Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between Cutaneous Wounds Made on Obese Mice or Those with Decreased Body Weight and Serum Leptin Level

Purpose: Not all obese people have hyperglycemia. We wondered about the healing progress in obese people without hyperglycemia. The purpose of this study is to observe the cutaneous wound healing process. Methods: Three-week-old male mice were fed high-fat diets (containing 60% fat) in the diet group, and commercial diets in the control group, ad libitum for 15 weeks. Circle-full-thickness cutaneous wounds were made on the dorsal skin of mice. From day 0 to day 15 after wounding, we analyzed wound healing process. We measured the blood concentration of leptin, and observed the distribution of leptin-positive cells in each wound. Results: Mean body weight, the areas of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat, and the weight of epididymal fat in the diet group were significantly greater than those in the control group at 15 weeks after feeding. The diet group did not feed on the diet after wounding; their body weight decreased remarkably to the level of the control group. The ratio of wound area, re-epithelialization, and collagen fibers did not differ between the diet and control groups on each day. The blood concentration of leptin in the diet group was significantly greater than that in the control group before wounding and until day 6 after wounding (day 0, 10 hour and day 1: p < 0.01, day 6: p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results show that the wound healing process is similar between obese and non-obese mice, and that the decrease in the leptin level in the obese mouse to that in the non-obese mouse may depend on the decrease of body weight of obese mouse.
Teacher Opinions on Performance Incentives: Evidence from the Kyrgyz Republic

This paper uses data from a post-hoc evaluation of a performance-based teacher incentive program in the Kyrgyz Republic to examine the opinions of teachers receiving different pay bonuses based on their performance as assessed by external evaluators. Overall, teacher opinions of the program were favorable, although teachers who received lower performance ratings held less favorable opinions about the motivational aspects of the program. Despite this, lower-rated teachers were more likely to report that they used what they learned to evaluate their own teaching, as compared with more highly rated teachers, and were more likely to take professional development courses in the years following the program's implementation.
Evaluating the demand side: New challenges for evaluation

Evaluation of research and innovation policy faces radical challenges arising from a new policy emphasis upon demand-side measures and linked to this an understanding of innovation policy as a means to achieve societal goals. This article considers the implications for the practice of evaluation at both micro and meso-levels. It uses the exemplar of an evaluation design for the European Union's Lead Market Initiative to expose the extent to which classical approaches to evaluation are valid and where new issues arise. Some problems highlighted include the difficulty of establishing a relevant baseline, the inability of public statistics constructed in supply-side mode to capture actions, the need to engage with actors who do not necessarily see themselves as part of the initiative being evaluated, long timescales and potential wide geographical scope, measures that span from micro to macro, and blurred boundaries between implementation and impact. It is concluded that there is a key role for evaluators to become involved in co-learning and co-evolution of these policy instruments in a manner analogous to the relationship between evaluation and policy development that characterized the emergence of collaborative R&D support programmes. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
Democratization and War in Political Science

This article explores what political science literature has to say about the promises and perils of expanding democratic governance. International relations literature and comparative politics literature both deal with the claim that stable democracies do not fight each other. However, these two strands of literature only to a minor extent exchange research findings on the causes of war. International relations scholars are well aware of the fact that the early stages of democratization in particular may trigger conflict, and they explain that they are referring to the size of a country's power and the distribution of capabilities among the major powers, among other factors. In contrast, comparativists focus on the opening of domestic political space. In a transitional state, open political space fosters elite competition, which cannot be regulated by weak political institutions and therefore may cause civil war. They are less aware of the fact that these internal dynamics may even enhance the risk of political violence beyond territorial borders. Both of these approaches must be used to focus on the consequences of democratization on a regional scale. In ‘bad neighbourhoods’, including the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Great Lakes in Africa, democratization can trigger conflict beyond state frontiers by altering the incentives and opportunities of political actors.
Vertical Gaze Direction and the Resting Posture of the Eyes

