Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The AMA Method of Estimation of Hearing Disability: A Validation Study

Objective: To test the assumptions of the 1979 American Medical Association (AMA) method for estimation of hearing disability. Design: One thousand and one patients attending five regional audiology centers competed conventional audiometric testing and the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired. A Communication Performance (CP) score calculated from scales of the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired served as the gold standard for self-assessed hearing disability. Pure-tone thresholds and word recognition scores (WRSs), and combinations thereof, were compared with the CP scores using correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results: Several different better-ear pure-tone averages (PTAs) correlated reasonably well with self-assessed CP; none were significantly better than the 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz PTA used in the current AMA method. Better-ear to worse-ear weights ranging from 3:1 to 9:1 performed similarly, but none were better than the AMA better-ear weight of 5:1. The AMA method assumes no disability below 25 dB HL and linear growth of disability above this “low fence”; this study showed a similar relationship between PTA and self-assessed hearing disability. There were too few subjects with severe and profound speech-frequency losses to permit validation of the AMA “high fence” of 92 dB HL. Combining pure-tone thresholds and WRSs improved prediction of hearing disability only very slightly. Conclusions: This study supports the continued use of the 1979 AMA method. Incorporation of WRSs, as typically measured clinically, into methods of estimating hearing disability is not supported because of negligible improvement in accuracy and inability to control exaggeration for speech tests in medical-legal settings.
Tax administrations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries

This report provides information and tools: to gauge the state of development of a country's tax administration; to serve as a primer on tax administration organizational structure and operations; and, to describe best practices of modern tax administrations. It, also, contains concrete examples of how a tax administration can facilitate the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by eliminating administrative and other burdens faced by these enterprises in developing countries. Sometimes the line between tax policy and tax administration is blurred. For this reason this document contains some tax policy options that have been used to promote the growth of small and medium enterprises, but will primarily focus on tax administration reform.
The Limits on Sexual Dimorphism in Vegetative Traits in a Gynodioecious Plant

Gynodioecious plants exhibit modest sexual dimorphism in vegetative and phenological traits, which stands in stark contrast to pronounced dimorphism in reproductive traits. I evaluate the roles of limited genetic variation, negative genetic covariation (within and between sex morphs), and lack of gender‐differential selection in contributing to minimal sexual dimorphism for these traits in Fragaria virginiana. Major findings are as follows. First, selection was sometimes differential but rarely divergent between male and female fertility modes. Second, response to selection was constrained by low genetic variation and extensive genetic covariance. In fact, covariance between traits within sex morphs appears to represent a constraint on par with that of covariance between sex morphs. Third, these constraints combine with different modes of gamete transmission to produce very different gender‐specific contributions to the mean phenotypes of the next generation. Finally, predicted responses to selection for several traits are concordant with the degree and direction of dimorphism in a closely related dioecious species. In sum, this work suggests that minimal sexual dimorphism in vegetative and phenological traits is due to similar directional selection via male and female fertility combined with the constraints of low genetic variation and extensive genetic covariance both within and between sex morphs.
Deciliation Induces Phosphorylation of a 90‐kDa Cortical Protein in Tetrahymena thermophila

