Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Value added in the Danish food processing industries

Abstract The present article examines the distribution of the value added share—value added as a fraction of turnover—among Danish food processors, which follows an apparently bimodal pattern. Small firms have the largest value added shares, followed by medium and large sized firms, which tend to have the lowest value added shares, respectively. The main part of the study identifies and discusses several determinants affecting the value added share. The estimation results suggest a positive relationship between advertising expenditures, industry productivity and wage share with the value added share. Firms (industries) producing differentiated products with high-productive labour-intensive production processes yield larger value added shares than other firms (industries). Alternatively, the firms’ market share, the degree of concentration, import, market size and firm size affect the value added share negatively. The influence of export share cannot be deduced clearly.
Increasing the Credibility of Political Science Research: A Proposal for Journal Reforms

In this white paper, I propose a series of reforms intended to improve the rigor, timeliness, and replicability of published political science research. These changes could be proposed as part of the next solicitation for editors of the American Political Science Review or other disciplinary journals. If implemented, they would make our discipline a leader in publishing practices intended to minimize publication bias, encourage rapid and high-quality reviews, and maximize replicability and fairness to authors. In this way, they could help to enhance the quality and pace of the profession’s scholarly output and improve perceptions of its rigor both within and outside of academia over time, increasing trust in political science findings and building the credibility that is necessary for successful public engagement.
Whisper Forecasts of Quarterly Earnings Per Share

In this paper, we compare First Call analyst forecasts to unofficial forecasts of quarterly earnings per share commonly referred to as whisper forecasts. Our analysis yields the following results. First, we find that whispers are, on average, more accurate than First Call forecasts and are better proxies for market expectations of earnings than are First Call forecasts, consistent with the claim in the professional press that whispers are increasingly becoming the true market expectation of earnings. Second, we show that trading strategies based on the relationship between whisper and First Call forecasts earn abnormal returns. Our results, when considered collectively, suggest that whispers contain information not contained in First Call analyst forecasts and that they appear to be widely enough disseminated so that at least part of this information is incorporated in stock prices prior to the earnings release. Formally titled "Whispers and Shouts: Forecasts of Quarterly Earnings Per Share"
Do Incumbent Campaign Expenditures Matter?

Previous research reached the puzzling conclusion that an incumbent cannot increase his vote by increasing his campaign expenditures. This paper reexamines the finding by developing a theory of campaign expenditures. The theory is then used to specify an econometric model; previous studies did not develop a theory prior to specifying their econometric models. The new empirical results demonstrate that, in most races, incumbent expenditures do matter.
Redistributive land reform in ‘public’ (forest) lands? Lessons from the Philippines and their implications for land reform theory and practice

The conventional view in the land reform literature does not consider distribution of ‘public’ lands to landless and near-landless peasants as redistributive land reform. Questioning the (formal) private property bias in land reform theory and practice, this paper rethinks some fundamental concepts and re-examines actual distribution in public lands in the Philippines. It concludes that redistributive reform can, in fact, occur in this type of land and the political process through which this outcome can be achieved could be highly contentious.
Five common haplotype-tagging variants of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis.

AIMS The relationship between common haplotype-tagging polymorphisms (rs266729 [11365C>G], rs822395 [-4034A>C], rs822396 [-3964A>G], rs2241766 [45T>G], and rs1501299 [276G>T]) in the ADIPOQ gene and cancer risk has been investigated in different ethnic groups; however, these studies have yielded contradictory results. With this in mind, this meta-analysis was performed in an attempt to draw a more precise conclusion regarding the association between ADIPOQ polymorphisms and cancer risk. RESULTS In this study, with a total of 19 eligible articles consisting of 52 studies, the pooled odds ratios (ORs) for the association between ADIPOQ rs1501299 and cancer risk were statistically significant (dominant model, TT/GT vs. GG, OR=0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77-0.92; homozygous model, TT vs. GG, OR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.68-0.94). These results suggested that ADIPOQ rs1501299 might be a protection-associated polymorphism in cancer. The stratified analyses indicated that the variant T allele of ADIPOQ rs1501299 was associated with decreased risk of cancer in both Caucasian and Asian populations when compared with the G allele. No significant association for the rest of the polymorphisms was observed under any genetic model. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis suggests that the ADIPOQ rs1501299 may be a protective factor for carcinogenesis.
Factors affecting the normal and branched-chain acyl moieties of teicoplanin components produced by Actinoplanes teichomyceticus.

