Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Indian Manufacturing Firms’ Decision to Hire Contract Labour

The study attempts to investigate the factors affecting a firmâ€™s decision to hire contract workers. The information from a specially commissioned survey of manufacturing firms undertaken in 2014 by ICRIER, as part of a World Bank funded project â€˜Jobs and Development: Creating Multi-Disciplinary Solutionsâ€™. The survey covered 500 firms in five states, namely Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat and spread across five major industries; viz. Auto Components, Electronics and Electrical Equipment, Leather Products, Textile and Garments and Food Processing. The estimation is carried out using a logit model, where the firmâ€™s decision, whether or not to hire a contract worker is assumed to be a binary dependent variable.
Harm minimization strategies: opinions of health professionals in rural and remote Australia

Background and objective: There is some evidence that the problem of illicit drug use (IDU) is increasing in rural areas of Australia. Lack of access to harm minimization (HM) strategies is potentially exacerbated by a shortage of health care facilities and health care professionals in rural areas. This study was conducted to determine barriers to implementation, access to, and success of HM strategies, as seen by health professionals presently working in rural Australia.
Abnormalities of the Genitourinary Tract in Female Mice Lacking GATA5

ABSTRACT Members of the GATA family of transcription factors play important roles in cell fate specification, differentiation, and morphogenesis during mammalian development. GATA5, the only one of the six vertebrate GATA factor genes not yet inactivated in mice, is expressed in a pattern that overlaps with but is distinct from that of other GATA factor genes. During mouse embryogenesis, GATA5 is expressed first in the developing heart and subsequently in the lung, vasculature, and genitourinary system. To investigate the function of GATA5 in vivo, we created mice homozygous for a GATA5 null allele. Homozygous mutants were viable and fertile, but females exhibited pronounced genitourinary abnormalities that included vaginal and uterine defects and hypospadias. In contrast, the genitourinary system was unaffected in male GATA5 mutants. These results reveal a specific role of GATA5 in development of the female genitourinary system and suggest that other GATA factors may have functions overlapping those of GATA5 in other tissues.
What Do Physicians Want? Information Technology Acceptance And Usage By Healthcare Professionals

This study builds on the theory of planned behavior, institutional and innovation diffusion theories to investigate physicians’ responses to introduction of electronic medical records (EMR) in large healthcare organizations. Using a case study methodology, we show that physicians’ attitudes towards using EMR are influenced by their perceptions of EMR complexity, relative advantage, compatibility with professional beliefs and individual predisposition to change. Specifically, we found that EMR usability characteristics such as system interface, “navigation,” “search” and “speed” are major dimensions underlying physicians’ perceptions of EMR complexity. To the extent that navigating and searching for clinical results are seen as difficult, physicians’ perceptions of the complexity of using EMR are enhanced, with the result of physicians forming more negative attitudes towards EMR and using EMR less. Accessibility to EMR (i.e. logging in) and availability of hardware are two emergent constructs. These factors are immediate barriers for physicians not using EMR or using EMR minimally. At the same time, these barriers contribute to impacting physicians’ perceptions that EMR is difficult to use and disadvantageous (i.e. time inefficient) compared to the paper chart. Results also show that most EMR usage at Alpha is rather “shallow. ” Physicians tend to use data-retrieval EMR minimally, mainly to supplement the paper chart. The availability of this “competing artifact,” that is much easier to use and conveniently located near a patient’s room limits the extent to which physicians use EMR at Alpha. Use of an imaging EMR system (EMR3) is more committed. EMR3 is used to replace the “old way” of accessing films. Lack of accessibility and hardware barriers, the relative advantage of EMR3 and other system usability considerations contribute to physicians using this system more faithfully. As regards the question “what do physicians want? ” it seems that physicians want a system that that is easy to access and simple to use but most importantly, a system that they can directly identify with, an EMR that is personally relevant. In order to promote a “deeper” level of EMR usage, the benefits of EMR need to be emphasized to physicians while any potential costs or barriers reduced or eliminated.
Linear Vection in the Central Visual Field Facilitated by Kinetic Depth Cues

