Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for direct estimation of fresh groundwater discharge to an estuary

Coastal groundwater discharge is an important source of freshwater and nutrients to coastal and estuarine systems. Directly quantifying the spatially integrated discharge of fresh groundwater over a coastline is difficult due to spatial variability and limited observational methods. In this study, I applied a novel approach to estimate net freshwater discharge from a groundwater‐fed tidal creek over a spring‐neap cycle, with high temporal resolution. Acoustic velocity instruments measured tidal water fluxes while other sensors measured vertical and lateral salinity to estimate cross‐sectionally averaged salinity. These measurements were used in a time‐dependent version of Knudsen's salt balance calculation to estimate the fresh groundwater contribution to the tidal creek. The time‐series of fresh groundwater discharge shows the dependence of fresh groundwater discharge on tidal pumping, and the large difference between monthly mean discharge and instantaneous discharge over shorter timescales. The approach developed here can be implemented over timescales from days to years, in any size estuary with dominant groundwater inputs and well‐defined cross‐sections. The approach also directly links delivery of groundwater from the watershed with fluxes to the coastal environment.
Minimum-variance filtering for networked control systems with multi-sample transmission delays and multiple packet dropouts via non-probabilistic approach

We consider the minimum-variance filtering problem for estimating the state of networked control systems where both random measurement transmission delays and packet dropout may occur. Instead of following many existing published results that solve the problem using probabilistic approaches, we propose a non-probabilistic approach by stamping the measurements or packets. Both single-measurement and multiple-measurement packets are considered. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the performance of the filters designed.
Efficacy of chemical sterilization and storage conditions of gutta-percha cones.

AIM The objective of the present study was to assess the efficacy of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and 2.2% glutaraldehyde ('Cidex') as sterilizing agents for gutta-percha cones. The efficacy of storage of gutta-percha cones in the presence or absence of paraformaldehyde was also evaluated. METHODOLOGY Gutta-percha cones artificially contaminated with a suspension of Bacillus stearothermophilus (ATCC/7953) were treated with either 2.2% glutaraldehyde for 10, 15, 30 and 60 min and 10 and 12 h, or 2.5% sodium hypochlorite for 5, 10 and 15 min. The cones were then incubated in thioglycollate medium for the determination of microbial growth. In parallel, additional sterile gutta-percha cones were stored in sealed containers with or without paraformaldehyde tablets for 30 days. The containers were opened 30 min a day and exposed to the environment of a functioning dental clinic. Twelve cones were removed weekly from the containers to determine whether contamination had occurred. RESULTS The results showed that 2.5% sodium hypochlorite was effective after 5, 10 and 15 min, whereas 10 and 12 h contact with 2.2% glutaraldehyde was necessary to obtain sterilization. There was no contamination of the gutta-percha cones when stored with or without paraformaldehyde. CONCLUSIONS Sodium hypochlorite (2.5%) and 2.2% glutaraldehyde ('Cidex') proved to be effective as sterilizing agents for gutta-percha cones, with sodium hypochlorite requiring shorter periods of use. No difference was observed between the two methods of cone storage.
College Confi dence: How Sure High School Students Are of Their Future Majors

This study examines high school students’ confi dence in their planned college major with an emphasis on students planning to study one of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fi elds. The study draws on responses from the ACT Student Interest Inventory of the Illinois High School Class of 2003, which asks students about their educational and occupational plans. Analysis of 75,698 responses revealed important differences by gender, race/ethnicity, and type of planned major.
The Internationalization of Firms From India: Investment, Mergers and Acquisitions

