Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Determinants and Consequences of Child Care Subsidies for Single Mothers

This paper provides an analysis of child care subsidies under welfare reform. Previous studies of child care subsidies use data from the pre-welfare-reform period, and their results may not apply to the very different post-reform environment. We use data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families to analyze the determinants of receipt of a child care subsidy and the effects of subsidy receipt on employment, school attendance, job search, and welfare participation. We analyze the impact on subsidy receipt of household characteristics such as family size and structure, and past participation in welfare. The most important determinant of receipt of a child care subsidy is past receipt, but we cannot determine from our analysis whether this is a causal effect or a result of unobserved heterogeneity. Ordinary least squares estimates that treat subsidy receipt as exogenous show an effect of subsidy receipt of about 13 percentage points on employment. Two stage least squares estimates that treat subsidy receipt as endogenous and use county dummies as identifying instruments show an effect of 32 percentage points. We present some evidence that is consistent with the assumption that county dummies are valid identifying instruments, and some evidence that is inconsistent with the assumption.
Who should be on workfare? The use of work requirements as part of an optimal tax mix

This paper analyzes the possibility of using workfare as a supplement to an optimal nonlinear income tax scheme. Some general properties of the optimal tax-required work schedule are derived. For the two-class economy, explicit conditions for the inclusion of workfare in an optimal tax mix are derived. Copyright 1998 by Royal Economic Society.
Commodities and Stock Investment

This study is a multivariate analysis of commodities and stock investment in a newly established market scenario. Return distribution asymmetry is examined with higher order movements. Skewness in commodity future’s return is largely insignificant, whereas kurtosis is highly significant for both stock and commodity future contracts. Correlation analysis is done with Pearson’s and Kendall’s tau measures. Commodities provide significant diversification benefits when added in a portfolio of stocks. Compared with stocks, commodity future’s returns show stronger correlation with unexpected inflation. The volatility is measured through Glosten-Jagannathan-Runkle - Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GJR-GARCH) model and reflects that commodities have inverted asymmetric behavior, that is, more impact from the upward shocks compared with downward. Stocks have asymmetric volatility, that is, more impact from negative shocks compared with positive. Gold has highest inverted asymmetric volatility. Tail dependence, measured through Student’s t copula, shows no combined downside movement. In conclusion, commodity investments provide diversification and inflation protection.
INFLUENCE OF FERTILISATION AND CLIMATE ON YIELD EVOLUTION OF TEMPORARY GRASSLAND FROM WESTERN ROMANIA (CASE STUDY)

Seeded grasslands are used to perform a competitive farming. The meaning of temporary grassland is to provide high and qualitative forage yields with the proper inputs, to prevent the increase of the costs of forage obtained. The purpose of this work is to show how the fertilisation and climate has influenced the fresh fodder yield obtained during the research period. Material studied in this work is represented by two temporary grasslands from Grădinari (175 ha) and Ticvaniu Mare (230 ha) (Caras-Severin County, Romania). The temporary grasslands analysed in this work were seeded at the end of August 2003, after a mixture of spring oat and pea harvested for fresh fodder. The data were collected from 2004 to 2008. The mixture seeded comprises 6 grasses (Poa pratensis - 15%; Festuca pratensis - 10%; F. rubra - 10%; Dactylis glomerata -15%; Phleum pratense - 10%; Lolium perenne - 15%) and 2 legumes (Trifolium repens - 15%; Medicago sativa - 10%). The climatic data were registered at Meteorological Station Oraviţa placed at 16 km from Tigvaniu Mare and 12 km from Grădinari. The climatic parameters analysed in this work are annual averages of: air temperature, soil surface temperature, and rainfall amount and relative air humidity. Forage samples were weighted directly in field and then was calculated the average yield per hectare. The statistical analysis used is linear regression and correlation coefficient (r). The evolution of the floristic composition of sward was analysed using Braun-Blanquet (1964) method. The influence of climate and nitrogen fertilisation is different from a year to other, the fresh fodder yield being mostly influenced by the amount of rainfall and air humidity.
The Listing and Delisting of German Firms on NYSE and NASDAQ: Were There Any Benefits?