Illusory self-motion (vection) is thought to be determined by motion in the peripheral visual field, whereas stimulation of more central retinal areas results in object-motion perception. Recent data suggest that vection can be produced by stimulation of the central visual field provided it is configured as a more distant surface. In this study vection strength (tracking speed, onset latency, and the percentage of trials where vection was experienced) and the direction of self-motion produced by displays moving in the central visual field were investigated. Apparent depth, introduced by using kinetic occlusion information, influenced vection strength. Central displays perceived to be in the background elicited stronger vection than identical displays appearing in the foreground. Further, increasing the eccentricity of these displays from the central retina diminished vection strength. If the central and peripheral displays were moved in opposite directions, vection strength was unaffected, and the direction of vection was determined by motion of the central display on almost half of the trials when the centre was far. Near centres produced fewer centre-consistent responses. A complete understanding of linear vection requires that factors such as display size, retinal locus, and apparent depth plane are considered.
Effect of 8-iso prostaglandin E2 on aqueous humor dynamics in monkeys.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of 8-iso prostaglandin E2 (8-iso PGE2; prosta-5,13-dien-1-oic acid,11,15-dihydroxy-9-oxo-,[5Z,8beta-11X,13E,15 S]-) on the intraocular pressure (IOP), outflow facility, and aqueous humor flow rates in normal monkeys and monkeys with glaucoma. METHODS The IOP was measured before and as long as 6 hours after the topical application of 8-iso PGE2 to 1 eye of 6 normal monkeys and to the glaucomatous eye of 8 monkeys with unilateral laser-induced glaucoma. The pupil diameter was measured at the same times as the IOP measurements in the normal monkeys. Tonographic outflow facility and fluorophotometric flow rates of aqueous humor were measured in 6 normal monkeys before and after drug treatment. RESULTS In normal monkeys, a single dose of 0.1% 8-iso PGE2 reduced (P<.01) the IOP for 4 hours in the treated eyes with a maximum (mean +/- SEM) reduction of 3.2 +/- 0.2 mm Hg, compared with the contralateral control eyes. The pupil size was smaller (P<.01) in the treated eyes by as much as 1.0 +/- 0.2 mm for 4 hours. In 8 glaucomatous monkey eyes, the application of 0.05% and 0.1% 8-iso PGE2 reduced the IOP (P<.01) for as long as 2 and 5 hours, respectively. The maximum reduction in the IOP was 4.6 +/- 0.8 mm Hg (0.05%) and 6.0 +/- 0.8 mm Hg (0.1%) compared with baseline measurements. The magnitude and duration of the ocular hypotensive effect were enhanced with twice-a-day administration for 5 consecutive days. Outflow facility in normal monkey eyes was increased (P<.05) by 48% in the treated eyes, and aqueous humor flow was unchanged (P>.10), compared with vehicle-treated contralateral control eyes. Mild eyelid edema, conjunctival edema, hyperemia, and discharge appeared in some eyes treated with the 0.1% drug concentration. CONCLUSIONS The use of 8-iso PGE2 reduces the IOP in both normal and glaucomatous monkey eyes. An increase in outflow facility appears to account for most of the IOP reduction in normal monkeys. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The application of 8-iso PGE2 may have potential for the treatment of glaucoma as an outflow facility-increasing drug.
P2P Lending: Information Externalities, Social Networks and Loans' Substitution

Despite the lack of delegated monitor and of collateral guarantees P2P lending platforms exhibit relatively low loan and delinquency rates. The adverse selection is indeed mitigated by a new screening technology (information processing through machine learning) that provides costless public signals. Using data from Prosper and Lending Club we show that loans' spreads, proxing asymmetric information, decline with credit scores or hard information indicators and with indications from "group ties" (soft information from social networks). Also an increase in the risk of bank run in the traditional banking sector increases participation in the P2P markets and reduces their rates (substitution effect). We rationalize this evidence with a dynamic general equilibrium model where lenders and borrowers choose between traditional bank services (subject to the risk of bank runs and early liquidation) and P2P markets (which clear at a pooling price due to asymmetric information, but where public signals facilitate screening).
Characteristics of 3–4- and 6–8-Day Period Disturbances Observed over the Tropical Indian Ocean

