Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Social Security on Labor Supply: A Cohort Analysis of the Notch Generation

This article uses aggregate birth year/calendar year level data derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS) to estimate the effect of Social Security wealth on the labor supply of older men in the 1970s and 1980s. The analysis focuses on measuring the impact of the 1977 amendments to the Social Security Act, which created a substantial, unanticipated reduction in Social Security wealth for individuals born after 1916. This differential in benefits has become known as the benefit notch. Results indicate that labor supply continued to decline for the "notch babies" who received lower Social Security benefits than earlier cohorts.
Social transformation and migration: An empirical inquiry

Drawing on global migration data covering the 1990-2010 period, this paper investigates the relation between processes of development and migration patterns. We do so by conducting bivariate and multivariate analyses which estimate how several economic, technological, political, demographic, and cultural dimensions of social transformation shape patterns of emigration and immigration in complex yet systematic ways, and generate a series of hypothesizes for future empirical analysis. The findings corroborate the idea that there is an inverted U-shaped relation between processes of development and emigration. This challenges push-pull models and confirms ‘transition theories,’ which hypothesize that development and social transformation initially tend to boost emigration. While the incidence of warfare increases emigration, there is no significant effect of the level of political freedom on emigration levels, while the level of authoritarianism affect immigration levels positively. The absence of an effect of the ‘youth bulge’ (estimated by the share of 15-35 year olds) on emigration and its positive effect on immigration defy push-pull models and Malthusian explanations of migration, and show that demographic factors only play an indirect role in migration processes. The analyses also yield a robustly negative effect of urbanization levels and urban growth on emigration, suggesting that rural-to-urban migration can be a substitute for international migration in fast growing urban economies. Overall, the findings suggest that different social mechanisms are at play in explaining emigration and immigration, and thus, these need to be analysed simultaneously, yet separately. In general, the paper highlights the usefulness of adopting a broader social transformation perspective when analysing the relations between human development and migration.
Effects of a Peer-To-Peer Mentoring Program: Supporting First-Year College Students’ Academic and Social Integration on Campus

This paper presents findings from a peer-to-peer mentoring program supporting ethnically diverse first-generation students at a mid-sized university in the Southwest. Research on mentoring during the undergraduate years has placed emphasis on the quality of livedcollegiate experiences from both a peer-mentor and mentee perspective (Crisp, Baker, Griffen, Lunsford, & Pifer, 2017). Using a mixed methods approach, two survey instruments and qualitative analysis, interviews with peer-mentors and mentees suggested student development occurred through various means: (i) academics, (ii) university involvement, and (iii) the reinforcement of friendship. These findings reinforce theory first drawn from Tinto’s (1993) student integration perspectives (e.g., academic and social integration). Peer-mentors fulfilled their roles, while mentees who were actively involved in the program reported to have benefitted the most. The effectiveness of the mentoring program highlighted contributions to enhancing, at least one of the following, for all mentees: first-year experience, degree of college involvement, and overall retention rate.
Attenuation of N-glycosylation causes polarity and adhesion defects in the C. elegans embryo

ABSTRACT The Caenorhabditis elegans early embryo is highly polarized, requiring sequestration of cytoplasmic polarity factors at the plasma membrane. This compartmentalization aids asymmetric distribution of lipids and proteins, which is partially responsible for the fates of the daughter cells. Since most plasma membrane proteins are glycosylated, we determined the effect of attenuation of N-glycosylation on cell polarity. While polarity establishment was not perturbed, the size difference between the two cells formed in first cell division (AB and P1) was more variable in embryos with reduced N-glycosylation than in the mock-treated embryos. In addition, among other deficiencies, we observed spindle orientation defects in two-cell embryos. Moreover, cell–cell adhesion was specifically lost at the two-cell stage when N-glycosylation was reduced. This loss-of-adhesion phenotype was rescued by interfering with polarity establishment, indicating that polarity establishment enforces plasma membrane compartmentalization. Consistent with this idea, the decreased plasma membrane levels of the adhesion proteins E-cadherin and MAGI-1 in ribo-1(RNAi) embryos were restored in the absence of functional PAR-2. Our data suggest a general role for N-glycosylation in plasma membrane compartmentalization and cell polarity. Summary: Upon reduction of N-glycosylation, E-cadherin is not efficiently localized in the cell–cell contact site contributing to adhesion defects in the two-cell C. elegans embryo. This phenotype is rescued by concomitant loss of cell polarity.
Sustainable Control of Mosquito Larvae in the Field by the Combined Actions of the Biological Insecticide Bti and Natural Competitors