ABSTRACT. We have used the anti‐phosphoprotein antibody MPM‐2 to examine changes in phosphorytation of cortical proteins during cilia regeneration in Tetrahymena thermophila. Although numerous cortical proteins are phosphorylated in both nondeciliated and deciliated cells, deciliation induces a dramatic increase in the phosphorylation of a 90‐kDa cortical protein. The 90‐kDa protein remained phosphorylated during cilia regeneration and then gradually became dephosphorylated. The 90‐kDa protein was phosphorylated and dephosphorylated normally in Tetrahymena mutants that assemble short cilia, suggesting that achievement of full length is not the signal that triggers dephosphorylation of the 90‐kDa protein. When initiation of cilia assembly is blocked, the 90‐kDa protein becomes phosphorylated and remains phosphorylated for an extended period of time, suggesting that initiation of cilia elongation triggers eventual dephosphorylation of the 90‐kDa protein, regardless of how long the cilia actually become.
Do pediatricians recognize mothers with depressive symptoms?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether pediatric health care providers recognize maternal depressive symptoms and to explore whether maternal, provider, and visit characteristics affect pediatric providers' ability to recognize inner-city mothers with depressive symptoms. DESIGN A cross-sectional study was conducted at a hospital-based, inner-city, general pediatric clinic. Two groups of participants completed questionnaires, each unaware of the other's responses: 1) mothers who brought their children ages 6 months to 3 years for health care maintenance or a minor acute illness and 2) pediatric health care providers (attending pediatricians, pediatric trainees, and nurse practitioners). The mothers' questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic items and a self-administered assessment of depressive symptoms using the Psychiatric Symptom Index (PSI). Pediatric providers assessed child, maternal, and family functioning and documented maternal depressive symptoms. Criteria for positive identification of a mother by the pediatric health care provider were met if the provider reported one or more maternal symptoms (from a 10-item list of depressive symptoms), a rating of 4 or less on a scale of functioning, a yes response to the question of whether the mother was acting depressed, or a response that the mother was somewhat to very likely to receive a diagnosis of depression. RESULTS Of 338 mothers who completed the questionnaire, 214 (63%) were assessed by 1 of 60 pediatric providers. Seventy-seven percent of surveys were completed by the child's designated pediatric provider. The mean visit length was 23 minutes. Mothers primarily were single, were black or Hispanic, and had a mean age of 26 years (15-45 years). Almost 25% of mothers were living alone with their children. Eighty-six (40%) mothers scored >/=20 on the PSI, representing high symptom levels. Of these, 25 were identified by pediatric providers (sensitivity = 29%). A total of 104 of 128 mothers with a PSI score <20 were identified as such by providers (specificity = 81%). Pediatric providers were more likely to identify mothers who were <30 years old, living alone, and on public assistance. Also, mothers who were assessed by the child's own primary provider or by an attending pediatrician were more likely to be identified accurately than were mothers whose children were seen by a pediatric trainee or a nurse practitioner. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric health care providers did not recognize most mothers with high levels of self-reported depressive symptoms. Pediatricians may benefit from asking directly about maternal functioning or by using a structured screening tool to identify mothers who are at risk for developing depressive symptoms. In addition, training pediatric providers to identify mothers with depressive symptoms may be beneficial.
Ability to perform a single heel‐rise is significantly related to patient‐reported outcome after Achilles tendon rupture

This study evaluated the short‐term recovery of function after an acute Achilles tendon rupture, measured by a single‐legged heel‐rise test, with main emphasis on the relation to the patient‐reported outcomes and fear of physical activity and movement (kinesiophobia). Eighty‐one patients treated surgically or non‐surgically with early active rehabilitation after Achilles tendon rupture were included in the study. Patient's ability to perform a single‐legged heel‐rise, physical activity level, patient‐reported symptoms, general health, and kinesiophobia was evaluated 12 weeks after the injury. The heel‐rise test showed that 40 out of 81 (49%) patients were unable to perform a single heel‐rise 12 weeks after the injury. We found that patients who were able to perform a heel‐rise were significantly younger, more often of male gender, reported a lesser degree of symptoms, and also had a higher degree of physical activity at 12 weeks. There was also a significant negative correlation between kinesiophobia and all the patient‐reported outcomes and the physical activity level. The heel‐rise ability appears to be an important early achievement and reflects the general level of healing, which influences patient‐reported outcome and physical activity. Future treatment protocols focusing on regaining strength early after the injury therefore seem to be of great importance. Kinesiophobia needs to be addressed early during the rehabilitation process.
EFFECT OF POSTPARTUM UTERINE DISEASES ON MILK YIELD, MILK COMPONENTS, AND REPRODUCTION IN LACTATING DAIRY COWS UNDER CERTIFIED ORGANIC MANAGEMENT