Teicoplanin, a glycopeptide antibiotic produced by Actinoplanes teichomyceticus, comprises five main components, denoted T-A2-1 to T-A2-5, differing in the structure of their acyl side chain, which is linear in T-A2-1 and T-A2-3 and branched in the other components. Production of T-A2-1, characterized by a linear C10:1 acyl moiety, is entirely dependent on the presence of linoleate in the fermentation medium. Addition to the medium of oleic acid esters at 2 g l-1 increases the yields of T-A2-3, characterized by a linear C10:0 acyl chain, about threefold. The antibiotic linear side chains thus appear to originate from C18 unsaturated acid by beta-oxidation degradation. The percentage of T-A2-2, T-A2-4 and T-A2-5, bearing the iso-C10:0, anteiso-C11:0 and iso-C11:0 acyl moieties, respectively, is strongly influenced by the presence in the medium of the amino acids known to be precursors of branched-chain fatty acids. Thus, valine increases the production of T-A2-2 whereas isoleucine or leucine increase the relative yields of T-A2-4 or T-A2-5, respectively. Analysis of the total cell lipids upon addition of the same amino acid shows corresponding increases in the proportion of the iso-C16:0, iso-C15:0 or anteiso-C17:0. A mutant A. teichomyceticus strain, which produces a novel teicoplanin with a linear C9:0 chain, differs from the wild strain in the presence of the linear C17:1 acid in its lipids. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Human resource practices: Administrative contract makers

Practices used in recruiting, training, performance review, and compensation all contribute to employee beliefs in a psychological contract with their employer. This article presents the basic features of contract-making which human resource practices must manage. Organizations with multiple contract makers must align the messages they send to create a contract that works and can be kept. Recommendations are made for managing the psychological contract more effectively.
Neuroradiological evaluation of demyelinating disease

Central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease can affect patients across the life span. Consensus definitions and criteria of all of the different acquired demyelinating diseases that fall on this spectrum have magnetic resonance imaging criteria. The advances of both neuroimaging techniques and important discoveries in immunology have produced an improved understanding of these conditions and classification. Neuroimaging plays a central role in the accurate diagnosis, prognosis, disease monitoring and research efforts that are being undertaken in this disease. This review focuses on the imaging spectrum of acquired demyelinating disease.
The Electoral Base of Political Machines

Unlike most cities which supported political machines, Memphis, Tennessee, lacked a large population of deprived ethnic voters. The success of the Crump machine in such an environment suggests that factors other than ethnicity per se account for electoral support of machines. With aggregate social and electoral data for Memphis, this study tests four alternate explanations of machine support. The results of regression analysis indicate that the Crump machine knitted together a coalition of blacks and white ethnics. These groups shared a status as outsiders in the dominant culture of the city, and such social estrangement, more so than other factors, probably accounts for their distinctive political behavior.
Towards distributed region growing image segmentation based on MapReduce

Image segmentation is a critical step in image analysis, and usually involves a high computational cost, especially when dealing with large volumes of data. Given the significant increase in the spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions of remote sensing imagery in the last years, current sequential and parallel solutions fail to deliver the expected performance and scalability. This work proposes a scalable and efficient segmentation method, capable of handling efficiently very large high resolution images. The proposed solution is based on the MapReduce model, which offers a highly scalable and reliable framework for storing and processing massive data in cloud computing environments. The solution was implemented and validated using the Hadoop platform. Experimental results attest the viability of performing region growing segmentation in the MapReduce framework.
Reference Values for the Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST) for Collegiate Baseball Players.

BACKGROUND The Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST) is a tool developed and used in the clinic to evaluate progress during upper extremity rehabilitation. A need exists for reference values of CKCUEST for use in a clinical setting. OBJECTIVES To calculate reference values for the CKCUEST that may assist clinicians in developing goals and objectives for male collegiate baseball players who are recovering from injuries to the upper extremity. To determine if differences exist in scores according to playing position. METHODS The sample consisted of 77 collegiate, male baseball players between the ages of 18 and 22 who reported no recent history of injuries to the shoulder, elbow, or the hand-wrist complex. The CKCUEST was administered three times to the athletes and the number of touches when performing the CKCUEST during the 15-second test was measured and recorded. An average of the three tests was used for data analysis. RESULTS No significant differences existed according to playing position. The data did not differ from the normal distribution; therefore, reference values were calculated and reported for use by clinicians in development of goals and objectives for this population. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The CKCUEST appears to be a clinically useful test for upper extremity function.
Antecedents of online banking satisfaction and loyalty: empirical evidence from Finland

