Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Access to Employment for Adults in Poverty in the Buffalo-Niagara Region

This study extends the spatial mismatch literature by examining access to employment for the low-income population in Erie and Niagara Counties in western New York State. The analysis uses geographical information systems (GIS) to map residence and employment locations and calculate measures of employment and transport access. Throughout the two-county region, two-thirds of adults in poverty live within close proximity to a reasonable number of low-wage jobs. The ratio of the number of jobs accessible within a 30-minute commute by automobile versus public transit varies only slightly across neighbourhoods with high poverty rates. The close proximity of the suburbs to the central city and the network of grid and radial streets connecting the two places make suburban job access reasonable. Thus, despite higher numbers of low-wage jobs in the suburbs, job access in the city is superior to job access in the suburbs due to higher densities of employment opportunities and the existence of developed transport networks. While poverty is highly centralised in the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, the analysis suggests that, based on the spatial distribution of low-wage employment and concentrations of poverty, central-city locations have significant advantages in terms of proximity to jobs. However, Black/African American adults in poverty have poorer access to automobiles than Whites, and, as a result, they may be able to search for jobs only within a smaller area. This study recommends enhancements to public transit in places with large concentrations of low-wage jobs and increased access to reliable automobiles in places with small concentrations of low-wage jobs. Above all, unemployment rates in low-income neighbourhoods suggest a need to enhance programmes to improve job readiness, placement and support services.
Knowledge management, innovation and firm performance

Purpose – To provide important empirical evidence to support the role of knowledge management within firms.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a mail survey sent to CEOs representing firms with 50 or more employees from a cross‐section of industries. A total of 1,743 surveys were mailed out and 443 were returned and usable (27.8 percent response rate). The sample was checked for response and non‐response bias. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling.Findings – This paper presents knowledge management as a coordinating mechanism. Empirical evidence supports the view that a firm with a knowledge management capability will use resources more efficiently and so will be more innovative and perform better.Research limitations/implications – The sample slightly over‐represented larger firms. Data were also collected in New Zealand. As with most studies, it is important to replicate this study in different contexts.Practical implications – Knowledge management is embraced in.
Effective electrode configuration for selective stimulation with inner eye prostheses

The quality of visual perception with retinal prostheses strongly depends on the local selectivity. Electrode arrays at the surface of the retina should excite exclusively cells within a local area but they are expected to co-stimulate bypassing axons originating from ganglion cells of the outer regions. Long electrodes parallel to these axons are shown to be good candidates for avoiding the co-stimulation phenomenon. Efficiency of focal excitation depends on the length and resistance of the electrodes.
Shortest-Path Graph Kernels for Document Similarity

In this paper, we present a novel document similarity measure based on the definition of a graph kernel between pairs of documents. The proposed measure takes into account both the terms contained in the documents and the relationships between them. By representing each document as a graph-of-words, we are able to model these relationships and then determine how similar two documents are by using a modified shortest-path graph kernel. We evaluate our approach on two tasks and compare it against several baseline approaches using various performance metrics such as DET curves and macro-average F1-score. Experimental results on a range of datasets showed that our proposed approach outperforms traditional techniques and is capable of measuring more accurately the similarity between two documents.
Exchange Rate Changes and Trade Balance Adjustments in Malawi

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes how trade balance responds to changes in exchange rates for Malawi. A trade balance model involving the demand for Malawi exports and imports is estimated using time-series data from 1968 to 1998. The estimated results show that devaluation will worsen the trade balance in the short run and improve it only slightly in the long run. This suggests that perhaps aggregate-demand management should complement exchange-rate policy for the trade balance to improve markedly.
On the Maximum Number of Spanning Copies of an Orientation in a Tournament

For an orientation H with n vertices, let T(H) denote the maximum possible number of labelled copies of H in an n-vertex tournament. It is easily seen that T(H) ≥ n! /2 e(H), as the latter is the expected number of such copies in a random tournament. For n odd, let R(H) denote the maximum possible number of labelled copies of H in an n-vertex regular tournament. In fact, Adler, Alon and Ross proved that for H=C n , the directed Hamilton cycle, T(C n ) ≥ (e−o(1))n! /2 n , and it was observed by Alon that already R(C n ) ≥ (e−o(1))n! /2 n . Similar results hold for the directed Hamilton path P n . In other words, for the Hamilton path and cycle, the lower bound derived from the expectation argument can be improved by a constant factor. In this paper we significantly extend these results, and prove that they hold for a larger family of orientations H which includes all bounded-degree Eulerian orientations and all bounded-degree balanced orientations, as well as many others. One corollary of our method is that for any fixed k, every k-regular orientation H with n vertices satisfies T(H) ≥ (e k −o(1))n! /2 e(H), and in fact, for n odd, R(H) ≥ (e k −o(1))n! /2 e(H).
THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM AND RATIONAL BUBBLES

