Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Home-Based Firms, E-Commerce, and High-Technology Small Firms: Are they Related?

This article demonstrates the importance of home-based businesses to the U.S. economy. These firms produced 10% of all receipts of the small-business sector in 1996, and their numbers have grown rapidly. This article examines what kinds of businesses are being run out of the home but concentrates on the subset that may be called truly entrepreneurial: the firms that gross at least $1 million and have employees working in the home. Different sections of this article contrast the characteristics of firms run out of the home with the motivations and backgrounds of their owners. The influence of the Internet on these entrepreneurial firms is also explored, as well as regulations that may be preventing a faster expansion of home-based activities.
Risk as narrative value: a theoretical framework for facilitating the biotechnology debate

Maintaining the global public good character of agricultural biotechnology requires the blending of many different values. Sometimes, however, there are large gaps between the values held by different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, there is a contradiction between what people say they value, and how they actually behave. Articulating and overcoming gaps and contradictions is key to reducing polarisation in risk deliberations. This paper presents a theoretical framework for understanding risk as value, and narrative as a tool for facilitating the global biotechnology debate.
Quantifying the Health Benefits of Urban Climate Mitigation Actions: Current State of the Epidemiological Evidence and Application in Health Impact Assessments

While ambitious carbon reduction policies are needed to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, the costs of these policies can be balanced by wide ranging health benefits for local communities. Cities, responsible for ~70% of the world's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and home to a growing majority of the world's population, offer enormous opportunities for both climate action and health improvement. We aim to review the current state of knowledge on key pathways leading from carbon mitigation to human health benefits, and to evaluate our current ability to quantify health benefits for cities around the world. For example, because GHGs and air pollutants are both released during fuel combustion, reducing fuel burning can reduce both GHGs and air pollutants, leading to direct health benefits. Air quality improvements may be particularly important for city-scale climate action planning because the benefits occur locally and relatively immediately, compared with the global and long-term (typically, decades to centuries) benefits for the climate system. In addition to improved air quality, actions that promote active transport in cities via improved cycling and pedestrian infrastructure can reap large cardiovascular health benefits via increased physical activity. Exposure to green space has been associated with beneficial health outcomes in a growing number of epidemiological studies and meta-analyses conducted around the world. Finally, noise is an underappreciated environmental risk factor in cities which can be addressed through actions to reduce motor vehicle traffic and other noise sources. All of these environmental health pathways are supported by well-conducted epidemiological studies in multiple locales, providing quantitative exposure–response data that can be used as inputs to health impact assessments (HIAs). However, most epidemiologic evidence derives from studies in high-income countries. It is unclear to what extent such evidence is directly transferable for policies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This gap calls for a future focus on building the evidence based in LMIC cities. Finally, the literature suggests that policies are likely to be most effective when they are developed by multidisciplinary teams that include policy makers, researchers, and representatives from affected communities.
Toward the next generation of research into small area effects on health: a synthesis of multilevel investigations published since July 1998

To map out area effects on health research, this study had the following aims: (1) to inventory multilevel investigations of area effects on self rated health, cardiovascular diseases and risk factors, and mortality among adults; (2) to describe and critically discuss methodological approaches employed and results observed; and (3) to formulate selected recommendations for advancing the study of area effects on health. Overall, 86 studies were inventoried. Although several innovative methodological approaches and analytical designs were found, small areas are most often operationalised using administrative and statistical spatial units. Most studies used indicators of area socioeconomic status derived from censuses, and few provided information on the validity and reliability of measures of exposures. A consistent finding was that a significant portion of the variation in health is associated with area context independently of individual characteristics. Area effects on health, although significant in most studies, often depend on the health outcome studied, the measure of area exposure used, and the spatial scale at which associations are examined.
Measuring Environmental Policy Stringency in OECD Countries: A Composite Index Approach

