Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leading Measures: Enhancing Safety Climate and Driving Safety Performance

www.asse. org AUGUST 2010 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY 29 SH&EPROFESSIONALSKNOWseveral applications for trailing measures, such as trend analysis, control charts and evaluating the effectiveness of safety initiatives. The problem many organizations encounter is that the measures they use do not provide adequate feedback for continuous improvement of the safety process nor do they contribute to the development of the safety culture. The safety culture is unlikely to be positively affectedwhen trailing indicators are the primary focus or are the sole safety metrics an organization uses to assess performance. Leading indicators measure actions, behaviors and processes, the things people actually do for safety, and not simply the safety-related failures typically tracked by trailing measures. Performance has two aspects: “Performance is a function of both the behavior and accomplishment of a person or a group of people. Performance includes the actions of a person or people and the result of the action or actions” (Stolovitch & Keeps, 2004, p. 8). This distinction is important to understanding activity measures (behaviors) versus results measures (accomplishments).
Seroprevalence and clinical manifestations of chikungunya virus infection in rural areas of Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection has recently witnessed re-emergence, affecting rural areas of India with high morbidity rates. This prospective study was conducted to evaluate seroprevalence and clinical manifestation in targeted villages reporting cases of CHIKV infection. METHODS A total of 482 patients were recruited from Kalmana and Kothari villages of Ballarpur; Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state, India during CHIKV outbreaks in 2011-12. The serum samples from infected CHIKV patients were simultaneously screened through ELISA for detection of antigen and antibodies (IgM and IgG). Chi-square analysis was used to evaluate differences in seropositivity between age, gender and clinical manifestations of CHIKV. RESULTS Out of 482 enrolled participants, 197 (41%) males and 285 (59%) females were aged between 5 and 92 yr. The clinical manifestations such as small joint pain (80%), neck stiffness (75%), fever (49%) and large joint pain (47%) were observed amongst CHIKV infected subjects. Mucocutaneous rashes (91%) on knees (71%), feet (56%), fingers and palms (54%) were also observed. Overall, seroprevalence of CHIKV infection was found to be 46% in infected participants during the epidemic period. Among risk factors, ageing and female gender was strongly associated with a raised seroprevalence of CHIKV infection along with symptoms such as rashes, small joints pain and neck stiffness. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION This study reported high seroprevalence rates of CHIKV infection in targeted popula- tions, suggesting its re-emergence in rural India. Proper surveillance is, therefore, necessary to minimize re-emergence and in controlling these impending and sporadic outbreaks.
Osteocalcin is independently associated with body mass index in adolescent girls

Osteocalcin is a bone‐related protein, recently found to correlate with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat percentage and metabolic syndrome in adults. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between osteocalcin and BMI in adolescence, a time of significant bone accrual, while considering possible confounders related to bone and body composition.
The co-occurrence of tobacco & alcohol in general population of metropolis Delhi.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The association between tobacco and alcohol use behaviours has not been explored in India. This study reports on the co-occurrence of tobacco and alcohol use in a representative general population in metropolis Delhi at two points of time a year apart. METHODS Matched data on 10,312 individuals from 2937 households above the age of 10 yr were available for survey I and survey II. Among them 5414 were males and 4898 females. The subjects were interviewed by non clinical staff using a structured proforma based on DSM III R criteria on the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and opioids. RESULTS Among women, use of only tobacco was reported. Among males, the prevalence of use of 'only tobacco', 'only alcohol' and concurrent smoking and drinking was 18.1, 3.3 and 9.6 per cent respectively. Concurrent use was higher in the age group 31-40 yr and dependence higher in the 41-50 yr age group. Both at surveys I and II current smokers had higher percentage of alcohol drinkers compared to tobacco abstainers; dependent smokers had higher percentage of dependent drinkers. The use of alcohol at survey II was higher among tobacco smokers compared to tobacco abstainers identified at survey I (OR = 5.77, 95% CI 4.3-7.7). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate a positive correlation between smoking and drinking. The findings lend support to existing evidence suggesting associations between tobacco and alcohol use. Smoking proved to be a powerful predictor of alcohol use. It is suggested that professionals who treat alcoholism should pursue the cessation of smoking among their patients.
Spreading of entanglement and steering along small Bose-Hubbard chains

