Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring and understanding trade in service tasks

Improvements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have had differential impacts on the costs of offshoring service tasks. As a result, services with stronger tradability characteristics are at a higher risk of being offshored. This has increased the need for coming up with proper measures of service tradability and to better understand the labor market implications of service offshoring. Indeed, recent literature suggests that both skill-intensity and tradability are key determinants of wage and employment effects. Nonetheless, the lack of widely accepted definitions of tradability, the absence of high quality data on service trade flows and the difficulty of measuring import competition at higher disaggregation levels pose difficulties to attain further empirical progress. Moreover, the theoretical literature must produce a new generation of models that could rationalize the stylized facts.
Understanding the Complexity in Electronic Government: Implications from the Digital Divide Literature

E-government has been recognized as a catalyst or tool for government administrative reform. Information technologies have the potential to produce cost savings, improve the quality of services, and make government policies more effective. However, some scholars and practitioners contend e-government has not delivered the promise of more efficient, effective, and democratic public administration. In fact, Heeks (2003) estimates that the failure rate of e-government projects may be as high as 85%. We argue that e-government and digital divide research have been relatively disconnected and important intersections exist between the two. These intersections may be useful to explain some of the failures in e-government projects and policies. Theoretically and practically, e-government and digital divide are intertwined and, therefore, a better understanding can be gained if scholars start analyzing them as complementary social phenomena. This paper reviews current literature in e-government and the digital divide and highlights some important similarities and differences. It also suggests preliminary implications for e-government research and practice.
Frequency of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms influencing the warfarin pharmacogenetics in Slovak population

Warfarin represents the most commonly prescribed oral anticoagulants, which functions as an antagonist of vitamin K, an essential factor of blood coagulation cascade. Warfarin has a narrow therapeutic index. An insufficient dose can cause failure of antithrombotic effect, and an overdose increases a risk of bleeding. It is known that variability in two genes (CYP2C9 and VKORC1) has a significant effect on individual response to warfarin dose. These polymorphisms influence more than one‐third of known warfarin dose effect. Pharmacogenetics of warfarin is less affected by polymorphisms in the other genes such as CYP4F2, CYP2C19, and GGCX.
When It Pays to Wait: Optimizing Release Timing Decisions for Secondary Channels in the Film Industry

This study examines the optimization of interrelease timing decisions, focusing on box office and DVD sales in the U.S. motion picture industry. It aims to improve managerial decision making by jointly modeling the revenue in these two channels through a copula modeling approach. As in previous studies, the authors find that the time lag from box office release to DVD release should be increased to optimize total movie performance, but they conclude that previous studies have systematically underestimated the optimal time lag. This study is the first to challenge the assumption of a negative decay in DVD performance as a function of time; its results suggest that a delayed DVD release is still optimal for maximizing revenue in the DVD channel. This study's model suggests that, on average, individual movies are approximately eight weeks away from their optimal lag and that the net impact of optimizing would be improvements in total and DVD revenue by 2.5% and 5.6%, respectively. Therefore, this model is expected to enhance managerial decision making by offering the ability to predict the optimal time lag for individual movies.
Defective trafficking and function of KATP channels caused by a sulfonylurea receptor 1 mutation associated with persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy

The ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) regulates insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells. Loss of functional KATP channels because of mutations in either the SUR1 or Kir6.2 channel subunit causes persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI). We investigated the molecular mechanism by which a single phenylalanine deletion in SUR1 (ΔF1388) causes PHHI. Previous studies have shown that coexpression of ΔF1388 SUR1 with Kir6.2 results in no channel activity. We demonstrate here that the lack of functional expression is due to failure of the mutant channel to traffic to the cell surface. Trafficking of KATP channels requires that the endoplasmic reticulum-retention signal, RKR, present in both SUR1 and Kir6.2, be shielded during channel assembly. To ask whether ΔF1388 SUR1 forms functional channels with Kir6.2, we inactivated the RKR signal in ΔF1388 SUR1 by mutation to AAA (ΔF1388 SUR1AAA). Inactivation of similar endoplasmic reticulum-retention signals in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator has been shown to partially overcome the trafficking defect of a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mutation, ΔF508. We found that coexpression of ΔF1388 SUR1AAA with Kir6.2 led to partial surface expression of the mutant channel. Moreover, mutant channels were active. Compared with wild-type channels, the mutant channels have reduced ATP sensitivity and do not respond to stimulation by MgADP or diazoxide. The RKR → AAA mutation alone has no effect on channel properties. Our results establish defective trafficking of KATP channels as a molecular basis of PHHI and show that F1388 in SUR1 is critical for normal trafficking and function of KATP channels.
In vivo selection of conditional-lethal mutations in the gene encoding elongation factor G of Escherichia coli