ABSTRACT: Integrated management of mosquitoes is becoming increasingly important, particularly in relation to avoiding recolonization of ponds after larvicide treatment. We conducted for the first time field experiments that involved exposing natural populations of the mosquito species Culex pipiens to: a) application of the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), b) the introduction of natural competitors (a crustacean community composed mainly of Daphnia spp.), or c) a combined treatment that involved both introduction of a crustacean community and the application of Bti. The treatment that involved only the introduction of crustaceans had no significant effect on mosquito larval populations, while treatment with Bti alone caused only a significant reduction in the abundance of mosquito larvae in the short-term (within 3–10 days after treatment). In contrast, the combined treatment rapidly reduced the abundance of mosquito larvae, which remained low throughout the entire observation period of 28 days. Growth of the introduced crustacean communities was favored by the immediate reduction in the abundance of mosquito larvae following Bti administration, thus preventing recolonization of ponds by mosquito larvae at the late period (days 14–28 after treatment). Both competition and the temporal order of establishment of different species are hence important mechanisms for efficient and sustainable mosquito control.
Coventry Screw Fixation of Osteotomies About the Pediatric Hip

Summary Osteotomies of the hip fixed with the Coventry lag screw were performed in 29 patients (38 hips) from May 1976 to June 1981. The ages of the children ranged from 24 months to 15 years, with an average of 7.3 years. There were 15 boys and 14 girls. Follow-up averaged 24 months, with a range of 11 to 67 months, and all patients were followed to union. The osteotomies were most commonly indicated for hip deformities associated with cerebral palsy, congenital deformities of the hip, congenital dislocation of the hip, neuromuscular abnormalities, post-traumatic deformities, and other miscellaneous conditions. Results were analyzed according to the bone disorder. All of the osteotomies united, averaging 10.5 weeks to union. Complications included one nonunion which required grafting before the osteotomy united, and two malunions. Following union, there was one fracture distal to the plate, and subcutaneous prominence of the screw developed in three patients. The Coventry lag screw is technically easy to use, is tolerated well, and produced satisfactory fixation in the majority of the patients in this study.
The Self-Locating Catheter: Clinical Experience and Follow-Up

Background The self-locating catheter invented by Nicola Di Paolo has been used increasingly in Italy and elsewhere since 1994, with about a thousand patients currently implanted every year. Twelve grams of tungsten inserted into the tip of the conventional Tenckhoff catheter during extrusion does not significantly change its form, but suffices to keep the tip firmly in the Douglas cavity. Objective The aim of the present study was to confirm our preliminary results in a large population of peritoneal dialysis patients. Setting 16 Italian nephrology departments. Results In addition to confirming the validity of the new catheter, the present results show that patients with the new catheter have fewer episodes of peritonitis, tunnel infection, cuff extrusion, catheter malfunction, obstruction, and leakage. Conclusion The present multicenter control study confirms preliminary results and demonstrates that complications of peritoneal dialysis, such as cuff extrusion, infection, peritonitis, early leakage, and obstruction, are statistically less frequent in patients with self-locating catheters than in patients with classic Tenckhoff catheters.
Serum leptin levels are higher but are not independently associated with severity or mortality in the multiple organ dysfunction/systemic inflammatory response syndrome: a matched case control and a longitudinal study

Hypercatabolism and immune dysfunction are closely associated with the development of systemic inflammatory response–multiple organ dysfunction (SIRS/MODS) in critical illness. It remains unclear however, whether leptin, an adipocyte‐derived hormone whose levels are influenced by several cytokines and which regulates immune function, food‐intake and energy expenditure is independently related to the development of and/or severity and mortality from SIRS/MODS.
Free‐riding on Product Quality in Cooperatives: Lessons from an Experiment

Abstract An important issue facing marketing cooperatives is that the overall quality of the product depends on the quality of farm products provided by individual members. We conduct an experiment to empirically investigate producer incentives to free‐ride on quality among the members of a marketing cooperative in a setting where the average quality provided by cooperative members results in a collective rent that is distributed back to members in a patronage dividend levied in proportion to the quantity produced. Hidden actions by cooperative members that impact quality are imperfectly monitored, but free‐riding, when detected, results in exclusion from cooperative returns. The randomized payoff structure of our game results in a novel experimental design that nests public good games and multi‐player assurance games. Our findings indicate that free‐riding on product quality is deterred when (a) cooperatives base patronage dividends on quality outcomes of smaller groups; (b) payoffs from free‐riding are randomized by the possibility of exclusion from cooperative returns; and (c) cooperatives distribute a larger share of returns to members through indirect payments such as capital pooling and cost‐sharing arrangements unrelated to product quality.
Marketing Strategy after Meeting Wall Street: The Role of Information Asymmetry