ii Dedication. iv Acknowledgements. v Vita. vii List of Tables. xi List of Figures. xii Chapter 1: Introduction. 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review. 3 2. 1.Transition Period. 3 2.1. 1. Dry matter Intake and Metabolic Status. 5 2.1. 2. Immune System. 9 2.2. Uterine Involution. 13 2.3. Defining Uterine Diseases. 15 2.4. Risk factors for Uterine Diseases. 18 2.5. Association of Uterine Diseases with Milk Yield and Components. 21 2.6. Association of Uterine Diseases with Reproductive Performance. 24 2.7. Statement of the Problem and Rationale. 26 Chapter 3: Effects of Postpartum Uterine Diseases on Milk Yield, Milk Components, and Reproduction in Dairy Cows under Certified Organic Management. 28 3.1. Abstract. 29 3.2. Introduction. 30 3.3. Materials and Methods. 32 3.3.1. Animals, Facilities, and Feeding Management. 32 3.3.2. Calving Related Events and Uterine Diseases. 33 3.3.3. Milk Yield and Components. 34 3.3.4. Breeding Management. 35 3.3.5. Statistical Analyses . 35 3.4. Results. 37 3.4. 1. Risk Factors Associated with Uterine Diseases. 38 3.4. 2. Association of Uterine Diseases with Milk Yield. 39 3.4. 3. Association of Uterine Diseases with SCC and Milk Fat and Protein. 39 3.4. 4. Association of Uterine Diseases with Reproductive Performance . 40 3.5. Discussion. 40 3.6. Acknowledgements. 45 3.7. Appendix: Tables and Figures. 46 x Chapter 4: Summary and Conclusions . 54 References. 56
The pathology of rheumatic diseases.

This description of pathology of joints, tendons, and bursae has been prepared as a preliminary to a discussion of irradiation therapy in certain diseases of these structures. Accordingly the subject will be treated in its broadest aspects, with special stress on pathogenesis. It should be emphasized that such an elucidation is greatly hampered by our almost complete lack of knowledge of etiology. An entirely satisfactory or accurate classification cannot be given on a pathological basis without some consideration of etiology. The criteria for diagnoses of most rheumatic diseases are primarily clinical, with secondary consideration being given to the pathological lesions. As our knowledge of this comparatively neglected group of diseases increases, it is probable that more attention will be given to this phase of the subject. In the description to follow, rheumatic fever and tuberculosis will not be considered in any detail. Normal Anatomy While it is not the purpose of this paper to discuss anatomy at an.
Accounting Conservatism and Firm Value: Evidence from the Global Financial Crisis *

This paper studies accounting conservatism’s effects on firm value during the 2008 global financial crisis. Using a sample of 2,983 U.S. non-financial firms, we show that firms with more conservative financial reporting experience less negative crisis period stock returns. More conservative firms issue more debt and undertake more investment during the crisis period. We further show that the positive association between accounting conservatism and crisis period stock returns is more pronounced for firms with higher ex ante agency costs. Taken together, the evidence is consistent with accounting conservatism improving borrowing capacity, reducing underinvestment, constraining managerial opportunism, and enhancing firm value.
Rapid assessment of refractive error in the eThekwini Municipality of KwaZulu‐Natal, Durban, South Africa

Population‐based studies involving refractive error in South Africa are few because they are expensive to conduct and require a high level of expertise. Rapid assessment of refractive error (RARE) is a relatively less resource‐intensive method designed to assess the magnitude of uncorrected refractive error (URE), spectacle coverage and barriers to access of services. This information is useful for designing and implementing programs as well as for policy development.
The Gender of Layoffs in the Oil and Gas Industry