This paper analyses the rapid expansion in outflows of foreign direct investment from India and the spurt in foreign acquisitions by Indian firms, during the past decade, situated in the wider context of international investment from developing countries. Much of the investment was in manufacturing activities and most of the acquisitions were in industrialized countries. The economic stimulus and the strategic motive for the internationalization of firms from India were provided by a range of underlying factors driving the process, which differed across sectors and firms. The rapid growth in investment and acquisitions by Indian firms were partly attributable to factors implicit in the liberalization of the policy regime and the greater access to financial markets; but it must be recognized that Indian firms could not have become international without the capacity and the ability to compete in the world market. The attributes of Indian firms, which created such capacities and abilities, are embedded in the past and have emerged over a much longer period of time.
Comprehensive income reporting and analysts' valuation judgments

This paper investigates whether clear reporting of comprehensive income (CI) and its components facilitates detection of earnings management by buy-side financial analysts and predictably affects their common stock price judgments. Financial reporting standards allow companies considerable flexibility in determining which accounts are aggregated into the individual line items in the primary financial statements. Because of the difficulty inherent in assessing the relevance and persistence of these amounts, users of financial accounting information often
How to Test Cultural Theory: Suggestions for Future Research

This symposium highlighted the relevance of the cultural theory (CT) pioneered by anthropologists Mary Douglas, Steve Rayner, and Michael Thompson and political scientists Aaron Wildavsky and Richard Ellis for explaining political phenomena. In this concluding article, we suggest ways in which CT can be further tested and developed. First, we describe how the theory has been applied thus far and some of the achievements of these applications. Then, we examine some of the challenges revealed by this research. Finally, we discuss ways of applying CT that promise to help meet these challenges. These methods include nesting case studies and combining case study and survey research, simulations, experiments, and approaches from social neuroscience.
Corporate Restructuring in the UK during the Recession

This paper reports the results of a large scale survey of how UK firms are coping with the recession. Only a relatively small number of firms report being “extremely severely” affected by the recession, and these were firms with highly dispersed ownership structures, firms that grew unusually fast in the mid to late 1980s and holding companies. Among the responses to the recession identified by the survey was a substantial degree of organizational choice, effected mainly by closing plants. The most stable organizational form seemed to be the functional organization, while holding companies were the least.
Disease Location, Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae Antibody, and NOD2/CARD15 Genotype Influence the Progression of Disease Behavior in Crohn’s Disease

Background:Crohn’s disease (CD) is characterized by heterogeneity of phenotype. The Vienna classification can be used to classify CD, and recent data illustrate that behavior evolves over the course of the disease. Clinical and biological influences on disease progression remain unclear. We examined the associations of CD disease progression at diagnosis and for up to 20 years of follow-up. Methods:Two hundred thirty-one well-characterized CD patients were studied. Demographic, clinical, and NOD2/CARD15 data were collected. Disease behavior according to the Vienna classification was assessed at diagnosis and for up to 20 years following diagnosis. Results:At diagnosis, 70% of patients had inflammatory disease, 9% stricturing, and 21% penetrating. Early age at diagnosis was associated with ileocolonic and upper GI disease (p = 0.015), and positive anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (ASCA) was associated with ileal invovement (p = 0.008). Smoking was relatively protective against colonic, rather than ileal involvement at diagnosis (p < 0.02). At 20 years, 92% had progressed to a more severe disease type. Patients who progress to a more severe disease type require more frequent surgery (p < 0.00001). Multivariate analysis found disease progression to be associated with ileal disease location (p = 0.001) and positive ASCA (p = 0.003). Variant NOD2/CARD15 alleles were protective against rapid progression of disease phenotype (p = 0.04). The presence of perianal disease was independent of intestinal penetrating disease. Conclusions:The progression of disease type in CD is associated with the need for more frequent surgery. Rapid progression is associated with ileal disease and positive ASCA, and delayed progression is associated with variant NOD2/CARD15 alleles. Consideration should be given to a separate Vienna classification for perianal disease.
The differences of blowout fracture of the inferior orbital wall between children and adults.