We relate marketing strategy to the initial public offering (IPO) process during 1980–2010. Pre-IPO marketing intensity provides information to the market, which reduces underpricing and the magnitude of price revisions during the filing period. Firms that experience upward (downward) price revisions spend more (less) on marketing in the five years post-IPO. We confirm that marketing spending is related to a firm's informational environment by finding a positive relation between marketing intensity and firm information transparency post-IPO. This finding indicates that marketing spending is one channel through which a firm affects its perception by the public equity market at issuance and later.
Efficacy of quetiapine for the treatment of schizophrenia: a combined analysis of three placebo-controlled trials

SUMMARY Objective: To determine the effectiveness of quetiapine (Seroquel*) against specific aspects of schizophrenic symptomatology. Research design and methods: Combined data from three placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised trials that had previously demonstrated quetiapine’s overall clinical effectiveness and tolerability were analysed. Efficacy assessments evaluated were the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Severity of Illness score, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) factors I–V, BPRS positive symptom cluster score and 18 individual BPRS items. The Simpson–Angus Scale (SAS), the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale (AIMS), changes in weight and prolactin concentrations and the recording of adverse events comprised the main tolerability measures. Results: Efficacy assessments were available for a total of 426 quetiapine patients (mean age 36.9 years) with a DSM-IIIR diagnosis of schizophrenia; 502 patients were included in the tolerability analyses. The mean quetiapine dose was 300.5 mg/day with a mean maximum dose of 686.0 mg/day. Quetiapine was efficacious across a broad range of symptoms, including depression, anxiety and hostility. Significant improvements compared with placebo were noted for CGI Severity of Illness ( p < 0.001) and in 14 of the 18 individual BPRS items ( p < 0.001). Positive symptoms also improved ( p < 0.01 at Week 2 and p < 0.001 from Week 3); greater improvements were observed in patients who received at least 400 mg/day quetiapine. Quetiapine was generally well tolerated: 4.0% of patients withdrew from treatment due to adverse events compared with 3.0% of placebo patients. Akathisia occurred in 2.0% and 2.5% of quetiapine and placebo patients, respectively. Similar decreases in prolactin levels for quetiapine (–10.0 µg/L) and placebo (–10.9 µg/L) were noted from baseline to end of treatment. Agitation and headache, the most common adverse events, were comparable in the quetiapine and placebo groups (agitation: 19.3% vs. 20.3%, respectively; headache: 19.1% vs. 17.3%, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this combined analysis confirm the individual findings of the three pivotal studies to demonstrate that quetiapine is effective across several domains of schizophrenia, improving positive, negative and depressive symptoms and reducing agitation, aggression and hostility. Similarly, the analysis reiterated the good tolerability profile of quetiapine, particularly in terms of its placebo-like effects on prolactin levels and incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS).
Factors influencing the vitek gram-positive susceptibility system's detection of vanB-encoded vancomycin resistance among enterococci

Studies were conducted to identify factors contributing to the inability of the Vitek Gram-Positive Susceptibility system (GPS; bioMerieux, Vitek, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.) to reliably detect vanB-mediated vancomycin resistance among enterococci. To some extent the accuracy of the GPS depended on a particular strain's level of resistance, as all isolates for which vancomycin MICs were > or = 128 mu g/ml were readily detected but detection of resistance expressed by several strains for which MICs were < or = 64 mu g/ml was sporadic. Factors besides the level of resistance were studied in two vanB strains. For one strain (Enterococcus faecium U8304), the ability of GPS to detect resistance was accurate and consistent, while for the other (Enterococcus faecalis V583), GPS results were inconsistent and unreliable. Using these isolates, we established that growth medium had the most notable effect on the detection of resistance. In the absence of vancomycin, Vitek GPS broth supported growth comparable to that obtained with brain heart infusion broth for both E. faecium U8304 and E. faecalis V583. However, in the presence of vancomycin the growth patterns changed dramatically so that neither VanB strain grew well in Vitek broth, and growth of V583 was barely detectable after 8 h of incubation. In contrast, good growth of both strains was observed in brain heart infusion broth supplemented with vancomycin. Additionally, the same medium effect was observed with other inducibly resistant VanB strains. In conclusion, although Vitek broth can support good enterococcal growth, this medium does not sufficiently support expression of vancomycin resistance by certain strains to allow them to be detected by the Vitek automated system. Furthermore, this observation establishes that the type of growth medium used can substantially influence the expression of vancomycin resistance and indicates that medium-based strategies should be explored for the enhancement of resistance detection among commercial systems.
Endolaryngeal Microsurgery at the Anterior Glottal Commissure: Controversies and Observations