From 1990 through 2005 18 German firms listed their shares in the U.S. in the hopes of increasing their market values and lowering their cost of capital. We examine whether these anticipated benefits materialized and find the companies obtained no valuation benefits from their listings. The absence of valuation benefits may explain why 13 firms have delisted since 2006 once Rule 12h-6 was adopted that enabled firms to delist without having to continue to file reports with the SEC. Other factors were the passage of SOX, changes in German corporate governance laws and the emergence of alternative trading platforms.
Water for wound cleansing.

BACKGROUND Various solutions have been recommended for cleansing wounds, however normal saline is favoured as it is an isotonic solution and does not interfere with the normal healing process. Tap water is commonly used in the community for cleansing wounds because it is easily accessible, efficient and cost effective, however, there is an unresolved debate about its use. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effects of water compared to other solutions for wound cleansing. SEARCH STRATEGY Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials were identified by electronic searches of Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. Primary authors, company representatives and content experts were contacted to identify eligible studies. Reference lists from included trials were also searched. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised and quasi randomised controlled trials that compared the use of water with other solutions for wound cleansing were eligible for inclusion. Additional criteria were outcomes that included objective or subjective measures of wound infection or healing. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Trial selection, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers and checked by a third reviewer. Differences in opinion were settled by discussion. Some data were pooled using a random effects model. MAIN RESULTS Three trials were identified that compared rates of infection and healing in wounds cleansed with water and normal saline, two compared cleansing with no cleansing and one compared procaine spirit with water. There were no standard criteria for the assessment of wound infection across the trials which limited the ability to pool the data. The major comparisons were water vs normal saline, and tap water vs no cleansing. For chronic wounds, the odds of developing an infection when cleansed with tap water compared with normal saline was 0.16, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 0.01, 2.96. Use of tap water to cleanse acute wounds was associated with a lower rate of infection than saline (OR 0.52, 95 % CI 0.28, 0.96). No statistically significant differences in infection rates were seen when wounds were cleansed with tap water or not cleansed at all (OR 1.06, 95 % CI 0.06, 17.47). Similarly there was no difference in the infection rate in wounds cleansed with water or procaine spirit and those cleansed with isotonic saline, distilled water and boiled water (OR 0.55, 95 % CI 0.18,1.62). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Although the evidence is limited one trial has suggested that the use of tap water to cleanse acute wounds reduces the infection rate and other trials conclude that there is no difference in the infection and healing rates between wounds that were not cleansed and those cleansed with tap water and other solutions. However the quality of the tap water should be considered prior to its use and in the absence of potable tap water, boiled and cooled water as well as distilled water can be used as wound cleansing agents.
IGF-1R inhibition induces schedule-dependent sensitization of human melanoma to temozolomide

