Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Double-Fortified Salt Is Efficacious in Improving Indicators of Iron Deficiency in Female Indian Tea Pickers123

Poor iron status affects 50% of Indian women and compromises work productivity, cognitive performance, and reproduction. Among the many strategies to reduce iron deficiency is the commercial fortification of iodized table salt with iron to produce a double-fortified salt (DFS). The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of DFS in reducing iron deficiency in rural women of reproductive age from northern West Bengal, India. The participants were 212 women between 18 and 55 y of age who worked as full-time tea pickers on a large tea estate. Participants in the randomized, controlled, double-blind study were assigned to use either DFS or a control iodized salt for 7.5 to 9 mo. The DFS was fortified with 3.3-mg ferrous fumarate (1.1-mg elemental iron) per kg of iodized salt, whereas the control salt contained only iodine (47 mg/kg potassium iodate), and both salt varieties were distributed gratis to the families of participants at 0.5 kg/mo for each 2 household members. At baseline, 53% of participants were anemic (hemoglobin <120 g/L), 25% were iron deficient (serum ferritin <12 μg/L), and 23% were iron-deficient anemic. Also, 22% had a transferrin receptor concentration >8.6 mg/L and 22% had negative (<0.0 mg/kg) body iron stores. After 9 mo the participants receiving DFS showed significant improvements compared with controls in hemoglobin (+2.4 g/L), ferritin (+0.13 log10 μg/L), soluble transferrin receptor (−0.59 mg/L), and body iron (+1.43 mg/kg), with change in status analyzed by general linear models controlling for baseline values. This study demonstrated that DFS is an efficacious approach to improving iron status and should be further evaluated for effectiveness in the general population. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01032005.
Familial Idiopathic Scoliosis: Evidence of an X-Linked Susceptibility Locus

Study Design. A genomic screen and statistical linkage analysis of a large sample of families with individuals having idiopathic scoliosis was performed. Objectives. To identify an X-linked susceptibility locus involved in the expression of familial idiopathic scoliosis. Summary of Background Data. A large sample of families with individuals having idiopathic scoliosis (202 families; 1198 individuals) were diagnosed through physical examination and radiographic criteria, and genomic screening and genetic linkage analyses were performed. Methods. Model-independent linkage analysis was used to screen genotyping data from 15 X-linked markers in 202 families (1198 individuals). Families were stratified based on the ratio of the likelihood of an X-linked dominant (XLD) inheritance model relative to that of an autosomal dominant (AD) model. Both model-independent and model-dependent linkage analyses were used to identify potential candidate regions. Results. When the entire set of families were analyzed with model-independent methods, no result was significant at the 0.05 level for any of the markers. However, when the families were stratified based on the ratio of the likelihood of the X-linked dominant to autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, results from model-dependent linkage analysis of 15% of the families most likely to have X-linked dominant inheritance showed six adjacent markers with positive lod score values and a maximum lod score of 1.69 (&thgr; = 0.2) at marker GATA172D05. A lod score of 2.23 at this same marker was found in a single family with six affected individuals. Conclusion. The results suggest that a region on the X chromosome may be linked to the expression of familial idiopathic scoliosis in a subset of these families.
Activity-based Costing in Universities: An Inappropriate Technique?

The technique of ABC has been widely adopted by universities in the UK, with the assumption that the more accurate identification of costs makes them more manageable. It is the purpose of this paper to consider this question of manageability through identification and allocation in the university sector and to question this as a basis for decision making and resource allocation. The type of costing systems in place in an organisation must meet the needs of the organisation as a whole and there are a number of factors that will affect the type of costing system that is required and there are a number of costing systems that can be used. This paper considers the use of ABC within a university and whether school costing and course costing can meet the requirements of a university facing a challenging business environment where a significant amount of pressure is being exerted on the financial stability of some universities. In doing so the ability of ABC to satisfy the informational requirements of a university is called into question.
Innovation centres: The policy options for local authorities

Over the last few years a growing number of local authorities have set up Innovation Centres (ICs) as part of their repertoire of initiatives aimed at local economic regeneration. According to the recently formed Association of Innovation Centre Executives, ICs exist to provide assistance to both individuals and small firms with the creation and development of new and improved products and processes which can demonstrate market potential(1). Yet a review of the experience of ICs to date reveals that there is no standard model of an IC that can be taken off the shelf. Roger Leigh and David North seek to clarify the various options and choices that are available to a local authority contemplating setting up an IC, using information and insights gained from a series of interviews with IC managers carried out in 1985(2).
A review of the capital budgeting behaviour of large South African firms