There are a number of tenets regarding endolaryngeal microsurgical management of disease that involves and/or encroaches upon the anterior glottal commissure (AGC). They include avoidance of 1) bilateral epithelial incisions near the AGC, 2) removal of papillomatosis in the AGC, and 3) resection of bilateral keratosis with atypia or carcinoma at the AGC. During the last 6 years, 115 patients underwent microsurgical management of disease at the AGC: carcinoma in 20 (T1 in 15 and T2 in 5), keratosis in 41, papillomatosis in 20, and polypoid corditis (Reinke's edema) in 34. No patients with polypoid corditis developed a synechia or web. All cancers were successfully resected en bloc; 1 of the 20 patients developed a microscopic local failure that was successfully reresected endoscopically. Eleven of the 20 cancers required excision of part of the supraglottis to establish adequate exposure for the glottic cancer resection. Eight of 15 patients with bilateral keratosis underwent staged resections. Fourteen of 15 patients with bilateral papillomatosis required staged resections. Twelve of the total 115 patients presented with a web secondary to prior microsurgery, and 3 developed a new, clinically insignificant web. The complications of management of disease in or near the AGC described by other authors were not noted in this series. This success was primarily the result of improved exposure in the AGC, which was achieved by use of larger and better-designed laryngoscopes and by resection of supraglottic tissue as necessary. Positioning these prototype laryngoscopes was facilitated by the use of elevated-vector suspension and external counterpressure.
Exploration and exploitation within supply networks: Examining purchasing ambidexterity and its multiple performance implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce and define the concept of purchasing ambidexterity in terms of two dimensions: balance dimension and combined dimension. The study proceeds to empirically examine the multiple performance effects generated for the buying firm and its key suppliers. Design/methodology/approach Ambidexterity theory informs the authors’ conceptual model. To test the hypotheses, the authors collected survey data from 95 purchasing functions of medium and large European firms and applied various estimation techniques. Findings This research indicates that ambidexterity substantially varies across purchasing functions. Further, it discovers that a purchasing function’s ability to advance the combined magnitude of exploratory and exploitative activities represents an essential determinant of supplier efficiency, supplier product innovation, and buyer financial performance. Notably, this research also discovers that balancing the magnitudes of exploratory and exploitative activities on a relative basis produces negative effects on the innovativeness of the supply network. Originality/value Although ambidexterity theory has been applied to supply chain management, limited attention has been dedicated to purchasing ambidexterity. This gap led us to study how purchasing impacts the competitiveness of the buying firm and of its supply network by balancing and combining exploratory and exploitative activities. This research is the first to advance the notion of purchasing ambidexterity, unpack its underlying dimensions, and examine its multiple performance implications. Such a conceptual and empirical development presents new perspectives on how purchasing can help the buying firm and its supply network to strengthen their competitiveness.
Writing an Independently Composed Sentence by Spanish-Speaking Children With and Without Poor Transcription Skills: A Writing-Level Match Design

The main objective of this research was to analyze the impact of transcription skills of Spanish writers when writing an independently composed sentence within a writing-level design. The free-writing sentence task from the Early Grade Writing Assessment (Jiménez, in press) was used to examine the production, accuracy, speed, syntactic complexity, quality, and fluency of children with poor transcription skills (PTS). The results showed that there were significant differences between children with PTS and peers who had good transcription skills. The PTS group members were less accurate, slower, and less fluent or even dysfluent. Furthermore, their sentences were less complex and contained lower quality content. These results suggest that transcription skills play a crucial role in early written expression in Spanish, and poor transcription abilities hamper the acquisition and normal development of sentence composition.
Feasibility and effectiveness of a home-based exercise training program before lung resection surgery.

BACKGROUND Patients with lung cancer often experience a reduction in exercise tolerance, muscle weakness and decreased quality of life. Although the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation programs is well recognized in other forms of cancers and in many pulmonary diseases, few researchers have studied its impact in patients with lung cancer, particularly in those awaiting lung resection surgery (LRS). OBJECTIVES To investigate the feasibility of a short, home-based exercise training program (HBETP) with patients under investigation for non-small cell lung cancer and potential candidates for LRS, and to determine the effectiveness of this program on exercise tolerance, skeletal muscle strength and quality of life. METHODS Sixteen patients with lung cancer awaiting LRS participated in a four-week HBETP including moderate aerobic activities (walking and cycling) and muscle training performed three times weekly. Before and after the intervention, a cardiopulmonary exercise test, a 6 min walk test and the assessment of muscle strength and quality of life were performed. RESULTS Thirteen patients completed the four-week HBETP and all the patients completed >75% of the prescribed exercise sessions. The duration of the cycle endurance test (264±79 s versus 421±241 s; P<0.05) and the 6 min walk test distance (540±98 m versus 568±101 m; P<0.05) were significantly improved. Moreover, the strength of the deltoid, triceps and hamstrings were significantly improved (∆ post-pre training 1.82±2.83 kg, 1.32±1.75 kg and 3.41±3.7 kg; P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION In patients with lung cancer awaiting LRS, HBETP was feasible and improved exercise tolerance and muscle strength. This may be clinically relevant because poor exercise capacity and muscle weakness are predictors of postoperative complications.