The ribosome translocation step that occurs during protein synthesis is a highly conserved, essential activity of all cells. The precise movement of one codon that occurs following peptide bond formation is regulated by elongation factor G (EF-G) in eubacteria or elongation factor 2 (EF-2) in eukaryotes. To begin to understand molecular interactions that regulate this process, a genetic selection was developed with the aim of obtaining conditional-lethal alleles of the gene (fusA) that encodes EF-G in Escherichia coli. The genetic selection depends on the observation that resistant strains arose spontaneously in the presence of sublethal concentrations of the antibiotic kanamycin. Replica plating was performed to obtain mutant isolates from this collection that were restrictive for growth at 42 degrees C. Two tightly temperature-sensitive strains were characterized in detail and shown to harbor single-site missense mutations within fusA. The fusA100 mutant encoded a glycine-to-aspartic acid change at codon 502. The fusA101 allele encoded a glutamine-to-proline alteration at position 495. Induction kinetics of beta-galactosidase activity suggested that both mutations resulted in slower elongation rates in vivo. These missense mutations were very near a small group of conserved amino acid residues (positions 483 to 493) that occur in EF-G and EF-2 but not EF-Tu. It is concluded that these sequences encode a specific domain that is essential for efficient translocase function.
Did Japanese consumers become more prudent during 1998–1999? Evidence from household-level data

Abstract This paper explores empirically whether Japanese consumers became more prudent in the second half of the 1990s, a decade in which Japan registered historically low economic growth. Employing the methodology developed by Dynan (1993), this study uses micro-level data from the Family Savings Survey and the Family Income and Expenditure Survey to estimate the coefficient of prudence for Japanese households in the second half of the 1990s. The estimates reveal that the coefficient of prudence is positive and statistically significant in the 1998–1999 period. The obtained value for the coefficient of prudence is four, which is much higher than that estimated for US households (not significantly different from zero) or UK households (around 2). The estimated coefficient for young households is higher still, which is consistent with simulation studies conducted by Gourinchas & Parker (2002) showing that precaution is the most important saving motive for younger households.
Clinical histology of microimplants placed in two different biomaterials.

PURPOSE This randomized, controlled study was designed to compare bone formation around microimplants with a sandblasted, acid-etched surface placed at the time of maxillary sinus floor augmentation with a synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) or deproteinized bovine bone (DBB). MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine completely edentulous patients and two partially edentulous patients (six women, five men) with a mean age of 67 years (range, 50 to 79 years) requiring bilateral sinus augmentation were included in the study. The patients were randomized for augmentation with BCP (test) in one side and DBB (control) in the contralateral side. At the time of augmentation, one microimplant on each side was placed vertically from the top of the alveolar crest, penetrating the residual bone and the grafting material. After 8 months of graft healing, at the time of ordinary implant placement, all 22 microimplants were retrieved with a surrounding bone core for histologic analyses. RESULTS The bone-to-implant contact in the BCP group was 64.6% +/- 9.0%, versus 55.0% +/- 16.0% for the DBB group. The difference was not significant. The corresponding values for the area of newly formed bone in the biopsies were 41.1% +/- 9.8% and 41.6% +/- 14.0% for BCP and DBB, respectively. There were significantly more DBB particles in contact with newly formed bone than BCP particles (87.9 +/- 18.2% versus 53.9 +/- 26.1%; Wilcoxon rank sum test; P = .007). CONCLUSION In this randomized, controlled clinical trial, new bone formation and bone-to-implant contact around microimplants with a sandblasted, acid-etched surface was found to be equivalent between sinuses augmented with BCP or DBB. Significantly more DBB particles than BCP particles were in contact with newly formed bone, but the clinical relevance of this has yet to be established.
“Just Another Story”

Since 1972, when the U.S. Congress passed Title IX, girls’ and women’s participation in sport exponentially increased. Yet, major gender inequities remain, including in media coverage. Feminist sports media scholars have pointed to journalists’ resistance toward Title IX as one explanation for these inequities. To further examine the relationship between Title IX and coverage of women’s sport, this study draws upon oral history interviews with 14 sports journalists who worked at newspapers in one major media market in the United States before and after the implementation of Title IX. In their memories, journalists incorporated two dominant cultural narratives: conflict narratives, which position gains in women’s sports against losses in men’s sports, and celebratory narratives, which uncritically embrace Title IX as a catalyst for girls and women in sport. Although all agreed that Title IX had a positive impact upon women’s sports, few believed Title IX actually changed coverage. This study points to the limitations of applying Title IX’s gender equity framework to sports journalism and calls for a reassessment in advocacy efforts toward gender justice.
Normalizing eating behavior reduces body weight and improves gastrointestinal hormonal secretion in obese adolescents.

