role of actual VC contracts and legal settings versus non-contractual governance mechanisms, risk, and success potential on VC–entrepreneur relationships in an international context.
Semiconductor Power Converterless Voltage Sag Compensator and UPS Using a Flywheel Induction Motor and an Engine Generator

Flywheel energy storage systems are focused as uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) from the viewpoint of environmental friendliness and high durability performance. Using a low-speed, heavy, simple flywheel, and a low-cost squirrel-cage induction motor/generator, this paper proposes two applications as follows; 1) 11-kW voltage sag compensator using a capacitor self-excited induction generator without semiconductor converters; 2) UPS composed of the flywheel system and an engine generator. From some experimental results, an ideal voltage sag compensator and UPS are realized by the low-technology flywheel system.
Heterogeneity and Number of Export Destinations of Italian Firms: A Hurdle Negative Binomial Regression Approach

Abstract This article addresses on an aspect of firms internationalization so far little explored, the choice of the number of export destinations and a proxy of the complexity of the export activity. As the outcome variable is a count with an excess of zeros, we use a hurdle regression model for count data that also allow disentangling the aspect of heterogeneity related to the decision to export from those measuring the number of markets served. Some differences arise by the comparison between the estimates regarding the propensity to export model and those of the model describing the number of export destinations. Regarding the propensity to export, the estimated models support the familiar evidences already presented in literature: exporters are larger, more productive, more innovative and invest more. With reference to the number of export destinations, it seems that not only the larger the number of markets served the more productive, large and willing to invest is the firm but also firms engaged in multiple markets seem to be older, financially stable, and willing to support organizational and managerial innovations.
What Young African American Women Want in a Health Care Provider

The Institute of Medicine’s report on racial and ethnic disparities in health care encourages enhancing patient—provider relationships by building trust. We explored factors important to 19- to 24-year-old African American women (N = 40) in choosing a health care provider. Eight focus groups were held in seven Ohio counties. Discussion was aided by photographs of client—provider interactions: two African American and two White providers (man or woman in each); in similar settings, attire, and pose; with a young African American woman client. Participants commented on what was happening in the photographs, how the woman felt, and their perceptions of each provider. Fongwa’s Quality of Care model guided analysis. Women providers were favored; race was not of primary concern. Provider proximity, perceived interest, and understandability were persistent preferences. Trust, awareness of body language, interest in client, and conveying information clearly are critical for providers caring for young African American women.
International supply chain management

Competitive pressures and changes in the economic climate have forced management of international companies to evaluate afresh the operation and structure of international supply chains. Swings between “local for local” and “international supply centre” strategies for manufacturing and distribution have dramatic implications for organisation, structure, control systems and costs to serve the customer. New approaches to managing change in international chains have emerged and been proven in recent years. This article describes the concepts underlying these approaches, the barriers that need to be overcome and some of the lessons learned from experience of implementation.
On putting the cart before the horse: Taking perception seriously in unified theories of cognition

s The book presents the case that cognitive science should turn its attention to developing theories of human cognition that cover the full range of human perceptual, cognitive, and action phenomena. Cognitive science has now produced a massive number of high-quality regularities with many micro theories that reveal important mechanisms. The need for integration is pressing and will continue to increase. Equally important, cognitive science now has the theoretical concepts and tools to support serious attempts at unified theories. The argument is made entirely by presenting an exemplar unified theory of cognition both to show what a real unified theory would be like and to provide convincing evidence that such theories are feasible. The exemplar is SOAR, a cognitive architecture, which is realized as a software system. After a detailed discussion of the architecture and its properties, with its relation to the constraints on cognition in the real world and to existing ideas in cognitive science, SOAR is used as theory for a wide range of cognitive phenomena: immediate responses (stimulus-response compatibility and the Sternberg phenomena); discrete motor skills (transcription typing); memory and learning (episodic memory and the acquisition of skill through practice); problem solving (cryptarithmetic puzzles and syllogistic reasoning); language (sentence verification and taking instructions); and development (transitions in the balance beam task). The treatments vary in depth and adequacy, but they clearly reveal a single, highly specific, operational theory that works over the entire range of human cognition, SOAR is presented as an exemplar unified theory, not as the sole candidate. Cognitive science is not ready yet for a single theory there must be multiple attempts. But cognitive science must begin to work toward such unified theories. Keywords^ artificial intelligence; chunking; cognition; cognitive science; computation; problem solving; production systems; SOAR; symbol systems The book begins by urging on psychology unified theories of cognition: Psychology has arrived at the possibility of unified theories of cognition theories that gain their power by positing a single system of mechanisms that operate together to produce the full range of human cognition. I do not say they are here, but they are within reach and we should strive to attain them. My goal is to convince the reader that unified theories of cognition are really worth striving for now, as we move into the nineties. This cannot be done just by talking about it. An exemplar candidate is put forth to illustrate concretely what a unified theory of cognition means and why it should be a goal for cognitive science. The candidate is a theory (and system) called SOAR (Laird et al. 1987). The book is the written version of the William James Lectures, delivered at Harvard University in spring 1987. Its stance is personal, reflecting the author's thirty years of research in cognitive science, although this precis will be unable to convey much of this flavor.
‘Putting a Foot in the Door’: Volunteer Hiring and Organizational Form

Volunteering often acts as a stepping stone into a paid position. This paper provides an explanation for the fact that non-profit employers are uniquely able to attract volunteers with social concerns and career aspirations and for the related observation that non-profits figure prominently in mission-related activities. The theory is predicated on that—by committing to not distributing profits—non-profit incorporation relaxes the incentive constraint that employers face when implicitly contracting with volunteers. The not-for-profit commitment is shown to be effective only in activities where producers, who can choose to be for-profit or non-profit, care about the level of the service being provided.
The adoption of innovative work practices in service establishments

Using data from the 1994 US National Establishment Survey, the author investigates differences between manufacturing and service establishments in the use of five innovative work practices: total quality management, self-managed teams, job rotation, job sharing and flextime. Service establishments are more likely to use job sharing and flextime. Manufacturing establishments are more likely to use total quality management and self-managed teams. These results hold when controlling for establishments’ business strategies, worker demographics, institutional connections and use of technology. Determinants of adoption of total quality management, self-managed teams and flextime also varied by sector.