Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Differences in College Persistence: A Longitudinal Examination of Financial Circumstances, Family Obligations, and Discrimination in an Ethnically Diverse Sample

Ethnic and generational differences in motivation and achievement have been well-established. However, minimal research has examined the role of social factors on educational outcomes among individuals from diverse backgrounds. With a longitudinal sample of 408 Latino, Asian, and European-American students, we examine family, discrimination, and financial factors in 12th grade and two years later as predictors of persistence four years after high school, and as mediators of ethnic and generational differences in persistence. Results indicate that family obligations, discrimination, and financial burdens are associated with reduced rates of persistence, while high school GPA, SES, and financial aid are associated with higher rates of persistence. Ethnic differences in persistence are related to high school GPA and SES, as well as financial circumstances. Reducing ethnic disparities in college persistence should thus involve attention not only to academic factors, but also to family circumstances that may cause college attendance to be a hardship.
Prostate MR imaging: tissue characterization with pharmacokinetic volume and blood flow parameters and correlation with histologic parameters.

PURPOSE To prospectively determine whether pharmacokinetic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging parameters correlate with histologic mean vessel density (MVD), mean vessel area (MVA), and mean interstitial area (MIA) and whether these parameters enable differentiation of prostate cancer, chronic prostatitis, and normal prostate tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Thirty-five patients with biopsy-proved prostate cancer were examined with a dynamic contrast material-enhanced inversion-prepared dual-contrast gradient-echo sequence (temporal resolution, 1.65 seconds) at 1.5 T to calculate blood volume, interstitial volume, and blood flow. These parameters were correlated with MVD, MVA, and MIA in 95 areas (prostate cancer, n = 36; chronic prostatitis, n = 27; normal prostate tissue, n = 32). For each MR area, five 1-mm(2) squares (original magnification, x100) of the matching histologic area were analyzed. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Blood volume correlated poorly with MVD (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.252; P = .014) but did not correlate at all with MVA (P = .759). Interstitial volume did not correlate with MIA (P = .507). Blood volume differed between patients with prostate cancer and those with a normal prostate (1.49% vs 0.84%, respectively; P < .001). Interstitial volume differed between patients with chronic prostatitis and those with a normal prostate (39.00% vs 22.59%, respectively; P = .022). Blood flow differed between patients with prostate cancer and those with a normal prostate (0.97 mL/[cm(3) x min(-1)] vs 0.34 mL/[cm(3) x min(-1)], respectively; P < . 001), between patients with prostate cancer and those with chronic prostatitis (0.97 mL/[cm(3) x min(-1)] vs 0.60 mL/[cm(3) x min(-1)], respectively; P = . 026), and between patients with chronic prostatitis and those with a normal prostate (0.60 mL/[cm(3) x min(-1)] vs 0.34 mL/[cm(3) x min(-1)], respectively; P = . 023). CONCLUSION Blood volume and interstitial volume did not reliably correlate with the histologic parameters. Only blood flow enabled differentiation of prostate cancer, chronic prostatitis, and normal prostate tissue.
Income Differences and Input-Output Structure

We consider a multi-sector general equilibrium model with input-output (IO) linkages and sector-specific productivities to investigate how the IO structure interacts with sectoral productivities in determining cross-country differences in aggregate income per worker. Using tools from network theory, we show that aggregate income can be approximated as a simple function of the first and second moments of the joint distribution of the IO multipliers and sectoral productivities. We then estimate the parameters of the model to fit their joint empirical distribution. Poor countries have few high-multiplier sectors, while most sectors have very low multipliers; by contrast, rich countries have more sectors with intermediate multipliers. Moreover, the correlations of sectoral IO multipliers with productivities are positive in poor countries, while being negative in rich ones. The estimated model predicts cross-country income differences extremely well and significantly better than a multi-sector model without IO linkages. Finally, we perform a number of counterfactuals and compute optimal tax rates.
An Equilibrium Valuation of Bitcoin and Decentralized Network Assets

We address the valuation of bitcoins and other blockchain tokens in a new type of production economy: a decentralized financial network (DN). An identifying property of these assets is that contributors to the DN trust (miners) receive units of the same asset used by consumers of DN services. Therefore, the overall production (hashrate) and the bitcoin price are jointly determined. We characterize the demand for bitcoins and the supply of hashrate and show that the equilibrium price is obtained by solving a fixed-point problem and study its determinants. Price-hashrate “spirals” amplify demand and supply shocks.
ACP Best Practice No. 155. Guidelines for handling oesophageal biopsies and resection specimens and their reporting