OBJECTIVES To review the clinical features and recovery period of patients with blowout fractures of the inferior orbital wall treated surgically and to examine the differences between children and adults. DESIGN A retrospective study. SETTING Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Maryknoll General Hospital, Busan, Korea. Patients Medical records of 70 patients were reviewed: 16 patients were children (aged <16 years) and 54 were adults (aged >or=17 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Symptoms and fracture patterns were compared between both groups in all subjects, and the recovery period relative to the timing of surgery after the trauma was compared in subjects who complained of diplopia or extraocular limitation. RESULTS Serious periorbital edema was noted in 43 adults (80%) and 4 children (25%), diplopia in 27 adults (50%) and 16 children (100%), and extraocular muscle limitation in 23 adults (43%) and 13 children (81%). Trapdoor fractures were frequent in the children group (n = 13; 81%), whereas 30 patients (56%) had open-door fractures in the adult group. In the children group, no differences in the recovery period relative to the timing of surgery was noted when all types of orbital fractures were considered. However, among the 13 children with trapdoor fractures, the recovery period was significantly shorter in those who underwent surgery 1 to 5 days after the trauma compared with those who underwent surgery after 6 to 14 days and 15 days or longer. In adults, the recovery period of those who underwent surgery 1 to 5 days and 6 to 14 days after the trauma were significantly shorter compared with those who underwent surgery after 15 days or longer. CONCLUSIONS Diplopia, extraocular muscle limitation, and trapdoor fractures were more frequent in children than in adult patients. After trauma, surgical intervention might be required within 5 days in children with trapdoor fracture vs within 2 weeks in adults.
Conceptualizing, Assessing, and Managing Front-End Fuzziness in Innovation/NPD Projects

Front-end fuzziness (FEF) within innovation/NPD projects remains unclear and under-explored. In this research, FEF is clarified to have three change patterns of dynamic fuzziness levels and to have both positive and negative effects on the success of an innovation/NPD project. In this context, FEF sources are categorized into front-end environment, means, and goals, and FEF dimensions are extended to include uncertainty, equivocality, complexity, and variability. Accordingly, a management template is developed to help innovators track specific FEF to relative sources, assess FEF quantitatively, and manage both the positive and the negative effects of FEF. Finally, the article concludes with suggestions of the applications of the FEF management template.
Environmental benefits of reclaimed water: an economic assessment in the context of the Water Framework Directive

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) prescribes that all water bodies in Europe should achieve ‘good ecological status’ (GES). Maintaining a certain water flow is a pre-condition for the achievement of GES in areas of water scarcity. In such areas, reclaimed waste water is seen as a promising measure to keep river flow at a sufficient level. The contingent valuation method is applied here to estimate the non-market environmental benefits of using reclaimed water to maintain river flow levels in the Segura River Basin in south-eastern Spain. The assessment of the economic benefits of specific measures gives policy makers more information than a cost-effectiveness analysis alone, which is currently the most commonly used tool to assess potential measures under the WFD. The results show that the implementation of this measure produces significant non-market benefits that are larger than the investment and operational costs of reclaimed water treatment plants.
Public advisory services - theory and practice

Public advisory service to SMEs is a multibillion pound activity throughout the industrialized world. Yet very little research has been done on the theoretical basis for this field. This paper proposes some elements in a theoretical understanding of the rationale behind public measures. The authors argue that public intervention should be considered at two levels, as a public market intervention and as a consultant-client relation at the micro level. At the market intervention level, public advisory service is seen in the perspective of economic theory, comparing neo-classical and neo-Austrian theory. Two different kinds of services are identified and discussed: operational and strategic. At a micro level, the concepts of client identity and clientifying power relations serve to understand the small business manager's way of responding to services. In combining both levels - the market perspective and the micro level - it is argued that the neo-classical theory is connected to operational/expert services and objectifying power technologies. The neo-Austrian theory corresponds with the empirical findings at the micro level showing strategic services embedded in a subjectifying power technology. With the neo-Austrian perspective the rather symmetrical relations between client and consultant at the micro level is comprehensible.
Beyond Competition: Institutional Isomorphism in U.S. Accounting Research