We investigate how entanglement spreads along small Bose-Hubbard chains, with only the first well initially occupied by a mesoscopic number of atoms, as the number of sites increases. For two- and three-well chains in the noninteracting case, we are able to obtain analytical solutions and show that the presence of entanglement depends on having a sub-Poissonian state of the atoms in the first well. In these cases, the correlations we calculate are completely periodic. Restoring the collisional interactions or moving to a four-well chain necessitates a numerical treatment, for which we use the fully quantum positive-P representation. We examine two different correlations and find that adding collisional interactions destroys the periodicity of the correlations and causes them to degrade with time. This happens well before there is a noticeable effect on the periodicity of the solutions for the number of atoms in each well.
EFFECT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON FIRM PERFORMANCE OF ANIMAL FEEDS MANUFACTURERS IN KIAMBU AND NAIROBI CITY COUNTIES

The main objective of the study is to establish the effect of quality management practice on the firm performance, a case of animal feeds manufacturers in Kiambu and Nairobi counties. The study sought to establish the objectives of the influence of supplier management and continuous process improvement on the firm performance. The study applied the descriptive research design while a purposive sampling technique was used to gather qualitative and quantitative data from employees of the 55 licensed animals feeds manufacturers in Kiambu and Nairobi counties, with a total sample size will be 110 respondents. Primary data was collected using self-administered questionnaires through a drop and pick method to the procurement and operational managers of each of the animal feeds manufacturing firm. While secondary literature review data for the research was collected by reviewing textbooks, journals, articles. The reliability of the questionnaires was checked using Cronbach Alpha test. The study findings showed that there was a significant positive relationship between supplier management and process improvement with firm performance of animal feed manufactures in Kiambu and Nairobi counties. The study recommended that the management team from the animal feed manufactures should also continuous engage in providing innovative solutions for firms products thus to meet customer demand specifications in the market. The study also recommended that further studies be done on the impacts of effective implementation of quality management practices on firm performance of various animal feed manufacturers in the country thus to depict a reliable result that can be employed in improving the firm by focusing both negative and positive effects. Key Words: Quality management, Process Improvement, Firm Performance
Penalized Estimating Functions and Variable Selection in Semiparametric Regression Models

We propose a general strategy for variable selection in semiparametric regression models by penalizing appropriate estimating functions. Important applications include semiparametric linear regression with censored responses and semiparametric regression with missing predictors. Unlike the existing penalized maximum likelihood estimators, the proposed penalized estimating functions may not pertain to the derivatives of any objective functions and may be discrete in the regression coefficients. We establish a general asymptotic theory for penalized estimating functions and present suitable numerical algorithms to implement the proposed estimators. In addition, we develop a resampling technique to estimate the variances of the estimated regression coefficients when the asymptotic variances cannot be evaluated directly. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methods perform well in variable selection and variance estimation. We illustrate our methods using data from the Paul Coverdell Stroke Registry.
OFDM: today and in the future of next generation wireless communications

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is not only a simple scheme used as a digital multicarrier modulation method, but it is one of the most popular and effective technologies used in nowadays communication systems. In this work we present a brief summary of the history of OFDM, a description of the key features of this technology is delivered, and with it we argue why OFDM has been the fundamental scheme of many communication systems for the past and current years. At the same time, we verify the continuity of OFDM in future applications, and how it clearly outperforms other similar technologies.
The Unusual Case of the Discount Offers for Taking the Control: Evidence from Romania