This article reports on the results of a survey on how companies listed on the main board of the JSE Securities Exchange SA make a capital investment decision in practice. The respondents to the survey questionnaires provided answers regarding the methods that their companies use to evaluate capital investments, as well as to evaluate mutually exclusive projects. The results suggest that South African companies prefer to use the internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV) to evaluate capital investments. In addition, there appears to be a correlation between the methods that companies use and the size of their annual capital budget. Finally, a hypothetical problem was presented to the respondents, who were asked to choose between two mutually exclusive projects. Interestingly, the majority of the respondents chose the project which added the least value.
Do Changes in Dividends Signal the Future or the Past

Many dividend theories imply that changes in dividends have information content about the future earnings of the firm. The authors investigate this implication and find only limited support for it. Firms that increase dividends in year 0 have experienced significant earnings increases in years -1 and 0, but show no subsequent unexpected earnings growth. Also, the size of the dividend increase does not predict future earnings. Firms that cut dividends in year 0 have experienced a reduction in earnings in year 0 and in year -1, but these firms go on to show significant increases in earnings in year 1. However, consistent with Lintner's model on dividend policy, firms that increase dividends are less likely than nonchanging firms to experience a drop in future earnings. Thus, their increase in concurrent earnings can be said to be somewhat 'permanent'. In spite of the lack of future earnings growth, firms that increase dividends have significant (though modest) positive excess returns for the following three years. Copyright 1997 by American Finance Association.
International Collaboration under Threat: A Field Study in Kabul

This report examines Dutch military personnel's attitudes toward international cooperation, while these attitudes were expressed under threatening (during the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan) or nonthreatening circumstances (in Europe). Findings indicate that concerns about death were significantly more present in Afghanistan relative to Europe, and in Afghanistan, concerns about death were found to be negatively correlated with willingness to collaborate internationally. These findings provide support for terror management processes in vivo, and have a number of important implications for international policy.
Carbon neutral destinations: a conceptual analysis

This paper provides a critical review of the concept of “carbon neutrality” for tourism destinations within the framework of the UNWTO's Davos Declaration, a document ascribing responsibilities to various actors in the tourism industry to engage in greenhouse gas emission reductions. The paper assesses the planning frameworks of countries engaging with the concept, discusses the measures that can be taken to achieve “carbon neutrality”, along with an evaluation of some of the theoretical and practical implications. An increasing number of destinations now plan to become “carbon neutral”, often as a response strategy to pressure on the tourism industry to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. They aim to mitigate their contribution to global warming, and to develop their tourism industries by enhancing their image as being environmentally pristine and sustainable.
Defining Eligibility for Social Pensions: A View from a Social Assistance Perspective 1

Developing and low-income countries around the world have been unable to provide old-age income security to all through contributory pensions. Neither reforms to pension systems nor general growth and development have helped countries to increase coverage much. In frustration, many countries are considering or have implemented non-contributory social pensions, aiming to reduce poverty and vulnerability among the elderly. It is therefore important to consider how such programs fit into social assistance programming. This note discusses the horizontal equity of programs that are solely for the elderly and the option of targeting such programs differently. It then sheds empirical light on the issue with simulations based on data from the Kyrgyz Republic, Niger, Panama and Yemen.
Implications of the Doha market access proposals for developing countries

Abstract This paper uses detailed data on bound and applied tariffs to assess the consequences of the WTO's December 2008 Modalities for tariffs levied and faced by developing countries, and the welfare implications of these reforms. We find that the tiered formula for agriculture would halve tariffs in industrial countries and lower them more modestly in developing countries. In non-agricultural market access (NAMA), the formulas would reduce the tariff peaks facing developing countries and cut average industrial country tariffs by more than a third. We use a political-economy framework to assess the implications of flexibilities for the size of the tariff cuts and find they are likely to substantially reduce the outcome. However, despite the flexibilities, there are likely to be worthwhile gains, with applied tariffs facing developing countries cut by about 20% in agriculture and 28% in NAMA, and sizeable cuts in tariffs facing industrial countries. The welfare impacts of reform are evaluated using a new approach to aggregation that improves on the traditional, flawed approach of weighted-average tariffs. This substantially increases the estimated benefits of an agreement along the lines of these modalities, with estimated global income gains of up to $160 billion per year from market access reform.
Weighted Spanning Trees on some Self-Similar Graphs

We compute the complexity of two infinite families of finite graphs: the Sierpi\'{n}ski graphs, which are finite approximations of the well-known Sierpi\'nsky gasket, and the Schreier graphs of the Hanoi Towers group $H^{(3)}$ acting on the rooted ternary tree. For both of them, we study the weighted generating functions of the spanning trees, associated with several natural labellings of the edge sets.
A Basic Model for Evaluating R&D Performance: Theory and Application in Italy