We propose remedies to the dramatic reduction in the diversity of research topics within the academic accounting literature. As a basis for our recommendations, we apply institutional theory in the field of academic accounting research and propose that responses to identifiable institutional influences rather than competitive forces account for the current exclusion of nonfinancial accounting topics. All three processes of institutional isomorphism (mimetic, coercive, and normative) appear to shape the organizational field of accounting research. However, the field has reached a stage where it is primarily, but not exclusively, motivated by the normative isomorphism. As such, institutional pressures often eclipse theoretical relevance, individual research preferences, and practical applicability. These effects pervade aspects of the accounting academy beyond publishing. We outline programs and propose actions for enhancing diversity as prescriptions for countering the institutional forces acting within th.
Do Analysts Herd? An Analysis of Recommendations and Market Reactions

This paper develops and implements a new test to investigate whether sell-side analysts herd around the consensus when they make stock recommendations. Our empirical results support the herding hypothesis. Stock price reactions following recommendation revisions are stronger when the new recommendation is away from the consensus than when it is closer to it, indicating that the market recognizes analysts' tendency to herd. We find that analysts from larger brokerages and analysts following stocks with smaller dispersion across recommendations are more likely to herd.
The EPAC–Rap1 pathway prevents and reverses cytokine-induced retinal vascular permeability

Increased retinal vascular permeability contributes to macular edema, a leading cause of vision loss in eye pathologies such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and central retinal vein occlusions. Pathological changes in vascular permeability are driven by growth factors such as VEGF and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α. Identifying the pro-barrier mechanisms that block vascular permeability and restore the blood–retinal barrier (BRB) may lead to new therapies. The cAMP-dependent guanine nucleotide exchange factor (EPAC) exchange-protein directly activated by cAMP promotes exchange of GTP in the small GTPase Rap1. Rap1 enhances barrier properties in human umbilical endothelial cells by promoting adherens junction assembly. We hypothesized that the EPAC–Rap1 signaling pathway may regulate the tight junction complex of the BRB and may restore barrier properties after cytokine-induced permeability. Here, we show that stimulating EPAC or Rap1 activation can prevent or reverse VEGF- or TNF-α–induced permeability in cell culture and in vivo. Moreover, EPAC activation inhibited VEGF receptor (VEGFR) signaling through the Ras/MEK/ERK pathway. We also found that Rap1B knockdown or an EPAC antagonist increases endothelial permeability and that VEGF has no additive effect, suggesting a common pathway. Furthermore, GTP-bound Rap1 promoted tight junction assembly, and loss of Rap1B led to loss of junctional border organization. Collectively, our results indicate that the EPAC–Rap1 pathway helps maintain basal barrier properties in the retinal vascular endothelium and activation of the EPAC–Rap1 pathway may therefore represent a potential therapeutic strategy to restore the BRB.
Bacterial and fungal components in house dust of farm children, Rudolf Steiner school children and reference children – the PARSIFAL Study

Background: Growing up on a farm and an anthroposophic lifestyle are associated with a lower prevalence of allergic diseases in childhood. It has been suggested that the enhanced exposure to endotoxin is an important protective factor of farm environments. Little is known about exposure to other microbial components on farms and exposure in anthroposophic families.
PERCEPT-PERCEPT INFLATION IN MICRO ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH: AN INVESTIGATION OF PREVALENCE AND EFFECT.