With horizontal gaze, the resting posture of binocular vergence typically corresponds to a distance of about 1 m. The effect of vertical direction of gaze on this basic resting posture was investigated. The dark vergence of twenty-four subjects was measured while they fixated a dim monocular light-point at vertical directions ranging from −45° (lowered) to +30° (elevated). In one condition, gaze was varied by changes in eye position with the head held upright; in a second condition, gaze was varied by changes in head inclination with the eyes held in constant (horizontal) position with respect to the head. In both conditions, dark vergence shifted in the convergent (nearer) direction with lowered gaze and in the divergent (farther) direction with elevated gaze. The effect of varied eye inclination was larger, more variable across subjects, and more stable over time than that of varied head inclination. These findings indicate that multiple mechanisms contribute to gaze-related variations of the resting posture of the eyes. They may help to explain the variations of space perception and visual fatigue that are observed with different gaze inclinations.
Potential association of vitamin D receptor polymorphism Taq1 with multiple sclerosis

Background: The environmental influence of sun exposure and vitamin D in particular and its implication with multiple sclerosis (MS) has recently received considerable attention. Current evidence based on genetic and epidemiological studies indicate that vitamin D is implicated in the aetiology of this disease. Methods: We examined two common variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in 1153 trio families and 726 cases and 604 controls. We also examined epistatic interactions between the VDR SNPs rs731236 and rs2228570 with the tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3135388 for the HLA-DRB*1501 locus containing a highly conserved vitamin D responsive element within its promoter region. Results: We found weak evidence for an association between the rs731236C allele and MS, while there was no direct association with rs2228570. When examining the interaction between the VDR gene variations and the DRB1*1501 tagging SNP a more complex relationship was observed. Although the interaction was not statistically significant, there appeared to be a trend of increasing risk of MS in participants who were homozygous for the HLA-DRB1*1501 allele in association with the more active form of the VDR (Fok1). Conclusion: We have identified weak evidence of an association between a common variation within the VDR gene and MS, in the largest study reported to date of this candidate gene. There appears to be a relationship between polymorphisms in the VDR and the risk of MS, which is potentially modified by HLA-DRB1*1501.
Treating Measurement Error in Tobin’s Q

We compare the ability of three measurement error remedies to deliver unbiased estimates of coefficients in investment regressions. We examine high-order moment estimators, dynamic panel estimators, and simple instrumental variables estimators that use lagged mismeasured regressors as instruments. We show that recent investigations of this question are largely uninformative. We find that all estimators can perform well under correct specification, all can be biased under misspecification, and misspecification is easiest to detect in the case of high-order moment estimators. We develop and demonstrate a minimum distance technique that extends the high-order moment estimators to be used on unbalanced panel data.
Gastric cancer in Nigeria.

21-30 3 5.3 31-40 5 8.8 41-50 10 17.5 51-60 17 29.8 61-70 14 24.6 71-80 8 14.0 cations of either bleeding or gastric outlet obstruction. Of all the cases, only 12 patients had had previous barium studies of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The X-ray films were not available for evaluation. None of the patients had had gastroscopic examination. All admitted taking ulcer drugs (antacid, Hj-receptor blockers and antimuscarinics) in one form or the other. Table 2 summarizes the principal symptoms mentioned by the patients and their mean duration at the time they presented in hospital; most complained of more than one symptom. Forty-nine patients, were admitted through the outpatient department and 8, presenting with complications, through the accident and emergency department: 5 with gastric outlet-obstruction and 3 with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The condition of patients on admission is shown in Table 3.
Trialling behaviour change strategies to motivate interest in property level flood protection

Purpose – The UK Government is spending an increasingly large sum on flood protection to protect communities and businesses. Flood events are predicted to become more frequent and severe as a result of global warming, and the government is seeking to find ways to ensure that individual householders are prepared for this. Attitudinal studies have shown that there is an interest by homeowners to respond to motivational behaviour change strategies and accept incentives such as non-cash rewards in return for investing in flood protection measures for their houses. This paper builds on a study trialling the measures suggested in the earlier attitudinal studies in a flood-threatened community in North West England. Design/methodology/approach – The hypothesis of the research has been formulated from the findings from the earlier phase of the project and was further supported with a comprehensive literature review. The data collection was carried out using survey strategies. During the data analysis, the researc.
Matchmaker, Matchmaker: The Effect of Old Boy Networks on Job Match Quality, Earnings, and Tenure

Firms often view job applicant referrals from current employees as more informative than direct applications or referrals through formal labor market intermediaries such as placement firms. We argue that old boy networks reduce employers' uncertainty about worker productivity. Using Jovanovic's job matching model, we show that workers hired through the old boy network should (1) earn higher initial salaries, (2) experience lower subsequent wage growth on the job, and (3) stay on the job longer than otherwise comparable workers hired from outside the network. We find considerable support for this theory using data from the 1972 Survey of Natural and Social Scientists and Engineers.
Regulating employment relations through workplace learning: a study of small employers