Cross-country analysis of the economic effects of environmental policies is limited by the lack of reliable, comparable measures of the stringency of environmental policies. This paper attempts to fill this gap, by constructing new quantitative indexes of environmental policy stringency (EPS). Selected environmental policy instruments, primarily related to climate and air pollution, are scored and aggregated into composite EPS indexes. Two EPS indexes are proposed – one for the energy sector, and an extended one to proxy for the broader economy (“economy-wide”). They cover most OECD countries over 1990s-2012. While a simplification of the multidimensional reality of environmental policies, the EPS indicators are a first tangible effort to measure environmental policy stringency internationally over a relatively long time horizon. They show relatively high and significant correlations with alternative proxies of EPS used in the literature, such as measures of perceived stringency based on surveys, measures based on environmental outcomes and a composite policy-based measure with no time series. The paper describes some additional features of the EPS indicators and sketches out possible future extensions. Mesurer la severite des politiques environnementales dans les pays de l'OCDE : Approche fondee sur des indices composites L’analyse des effets economiques des politiques environnementales dans une optique internationale est entravee par le manque de mesures fiables et comparables de la severite de ces politiques. Ce document vise a combler cette lacune en construisant de nouveaux indices quantitatifs de la severite des politiques environnementales (SPE). En l’occurrence, une note est attribuee a certains instruments de la politique de l’environnement – lies principalement au climat et a la pollution atmospherique – et les notes sont agregees sous forme d’indices composites de la SPE. Deux indices de SPE sont proposes : un pour le secteur de l’energie et un, elargi, destine a couvrir l’economie dans son ensemble (« macro-economique »). Ces indices couvrent la plupart des pays de l’OCDE pour la periode allant des annees 90 a 2012. Meme s’ils dressent un tableau simplifie de la realite proteiforme des politiques environnementales, les indicateurs de SPE sont l’aboutissement d’un premier effort tangible visant a mesurer la severite de ces politiques dans une optique internationale sur une periode relativement longue. Ils laissent apparaitre des correlations relativement fortes et significatives avec d’autres mesures indirectes de la SPE employees dans les travaux publies, comme celles issues d’enquetes sur la severite percue, celles reposant sur les resultats environnementaux et une mesure composite fondee sur les politiques pour laquelle il n’existe pas de serie temporelle. Le document decrit plusieurs autres caracteristiques des indicateurs de SPE et esquisse de possibles prolongements a venir.
Long-Term Outcomes in Real Life of Lumacaftor–Ivacaftor Treatment in Adolescents With Cystic Fibrosis

Background: The combination of the CFTR corrector lumacaftor (LUM) and potentiator ivacaftor (IVA) has been labeled in France since 2015 for F508del homozygote cystic fibrosis (CF) patients over 12 years. In this real-life study, we aimed (i) to compare the changes in lung function, clinical (e.g., body mass index and pulmonary exacerbations) and radiological parameters, and in sweat chloride concentration before and after initiation of LUM/IVA treatment; (ii) to identify factors associated with response to treatment; and (iii) to assess the tolerance to treatment. Materials and Methods: In this tri-center, non-interventional, and observational cohort study, children (12–18 years old) were assessed prospectively during the 2 years of therapy, and retrospectively during the 2 years preceding treatment. Data collected and analyzed for the study were exclusively extracted from the medical electronic system records of the patients. Results: Forty adolescents aged 12.0–17.4 years at LUM/IVA initiation were included. The lung function decreased significantly during and prior to treatment and increased after LUM/IVA initiation, becoming significant after 2 years of treatment. LUM/IVA significantly improved the BMI Z-score and sweat chloride concentration. By contrast, there was no significant change in exacerbation rates, antibiotic use, or CT scan scores. Age at LUM/IVA initiation was lower in good responders and associated with greater ppFEV1 change during the 2 years of treatment. LUM/IVA was well-tolerated. Conclusion: In F508del homozygote adolescents, real-life long-term LUM/IVA improved the ppFEV1 trajectory, particularly in the youngest patients, nutritional status, and sweat chloride concentration but not exacerbation rates or radiological scores. LUM/IVA was generally well-tolerated and safe.
Lactobacillus plantarum Lipoteichoic Acids Possess Strain-Specific Regulatory Effects on the Biofilm Formation of Dental Pathogenic Bacteria

Bacterial biofilm residing in the oral cavity is closely related to the initiation and persistence of various dental diseases. Previously, we reported the anti-biofilm activity of Lactobacillus plantarum lipoteichoic acid (Lp.LTA) on a representative dental cariogenic pathogen, Streptococcus mutans. Since LTA structure varies in a bacterial strain-specific manner, LTAs from various L. plantarum strains may have differential anti-biofilm activity due to their distinct molecular structures. In the present study, we isolated Lp.LTAs from four different strains of L. plantarum (LRCC 5193, 5194, 5195, and 5310) and compared their anti-biofilm effects on the dental pathogens, including S. mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, and Streptococcus gordonii. All Lp.LTAs similarly inhibited E. faecalis biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner. However, their effects on S. gordonii and S. mutans biofilm formation were different: LRCC 5310 Lp.LTA most effectively suppressed the biofilm formation of all strains of dental pathogens, while Lp.LTAs from LRCC 5193 and 5194 hardly inhibited or even enhanced the biofilm formation. Furthermore, LRCC 5310 Lp.LTA dramatically reduced the biofilm formation of the dental pathogens on the human dentin slice infection model. Collectively, these results suggest that Lp.LTAs have strain-specific regulatory effects on biofilm formation of dental pathogens and LRCC 5310 Lp.LTA can be used as an effective anti-biofilm agent for the prevention of dental infectious diseases.
Clinical Pharmacology of Rapacuronium Bromide, a New Short‐Acting Neuromuscular Blocking Agent

Rapacuronium is a new steroidal, nondepolarizing, neuromuscular blocking agent. It appears to be the least potent of all available nondepolarizing muscle relaxants. Its onset of action resembles that of succinylcholine, and its recovery times are shorter than those of other nondepolarizing agents. The clinical duration of rapacuronium can be shortened significantly with early (2 min) administration of neostigmine, which may be beneficial in patients with difficult airway or failed intubation. Rapacuronium appears to be free of significant cardiovascular complications.
Assessing periodontal pathogens in children with varying levels of oral hygiene.