Analysis of 42,934 correlations indicated that self-report methods have produced percept-percept inflation in micro research on organizations. However, further analysis of a subsample of 11,710 correlations indicated that percept- percept inflation has influenced research on particular bivariate relationships but has not had the broad, comprehensive effects envisioned by critics.
Exploring Variations in People’s Sources, Uses, and Perceptions of Weather Forecasts

AbstractPast research has shown that individuals vary in their attitudes and behaviors regarding weather forecast information. To deepen knowledge about these variations, this article explores 1) patterns in people’s sources, uses, and perceptions of everyday weather forecasts; and 2) relationships among people’s sources, uses, and perceptions of forecasts, their personal characteristics, and their experiences with weather and weather forecasts. It does so by performing factor and regression analysis on data from a nationwide survey of the U.S. public, combined with other data. Forecast uses factored into planning for leisure activities and for work/school-related activities, while knowing what the weather will be like and planning how to dress remained separate. Forecast parameters factored into importance of precipitation parameters and of temperature-related parameters, suggesting that these represent conceptually different constructs. Regression analysis showed that the primary drivers for how often p.
Business excellence through quality management

The author will illustrate the importance of what he calls the Circle of Satisfaction: a concerted effort to delight customers, satisfy employees and streamline processes. These three elements, working in harmony, have produced improved operational and financial results leading to business excellence for Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners and other highly esteemed corporations in the United States.
Mortality Risk After Neonatal Seizures in Very Preterm Newborns

We analyzed clinical and instrumental data of 403 consecutive newborns with gestational age from 24 to 32 weeks, admitted to the University-Hospital of Parma between January 2000 and December 2007, to evaluate the possible relationship between neonatal mortality and occurrence of neonatal seizures in very preterm newborns. Seventy-four subjects died during hospital stay. Seizures were present in 35 neonates, in whom the mortality rate was 37.1%. Multivariate analysis revealed that birth-weight <1000 g (odds ratio: 4.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.47-13.68; P < .01), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (odds ratio: 5.35; 95% confidence interval: 1.19-23.98; P = .02), and moderately and severely abnormal cerebral ultrasound scan findings (odds ratio: 2.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.02-6.05; P < .04; odds ratio: 9.56; 95% confidence interval: 3.45-26.51; P < .01, respectively) were related to the in-hospital mortality but not the presence of neonatal seizures. Our study suggests that neonatal seizures alone are not an independent risk factor for early death in very preterm newborns.
Kinetic linked-function analysis of the multiligand interactions on Mg(2+)-activated yeast pyruvate kinase.

The multiligand interactions governing the allosteric response of Mg(2+)-activated yeast pyruvate kinase (YPK) during steady-state turnover were quantitated by kinetic linked-function analysis. The substrate, PEP, the enzyme-bound divalent metal, Mg(2+), and the allosteric effector, FBP, positively influence each other's interaction with the enzyme in the presence of saturating concentrations of the second substrate, MgADP. The presence of Mg(2+) enhances the interaction of PEP and of FBP with YPK by -2.0 and -1.0 kcal/mol, respectively. The simultaneous interaction of PEP, Mg(2+), and FBP with YPK is favored by -4.1 kcal/mol over the sum of their independent binding free energies. The coupling free energies measured for Mg(2+)-activated YPK are weaker than the corresponding coupling free energies measured for Mn(2+)-activated YPK [Mesecar, A. , and Nowak, T. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 6792, 6803], but are consistent with results of thermodynamic measurements with the Mg(2+)-YPK complex [Bollenbach, T. J., and Nowak, T. (2001) Biochemistry 36, 13088-13096]. A comparison of ligand binding data measured by kinetic and thermodynamic linked-function analyses reveals that the MgADP complex modulates both the binding of the other three ligands and the two- and three-ligand coupling interactions between the other three ligands. Enzyme-bound Mg(2+) does not influence the homotropic cooperativity in PEP binding to YPK. It is the MgADP complex that induces homotropic cooperativity in PEP binding. It is the enzyme-bound Mn(2+) that induces homotropic binding of PEP with Mn(2+)-activated YPK. These results lend support to the hypothesis that divalent metals modulate the interactions of ligands on YPK and that divalent metals play a role in regulation of the glycolytic pathway.