Nowadays the public R&D laboratories have a fundamental role in countries’ development, supporting businesses as they face the technological challenges in the turbulent world scenarios. Measuring the performance of R&D organisations is crucially important to decisions about the level and direction of public funding for research and development. This research considers the public laboratories like systems and develops a mathematical model based on the measurement of R&D activities with k-indices. The score obtained from the research laboratories evaluation (relev) methodology synthesises in single value financial, scientific and technological aspects. It is an indicator, for R&D manager and policy maker, of performance in relation to other research organisations or in a time series. The method is an instrument of strategic planning and can be used for the improvement of the individual activities and the overall performance of public R&D bodies
Management Earnings Forecasts and Other Forward-Looking Statements

We identify forward-looking statements (FLS) in firms’ disclosures to distinguish between “forecast-like” (quantitative statements about earnings) and “other”, or non-forecast-like, FLS. We show that, like earnings forecasts, other FLS generate significant investor and analyst responses. Unlike earnings forecasts, other FLS are issued more frequently when uncertainty is higher. We then show that earnings-related FLS are more sensitive to uncertainty than quantitative statements, suggesting that managers are more likely to alter the content than the form of FLS when uncertainty is higher. Our study indicates that incorporating other FLS into empirical measures provides a more comprehensive proxy for firms’ voluntary disclosures.
Pancreatic Manifestations of von Hippel-Lindau Disease-Effect of Imaging on Clinical Management

Objective: To assess the impact of imaging on pancreatic lesion management in von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). Methods: We reviewed sequential computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance examinations (1997-2008) of 33 patients with VHL who had at least 1 pancreatic lesion. Results: One hundred sixty-seven imaging studies demonstrated innumerable simple pancreatic cysts and 58 complex pancreatic masses: 24 were complex cystic and 34 were solid (30 small [≤2 cm] and 4 large [>2 cm]). Aggregate annual growth was significant in complex cystic and solid masses (mean, 0.39 cm2/y [P = 0.006] and 0.14 cm2/y [P = 0.045]). Solid mass growth differed by size (small: 0.06 cm2/y [range, −0.09 to 0.31 cm2/y]; large: 1.28 cm2/y [range, 0-1.98 cm2/y]). Thirteen masses were excised. No patient developed metastases. Arterial-phase CT improved (P = 0.0003) solid mass detection, but 28% of studies still underreported the total number. Conclusions: Most pancreatic masses in VHL do not require annual surveillance. Arterial-phase CT improves mass detection, but many masses remain prospectively missed.
Technological Change in an Auto Assembly Plant

This article explores the impact of technological change and organizational restructuring on workers at the General Motors assembly plant in Linden, New Jersey. An in-plant worker survey was conducted as well as extensive interviews with workers, managers, and union officials. Changes in the plant polarized the work force: Skilled trades workers have experienced skill upgrading and gained more responsibility for maintaining and managing the new equipment, while production workers have undergone deskilling and find themselves increasingly subordinated to the new technology.
A Review of the Key Issues in Operational Risk Capital Modeling

In an effort to bolster soundness standards in banking, the 2006 international regulatory agreement of Basel II requires globally active banks to include operational risk in estimating regulatory and economic capital to be held against major types of risk. This paper discusses practical issues faced by a bank in designing and implementing an operational risk capital model. Focusing on the use of the Loss Distribution Approach (LDA) in the context of the Basel Advanced Measurement Approach (AMA), pertinent topics of future research are suggested.
Output Power Levels of 4G User Equipment and Implications on Realistic RF EMF Exposure Assessments

The aim of this paper is to present results on output power level distributions of 4G user equipment (UE) using data applications based on a very large number of samples collected over seven days in a long-term evolution (LTE) operating network. The output power data have been obtained through network-based measurements conducted for about 7000 UE connected to 41 LTE radio base stations located in rural, suburban, urban, and indoor environments in Sweden. More than 300 000 power samples were collected. In rural environments, the 95th percentile time-averaged output power values were found to be 2.2% of the maximum available power for LTE UE, while the corresponding values were less than 1% in other environments. The mean output powers in all the environments were found to be less than 1% of the maximum available output power. These values are in line with results obtained for 3G UE despite an almost tenfold increase in the achievable peak data throughput. The findings show that knowledge on realistic power levels is important for accurate assessments of the radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure from mobile communication equipment.
Scots-Irish Women and the Southern Culture of Violence: The Influence of Scots-Irish Females on High Rates of Southern Violence