This study provides an infinite-horizon model of rational bubbles in a production economy. A bubble can arise when the pursuit of status is modeled explicitly, capturing the notion of “the spirit of capitalism. ” Using a parameterized model, I demonstrate the specific conditions for the existence of bubbles and their implications. Bubbles crowd out investment, stimulate consumption, and slow economic growth. I also discuss a stochastic bubble that bursts with an exogenous probability. I show that there could be multiple stochastic bubbly equilibria. Moreover, I suggest that taxing wealth properly can eliminate bubbles and achieve the social optimum.
One‐year safety and efficacy of tobramycin powder for inhalation in patients with cystic fibrosis

This is an integrated analysis of data from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) aged 6–21 years who were treated with up to seven cycles of tobramycin powder for inhalation (TIPTM) over a period of at least 1 year. Safety and key efficacy endpoints were analyzed. Results: The improvement in lung function and decrease in sputum P. aeruginosa (Pa) density from baseline were sustained over the 1‐year treatment period. The number of adverse events (AEs) was low and did not increase with additional cycles of TIP treatment. Some increase in tobramycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was observed, but there was no significant increase in emergence of resistant strains based on the parenteral breakpoint for tobramycin. Conclusion: Efficacy of TIP was maintained for up to seven cycles. Long‐term treatment with TIP was generally safe and well tolerated with no increase in AEs. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:372–378. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Control of Mushroom Sciarid Fly Lycoriella ingenua Populations with Insect Growth Regulators Applied by Soil Drench

ABSTRACT Mushroom sciarid fly Lycoriella ingenua (Dufour, 1839) comb, nov., is one of the most common fly pests affecting the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach in Turkey In this study, eight insect growth regulators (IGRs)—diflubenzuron, flufenoxuron, lufenuron, methoprene, novaluron, pyriproxyfen, teflubenzuron, and triflumuron—were tested for their potential to control L. ingenua populations in two successive growing periods. Treatments were targeted at larvae as soil drenches; treatment efficacy was evaluated by assessing adult emergence and larval damage. These products were compared with a control treated with water (negative control) and a conventional chemical insecticide (chlorpyrifos ethyl) (positive control). Treatments with the IGRs caused significant reductions in emerging adult numbers and sporophore damage rates compared with the water-treated control over the two growing periods. Of the IGRs tested, novaluron, diflubenzuron, and teflubenzuron had significantly lower numbers of emerging adults than the rest of the IGRs and chlorpyrifos ethyl-treated control in both periods. Treatments with teflubenzuron, pyriproxyfen, novaluron, and diflubenzuron resulted in significantly lower sporophore damage rates than all other treatments. Compared with negative control, there were no significant yield reductions due to applications of selected IGRs. The results suggest that all the IGRs tested can be used as alternatives to conventional pesticides in controlling L. ingenua populations on mushroom.
Astronomics in Action: The Graduate Earnings Premium and the Dragon Effect in Singapore

type="main" xml:id="ecin12154-abs-0001"> This paper investigates the return to university education in Singapore using a new estimation strategy related to Chinese traditions where children born in the Year of the Dragon are believed to be superior. Because parents might time the arrival of their offspring on a Dragon year, this causes the Dragon cohort to be larger and university entry to be more competitive. First, we find evidence of a negative “Dragon effect” on university educational attainment. Then, using it as an estimation strategy, we find that university education has a ceteris paribus effect of raising earnings by at least 50% on average . ( JEL I21, C26, J30)
Infective Endocarditis Epidemiology Over Five Decades: A Systematic Review

Aims To Assess changes in infective endocarditis (IE) epidemiology over the last 5 decades. Methods and Results We searched the published literature using PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE from inception until December 2011. Data From Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA were also included. Criteria for inclusion in this systematic review included studies with reported IE microbiology, IE definition, description of population studied, and time frame. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed manuscript quality. One hundred sixty studies (27,083 patients) met inclusion criteria. Among hospital-based studies (n=142; 23,606 patients) staphylococcal IE percentage increased over time, with coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CNS) increasing over each of the last 5 decades (p<0.001) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) in the last decade (21% to 30%; p<0.05). Streptococcus viridans (SV) and culture negative (CN) IE frequency decreased over time (p<0.001), while enterococcal IE increased in the last decade (p<0.01). Patient age and male predominance increased over time as well. In subgroup analysis, SA frequency increased in North America, but not the rest of the world. This was due, in part, to an increase in intravenous drug abuse IE in North America (p<0.001). Among population-based studies (n=18; 3,477 patients) no significant changes were found. Conclusion Important changes occurred in IE epidemiology over the last half-century, especially in the last decade. Staphylococcal and enterococcal IE percentage increased while SV and CN IE decreased. Moreover, mean age at diagnosis increased together with male:female ratio. These changes should be considered at the time of decision-making in treatment of and prophylaxis for IE.
Micro-Strategizing and the Three Logics of Action