Prior studies implicate type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) in mediating chemo-resistance. Here, we investigated whether IGF-1R influences response to temozolomide (TMZ), which generates DNA adducts that are removed by O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), or persist causing replication-associated double-strand breaks (DSBs). Initial assessment in 10 melanoma cell lines revealed that TMZ resistance correlated with MGMT expression (r = 0.79, p = 0.009), and in MGMT-proficient cell lines, with phospho-IGF-1R (r = 0.81, p = 0.038), suggesting that TMZ resistance associates with IGF-1R activation. Next, effects of IGF-1R inhibitors (IGF-1Ri) AZ3801 and linsitinib (OSI-906) were tested on TMZ-sensitivity, cell cycle progression and DSB induction. IGF-1Ri sensitized BRAF wild-type and mutant melanoma cells to TMZ in vitro, an effect that was independent of MGMT. Cells harboring wild-type p53 were more sensitive to IGF-1Ri, and showed schedule-dependent chemo-sensitization that was most effective when IGF-1Ri followed TMZ. This sequence sensitized to clinically-achievable TMZ concentrations and enhanced TMZ-induced apoptosis. Simultaneous or prior IGF-1Ri caused less effective chemo-sensitization, associated with increased G1 population and reduced accumulation of TMZ-induced DSBs. Clinically relevant sequential (TMZ → IGF-1Ri) treatment was tested in mice bearing A375M (V600E BRAF, wild-type p53) melanoma xenografts, achieving peak plasma/tumor IGF-1Ri levels comparable to clinical Cmax, and inducing extensive intratumoral apoptosis. TMZ or IGF-1Ri caused minor inhibition of tumor growth (gradient reduction 13%, 25% respectively), while combination treatment caused supra-additive growth delay (72%) that was significantly different from control (p < 0.01), TMZ (p < 0.01) and IGF-1Ri (p < 0.05) groups. These data highlight the importance of scheduling when combining IGF-1Ri and other targeted agents with drugs that induce replication-associated DNA damage.
EFFECTS OF PANRETINAL PHOTOCOAGULATION ON CHOROIDAL THICKNESS AND CHOROIDAL BLOOD FLOW IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE NONPROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Purpose: To evaluate the choroidal thickness and choroidal blood flow in the subfoveal region quantitatively after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in eyes with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. Methods: This was a prospective comparative study of 24 eyes of 24 patients with type II diabetes and severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with no macula edema. The foveal retinal thickness and choroidal thickness were measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. The subfoveal choroidal blood flow was represented by the mean blur rate obtained by laser speckle flowgraphy. The intraocular pressure, blood pressure, pulse rate, and hemoglobin A1c level (HbA1c) were also measured before and after PRP. Results: The mean foveal retinal thickness did not change significantly during the follow-up period. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was reduced significantly from 327.4 &mgr;m at the baseline to 286.3 &mgr;m at 1 month and 285.0 &mgr;m at 3 months after PRP. The mean blur rate ratio decreased significantly to 87.5% at 1 month and 86.0% at 3 months of the baseline values. There was a significant correlation between the subfoveal choroidal thickness and subfoveal choroidal blood flow after PRP. After PRP, the best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, mean arterial pressure, ocular perfusion pressure, pulse rate, and HbA1c did not change significantly. Conclusion: The success of PRP in treating eyes with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy is probably due to the significant reduction of the subfoveal choroidal thickness and subfoveal choroidal blood flow after PRP.
Dynamic Linkages of Exchange Rate and Stock Return Volatility Evidence from Pakistan, India and China (PIC)

The paper investigates the dynamic linkages between exchange rate volatility and stock returns volatility of Pakistan, India and China for the period of 2007 to 2012 by employing daily data. GARCH model is applied to extract volatility of exchange rate and stock returns. The Johansen Co-integration test and granger causality approach is applied to investigate the dynamics of relationship of exchange rate and stock returns volatility. The results implied that there is little evidence for the co-integration relationship between exchange rate and stock returns volatility for all the countries of the sample. Furthermore, the granger causality test also confirmed that there is no causal relationship between exchange rate and stock returns volatility for India and China but for Pakistan where we are unable to reject the null hypothesis that the exchange rate does not granger cause KSE stock returns volatility.
Fludarabine‐mitoxantrone‐rituximab regimen in untreated intermediate/high‐risk follicular non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma: Experience on 142 patients