This study endeavours to contribute to a better understanding of Service Quality (SQ) in online banking by examining the various dimensions related to creating a satisfactory online banking experience. The authors develop a conceptual model and test it with a convenience sample of 183 online banking users. The empirical test of the model finds strong support for the links between perceived security and Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease Of Use (PEOU), reliability and PU and PEOU, between PEOU and satisfaction and finally between satisfaction and loyalty. The study finally provides both theoretical and practical contributions, outlines the main limitations of the study and gives ideas for further work in this area.
Optimal portfolios and Heston's stochastic volatility model: an explicit solution for power utility

Given an investor maximizing utility from terminal wealth with respect to a power utility function, we present a verification result for portfolio problems with stochastic volatility. Applying this result, we solve the portfolio problem for Heston's stochastic volatility model. We find that only under a specific condition on the model parameters does the problem possess a unique solution leading to a partial equilibrium. Finally, it is demonstrated that the results critically hinge upon the specification of the market price of risk. We conclude that, in applications, one has to be very careful when exogenously specifying the form of the market price of risk.
A Comparison between Back Squat Exercise and Vertical Jump Kinematics: Implications for Determining anterior cruciate ligament Injury Risk

Wallace, BJ, Kernozek, TW, Mikat, RP, Wright, GA, Simons, SZ, and Wallace, KL. A comparison between back squat exercise and vertical jump kinematics: implications for determining anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. J Strength Cond Res 22: 1249-1258, 2008-Women are up to eight times more likely than men to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and knee valgus is perhaps the most at-risk motion. Women have been shown to have more knee valgus than men in squatting movements and while landing. The purposes were to investigate whether a relationship exists between lower-extremity frontal plane motions in squatting and landing, whether gender differences exist, and whether squat or hip abduction strength relates to knee valgus while landing. Eleven collegiate Division III soccer players and 11 recreationally trained men were tested for maximal vertical jump height and for squat and hip abduction strength. On the second day of testing, subjects performed light (50% one repetition maximum) and heavy (85%) squat protocols and three landings from their maximal vertical jump height. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients and a 2 × 10 factorial analysis of variance with t-test post hoc comparisons (p ≤ 0.05) were conducted. No strong correlations were shown between any of the squat conditions (eccentric and concentric light, eccentric and concentric heavy) and landing for hip abduction or knee valgus angles. Squat strength did not correlate well with knee valgus angle during landing in men or women. However, hip abduction strength did in women (R2 = 0.51) but not men (R2 = 0.10). In hip abduction angle, the eccentric portion of the light squat, eccentric and concentric portions of the heavy squat, and vertical jump landing conditions were different between genders. In knee valgus angle, only the heavy squat conditions were significantly different. Squat strength and observing squat kinematics do not seem to be a method of identifying those at risk while landing; however, hip abduction strength may be in women.
Effects of the antiproliferative cyclopentenone prostaglandin A1 on glutathione metabolism in human cancer cells in culture

Homeostatic mechanisms for the maintenance of glutathione (GSH) are fundamental in the provision of a cellular defense against electrophilic/oxidant challenges. Cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CP‐PGs) are powerful antiproliferative endogenous substances that may act as electrophilic regulating compounds, by virtue of the presence of an α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl group in the cyclopentane ring. Nevertheless, differential resistance to CP‐PG cytotoxic/cytostatic effect has been reported in different cell types. It is reported that the activity/expression of γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ‐GCS, the rate‐limiting enzyme in GSH biosynthesis) can be inducibly activated by electrophiles, including CP‐PGs. The response of the human cancer strains HEp‐2 (larynx carcinoma) and HL‐60 (promyelocytic leukemia) cells to treatment with the CP‐PG PGA1 in culture was investigated by evaluating the time‐course of GSH synthesis and activity of enzymes of GSH metabolism, other than γ‐GCS, after PGA1 addition. HEp‐2 cells, being more resistant to PGA1 cytotoxic and cytostatic effects, have basal GSH levels that were 2.4‐fold higher than that of HL‐60 cells. The activities of GSH S‐transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GSRd) and glutathione peroxidase (GSPx) are constitutively higher in HL‐60 cells than in HEp‐2 cells (respectively, 17.0‐, 28.5‐ and 12.3‐fold). When challenged with PGA1, both cell types exhibited a dose‐dependent rise in GSH content that was maximal 18 h after PGA1 addition and was preceded by a rise in GST and GSRd activities in both cell types (at 12 h). GSPx activity increased only in HEp‐2 (PGA1 evoked a 93.4%‐inhibition in HL‐60 cells). Moreover only HEp‐2 cells exhibited early capacity to enhance GSH content (1‐2 h just after PGA1 addition). These results and earlier data showing that leukemia cells are sensitive to CP‐PG treatment suggest that deficiencies in GSH metabolism may be strategic in therapeutic approaches to the treatment of human leukemias.
A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Association Between Night-Only or Rotating Shift Work and Overweight/Obesity Among Female Nurses and Midwives