Abstract Professional careers have become more precarious in recent decades. Corporations today engage in downsizing even during profitable times, a practice that impacts workers throughout the labor force, including those with advanced degrees. Using a case study of women geoscientists in the oil and gas industry, I investigate how the increasing precariousness of professional careers reinforces gender inequality. The compressed cycle of booms and busts in the oil and gas industry permits an investigation into how women fare in precarious professional jobs. Extending gendered organization theory, I argue that three mechanisms are built into professional careers today that enhance women’s vulnerability to layoffs: teamwork, career maps, and networking. I illustrate how these mechanisms disadvantage women with in-depth portraits of three geoscientists who lost their jobs during the recent downturn in oil prices. Their personal narratives, collected over a 3-year period of boom and bust, reveal how a particular multinational corporation is structured in ways that favor the white men who dominate their industry. The rhetoric of diversity obscures the workings of gendered organizations during good times, but when times get tough, management’s decisions about whom to lay off belies the routine practices the reproduce men’s advantages within the industry.
Diabetes, Hemoglobin A1C, and Regional Alzheimer Disease and Infarct Pathology

We examined the relationship of diabetes and hemoglobin A1C (A1C) to 2 common causes of dementia. The study included 1228 subjects who underwent annual clinical evaluations and a brain autopsy at death, as part of a Rush longitudinal cohort study of aging. A total of 433 subjects had A1C data available. Neuropathologic evaluations documented the size and location of infarcts. Modified silver stain-based Alzheimer disease (AD) measures included global and regional scores. We used regression analyses to examine associations of diabetes and A1C with overall and regional neuropathology. Diabetes [odds ratio (OR)=0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.73-1.20) and A1C (OR=0.83; 95% CI, 0.62-1.10) were not associated with global AD pathology across the brain, nor with overall or individual measures of neuropathology in mesial temporal or neocortical regions separately (all P>0.05). Diabetes was associated with a higher odds of any infarct (OR=1.43; 95% CI, 1.07-1.90), and particularly with gross (OR=1.53; 95% CI, 1.14-2.06) but not microinfarcts (P=0.06), and subcortical (OR=1.79; 95% CI, 1.34-2.39) but not cortical infarcts (P=0.83). In summary, we found no relationship of diabetes or A1C with global or regional AD pathology, including in the mesial temporal lobe. Diabetes is associated with gross subcortical infarcts. Our results suggest that the diabetes-dementia link is based on subcortical vascular pathology and not on regional AD pathology.
Production of Antimicrobial Metabolites by Bacillus subtilis Immobilized in Polyacrylamide Gel

Microbial cells can be immobilized on different support matrices to produce a number of metabolites like enzymes and antibiotics. Immobilization is a very useful process because growth and metabolic production can be uncoupled without affecting metabolite yields. The purpose of this study was to optimize fermentation conditions (pH, incubation periods and glucose concentrations) for maximum production of peptide antibiotics from isolated Bacillus subtilis immobilized in polyacrylamide gel and screened for the production of antibiotics by shake flask fermentation at 30 o C by checking activity against Micrococcus luteus (ATCC#10240) through antibiotics diffusion assay. Maximum production of peptide antibiotic was optimized at pH 6-9, incubation time 0-144 hours and glucose concentration 1-5 %. Maximum activity was at pH 8 after 4 hrs of incubation, whereas, activity was different at 0 and 4 hrs, at various glucose concentrations. Activity of antibiotic increased for immobilized cells just after 4 hours of incubation, which shows that immobilization was a better process, as compared to free cell production of antibiotics.
Protein tyrosine phosphorylation is induced in murine B lymphocytes in response to stimulation with anti‐immunoglobulin.