Most of the studies regarding control premium are focussed on the case in which it is positive. We considered the case when it is negative, investigating the determinants of the discount for control, having as study case the Romanian listed companies. Comparative to the general case of control premium, discounts for control are also determined by some other specific factors, like the number of non-trading days and the cash ratio. Some determinant factors of control premium have an opposite influence when this is negative: the percentage of shares purchased in the transaction, the ownership concentration, the fact the buyer or the seller is domestic, and the existence of a major shareholder owning more than 50% of shares. Consequently, some factors usually used in explaining the control premium cannot be suitably used for the case of the discount for control. Moreover, the negative impact of the undiversified portfolio is validated.
Tensor Rank and Border Rank of Band Toeplitz Matrices

Let $\mathcal{B}_{n,h,k} $ be the class of $n \times n$ band Toeplitz matrices $A = (a_{i,j} )$ such that $a_{i,j} = 0$ if $i - j \geqq k$ or $j - i \geqq h$, $k \leqq h$ and $\mathcal{S}_{n,k} $ the subclass of $\mathcal{B}_{n,k,k} $ made up by symmetric matrices. We show that ${\operatorname{rk}}_{\bf F} (\mathcal{B}_{n,h,k} ) = n + h - 1$ if the field ${\bf F}$ contains a primitive $(n - 1 + h)$th root of unity, ${\operatorname{brk}}_{\bf F} (\mathcal{B}_{n,h,k} ) = n + k - 1,{\operatorname{rk}}_{\bf R} (\mathcal{S}_{n,k} ) = {\operatorname{brk}}_{\bf R} (\mathcal{S}_{n,k} ) = n + 2\lfloor {{(k - 1)} / 2} \rfloor $ if ${\bf R}$ is the real field and $k \leqq {n / 2}$.
Studies on avian malaria in vectors and hosts of encephalitis in Kern County, California. II. Infections in mosquito vectors.

Summary In a study to determine the natural vectors of avian Plasmodium infection in Kern County, California 3,364 mosquitoes were examined for parasites during the summers of 1946, 1947, 1949 and 1950. The following average infection rates were demonstrated: Culex tarsalis, 199 of 2,074 (9.6 per cent); Culex stigmatosoma, 28 of 180 (15.6 per cent); and Culex quinquefasciatus, 14 of 746 (1.9 per cent). These differences are believed to reflect variation in vector efficiency. Of 364 Anopheles and Aedes examined, only 2 Anopheles franciscanus were infected with what appeared to be young oocysts of unidentified parasites. The intensity of infection in the principal vector, Culex tarsalis, varied considerably in different years and in different areas. These variations are believed to be due to changeable factors such as climate, the effect of mosquito control on the vector population, and ecological differences between areas. Plasmodium relictum was isolated from naturally infected Culex tarsalis and Culex stigmatosoma.
A CASH WAQF INVESTMENT MODEL: AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR FINANCING MICRO-ENTERPRISES IN MALAYSIA

This study was designed to empirically determine: (i) to look the factors causes micro enterprises opt for using internal funding instead of external funding; and (ii) to observe the probability of micro enterprises opt for Cash Waqf fund as alternative source of funding their business. The primary data is collected from the administered survey questions in Klang Valley (Selangor and Kuala Lumpur) and the analysis is conducted using statistical analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The model is validated its acceptance in the field by adopting the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). From the findings, among the factors that lead micro enterprises to use internal funding are strict collateral requirement by commercial financial institutions, high cost of financing, strict documentation requirement and good financial and business track record. Unfortunately, most of them cannot fulfill these conditions and continue to face the problem of accessing finance. The present study has developed the Cash Waqf Investment model to support micro enterprises to improve their access to finance and enhance the skills. Based on the responses received from the field, it has been shown that the intention and readiness of micro enterprises in accepting the model as a source of financial and human capital development services is impressive. Keywords: Micro-enterprises, Financing, Cash waqf, Theory of reasoned action JEL Classification: G1, L3, O14
Physiological and Morphological Characterization of Dentate Granule Cells in the p35 Knock-Out Mouse Hippocampus: Evidence for an Epileptic Circuit