Abstract A field observational campaign [i.e., the Mirai Indian Ocean cruise for the Study of the MJO-convection Onset (MISMO)] was conducted over the central equatorial Indian Ocean in October–December 2006. During MISMO, large-scale organized convection associated with a weak Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) broke out, and some other notable variations were observed. Water vapor and precipitation data show a prominent 3–4-day-period cycle associated with meridional wind υ variations. Filtered υ anomalies at midlevels in reanalysis data [i.e., the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Climate Data Assimilation System (JCDAS)] show westward phase velocities, and the structure is consistent with mixed Rossby–gravity waves. Estimated equivalent depths are a few tens of meters, typical of convectively coupled waves. In the more rainy part of MISMO (16–26 November), the 3–4-day waves were coherent through the lower and midtroposphere, while in the less active early November period midlevel υ fluctuations appear le.
Does enamel matrix derivative application provide additional clinical benefits in residual periodontal pockets associated with suprabony defects? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE To review the effectiveness of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) in the treatment of periodontal pockets of suprabony defects. METHODS Randomized Clinical Trials comparing open flap debridement (OFD) versus EMD in periodontal suprabony defects were identified through electronic and manual search. Screening, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted. The primary outcome measures were tooth survival (TS) and clinical attachment level (CAL) gain. Pocket probing depth (PPD) reduction and recession (REC) increase were secondary outcome measures. Information concerning clinical and radiological bone gain was also collected. RESULTS The search identified 1170 studies, three articles reporting on (99 subjects/358 teeth) met the inclusion criteria and were included. No tooth was lost during follow-up (8-12 months). The adjunctive mean benefit of EMD was: 1.2 mm for CAL gain [confidence interval (CI): (0.9, 1.4), p < 0.00001, I(2) = 66%], 1.2 mm for the PPD reduction (CI: [0.8, 1.5], p < 0.0001, I(2) = 0%), -0.5 mm for the REC increase (CI: [-0.8, -0.2], p = 0.003, I(2) = 0%). Potential risk of bias was identified. CONCLUSIONS No differences were noted in TS but EMD application resulted in clinical and radiographic additional benefits compared to OFD alone. Nevertheless, the paucity of data, the risk of methodological and potential publication bias suggests caution in interpreting these results while supporting multicenter studies for this specific application.
Improving the Performance of Corporate Boards: Identifying and Measuring the Key Drivers of Success

Regulators have reacted by establishing new governance requirements that have significant implications for boards of directors, senior managers, and financial and accounting professionals. Stock exchanges and corporations acts throughout the wodd began mandating improved governance and transparency among their member and listed companies. Among the most prominent, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of2002 in the United States is already causing profound changes in corporate governance practices.
Influence of glycoprotein from red cell membranes on the agglutinating and lymphocyte stimulating activity of phytohaemagglutinin.

Lymphocytes were incubated in the presence of each of two phytohaemagglutinin preparations. One of these preparations (H-PHAP) agglutinated red cells and a mixture of leucocytes and platelets. The other preparation (L-PHAP) agglutinated leucocytes-platelets but not red cells. A soluble glycoprotein from red cell membranes markedly inhibited the H-PHAP-induced lymphocyte stimulation, but inhibited the L-PHAP-induced stimulation slightly or not at all. The glycoprotein inhibited the H-PHAP-induced agglutination of red cells and leucocytes-platelets, but did not inhibit the L-PHAP-induced agglutination of leucocytes-platelets.
Renovascular Hypertension in Mice With Brain-Selective Overexpression of AT1a Receptors Is Buffered by Increased Nitric Oxide Production in the Periphery