HYPOTHESIS Retraining obese adolescents to eat more slowly will lead to beneficial changes in circulating concentrations of gastrointestinal satiety hormones. METHODS Ghrelin and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine were measured during an oral glucose tolerance test, at baseline and at 12 months during a randomized trial assessing the clinical effectiveness of a device (Mandometer) designed to retrain eating behavior. This computerized scale provided real-time feedback during meals in the intervention arm (n = 14) to slow down the speed of eating. The control group (n = 13) received only standard care aimed at improving lifestyle behavior. The Mandometer elicited greater improvements in weight loss than standard care. RESULTS Compared with baseline, only those using the Mandometer exhibited lower mean levels of fasting ghrelin (48.14 ± 18.47 vs. 68.45 ± 17.78 pg/ml; P = 0.002) and mean ghrelin area under the curve (72.08 ± 24.11 vs. 125.50 ± 29.72 pg/ml × min; P < 0.001) at 12 months. Absolute mean suppression in ghrelin at 60 min was enhanced (-40.50 ± 21.06 vs. -12.14 ± 19.74 pg/ml × min; P = 0.001). Peptide tyrosine-tyrosine response at 90 min remained unaltered in the standard care arm, whereas those in the Mandometer arm increased (P < 0.001): the mean 90-min response increased by 72 pg/ml [95% confidence interval (CI) 52-92 pg/ml] between baseline and 12 months. In a partial correlation analysis adjusting for change (Δ) in body mass index sd scores, Δ meal duration correlated negatively with Δ absolute suppression in ghrelin at 60 min (r = -0.58; P = 0.037; 95% CI -0.79 to -0.27) and Δ ghrelin area under the curve (r = -0.62; P = 0.025; 95% CI -0.81 to -0.31). CONCLUSIONS Retraining obese adolescents to eat more slowly has a significant impact on the gastrointestinal hormone response to a carbohydrate load, suggesting that externally modifiable eating behaviors actually regulate the hormonal response to food.
Region‐specific encoding of sensory and affective components of pain in the human brain: A positron emission tomography correlation analysis

Brain imaging with positron emission tomography has identified some of the principal cerebral structures of a central network activated by pain. To discover whether the different cortical and subcortical areas process different components of the multidimensional nature of pain, we performed a regression analysis between noxious heat‐related regional blood flow increases and experimental pain parameters reflecting detection of pain, encoding of pain intensity, as well as pain unpleasantness. The results of our activation study indicate that different functions in pain processing can be attributed to different brain regions; ie, the gating function reflected by the pain threshold appeared to be related to anterior cingulate cortex, the frontal inferior cortex, and the thalamus, the coding of pain intensity to the periventricular gray as well as to the posterior cingulate cortex, and the encoding of pain unpleasantness to the posterior sector of the anterior cingulate cortex. Ann Neurol 1999;45:40–47
Toward a Climate for Work Resumption: The Nonmedical Determinants of Return to Work

Objective: People who have been on long-term absence from work because of ill health usually have reduced chances to resume work again. Nevertheless, little is known about its causal factors. The aim of this study is to present and test an empirical model to predict return to work of employees who are long-term absent for physical- or mental ill health reasons. Method: A longitudinal study has been performed with a sample of long-term absents in five European countries (N = 1460). Results: Health improvement is necessary but it alone not sufficient as precondition for return to work. Psychological factors (ie, self-efficacy, depression) and organizational factors have the highest impact. Conclusions: A climate for work resumption and its implications for personnel management practices to reduce/prevent workers to remain in absence leave when the medical symptoms have disappeared are discussed.
Electrophysiological and morphological characterization of cells in superficial layers of rat presubiculum

The presubiculum (PrS) plays critical roles in spatial information processing and memory consolidation and has also been implicated in temporal lobe epileptogenesis. Despite its involvement in these processes, a basic structure–function analysis of PrS cells remains far from complete. To this end, we performed whole‐cell recording and biocytin labeling of PrS neurons in layer (L)II and LIII to examine their electrophysiological and morphological properties. We characterized the cell types based on electrophysiological criteria, correlated their gross morphology, and classified them into distinct categories using unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis. We identified seven distinct cell types: regular‐spiking (RS), irregular‐spiking (IR), initially bursting (IB), stuttering (Stu), single‐spiking (SS), fast‐adapting (FA), and late‐spiking (LS) cells, of which RS and IB cells were common to LII and LIII, LS cells were specific to LIII, and the remaining types were identified exclusively in LII. Recorded neurons were either pyramidal or nonpyramidal and, except for Stu cells, displayed spine‐rich dendrites. The RS, IB, and IR cells appeared to be projection neurons based on extension of their axons into LIII of the medial entorhinal area (MEA) and/or angular bundle. We conclude that LII and LIII of PrS are distinct in their neuronal populations and together constitute a more diverse population of neurons than previously suggested. PrS neurons serve as major drivers of circuits in superficial (LII–III) entorhinal cortex (ERC) and couple neighboring structures through robust afferentation, thereby substantiating the PrS's critical role in the parahippocampal region. J. Comp. Neurol. 521: 3116–3132, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exploring Attrition, Fidelity, and Effectiveness of Wraparound Services Among Low-Income Youth of Different Racial Backgrounds