Activation of both T and B lymphocytes through their membrane receptors for antigen is known to induce breakdown of inositol phospholipids. In addition, T cell activation by antigen is accompanied by increased protein tyrosine phosphorylation of components of the T cell antigen receptor. We now provide evidence that B cell activation through membrane immunoglobulin is also coupled to stimulation of protein tyrosine kinase activity. One potential candidate for a B lymphocyte protein tyrosine kinase is an 80 kd molecule that is itself phosphorylated at tyrosine residues in response to stimulation with anti‐immunoglobulin antibodies.
Microstructural investigation of new thick-film paste flux for contacting silicon solar cells

This paper discusses a microstructural investigation of p-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells printed with a newly developed screen-printable paste flux additive, which demonstrates better cell performance compared to current industry-standard commercial pastes. Advanced electron microscopy techniques were used to study in detail the microstructure of the front-side (FS) Ag contact interface region of c-Si cells printed with either the paste containing the new flux additive or a commercial paste. Our results reveal that solar cells fabricated with the new flux additive paste had more uniform and longer regions of ultra-thin interfacial glass at the FS Ag-silicon interface, which results in improved series resistance and reduced emitter/junction damage. The current conduction mechanism of FS contact of c-Si solar cells made with this new
Effect of Insulin‐Induced Hypoglycaemia on the Peripheral Nervous System: Focus on Adaptive Mechanisms, Pathogenesis and Histopathological Changes

Insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia (IIH) is a common acute side effect in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients, especially during intensive insulin therapy. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) depends on glucose as its primary energy source during normoglycaemia and, consequently, it may be particularly susceptible to IIH damage. Possible mechanisms for adaption of the PNS to IIH include increased glucose uptake, utilisation of alternative energy substrates and the use of Schwann cell glycogen as a local glucose reserve. However, these potential adaptive mechanisms become insufficient when the hypoglycaemic state exceeds a certain level of severity and duration, resulting in a sensory‐motor neuropathy with associated skeletal muscle atrophy. Large myelinated motor fibres appear to be particularly vulnerable. Thus, although the PNS is not an obligate glucose consumer, as is the brain, it appears to be more prone to IIH than the central nervous system when hypoglycaemia is not severe (blood glucose level ≤ 2 mm), possibly reflecting a preferential protection of the brain during periods of inadequate glucose availability. With a primary focus on evidence from experimental animal studies investigating nondiabetic IIH, the present review discusses the effect of IIH on the PNS with a focus on adaptive mechanisms, pathogenesis and histological changes.
Predicting Persistence: An Examination of Two Critical Indicators of Brand Relationship Strength

PREDICTING PERSISTENCE: AN EXAMINATION OF TWO CRITICAL INDICATORS OF BRAND RELATIONSHIP STRENGTH Rebecca Shabaga Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Dr. Theodore Noseworthy The current research argues that brand commitment, a multidimensional construct consisting of brand attachment, long-term orientation, and intent to persist, is a better indicator of brand relationship strength than brand attachment alone. Brand commitment is a better indicator of brand relationship strength because it is able to predict brand relationship persistence, is influenced by important antecedents of brand relationship strength, and can explain the relationship between the antecedents of brand relationship strength and relationship persistence while brand attachment cannot. The current research employs survey methodology, SEM, and a between-subjects experimental design to test this argument. The results indicate that brand commitment predicts relationship persistence and reveal that long-term orientation and intent to persist are important predictors of relationship persistence. These findings contribute to the consumer-brand relationship literature by illustrating the importance of understanding all three of components of brand commitment.
Trade Liberalization and Employment Effects in Indian Manufacturing: An Empirical Assessment

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of international trade on manufacturing employment in India over 2004-2011. The theoretical literature suggests that trade affects the demand for labour through scale, composition and process effects. Since India is largely a labourabundant country, its comparative advantage rests in labour intensive manufacturing. However, the study finds that since the onset of reforms, production and trade specialisation has been biased towards capital-intensive production and, therefore has failed to absorb the vast pool of labour resources. The study finds that in general the labour demand elasticity has fallen in the global economic crisis period except for skilled workers. The export orientation has a relatively greater impact on employment, especially for skilled workers in the crisis period. The overall impact was negative during the crisis. The survey of selected manufacturing firms shows that trade costs are higher for labour-intensive firms.