There is a high correlation between pediatric epilepsies and neuronal migration disorders. What remains unclear is whether there are intrinsic features of the individual dysplastic cells that give rise to heightened seizure susceptibility, or whether these dysplastic cells contribute to seizure activity by establishing abnormal circuits that alter the balance of inhibition and excitation. Mice lacking a functional p35 gene provide an ideal model in which to address these questions, because these knock-out animals not only exhibit aberrant neuronal migration but also demonstrate spontaneous seizures. Extracellular field recordings from hippocampal slices, characterizing the input-output relationship in the dentate, revealed little difference between wild-type and knock-out mice under both normal and elevated extracellular potassium conditions. However, in the presence of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline, p35 knock-out slices, but not wild-type slices, exhibited prolonged depolarizations in response to stimulation of the perforant path. There were no significant differences in the intrinsic properties of dentate granule cells (i.e., input resistance, time constant, action potential generation) from wild-type versus knock-out mice. However, antidromic activation (mossy fiber stimulation) evoked an excitatory synaptic response in over 65% of granule cells from p35 knock-out slices that was never observed in wild-type slices. Ultrastructural analyses identified morphological substrates for this aberrant excitation: recurrent axon collaterals, abnormal basal dendrites, and mossy fiber terminals forming synapses onto the spines of neighboring granule cells. These studies suggest that granule cells in p35 knock-out mice contribute to seizure activity by forming an abnormal excitatory feedback circuit.
Multi-source broadcast authentication with Combined Key Chains for wireless ad hoc networks

Multiple trust sources may be needed for broadcast in wireless ad hoc networks. For example, multiple base stations may be employed in some wireless sensor networks, or multiple trusts may be distributed among multiple routing nodes in multi-hop routing protocol. Most of the previously proposed multicast/broadcast authentication protocols assume a single source of trust. With multiple trust sources, it becomes difficult to design resource-efficient authentication protocols for multicast/broadcast services. Simply extending traditional approaches will result in increased bandwidth and memory consumptions in proportion to the number of trust sources. In this paper, we propose a new scheme utilizing Combined Key Chains. If there are m trust sources, our scheme generates m + 1 key chains, where m of them are distributed among the m source nodes and the last one is used as a Verification Key Chain in all the receiver nodes. The communication overhead is small and constant, and the memory requirement at a verifier node is also minimal. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predictors of Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Admissions Among Homeless and Unstably Housed Adolescents and Young Adults

Background:Individuals under age 25 years are estimated to comprise one third of the homeless population nationally. Understanding the reasons for utilization of hospitals by homeless youth is important for optimizing disposition planning. Objectives:Objectives of the present study were to: (1) report prevalence of emergency department (ED) and inpatient admissions among homeless and unstably housed youth; (2) describe demographic characteristics of those youth who seek hospital care; (3) describe their patterns of injury, illness, psychiatric, and substance use conditions; and (4) identify demographic and diagnostic predictors of ED visit or hospital readmission. Methods:Retrospective cohort study of 15–25-year-olds (N=402) who were admitted to the ED or inpatient floors of 2 urban teaching hospitals in King County, WA between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012 and whose address was “homeless” or “none” or a homeless shelter or service agency (ie, homeless or unstably housed), during any recorded encounter between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012. Results:A total of 1151 ED visits and 227 inpatient admissions were documented. Fifty percent of patients had an ED visit or hospital readmission within 1 year, with 43.1% receiving care within 30 days of discharge. Cox regression showed that female individuals with an injury diagnosis (hazard ratio=1.74, 95% confidence interval=1.06, 2.85) and male individuals with an acute medical condition (hazard ratio=1.59, 95% confidence interval=1.09, 2.32) at index visit were more likely to have an ED visit or hospital readmission during the following year, as were patients who provided a private address at their index visit. Conclusions:Homeless young people who seek hospital care demonstrate a high rate of ED visits and hospital readmissions, with unique predictors of utilization associated with sex and housing status. Additional research is necessary to determine how best to transition these young people from hospital-based to community-based care.
Parameter estimation of the hyper-geometric distribution model for real test/debug data