The importance of the role of the histopathologist in the management of patients with oesophageal disease cannot be overemphasised. Pathological examination of specimens from these patients provides: A close liaison between the surgeon, gastroenterologist, and histopathologist is of paramount importance, particularly in the evaluation of dysplasia or early carcinoma in Barrett's oesophagus and, generally, to maximise diagnostic yield in any situation. The extent and usefulness of pathological information that can be conveyed to the clinicians is determined by the adequacy of clinical information, biopsy sampling, handling, laboratory processing, and any special studies that may be required. It is also influenced by the awareness of the histopathologist of the normal anatomy and histology of the oesophagus. There should be regular meetings between the surgeon, gastroenterologist, and histopathologist to discuss clinical and pathological findings. The endoscopist should ensure that a separate container is used for biopsies taken from different sites so that the precise location of each biopsy can be identified. Containers should be properly labelled, including the number and site of the biopsy (for example, biopsy No 2 at 33 cm). Interpretation of the biopsy is considerably enhanced if it is taken with a large forceps and oriented1 (with its mucosal surface, if it is identifiable, upwards on small squares of porous non-soluble paper tissue) and placed immediately in an appropriate fixative (usually buffered 10% formalin or 10% formol saline). Biopsies should then be processed, embedded, and cut correctly oriented, having their luminal surface on one side of the section and the submucosal surface on the other. This is particularly important for the assessment of epithelial dysplasia or stromal invasion. However, small fibreoptic biopsies and those for malignant disease usually do …
Dual track time-of-flight mass spectrometry for peptide quantification with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization.

RATIONALE Previously, we reported a method (Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 10332) for peptide quantification based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). In the method, the peptide-to-matrix ion abundance ratio was utilized. Implementation of the method with a commercial MALDI-TOF can be somewhat inconvenient because matrix-derived ions are routinely deflected away to avoid detector saturation. A solution for this inconvenience is required. METHODS We installed a detector to acquire the TOF spectrum of the ions thrown away to avoid detector saturation. By sending the matrix- and peptide-derived ions along two different tracks and detecting them with different detectors, the inconvenience mentioned above could be avoided. RESULTS Excellent linearity of the calibration curves obtained by the dual track TOF spectrometry is demonstrated. The method also allows for the acquisition of the tandem mass spectrum of a selected peptide, which can be useful for its identification. CONCLUSIONS We devised the dual track MALDI-TOF MS method to avoid detector saturation and demonstrated that the quantification and identification of peptides can be performed simultaneously.
Fertility change in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of the evidence.

This literature review of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa suggests that regional analysis of fertility in Africa is possible and that fertility change in one country is likely to affect changes in neighboring countries. African fertility decline as with other regions undergoing a demographic transition was understood to be part of a sustained transition rather than a response to the 1980s economic upheavals. Data from fertility surveys was used to analyze country-specific fertility trends based on changes in median ages at first birth. The Brass P/F ratio method and cohort parity progression ratios were used to describe fertility patterns. Seventeen African countries had data available during 1985-90 from censuses or major sample surveys. Results of World Fertility Surveys suggested constant fertility while all but one of the 14 countries conducting a Demographic and Health Survey showed fertility decline. The conclusion was that the Demographic and Health Surveys were more subject to underreporting. Several methods of analysis were used to determine fertility levels for all 17 countries with the exception of Tanzania and South Africa during 1985-90. P/F ratios were used to derive adjusted fertility rates for those countries with data deficiencies. The broad impression from this analysis and use of Althea Hills comprehensive review of African demography for estimates prior to 1980 and some estimates during 1980-84 was that about 50% of all large African countries had insufficient data for determining fertility. Data for Zambia Malawi and Cote dIvoire from Demographic and Health Surveys will be available soon to fill in these gaps but civil unrest will continue to prevent data collection in some countries. Findings indicated that period fertility declined in about half of the 17 countries. Contraceptive use clearly influenced the declines in Kenya Zimbabwe and Botswana. South African decline was also found to be related to rising contraceptive use but the extent of decline was less certain. North Sudan experienced declines due to rising age at marriage. Modest decline was evident in Tanzania Swaziland Senegal and Nigeria. There was a lack of any clear evidence of decline in Ethiopia Uganda Burundi Mali Liberia Ghana Togo and Cameroon.
Bone mineral content in Canadian Eskimos.

Bone mineral content was measured using direct photon absorptiometry in the forearm bones of Canadian Eskimos in the northern Foxe Basin. The sample consisted of 177 children, 92 young adults and 66 older adults. Canadian Eskimo children had slightly lower bone mineral (4 to 5% ) than Alaskan Eskimo children, and much lower bone mineral (10 to 13% than U.S. Whites), but these group differences were commensurate with the lower weights of the Canadian children. Throughout adulthood Canadian Eskimo bone mineral was almost identical on the average with values for Alaskan Eskimos; the major differences were lower mineral-width ratios in the Canadian Eskimo males over 50 years of age. Thus the Canadian EskimoWhite differences paralleled the relative deficit demonstrated for Alaskan Eskimos in a previous study, with the exception that relative bone loss in elderly males seemed even greater in the Canadian than in the Alaskan group. Eskimo males had a bone loss of about 10% a decade, and Eskimo females about 15% a decade, beginning in the forties; this was about 5% per decade for both sexes greater than the aging bone loss seen in U.S. Whites, and the onset of the bone loss was a decade sooner in Eskimo males. The bone mineral content of North Alaskan Eskimos has been examined by us using direct photon absorptiometry (Mazess, 1970; Mazess and Mather, 1974). It was shown that Alaskan Eskimo children had a 5 to 10% lower bone mineral content than U.S. Whites, but this was consistent with their smaller body and bone size. Young Alaskan Eskimo adults (20-39 years) of both sexes were similar in bone measurements to U.S. Whites, but after age 40 the Alaskan Eskimos of both sexes had a relative deficit of from 10 to 15% compared to White standards. Aging bone loss, which is common in many populations (Dequeker, 1972; Garn, 1970; Garn et al. 1967), had an earlier onset and greater intensity in the Alaskan Eskimos. Other investigations on the skeletal remains of the Sadlermiut Eskimo have suggested that an early and rapid bone loss might prevail in Canadian Eskimos as well 1 Cosmic Medicine Laboratory, Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin 53706. Human Biology, February 1975 , Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 45-63 ©Wayne State University Press, 1975 This content downloaded from 207.46. 13.85 on Sat, 28 May 2016 06:38:26 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms 46 Richard В. Mazess and Warren E. Mather (Mazess and Jones, 1972). The Sadlermiut, a population living over the past hundred years on Southampton Island in the northern Hudson Bay area, showed reduced bone weights and densities in older versus younger adults. It was therefore of great interest to examine the skeletal status of living Canadian Eskimos. This report describes the results of absorptiometric bone mineral determinations of Eskimos living in the Foxe Basin area quite close to the Southampton home of the Sadlermiut.
Factors influencing consumers? decision about which international clothing retailer to purchase from: A South African value and image perspective

Many international clothing retailers (e.g., Cotton On, HM Euromonitor, 2017) due to their benefits such as economic growth, increased consumer spending, large populations, and the rise of Internet shopping. But these international retailers must be aware that emerging market consumers, especially South Africans, exhibit different shopping patterns and have different expectations than their developed country counterparts, which will influence the retailers? marketing strategy. Therefore, to be successful, international clothing retailers need to consider which factors emerging market consumers regard as important when selecting an international clothing retailer. Previous research has indicated that a number of factors influence consumers? purchase intentions with regard to local versus international brands, including value (quality and price, utilitarian, and hedonic), brand (retailer) image, and country of origin (Ergin & Akbay, 2010; Strydom, 2011:12; Mpinganjira, 2014; Scarpi, Pizzi & Visentin, 2014). For this study, the focus is on utilitarian value and retailer image and their influence on South African consumers when they are deciding from which international clothing retailer to purchase. A positivist research philosophy, following a quantitative convenience sampling method, was used to collect 267 self-administered questionnaires. Data was checked for suitability, and a CFA and multiple regression were conducted to test the conceptual model. The study found that retailer image and convenience were the largest predictors of purchase intentions, contradicting previous studies of Scarpi et al. (2014), who had determined that utilitarian value as a whole predicted purchase intentions in the clothing industry. International clothing retailers operating in South Africa should therefore focus their marketing strategies on developing and marketing an image to consumers that shows quality, is convenient (e.g. availability of an online website), and provides value for money.
Generation, ethnicity, and marriage: Historical patterns in the Northern United States

Immigration was a prominent feature of American life during the early decades of the twentieth century. About 40% of the white population was of foreign birth or parentage, and immigrants were increasingly from diverse national origins. Using data from the Public Use Microdata Sample of the 1910 U.S. Census, we examine generational and ethnic differences in marital timing. The analysis reveals a striking pattern of delayed marriage among native whites with foreign parents, but marked ethnic variation in the extent of marriage delay within the second generation. We hypothesize that locational factors, especially diverse economic opportunities, were important in shaping this marriage pattern. Separate multilevel analyses are conducted for females and for males living in urban and in rural places. Although significant effects for a variety of contextual factors are found, generational and ethnic differences in nuptial timing persist in multivariate models.
Oral Dyspraxia in Inherited Speech and Language Impairment and Acquired Dysphasia