We recently established a new transgenic mouse model with brain-restricted overexpression of angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1a receptors (NSE-AT1a) to unmask the role of the brain renin-angiotensin system in hypertension. To test the hypothesis that these mice would exhibit an early exacerbation of renovascular hypertension, NSE-AT1a and nontransgenic (NT) mice underwent 2-kidney–1-clip (2K1C) surgery and blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded continuously by radiotelemetry for 28 days. Results show that NSE-AT1a mice developed hypertension much more rapidly than NT, and this was not attributable to genotype-related differences in plasma or brain Ang II levels. A marked bradycardia accompanied this early increase in BP in NSE-AT1a mice, as did a substantial cardiovascular region-specific downregulation of AT1 receptor binding in brain but not in kidney. As BP reached its plateau in NT (≈1 week after clip), hypertension began to abate and eventually stabilized at significantly lower levels in NSE-AT1a mice despite marked elevations in Ang II levels in brain stem and hypothalamus at these later time points. This hypertension reversal and the bradycardia were prevented by chronic infusion of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) blocker l-NAME. These data, along with evidence showing enhanced NOS expression and NO-mediated compensatory responses in 2K1C NSE-AT1a peripheral arteries during this later phase, suggest that activation of endogenous NO systems plays an important role in buffering the maintenance of hypertension caused by overexpression of AT1a receptors in the brain.
Earlier Detection of Patients' Second Primary Basal Cell Carcinomas: A Quantitative Analysis

BACKGROUND Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common occurring cancer in humans. No studies to date have compared the size of a patient's first and second primary BCC to determine whether we are detecting and treating second primary cancers at earlier stages of development. OBJECTIVE The objective was to ascertain whether patients who have had a primary BCC are diagnosed and treated for subsequent BCC at an earlier clinical stage of development. METHODS AND MATERIALS We performed a 4-year retrospective chart review of all patients presenting for Mohs micrographic surgery for two separate primary BCC. We compared the presenting clinical size of patients' first and second primary BCC. RESULTS We found a statistically significant decrease in size of the second primary BCC when compared to the first primary BCC (p<.0001). The mean difference was 116.6 mm2 and the median difference was 28.3 mm2. CONCLUSION Our results provide important quantitative data illustrating our effectiveness in detecting subsequent BCC at an earlier stage of development. Earlier detection of skin cancers can decrease the morbidity and chance of recurrence as well as lead to smaller scars and better cosmetic outcomes and may also allow for various treatment modalities and cost containment.
Natural selection associated with birth weight. III. Changes over the last twenty years

Differential stillbirth rates as a function of birth‐weight have been studied in all single births in Italy in the years 1954, 1961, 1967 and 1974. In the course of the twenty year interval of observation the following changes were found: (i) a progressive equalization of mortality in birth‐weight classes near the mean; (ii) a reduction of the directional component of selection which is parallel to the increase of mean birth‐weight (in the case of 8 months of pregnancy); (iii) a reduction of the stabilizing component of selection which is parallel to the decrease of birth‐weight variance (in the case of 9 months of pregnancy); (iv) a reduction of selection intensity, while selective mortality remains more or less unchanged. The modifications of natural selection associated with birth‐weight as a consequence of health care progress in this population are also discussed.
Physical exercise remodels visceral adipose tissue and mitochondrial lipid metabolism in rats fed a high‐fat diet