Introduction: Wraparound services (i.e., community-based collaborative care) for children with severe mental health needs have been reported as effective. Yet, no attention has been given to aggregating treatment results across racially and economically diverse groups of youth. While controlling for socioeconomic status (i.e., free/reduced lunch status) this study explored potential racial disparities in response to wraparound services. Method: Data from a diverse statewide sample (N = 1,006) of low-income youth (ages 6–18 years) identified as having a serious emotional disturbance were analyzed for differences in wraparound attrition, fidelity, and effectiveness. Results: African American youth receiving free/reduced lunch failed to complete wraparound services at significantly higher rates when compared to Caucasian youth. For those who met treatment goals (i.e., completed services), mean intervention fidelity scores showed services to be implemented similarly across youth. Furthermore, wraparound services resulted in improvements in mental health functioning, though racial background and attrition status impacted exit scores. Discussion: Collaborative community-based mental health services improve youth outcomes and physicians and school personnel should strive to be part of these teams. Further research is needed to more closely examine the challenges of helping youth to meet the goals associated with their wraparound services. Relatively higher service attrition rates in low-income African American youth warrants further investigation.
Acoustic Signature of the Normal Swallow: Characterization by Age, Gender, and Bolus Volume

Despite growing clinical use, cervical auscultation suffers from a lack of research-based data. One of the strongest criticisms of cervical auscultation is that there has been little research to demonstrate how dysphagic swallowing sounds are different from normal swallowing sounds. In order to answer this question, however, one first needs to document the acoustic characteristics of “normal,” nondysphagic swallowing sounds. This article provides the first normative database of normal swallowing sounds for the adult population. The current investigation documents the acoustic characteristics of normal swallowing sounds for individuals from 18 to more than 60 years of age over a range of thin liquid volumes. Previous research has shown the normal swallow to be a dynamic event. The normal swallow is sensitive to aging of the oropharyngeal system, and also to the volume of bolus swallowed. The current investigation found that the acoustic signals generated during swallowing were sensitive to an individual's age and to the volume of the bolus swallowed. There were also some gender-specific differences in the acoustic profile of the swallowing sound. It is anticipated that the results will provide a catalyst for further research into cervical auscultation.
Causality of Macroeconomic Factors on the Movement of Financial (FIN) Index of the Philippine Stock Exchange

The purpose of this study was to determine the causative relationship between the macroeconomic activities towards the Financials index of the Philippines Stocks Exchange. A descriptive-causative type of research was used to describe the behaviour of the macroeconomic variables, i.e. foreign direct investments, OFW remittances and peso-US dollar exchange rate, towards Financials (FIN) index of the Philippines for the period covering from January 2006 to October 2015. Bivariate Granger causality was used to determine the presence of causality between the variables. It was found out that the behaviour on each graph of each variable shows volatility and vulnerability from shocks caused by different factors in certain points of time. Results from bivariate estimations showed unidirectional relationship existing between OFW remittances and Financials (FIN) index of the Philippines. The same goes for the peso-US dollar exchange rate and Financials (FIN) index. On the other hand, the estimation showed a bidirectional relationship between foreign direct investment and the Financials (FIN) index having both of the variables significantly causing each other.
When to Stop Testing for Large Software Systems with Changing Code

Developers of large software systems must decide how long software should be tested before releasing it. A common and usually unwarranted assumption is that the code remains frozen during testing. We present a stochastic and economic framework to deal with systems that change as they are tested. The changes can occur because of the delivery of software as it is developed, the way software is tested, the addition of fixes, and so on. Specifically, we report the details of a real time trial of a large software system that had a substantial amount of code added during testing. We describe the methodology, give all of the relevant details, and discuss the results obtained. We pay particular attention to graphical methods that are easy to understand, and that provide effective summaries of the testing process. Some of the plots found useful by the software testers include: the Net Benefit Plot, which gives a running chart of the benefit; the Stopping Plot, which estimates the amount of additional time needed for testing; and diagnostic plots. To encourage other researchers to try out different models, all of the relevant data are provided. >