Half of the members of the KE family suffer from an inherited verbal dyspraxia. The affected members of the family have a lasting impairment in phonology and syntax. They were given various tests of oral praxis to investigate whether their deficit extends to nonverbal movements. Performance was compared to adult patients with acquired nonfluent dysphasia, those with comparable right-hemisphere lesions, and age-matched controls. Affected family members and patients with nonfluent dysphasia were impaired overall at performing oral movements, particularly combinations of movements. It is concluded that affected members of the KE family resemble patients with acquired dysphasia in having difficulties with oral praxis and that speech and language problems of affected family members arise from a lower level disorder.
Correlates of HIV Testing History Among Urban Youth Recruited Through Venue-Based Testing in 15 US Cities

Background: Adolescents and young adults comprise disproportionately high percentages of individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and those with undiagnosed HIV. Our objective was to determine factors associated with history of HIV testing and receipt of results among a sample of urban, high-risk, sexually active adolescents in 15 US cities. Methods: A total of 20 to 30 sexually active youths, aged 12 to 24 years, were recruited to participate in an anonymous survey and HIV antibody testing at 2 to 3 venues per city identified by young men who have sex with men, young women of color, or intravenous drug users. Results: Of the 1457 participants, 72% reported having been previously tested for HIV (89% of whom were aware of their test results). Our sample was diverse in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Factors found to be predictive of testing typically reflect high risk for HIV, except for some high-risk partner characteristics, including having had a partner that made the youth have sex without a condom or had a partner with unknown HIV status. Factors associated with knowledge of serostatus are reported. HIV testing seems to be more associated with sexually transmitted infection testing services than with primary care. Conclusions: More strategies are needed that increase testing, including targeting partners of high-risk individuals, insuring receipt of test results, and increasing testing in primary care settings.
One-of-a-Kind Product Development for Mass Personalisation in a Cloud-Based Environment

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Speech-codec detection by spectral harmonic-plus-noise decomposition

This paper presents a new method for speech-codec detection providing reliable information about the perceived quality of a telephone link. Our specific decomposition of the short-time speech-spectrum into a harmonic and a noise component reveals codec-specific distortions of the speech signal. In conjunction with an appropriate classifier, we thus can identify five different codecs with an error rate of less than 8%.
The rise of mobile internet: the adoption process at the bottom of the pyramid

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide an insight into the adoption process of mobile internet (M-internet) among bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) customers. Design/methodology/approach An empirical survey was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Data were collected from a total of 387 BoP customers from Bangladesh. PLS-SEM was applied to test the proposed model. Findings The findings in this study reveal that BoP customers’ life satisfaction, internet literacy, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly influence a customer’s intention to use M-internet, while these relationships are partially mediated by the attitude toward M-internet. Furthermore, price perception was found to directly influence intention to use M-internet and to have a positive moderating effect on the relationship between attitude toward M-internet and intention to use M-internet. Also, intention to use M-internet was found to have a significant influence on BoP customer’s M-internet adoption behavior. Practical implications The findings of this study help to understand what drives and impedes the M-Internet adoption behavior of BoP customers in a developing country like Bangladesh. Originality/value This is the first study that incorporated BoP customers’ life satisfaction and internet literacy to investigate the BoP customers’ adoption process of M-internet in the context of developing countries. Overall, this study contributes to the limited literature regarding the BoP customers’ M-internet adoption behavior. The results of this study will help the M-internet service providers of Bangladesh and other similar developing countries to understand the BoP customer’s adoption process regarding M-internet to create successful policies and strategies both for the service providers and policymakers.
Growth of poultry chicks fed on formulated feed containing silk worm pupae meal as protein supplement and commercial diet.

Waste silkworm pupae (SWP) generate vast resources of nutrients for livestock and poultry. In the present investigation, three days old chicks of RIR strain were allocated to five dietary treatments of silk worm pupae meal. The energy budget was prepared from calculated proximate analysis and growth performance of broiler chicks fed with different percentages of silk worm pupae. The result showed that the silkworm powder meal (SWPM) is the cheapest and has potential to replace the costly and contaminated fish meal, as the protein source, used in poultry industry.