This study explores the three logics of action used by middle managers when undertaking projects. While this study was an exploratory one, it demonstrated that three logics clearly exist in the decision-making process, and that decision-making is discursively heterogeneous. Each of these logics, authoritarian, emotional, and conciliatory, implies a particular kind of rationality. Such logics depend mainly on the managers' perceptions of their endeavours. Each of these three logics implies a particular kind of rationality that goes much beyond the bounded rationality.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy in a Patient with Treated Methylmalonic Acidemia

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (proton MRS) findings before and after carnitine therapy in a patient with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) are evaluated. The hyperintensity on T2-weighted image and diffusion-weighted image and the decreased apparent diffusion coefficient of bilateral basal ganglia were normalized in parallel with normalization of the elevated lactate levels and the decreased N-acetyl-aspartate levels, corresponding to improvement of clinical symptoms. MRI and proton MRS may serve as a suitable, noninvasive modality for monitoring treated MMA.
The use of random-effects models to identify health care center-related characteristics modifying the effect of antipsychotic drugs

Purpose A case study was conducted, exploring methods to identify drugs effects modifiers, at a health care center level. Patients and methods Data were drawn from the Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcome cohort, including hierarchical information on 6641 patients, recruited from 899 health care centers from across ten European countries. Center-level characteristics included the following: psychiatrist’s gender, age, length of practice experience, practice setting and type, countries’ Healthcare System Efficiency score, and psychiatrist density in the country. Mixed multivariable linear regression models were used: 1) to estimate antipsychotic drugs’ effectiveness (defined as the association between patients’ outcome at 3 months – dependent variable, continuous – and antipsychotic drug initiation at baseline – drug A vs other antipsychotic drug); 2) to estimate the similarity between clustered data (using the intra-cluster correlation coefficient); and 3) to explore antipsychotic drug effects modification by center-related characteristics (using the addition of an interaction term). Results About 23% of the variance found for patients’ outcome was explained by unmeasured confounding at a center level. Psychiatrists’ practice experience was found to be associated with patient outcomes (p=0.04) and modified the relative effect of “drug A” (p<0.001), independent of center- or patient-related characteristics. Conclusion Mixed models may be useful to explore how center-related characteristics modify drugs’ effect estimates, but require numerous assumptions.
The search for teacher standards: a nationwide experiment in the Netherlands

In recent years there has been an enormous amount of emphasis, worldwide, seeking to construct and monitor teacher and pupil standards. This has arguably been the main thrust of educational policy for many Governments. Educational critics have been vociferous in voicing their dissent. But where does the debate proceed from here? The purpose of this article is to use a new nationwide experiment in the Netherlands in order to explore the relative merits of different approaches. Richard Elmore, the public policy analyst, has proposed ‘backward mapping’ as a viable alternative to what he suggests have been the failed attempts at ‘forward mapping’. This article seeks to apply his ideas to the educational policy domain. The Netherlands provides an ideal laboratory setting because its Government has accepted that its erstwhile approaches (in the mode of forward mapping) have failed and it has made a conscious attempt to embark down a new path. The research reported here finds that this new approach has many advantages; but it is not without its dangers.
Stage T3a renal cell carcinoma: staging accuracy of CT for sinus fat, perinephric fat or renal vein invasion.

OBJECTIVE To study the accuracy of CT for staging T3a (TNM 2009) renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHODS Unenhanced and nephrographic phase CT studies of 117 patients (male:female = 82:35; age range, 21-86 years) with T1-T3a RCC were independently reviewed by 2 readers. The presence of sinus or perinephric fat, or renal vein invasion and tumour characteristics were noted. RESULTS Median (range) tumour size was 5.5 (0.9-19.0) cm; and 46 (39%), 16 (14%) and 55 (47%) tumours were pT1, pT2 and pT3a RCC, respectively. The sensitivity/specificity for sinus fat, perinephric fat and renal vein invasion were 71/79%, 83/76% and 59/93% (Reader 1) and 88/71%, 68/72% and 69/91% (Reader 2) with κ = 0.41, 0.43 and 0.61, respectively. Sinus fat invasion was seen in 47/55 (85%) cases with T3a RCC vs 16/55 (29%) and 33/55 (60%) for perinephric fat and renal vein invasion. Tumour necrosis, irregularity of tumour edge and direct tumour contact with perirenal fascia or sinus fat increased the odds of local invasion [odds ratio (OR), 2.5-3.7; p < 0.05; κ = 0.42-0.61]. Stage T3a tumours were centrally located (OR, 3.9; p = 0.0009). CONCLUSION Stage T3a RCC was identified with a sensitivity of 59-88% and specificity of 71-93% (κ = 0.41-0.61). Sinus fat invasion was the most common invasive feature. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Centrally situated renal tumours with an irregular tumour edge, inseparable from sinus structures or the perirenal fascia and CT features of tumour necrosis should alert the reader to the possibility of Stage T3a RCC (OR, 2.5-3.9).
What Do Teachers Need to Support English Learners