Objective: To examine the associations between shift work types and overweight/obesity among female nurses and midwives. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Measurement included exposure variables: rotating shift work and night-only shift work; outcome variables: overweight and obesity; and potential confounding and associated variables: modifiable lifestyle factors, general health status, menopausal status, and work pattern. Results: Among the 2086 participants, almost 60% were overweight/obese (31.7% overweight; 27.1% obese). After we adjusted the selected confounders, we found that rotating shift workers were 1.02 times more likely to be overweight/obese than day workers (P = 0.007; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.004 to 1.03; and P = 0.02; 95% CI: 1.004 to 1.04, respectively). Night-only shift work was found to be significantly associated with obesity only (P = 0.031; relative risk, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.002 to 1.04). Conclusions: Rotating shift work was associated with both overweight and obesity; and night-only shift work was associated with obesity, not overweight.
ASSESSING MULTIREGIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF ALASKAN FISHERIES: A COMPUTABLE GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS

type="main"> Alaskan industries, including the seafood industry, are characterized by strong linkages with the rest of the United States, including a large leakage of factor income to, and large imports of goods and services from the rest of the US, especially the West Coast region. This study develops a multiregional computable general equilibrium (MRCGE) model of three US economic regions: Alaska (AK), the West Coast (WC), and the rest of the US (RUS). The model is applied to issues affecting Alaskan fisheries, and is used to calculate the multiregional economic effects, including spread effects, of changes in: (i) the volume of fish caught off AK; (ii) the demand for Alaskan seafood by both the US and the rest of the world; and (iii) currency exchange rates.
Rapid, divergent changes in spinal and forearm bone density following short‐term intravenous treatment of paget's disease with pamidronate disodium

Intravenous disodium 3‐amino‐1‐hydroxypropylidene‐1,1‐bisphosphonate pentahydrate (pamidronate disodium) was used to treat 39 patients (22 males and 17 females, age range 48–85 years) with symptomatic Paget's disease. Patients were stratified into three groups based on the biochemical severity of the disease as assessed by fasting urinary hydroxyproline excretion (HypE, μmol/liter GF, glomerular filtrate): group I (n = 23), HypE < 5.0, treated with 120 mg total dose over 2 or 4 days; group II (n = 6), 5.0 ≤ HypE ≤ 10.0, 180 mg over 3 or 6 days; and group III (n = 10), HypE > 10.0, 240 mg over 4 or 8 days. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured before and 3 and 6 months following treatment in the spine (LI‐4) using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry and in the forearm at an ultradistal and a shaft site using single‐photon absorptiometry. When groups I‐III were combined, nonpagetic and pagetic lumbar spinal BMD had both risen significantly at 3 months compared with the pretreatment values (p < 0.001). In each group, lumbar spinal BMD in pagetic vertebrae rose markedly by 3 months, with no further significant change at 6 months. The percentage rises in the three groups were not different from each other at 3 or 6 months. Nonpagetic lumbar spinal BMD followed a similar and significant trend but with a significantly smaller rise than for pagetic bone. (For the combined groups, nonpagetic BMD rose 5.1 ± 1.1% SEM, above pretreatment at 6 months; pagetic BMD rose 17.8 ± 1.6%: significance of comparison = p < 0.0001). In contrast, forearm BMD in group III had fallen at 6 months by 8.3 ± 2.5% (p < 0.01) and 7.0 ± 1.2% (p < 0.001) in the ultradistal and shaft sites, respectively. There were no significant changes in forearm BMD in groups I and II. When groups I‐III were combined, the maximum observed changes within each individual in ultradistal forearm BMD (seen posttreatment) were correlated inversely with maximum intraindividual changes (seen posttreatment) in intact parathyroid hormone (Spearman's Q = −0.53, p < 0.001). A group of 18 control subjects with untreated Paget's disease were studied for 3–6 months. No changes were seen in nonpagetic or pagetic lumbar spinal BMD or in forearm BMD. Three mechanisms are proposed to explain these findings: (1) in nonpagetic bone, persistence of bone formation following acute reduction in resorption, with a more marked effect in the axial than in the appendicular skeleton; (2) in pagetic bone, magnification of mechanism 1, caused by the presence of abnormally active osteoclasts, leading to a marked divergence between bone resorption and formation, and (3) in cancellous and cortical distal forearm bone, the onset of acute secondary hyperparathyroidism following treatment, leading to resorption. These findings have implications for treatment of Paget's disease using pamidronate or other bisphosphonates in patients with preexisting appendicular osteopenia, particularly if the treatment‐induced appendicular deficit is sustained.