There is no international consensus on front‐line optimal chemotherapy regimen for advanced stage follicular lymphoma (FL) patients, or a clear definition of cure for this disease. Aim of this study was to test the degree of effectiveness and the safety of the regimen containing fludarabine, mitoxantrone, and rituximab in a subset of poor prognosis FL patients with particular focus on the long‐term disease‐free survival. A retrospective study was conducted on 142 intermediate/high‐risk FL patients treated in first‐line with fludarabine, mitoxantrone, and rituximab regimen. Responses, safety, and survival were evaluated. The prognostic value of positron emission tomography (PET) was also investigated in a 56‐patients subset. Overall response rate was 95.5% including 88% of complete responses. With a median follow‐up of 48 months, 18% of patients had disease relapse, yielding an estimated 12‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) of 72%. All cases showed the lymphoma recurrence within 40 months: after this timing the DFS curve presented a plateau. Overall survival was 73% at 12 years. Post‐treatment PET positivity remains a highly significant predictor of disease progression. The observed high rate of complete responses following the use of fludarabine, mitoxantrone‐based regimen in combination with rituximab seems to be the first step to improve DFS. Our study could be the starting point to consider DFS as a potential alternative endpoint of future clinical trials on FL patients. Am. J. Heamtol. 88:E273–E276, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Using quality of life to predict hospitalization and mortality in patients with obstructive lung diseases.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Condition-specific measures of quality of life (QOL) for patients with COPD have been demonstrated to be highly reliable and valid, but they have not conclusively been shown to predict hospitalization or death. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether a brief, self-administered, COPD-specific QOL measure, the Seattle Obstructive Lung Disease Questionnaire (SOLDQ), could accurately predict hospitalizations and death. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Patients enrolled in the primary care clinics at seven Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers participating in the Ambulatory Care Quality Improvement Project. PATIENTS Of 24,458 patients who completed a health inventory, 5,503 reported having chronic lung disease. The 3,282 patients who completed the baseline SOLDQ were followed for 12 months. MEASUREMENTS Hospitalization and all-cause mortality during the 1-year follow-up period. RESULTS During the follow-up period, 601 patients (18.3%) were hospitalized, 141 (4.3%) for COPD exacerbations, and 167 patients (5.1%) died. After adjusting for age, VA hospital site, distance to the VA hospital, employment status, and smoking status, the relative risk of any hospitalization among patients with scores on the emotional, physical, and coping skills scales of the SOLDQ that were in the lowest quartile, when compared to the highest quartile, were 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 2.6), 2.5 (95% CI, 1.9 to 3.4), and 1.9 (95% CI, 1.5 to 2.5), respectively. When hospitalizations were restricted to those specifically for COPD, the odds ratio (OR) for the lowest quartile of physical function was 6.0 (95% CI, 3.1 to 11.5). Similarly, patients in the lowest quartile of physical function also had an increased risk of death (OR, 6.8; 95% CI, 3.3 to 13.8). When adjusted for comorbidity (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.5 to 1.2), long-term steroid use (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.6 to 4.9), and prior hospitalization for COPD (OR, 4.5; 95% CI, 2.2 to 9.2), patients having baseline SOLDQ physical function scores in the lowest quartile had an odds of hospitalization for COPD that was fivefold higher than patients with scores in the highest quartile (OR, 5.0; 95% CI, 2.6 to 9.7). CONCLUSIONS Lower QOL is a powerful predictor of hospitalization and all-cause mortality. Brief, self-administered instruments such as the SOLDQ may provide an opportunity to identify patients who could benefit from preventive interventions.
In vivo oral efficacy of levofloxacin for treatment of systemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in a murine model of septicemia

The in vivo efficacies of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in lethal, systemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in mice were compared. MICs of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 micrograms/ml and from 0.12 to 1.0 microgram/ml respectively. Infecting doses ranged from 5.0 x 10(1) to 3.2 x 10(3) CFU per mouse, depending on the isolate. Test fluoroquinolones were administered orally at 1 h (single dose) or at 1 and 3 h (divided dose) postinfection, with 10 infected mice used for each of six concentrations of each fluoroquinolone tested (1 to 40 mg/kg of body weight) in each dosing regimen. Whether given in a single or a divided dose, the total daily dose was the same for each fluoroquinolone. For mice treated 1 h postinfection with levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, the effective doses for 50% of the infected mice ranged from 2.09 to 13.80 mg/kg and from 2.34 to 11.22 mg/kg, respectively, and for those treated 1 and 3 h postinfection, the effective doses for 50% of the infected mice ranged from 3.71 to 16.98 mg/kg and from 2.95 to 13.18 mg/kg, respectively. Although the potency varied for both levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin among all strains of P. aeruginosa tested, there were small differences within the same strain for levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin when given in the same dosing regimen. Levofloxacin proved nearly as effective as ciprofloxacin against a systemic P. aeruginosa infection in mice.
Infrastructure Reporting: Attitudes of Preparers and Potential Users