This study explored K-8 teachers’ perceptions of their preparation and the challenges they encountered in delivering instruction to culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Using a mixed method research design, data were collected through a web-based survey from teachers in the state of Michigan. Researchers used chi-square tests to investigate the relationship between teachers’ preparation and their knowledge of their diverse learners’ learning needs. Qualitative comments were examined, organized, and summarized to illustrate key themes in each question under study. Findings revealed that teachers’ perceptions of their preparation to teach linguistically and culturally diverse students were correlated with cultural diversity or lack of cultural diversity in their classrooms. Whereas teachers stated they felt prepared to teach heterogeneous classes, they encountered challenges in delivering instruction to English learners. In addition, teachers stated that cultural awareness training did not adequately prepare them to integrate cultural elements in their daily instructional practices.
Sign-Problem–Free Quantum Monte Carlo of the Onset of Antiferromagnetism in Metals

Getting Rid of Negativity Problems in condensed matter physics involving strong interactions are notoriously hard to tackle analytically, and physicists often resort to numerical methods such as quantum Monte Carlo (QMC). However, in the most interesting cases, this method becomes computationally intractable because partition sums for fermionic systems generally involve integration over an oscillatory function with both negative and positive values. Berg et al. (p. 1606) find a way around this problem for a two-dimensional metal in the vicinity of an antiferromagnetic quantum phase transition, which is of relevance to electron-doped cuprates, iron-based superconductors, and heavy fermion compounds. Their lattice theory results in a positive integrand for the partition sums; thus, avoiding the sign problem; and yields the expected competition between antiferromagnetic order and unconventional superconductivity near the critical point. An effective lattice theory enables an efficient computational solution to an otherwise intractable problem. The quantum theory of antiferromagnetism in metals is necessary for our understanding of numerous intermetallic compounds of widespread interest. In these systems, a quantum critical point emerges as external parameters (such as chemical doping) are varied. Because of the strong coupling nature of this critical point and the “sign problem” plaguing numerical quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods, its theoretical understanding is still incomplete. Here, we show that the universal low-energy theory for the onset of antiferromagnetism in a metal can be realized in lattice models, which are free from the sign problem and hence can be simulated efficiently with QMC. Our simulations show Fermi surface reconstruction and unconventional spin-singlet superconductivity across the critical point.
Multidimensional Human Opportunity Index

One fact that emerges from the evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals is that not all countries met all the goals and there are significant complementaries among failing on specific goals. This paper proposes the Multidimensional Human Opportunity Index (MHOI) that focuses on the complementaries among access to multiple services. We focus on access to services for children, with the aim of capturing equality in opportunity for children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. This index builds on the Human Opportunity Index of the World Bank that measures children’s access to a basic service, such as access to clean water. However, the MHOI differs from the parent index in that we measure joint access to multiple services or access to a bundle of services. We apply the MHOI on two Himalayan states of South Asia, Nepal and Bhutan, and show that although each basic service is available to a large proportion of the population, only two-thirds in Bhutan and one half in Nepal have access to the bundle of basic services in 2011–2012.
Mitigating stress and burnout by implementing transformational‐leadership

Purpose – To examine the impact of transformational‐leadership on job stress (JS) and the impact of (JS) on burnout.Design/methodology/approach – Hospitality industry employees were interviewed regarding the type of leadership used by their managers, the stress they felt due to their jobs, and the degree to which they felt they were “burned out. ”Findings – Degree of perceived burnout is related to degree of perceived stress and degree of perceived stress is related to type of leadership employed by managers.Practical implications – If employees perceive that their managers are using transformational‐leadership, (JS) is perceived as less than if it is perceived as not being used. Given the costs associated with employee replacement, reduced burnout means a reduction in those costs. And, the social and economic cost to society of treating employees who are “burned out” is reduced.Originality/value – This paper shows that the relationship between type of leadership, (JS) and burnout is not only the province .