We aimed to investigate the effects of two physical exercise models, voluntary physical activity (VPA) and endurance training (ET) as preventive and therapeutic strategies, respectively, on lipid accumulation regulators and mitochondrial content in VAT of rats fed a high‐fat diet (HFD). Sprague‐Dawley rats (6 weeks old, n=60) were assigned into sedentary and VPA groups fed isoenergetic diets: standard (S, 35 kcal% fat) or HFD (71 kcal% fat). The VPA groups had free access to wheel running during the entire protocol. After 9 weeks, half of the sedentary animals were exercised on a treadmill while maintaining the dietary treatments. The HFD induced no changes in plasma non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and glycerol levels and decreased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) subunit IV and increased truncated/full‐length sterol regulatory element‐binding transcription factor 1c (SREBP1c) ratio in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT). VPA decreased plasma glycerol levels, aquaglyceroporin 7 (AQP7) and increased subunit I of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) protein, in standard diet fed animals. Eight weeks of ET decreased body weight, visceral adiposity and adipocyte size and plasma NEFA and glycerol levels, as well as AQP7 protein expression in eWAT. ET increased fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36), mitochondrial content of complexes IV and V subunits, mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamic (mitofusins and optic atrophy 1)‐related proteins. Moreover, lipogenesis‐related markers (SREBP1c and acetyl CoA carboxylase) were reduced after 8 weeks of ET. In conclusion, ET‐induced alterations reflect a positive effect on mitochondrial function and the overall VAT metabolism of HFD‐induced obese rats.
U.S. Trends in Food Availability and a Dietary Assessment of Loss-Adjusted Food Availability, 1970-2014

This report examines the amount of food available for consumption and related food trends in the United States from 1970 to 2014 using the food availability data in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service’s Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System. By comparing the loss-adjusted food availability data (a proxy for food consumption) with the dietary recommendations in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the report also estimates whether Americans, on average, are at, above, or below dietary recommendations for fruit, vegetables, grains, protein foods, dairy, added fats and oils, and added sugars and sweeteners. The loss-adjusted food availability data are derived from the food availability data by adjusting for food spoilage, plate waste, and other losses to more closely approximate per capita consumption. The findings indicate that Americans' consumption, on average, is below the dietary recommendations for fruit, vegetables, and dairy and above the recommendations for grains, protein foods, added fats and oils, and added sugars and sweeteners on the basis of a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. To meet these recommendations, Americans would need to lower their consumption of added fats, refined grains, and added sugars and sweeteners, and increase their consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, and low-fat dairy products.
The IPv6 Internet: An Assessment of Adoption and Quality of Services

The goal of this study is to deliver both an in-depth comprehensive analysis of the current state of IPv6 adoption and an assessment of the quality of services over the IPv6 Internet. Our assessment comprises an examination of eight data sets used to produce a comprehensive picture of IPv6 adoption across 12 metrics. We assessed the quality of services over the IPv6 Internet using eight globally distributed monitoring agents to compare the HTTP load times to targeted websites over IPv6 and IPv4. The results of our analysis confirm the findings of previous studies showing that IPv6 is in an accelerating adoption phase and that the IPv6 Internet is maturing in its ability to deliver quality of services on a par to IPv4. The long anticipated exhaustion of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) IPv4 global address pool occurred in February of 2011. Since that time, four of the five regional Internet registries (RIRs) have also exhausted their IPv4 address pools, leaving the African Network Information Centre as the only RIR with a pool of IPv4 addresses remaining for general allocation. As the availability of IPv4 addresses continues to diminish, the adoption and use of IPv6 is rapidly increasing. However, the quality of IPv6 deployments and implementations is not always equal, which can cause user experiences over the IPv6 Internet to suffer. For this reason, ongoing monitoring and measurement are essential to provide a comprehensive picture of IPv6 adoption and to evaluate the quality of services over IPv6.
Linking CSR Communication Activities to Consumer Brand Evaluations: An Examination of Mediating and Moderating Factors Linking CSR Communication to Brand Evaluations

ABSTRACT Using an online survey with an embedded experiment, the current study examines the effect of CSR message context (i.e., social vs. environmental focus) and related factors on individuals' assessments of a company's brand. Estimated multiple moderated mediation effects explore how consumers' views of the sincerity of the CSR message and the company's history of CSR activity influence both the effect of the message content and brand evaluations. The results of these analyses are then discussed in terms of their implications for future research and company practice on effective CSR communications.