Prior research has documented a higher rate of violent crime within the South relative to other U.S. regions. Some scholars argue that higher rates of violence in the South are due to the lasting effect of the unique culture of the Scots-Irish immigrants that came into the U.S. in the mid-1700's. Though there is a large body of literature examining the link between culture and violence in the South, an implicit assumption of this line of study is that the cultural effect occurs largely within the white male population in rural Southern areas. No study, to our knowledge, has extended this thesis to females. We address this omission in prior analyses by empirically testing the Southern Culture of Violence thesis using female arrest rates. Drawing on countylevel ancestry data from the 2000 Census and UCR Supplementary Homicide Report data, we estimate a series of negative binomial regression models. A conclusion and discussion of the results follow. Over the past two decades scholars have devoted a great deal of effort to understanding the role of culture in rates of homicide in the Southern region of the U.S. (Ellison 1991; Huff-Corzine, Corzine, and Moore 1986; Lofton and Hill 1974; Messner 1983a). Historically, the South has always exhibited higher rates of violence since the late 1700’s (Gastil 1971; Hackney 1969). When seeking to explain this enduring regional difference, many scholars attribute high rates of violence to the lingering effects of a unique culture that the Scots-Irish immigrants brought with them when they migrated to the Southern United States (McWhiney 1988; Sowell 2005; Webb 2005).
Life after Takeover

Economic consequences of takeovers are investigated by analyzing profitability of enterprises acquired a s a direct or indirect ("white knight") consequence of tender offer s. Target companies' pre-tender profitability averaged 0.97 percentag e points below peer industry norms. Nine years after takeover, acquir ed lines of business had operating income/assets percentages 3.10 poi nts below those of non-tender lines with similar industry bases, mark et shares, and merger accounting methods. Most of the targets' postta keover profit decline stemmed from asset value writeups. There is no indication that on average the acquirers raised their targets' operat ing profitability, net of merger-related accounting adjustments. Copyright 1987 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Paliperidone palmitate versus risperidone long-acting injection in markedly-to-severely ill schizophrenia subjects: onset of efficacy with recommended initiation regimens.

OBJECTIVE To examine onset of efficacy of two long-acting injectable atypical antipsychotics in markedly-to-severely ill schizophrenia subjects. METHODS This subgroup analysis included 292 subjects with baseline Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scores of markedly ill or worse from a 13-week, randomized, double-dummy noninferiority study (NCT00589914). Subjects received either: 1) paliperidone palmitate (PP; 234 mg day 1 and 156 mg day 8 [corresponding to 150 and 100 milligram equivalents of paliperidone, respectively], both administered in deltoid muscle, followed by once-monthly flexible dosing in deltoid or gluteal muscle) and risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI)-matched placebo injections; or, 2) RLAI (25 mg, days 8 and 22; followed by biweekly flexible dosing) and PP-matched placebo injections. RLAI subjects received oral risperidone days 1-28; PP subjects received oral placebo. Because of RLAI's release profile, data through day 22 correspond to oral risperidone. Assessments included Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and adverse event (AE) reports. Paired t-tests assessed within-group changes. RESULTS LS mean (SE) PANSS total scores improved significantly (both p<.001) with PP and oral risperidone by day 4 (-5.0 [0.6] and -3.4 [0.6], respectively) through day 22; and with PP and RLAI through end point (-21.5 [1.9] and -18.6 [1.9], respectively). The between-group difference was significant only at day 4 (p=.006). Proportion of subjects with a . 30% reduction in PANSS total score was not significantly different between the two groups at day 4 and was significantly greater with paliperidone palmitate than oral risperidone at days 15 and 22 (26.1% versus 12.7%, p=.013; 41.6% versus 32.0%, p=.048, respectively). Most common AEs (.5% in either treatment group): headache (PP 6.3% and RLAI 14.0%), insomnia (10.6% and 10.7%), somnolence (7.8% and 1.3%), akathisia (7.0% and 5.3%), schizophrenia (8.5% and 5.3%), agitation (5.6% and 2.0%), and injection site pain (5.6% and 1.3%). CONCLUSIONS Using the recommended dosing regimens for PP and RLAI, both PP and oral risperidone (used during RLAI initiation) improved symptoms of schizophrenia in markedly-to-severely ill subjects at days 4-22.
Disclosure, Corporate Governance and Foreign Share Ownership on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange

We investigate the association of foreign share ownership with firm-level disclosure and corporate governance structures in Zimbabwe, a developing country in Southern Africa. Our motivation for the study derives from the literature, which suggests that foreign investors: (1) generally have a preference for companies in which they are well informed and where their investments are more likely to be protected, and (2) avoid companies in developing countries because of weak corporate governance structures and low disclosure. Using data drawn from companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, we examine the effect of disclosure and corporate governance on foreign share ownership. We find that disclosure, proportion of non-executive directors, institutional share ownership and audit committee independence are all positively and significantly associated with foreign share ownership. Our results also demonstrate that market capitalization, return on equity and liquidity ratios are significantly associated with foreign share ownership. These results are consistent with the notion that foreign investors have a preference for companies with effective corporate governance structures, companies with less information asymmetry, as well as companies with healthy cash positions. The results have implications for policy-makers in developing countries in their endeavour to improve liquidity on stock markets through the participation of foreign investors. The results are also useful to managers in developing countries who are keen to increase the market value of their company, thereby reducing their cost of capital.