This study investigated the presence of organisms Actinobacillus actinomycetecomitans (A.a.), Bacteroides intermedius (B.i.), and Bacteroides gingivalis (B.g.), believed to be associated with periodontal disease etiology in children. The study included fifty children, aged six to fourteen years, selected from patients seeking routine dental care at Children's Hospital National Medical Center. A Modified Plaque Index (MPI) denoting the clinical presence and severity of the periodontal disease was obtained for each patient and ranged from 0-3. A total of 200 samples were obtained from the gingival crevice of the mesial surface of all first permanent molars and tested with DNA probes for the presence of three microorganisms. No correlations were found between race, sex, age, and the Modified Plaque Index. The results show that A. actinomycetecomitans was found only in patients with MPI greater than or equal to 1. B. gingivalis was present only in combination with another organism.
An antibody that binds the immunoglobulin CDR3‐like region of the CD4 molecule inhibits provirus transcription in HIV‐infected T cells.

We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to study which step(s) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) life cycle may be blocked following treatment of HIV‐exposed CEM cells with 13B8‐2, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for the immunoglobulin (Ig) CDR3‐like region of the CD4 molecule and able to inhibit the productive infection of CEM cells by HIV‐1. The presence of viral RNA was investigated and found in 13B8‐2 mAb‐treated CEM cells 30 min after viral exposure; the full‐length viral DNA was found at 24 h post‐infection. We also found integrated forms of viral DNA at 24 h post‐infection. However, the integrated provirus was transcriptionally inactive in 13B8‐2 mAb‐treated cells, as demonstrated by the absence of spliced HIV‐1 mRNA. The lack of HIV transcription under 13B8‐2 mAb treatment was confirmed by chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay. We conclude that the inhibition of viral gene transcription accounts for the lack of progeny virions in culture supernatants of cells treated with this anti‐CD4 mAb. We also demonstrate that 13B8‐2 blocks viral production from chronically infected cells and restores CD4 cell‐surface expression on CEM cells containing an integrated provirus(es). We found this effect to be reversible. Moreover, we demonstrate that 13B8‐2 mAb treatment is efficient on different HIV‐1 and HIV‐2 virus isolates. These results may have major implications for the treatment of AIDS.
Extensive and Intensive Margins of Labour Supply: Work and Working Hours in the US, the UK and France*

This paper provides a new analysis of the main stylised facts underlying the evolution of labour supply at the extensive and intensive margins in three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and France. We propose a definition of the extensive and intensive margins corresponding respectively to the employment rate and to hours when employed. This definition is robust to the choice of the reference period and we develop a new statistical decomposition that provides bounds on changes at these margins. We focus on longer-run labour supply changes over the period 1977 to 2007 and
Political Control and the Power of the Agent

In the study of public bureaucracy, the relationship between political authorities and bureaucrats is commonly understood as one of principal and agent, and analysis centers on how the authorities can try to overcome the information asymmetry at the heart of this relationship--arising from the bureaucrats' expertise and other private information--to exercise a measure of control over their subordinates. In this standard view, information is the source of bureaucratic power. There is a second basis of bureaucratic power, however, that the literature overlooks. Precisely because the authorities are elected, bureaucrats can take political action--especially if organized by public sector unions--to influence who gets elected and what choices they make in office. This gives bureaucrats a political capacity to control their own controllers, putting the usual principal-agent relationship in a very different light. The purpose of this paper, then, is to make a case for the political power of the agent, and to argue for a reorientation of the current theory. In the empirical analysis, the argument is applied to the electoral behavior and impact of public school teachers and their unions--showing that they are quite active and influential in choosing the key authorities that are supposed to be governing them. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Nerve and seminal sparing radical cystectomy with orthotopic urinary diversion for select patients with superficial bladder cancer: an innovative surgical approach.