Using data from two employer samples, the article develops our understanding of small business employee skill formation and development processes in three main ways. First, it focuses on learning (what employees do) rather than on providing training (what employers do), as it is employee learning which influences individual and organisational performance. Second, it challenges the dominant focus on external training by presenting data on employer enablement of workplace employee learning and their motives for this. The diversity of workplace learning practices and their importance in smaller businesses are highlighted. Third, it situates workplace learning processes firmly within the context of the employment relationship, one in which employers and employees pursue distinctive interests in enabling/participating in learning.
Is Unemployment Lower if Unions Bargain over Employment

We consider an economy in which all firms are unionized and bargain with their own union. (1) If unions bargain over employment as well as wages, employment will be the same as if they bargain over wages only, provided that the production function is Cobb-Douglas. (Employment will be higher if the elasticity of substitution between labor and capital is smaller than unity.) (2) If we start from a fully competitive labor market and then move to one of efficient bargaining (over wages and employment), employment falls. This is so even if the marginal utility of income is constant, so that bargaining is "strongly efficient. "
What are school counselors expected to do? Alignment between professional school counselor evaluations and performance standards

This study examines the alignment between Arizona public high school administrators’ expectations of professional school counselors, the ASCA National Model (2005), and the instruments used in Arizona to evaluate professional school counselors. Participants included ten principals and assistant principals, and 103 of the 111 public school districts with at least one high school in Arizona. Data was obtained through semistructured interviews, document, and content analysis. Organizational Role Theory and Leader-Member Exchange Theory guided the qualitative and quantitative analysis. Findings indicate that administrators’ expectations of professional school counselors align 62% with the ASCA National Model, while the instruments used in Arizona to evaluate professional school counselors align 13% with administrators’ expectations of professional school counselors and 21% with the ASCA National Model. The best predictor of alignment was school district use of a school counselor-specific evaluation instrument. Recommendations focused on the need for clearer communication of role expectations between administrators and counselors, and for more meaningful evaluation practices that align with counseling standards.
Effect of polychlorinated biphenyls on the uptake of dopamine into rat brain synaptic vesicles: a structure-activity study.

PCBs are neurotoxic compounds that have a known effect on the dopaminergic system in the brain. In a previous work it was established that PCBs are potent inhibitors of the uptake of dopamine into rat brain synaptic vesicles. In this work we further investigated the vesicular dopamine uptake in response to different PCBs to explore the structure-activity relationship involved in this effect. Twenty PCB congeners were selected, based on multivariate chemical characterization, to cover the chemical variation within tetra- to hepta-chlorinated PCBs. PCBs of large structural variation were tested and the general finding was that only the ortho-substituted PCBs inhibited the dopamine uptake. The most active congeners were the penta- and hexa-chlorinated PCBs. Furthermore, the uptake was correlated with parameters describing the absolute hardness, the octanol-water partition coefficient, and the Henry's law constant. These parameters are correlated to the number of chlorine atoms in ortho positions and to the size of the molecule. Notably the most active PCBs are highly prevalent in the environment and are disposed to bioaccumulate in wildlife. Thus, these neurotoxic effects should be included in the risk assessment of PCBs.
Voluntary Environmental Disclosures by Large UK Companies

This paper examines the patterns in voluntary environmental disclosures made by a sample of large UK companies. The analysis distinguishes between the decision to make a voluntary environmental disclosure and decisions concerning the quality of such disclosures and examines how each type of decision is determined by firm and industry characteristics. We find that larger, less indebted companies with dispersed ownership characteristics are significantly more likely to make voluntary environmental disclosures, and that the quality of disclosures is positively associated with firm size and corporate environmental impact. We find significant cross-sector variation in the determinants of both the participation and quality decisions. Furthermore, the manner of this variation differs between the two. Copyright 2006 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Self-Selection and the Distribution of Hourly Wages

This article formulates and estimates alternative equilibrium models of industrial wage determination and self-selection. In explaining industrial wage differentials, we find that it is important to account for heterogeneous sector-specific skills and self-selection decisions by agents concerning their sector of employment. The classical Roy model is rejected. So is an efficiency units model of the labor market. A revised Roy model that accounts for comparative advantage in the choice of industrial sectors and choice between market and nonmarket work is much more successful in explaining cross-section wage distributions and their evolution over time.
The Realities of Screening for the Small for Dates Fetus Using Ultrasound Measurement