Legislation requires some Australian local governments to provide to a State government minister an annual assessment of the physical condition of infrastructure, together with estimates of the cost of restoring that infrastructure to a satisfactory condition. This 1993 legislation predates other accounting standards providing for disclosures or use of condition assessments, notably the USA's FASAB 6 (1996) and GASB 34 (1996), and the UK ASB's FRS 15 (1999). Utilising structured interviews, this study investigates the extent to which information from those reports has been disseminated within local councils. It also investigates whether accounting or engineering staff, or both, were involved in preparation of these reports, and explores the relative attitudes of staff and elected councillors, to the relevance of information in infrastructure reports. The study also reports comments volunteered by respondents about the relative merits of capitalising (and then depreciating) infrastructure assets, versus reporting on infrastructure condition. Findings suggest that those working in local government see merit in the compilation of reports on infrastructure condition and the cost of upgrading it, though opinion is divided as to the weight actually placed on those reports in decision-making. Both accounting and engineering staff perceive that engineers have far greater involvement in the preparation of these reports. The findings also suggest a failure on the part of technical specialists to share information, and collaborate in the compilation of management plans and budgets.
ABS failure diagnosis charts for a blocked CL

The Automatic Block Signal installations (ABS) is a system of powering and receiving circuits that ensure train traffic command, control, and signals between two consecutive train stations. The circuits are usually electronically or electrodynamically synchronized. Because the distance between two stations is at least 4 kilometers, any failure to these installations cause long traffic delays, especially since the maintenance staff must travel on foot to the site of the failure. To fix failures in the operation of BLA installations it is required that the maintenance staff is well acquainted with the system's wiring diagrams and their interrelations. The complexity of the wiring diagrams poses some problems in failure fixes. To ease the decision taking process in failure detection we present here diagnosis charts that lead to a quick and correct remedy decision. The diagnosis charts presented here are to be applied for cases when the current line (CL) is signaled as being occupied by rolling stock, but is in reality empty.
PCR-Reverse Blot Hybridization Assay for Screening and Identification of Pathogens in Sepsis

ABSTRACT Rapid and accurate identification of the pathogens involved in bloodstream infections is crucial for the prompt initiation of appropriate therapy, as this can decrease morbidity and mortality rates. A PCR-reverse blot hybridization assay for sepsis, the reverse blot hybridization assay (REBA) Sepsis-ID test, was developed; it uses pan-probes to distinguish Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and fungi. In addition, the assay was designed to identify bacteria and fungi using six genus-specific and 13 species-specific probes; it uses additional probes for antibiotic resistance genes, i.e., the mecA gene of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the vanA and vanB genes of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The REBA Sepsis-ID test successfully identified clinical isolates and blood culture samples as containing Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, or fungi. The results matched those obtained with conventional microbiological methods. For the REBA Sepsis-ID test, of the 115 blood culture samples tested, 47 (40.8%) and 49 (42.6%) samples were identified to the species and genus levels, respectively, and the remaining 19 samples (16.5%), which included five Gram-positive rods, were identified as Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, or fungi. The antibiotic resistances of the MRSA and VRE strains were identified using both conventional microbiological methods and the REBA Sepsis-ID test. In conclusion, the REBA Sepsis-ID test developed for this study is a fast and reliable test for the identification of Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and antibiotic resistance genes (including mecA for MRSA and the vanA and vanB genes for VRE) in bloodstream infections.