PURPOSE Radical cystectomy is advocated for high risk patients with superficial bladder cancer. To preserve complete urinary continence, normal sexual function and fertility in young patients, we developed an innovative technique based on nerve and seminal sparing radical cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Radical cystectomy was recommended for 8 patients with superficial bladder cancer that was not conservatively manageable. Average patient age was 44 years (range 36 to 48), and all patients were extremely anxious to maintain potency and fertility. The surgical procedure consisted of transurethral resection of the prostate, pelvic iliac lymph node dissection and extraperitoneal radical cystectomy performed while preserving the vas deferens seminal vesicles and neurovascular bundles. Urinary diversion was accomplished with a W-shaped ileal reservoir anastomosed to the prostatic capsule. RESULTS Patients were generally discharged from the hospital 15 days after surgery, and postoperative morbidity was limited. Daytime and nighttime continence was immediate and complete after catheter removal. Normal erectile function was clinically documented in all patients while fertility potential with semen retrieval via urine was recorded in 7. The quality of life, as reported by the patients, was highly satisfactory at 18-month followup. CONCLUSIONS The surgical approach we describe should be considered in young men with clinical, superficial bladder tumors refractory to conservative treatment who wish to maintain potency and fertility, and to guarantee as good a quality of life as possible. To ensure oncological success scrupulous patient selection is a primary step of this procedure.
Recruiting for fitness: qualifications and the challenges of an employer‐led system

Current UK skills policy is centred on the need to drive up qualification obtainment and make the system more employer‐led with Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) being given the role of articulating the ‘voice’ of employers. Through a study of recruitment and selection processes in the fitness industry, this paper explores employers’ attitudes to existing qualifications and whether their skill needs are being identified by their SSC. It also considers the broader implications of an employer‐led system. The research is based upon interviews undertaken in 17 gyms, focusing on the occupation of fitness instructor. The findings reveal that managers adopt a wide range of approaches in how they recruit, train and value qualifications in the labour market. Although qualifications in this sector are important, the over‐supply of ‘qualified’ workers means there is little incentive for most employers to tackle low wages or improve opportunities for training and development.
Gender dynamics in congressional elections

Introduction Women on the Rise in California Electoral Politics Gender and Political Representation in the Elections of 1992 and 1994 Men and Women on the Campaign Trail Gender and Strategy in Campaign Messages The Gender Dynamics of Fund-Raising, Party Support, and Media Coverage The Candidates Go to the Voters Conclusion The Future of Candidate Gender in Electoral Politics
A prospective evaluation of anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle, with and without resection, in the treatment of dissociated vertical deviation.

BACKGROUND Anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle (ATIO) has become a popular surgical treatment for dissociated vertical deviation (DVD), particularly in patients with coexisting inferior oblique muscle overaction (IOOA). We wanted to assess whether adding a resection improves the outcome compared with standard anteriorization. METHODS We undertook a prospective, randomized evaluation of ATIO, with and without a 7-mm resection, in patients with DVD of at least 5 PD in one eye. We included 51 eyes of 30 patients, 26 eyes treated with the standard ATIO and 25 treated with a 7-mm resection added. We recorded the size of the preoperative and final DVD, grade of the preoperative and final IOOA, rates of reoperation, and complications. Mean follow-up was 15.4 months in the standard group and 25.0 months in the resection group, with a minimum of 4 months for all cases. RESULTS The median preoperative and postoperative DVD was 12 PD and 4 PD in the standard group, respectively. This compared with 14 PD and 4 PD, respectively, in the resection group, representing no statistically significant difference in outcome. The presence or absence of IOOA did not influence the result of ATIO for either group. No significant complications of surgery occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS ATIO is an effective treatment for DVD and can be used to treat DVD in patients with or without IOOA, with few adverse effects. Our study revealed no advantage to adding a 7-mm resection to the standard procedure.
The Wal-Mart Effect and Business, Ethics, and Society

Some time around 1980 or so, when the business world was abuzz with In Search of Excellence, I happened to work on an executive education program with Tom Peters. He told me that I just had to go and visit a Wal-Mart. This crazy guy, Sam Walton, was going to change the landscape of business, and in Peters' eyes the guy was "brilliant. " Taking Peters seriously, and as a former K-Mart employee, I sought out a Wal-Mart. I walked in with a "scientific" mindset to see what the fuss was about. The greeter welcomed me with a friendly smile and a "Welcome to Wal-Mart. " I found myself looking to buy something within 5 minutes. A lot of water has gone over the WalMart dam in the last 25 years. And, recently, we have been treated to articles, books, films, and cases on what is now an American icon. The rise of Wal-Mart has produced a number of effects that many commentators find surprising. I want to argue that our understanding of Wal-Mart illuminates a large gap in our understanding of business organizations. However, I want to suggest that what a recent observer calls "the Wal-Mart effect" (Fishman 2006a; 2006b) can be better described as "the stakeholder effect. " If we can understand Wal-Mart with a stakeholder context, then we can see what is wrong with our current understanding of business; what went wrong at Wal-Mart; and what the company is currently doing to make things right.