EDITORIAL COMMENT: This study stresses that only a proportion of small for dates fetuses suffer intrauterine starvation, and questions the value of routine screening with ultrasound for their indentification. We agree that not all small for dates fetuses are at risk, and on the other hand, many at risk of intrauterine hypoxia and death are not by definition growth retarded. To recognize and treat the fetus with intrauterine starvation, tests for fetoplacental function (oestriol assay, cardiotocography) are necessary and are complementary to, not competitive with, ultrasonography.
The persistence and value relevance of earnings from tax savings

This dissertation examines the persistence and value relevance of earnings attributable to tax savings and the extent to which this persistence and value relevance differs from those of nontax earnings. After controlling for factors previously shown to be systematically associated with the tax component of earnings, results show that tax savings are significant and statistically persistent but statistically less persistent than earnings from nontax sources. Results also reveal that the persistence of tax savings changes across tax regimes whereas earnings from nontax sources remain relatively unchanged. Contextual analysis shows that (1) the persistence of tax savings is largely driven by firms in the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, financial services, insurance and real estate industries, (2) the persistence of tax savings is increasing in the R&D tax credit and (3) this persistence is increasing in settings where the ratio of foreign over domestic earnings is increasing. Additionally, the persistence and value relevance of tax savings is increasing for positive tax savings, implying a market reward (penalty) for lower (higher) tax savings (reported effective tax rates). When I compare the results from my valuation tests with those from my persistence tests, I find that tax savings are sometimes not persistent but value relevant and sometimes persistent but not value relevant whereas the persistence and value relevance of nontax earnings are always consistent. These findings are consistent with managerial opportunistic behavior, a market that suspects managerial opportunistic behavior or a stock market that does not understand fully the persistence of tax savings relative to nontax savings. Results from the Mishkin (1983) test show that the market appears to significantly overestimate both the persistence of tax savings and
Tourism brands: An exploratory study of the brands box model

This paper is based on exploratory research which seeks to apply the brands box model developed for physical goods by de Chernatony and McWilliam to the context of tourism brands. The brands box model is a four-cell matrix based on two dimensions of a brand, the ‘representationality’ dimension and the ‘functionality’ dimension. The methodology of an interview survey of a random sample of the general public was replicated as far as feasible, including the sample size, with adaptations in the Likert statements to allow for the replacement of physical goods by tourism brands. The choice of tourism brands was tested against an evaluation exercise using a convenience sample; all six brands were recognised as ‘household names’. As an exploratory study, the research sought to investigate the public perception in Oxford of the representationality and functionality dimensions of six tourism brands, and to suggest possible explanations for the pattern alongside implications for marketing practice. The emerging brands box matrix suggested that the brands were high on both dimensions, although there was some indication that the representationality dimension varied more than the functionality dimension.
Testing the Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Familial Design

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be an extreme manifestation of some male‐typical traits in both neuroanatomy and cognition. Using the ratio of the second to fourth digit (2D:4D) and digit length as biomarkers of (pre‐ and postnatal) testosterone levels, examined was whether hypermasculinized digit ratios and/or lengths were familial traits in ASD and investigated their relation to sexually dimorphic cognitive abilities. 2D:4D ratios and digit lengths of 216 children with ASD, 202 unaffected siblings, and 360 parents were compared with those of 174 control children and their 146 parents. Generalized Estimation Equations, Generalized Linear Models, and Linear Mixed Models were used to investigate parent–offspring relationships and group differences. In ASD probands and their relatives alike, digit length relative to overall height was significantly increased in comparison to controls. No significant group differences were found between affected and unaffected subjects, or between males and females. Additionally, 2D:4D ratios increased with age. No (consistent) associations were found between 2D:4D ratio or digit lengths and systemizing and empathizing skills. The findings emphasize the role of familially based elevated pre‐ and postnatal testosterone levels in the liability for ASD, but challenge the use of 2D:4D ratio as a proxy of prenatal testosterone exposure solely. Given that many genes influence digit length, the exact mechanisms underlying a familial predisposition toward increased digit length in ASD are as yet unknown and needs to be explored in future studies. Autism Res 2014, 7: 491–500. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.