The hyper-geometric distribution model (HGDM) has been proposed for estimating the number of faults initially resident in a program at the beginning of the test/debug process. However, the parameters of the hyper-geometric distribution necessary for making the estimation were previously determined by the 3-dimensional exhaustive search and therefore, much time was needed to get the numerical result. The authors demonstrate, using real test/debug data of programs, that the least square sum method can be well applied to the estimation of such parameters of the hyper-geometric distribution model. Thus, the time needed for calculating the estimates can be reduced greatly. <<ETX>>
Competence modelling for export performance improvement in Ethiopia

Export is increasingly seen as an important route for entrepreneurial firms to realize their growth potential. Consequently, a better understanding of the determinant factors for export performance of the firm is of great importance for firms’ success and expansion in the export markets. In this context, international business competence (IBC) is an essential intangible strategic resource that engenders export performance of the firm. This thesis studies the relationships between international business competence and export performance in a developing country context. The thesis shows that IBC comprises a number of specific competence domains; hence, in order to strengthen the said competitive advantages and achieve enhanced export performance, firms need to have suitable IBCs to the context in which they are operating. Furthermore, the thesis shows that IBCs influence each other’s effects, and organizational learning orientation strengthens the effects of the various IBCs. The thesis generally argues that firms need to develop the required competencies in their context to increase export performance, but if this would be exclusively based on the direct relationships between the competencies and export performance, results may be suboptimal. Thus, they need to maintain the optimal balance between their competencies on the one hand, and establish and maintain higher levels of organizational learning orientations on the other hand. The thesis implies that studies that ignore the interaction between different competencies and which do not include contextual factors in the examination provide an incomplete and simplistic picture of the relationship between international business competencies and export performance.
Impaired Prednisolone Sensitivities of the Endocrine System and Peripheral‐blood Lymphocytes are Closely Related to Clinical Incidence in Renal Transplantation

Abstract— Endocrine‐ and immune‐responses to prednisolone and their relation to clinical incidence were assessed in 19 renal transplant recipients. All of the patients were treated with prednisolone and cyclosporin. Response of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) system to prednisolone was evaluated by measuring serum Cortisol concentration. Cortisol concentration before transplantation was 126·7 ± 38·6 ng mL−1, while it decreased to 4·1 ±2·5 ng mL−1 within the period characterized by a cumulative dose of prednisolone from 300 to 700 mg. A statistically significant high incidence (P < 0·01) of acute rejections was observed in low HPA responders; (mean Cortisol concentration during prednisolone treatment exceeded 3·0 ng mL−1), 6 of 12 with a low HPA response to prednisolone showed signs of rejection, while none of the 7 with a high HPA response showed signs of rejection. The concentrations of prednisolone suppressing the in‐vitro response of pretransplant lymphocytes to concanavalin A by 50% (ID50) were determined. Lymphocytes from 8 patients were extremely insensitive (ID50 > 500 ng mL−1), and 5 of the 8 showed signs of rejection. Lymphocytes from the other 11 patients showed high sensitivity (ID50 < 500 ng mL−1), and only one of those showed signs of rejection. Thus, a significantly high incidence of rejection was observed in low lymphocyte‐responders to prednisolone (P < 0·05). The results suggest that an insensitive endocrine response to prednisolone correlates with an impaired lymphocyte response to the steroid, and that both of the indices are related to occurrence of rejection. Evaluation of these pharmacodynamic parameters in combination may serve as a guideline for successful immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplantation.