Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dimensions of Inequality

IN A PAIR of innovative articles first published in 1969, Thomas R. Dye introduced income inequality to the literature on policy outcomes in states. ' This introduction was important because a major element of political theory concerns the effects of economic inequality. In fact, those who believe that a power elite controls political institutions put major emphasis on the political consequences of differences in economic advantage. But this interest is hardly new. Political theorists as diverse as Madison2 and Marx have written at length about the effects of inequalities of economic condition.3
A phase I/II pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics study of irinotecan combined with S−1 for recurrent/metastatic breast cancer in patients with selected UGT1A1 genotypes (the JBCRG‐M01 study)

S‐1 and irinotecan combination is attractive for breast cancer refractory to anthracyclines and taxanes. Patients with advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‐negative breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes were eligible. Patients with brain metastases and homozygous for UGT1A1 *6 or *28 or compound heterozygous (*6/*28) were excluded. A dose‐escalation design was chosen for the phase I portion (level 1: irinotecan 80 mg/m2 days 1–8 and S‐1 80 mg/m2 days 1–14 every 3 weeks; level 2: irinotecan 100 mg/m2 and S‐1 80 mg/m2). Study objectives included determination of the recommended dose for phase II, response rate, progression‐free survival (PFS), and safety. Pharmacokinetics and CD34+ circulating endothelial cells (CECs) as pharmacodynamics were also analyzed. Thirty‐seven patients were included. One patient at each level developed dose‐limiting toxicities; therefore, level 2 was the recommended dose for phase II. Diarrhea was more common in patients possessing a *6 or *28 allele compared with wild‐type homozygous patients (46% and 25%). Among 29 patients treated at level 2, PFS was longer for UGT1A1 wt/*6 and wt/*28 patients than for wt/wt patients (12 vs. 8 months, P = 0.06). PFS was significantly longer in patients with a larger‐than‐median SN‐38 area under the curve (AUC) than in those with a smaller AUC (P = 0.039). There was an association between clinical benefit and reduction in baseline CD34+ CECs by S‐1 (P = 0.047). The combination of irinotecan and S‐1 is effective and warrants further investigation.
Age and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Prepregnancy Smoking Among Women Who Delivered Live Births

Introduction Prenatal smoking prevalence remains high in the United States. To reduce prenatal smoking prevalence, efforts should focus on delivering evidence-based cessation interventions to women who are most likely to smoke before pregnancy. Our objective was to identify groups with the highest prepregnancy smoking prevalence by age within 6 racial/ethnic groups. Methods We analyzed data from 186,064 women with a recent live birth from 32 states and New York City from the 2004-2008 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a population-based survey of postpartum women. We calculated self-reported smoking prevalence during the 3 months before pregnancy for 6 maternal racial/ethnic groups by maternal age (18-24 y or ≥25 y). For each racial/ethnic group, we modeled the probability of smoking by age, adjusting for education, Medicaid enrollment, parity, pregnancy intention, state of residence, and year of birth. Results Younger women had higher prepregnancy smoking prevalence (33.2%) than older women (17.6%), overall and in all racial/ethnic groups. Smoking prevalences were higher among younger non-Hispanic whites (46.4%), younger Alaska Natives (55.6%), and younger American Indians (46.9%). After adjusting for confounders, younger non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics, Alaska Natives, and Asian/Pacific Islanders were 1.12 to 1.50 times as likely to smoke as their older counterparts. Conclusion Age-appropriate and culturally specific tobacco control interventions should be integrated into reproductive health settings to reach younger non-Hispanic white, Alaska Native, and American Indian women before they become pregnant.
The Agrarian Rentier Political Economy: Land Concentration and Food Insecurity in Colombia

Why is Colombia, a country with fertile arable lands, increasingly importing its food supply as a consequence of shrinking lands dedicated to crop production, whereas land inappropriate for pasture and livestock has been expanding exponentially? The answer lies in the land laws approved since the 1930s, coupled with the state’s economic policies, which have reduced the opportunity costs of investing in this sector. Both have provided an institutional matrix to transform parts of the rural economy from food production to a rentier political economy spearheaded by cattle ranching. This article explains why cattle ranching has become increasingly prominent since the 1950s for a segment of the dominant classes that is predisposed to invest in this endeavor despite the risks and low economic returns. More important, the article explains how the institutional matrix (laws and policies) and precarious property rights in rural areas provided the incipient narco-bourgeoisie, since the mid-1970s, with a pivotal incentive to choose cattle ranching as a favorite means to launder money, speculate, and exercise political power, consequently cementing rentier capitalism.
Option Bounds with Finite Revision Opportunities

This article generalizes the single-period linear programming option bound prices by allowing for a finite nu mber of revision opportunities. It is shown that, in an incomplete ma rket, the bounds on option prices can be derived using a modified bin omial option pricing model. Tighter bounds are developed under more r estrictive assumptions on probabilities and risk aversion. For this c ase, the upper bounds are shown to coincide with the upper bounds der ived by S. Perrakis, while the lower bounds are shown to be tighter. Copyright 1988 by American Finance Association.
From evaluation to reflection-on-action: Lessons learnt from the impact of a distance education programme

Reflection-on-action is necessary to derive meaning from one’s experiences. This article revisits research data from an elongated study on the impact of a distance education programme on the professional practice of graduates. The study focused on 300 graduates and 128 principals, selected through multi-stage and purposive sampling. The researcher used a mixed-methods research design with specific focus on Kirkpatrick’s (1996) and Baldwin and Ford’s (1988) training evaluation models. The researcher’s curiosity was triggered by the need to understand possible reasons for the participants’ views, as these are contrary to the norm. This account indicates a clear institutional policy on quality assurance, practices guided by the policy, an ongoing monitoring of the distance education students’ profiles, improved programme design, student support structures, programme design and research focused on programmes as possible reasons. The author argues that higher education practitioners, irrespective of delivery mode, could benefit from the valuable lessons learnt from the exercise.
An extraction chromatography method for Hf separation prior to isotopic analysis using multiple collection ICP-mass spectrometry.

A novel method for the single-step separation of Zr + Hf from all matrix elements of geological samples has been developed for Hf isotopic measurements using multiple collector-ICP-mass spectrometry. The method combines an effective sample decomposition by LiBO2 fusion with a selective separation of Hf + Zr by a solid-phase extraction material based on dipentyl pentyl phosphonate, commercially available as U-TEVA.Spec. Using this simple and rapid procedure, Hf and Zr can be isolated in a single separation step with good recoveries (>90%) and satisfactory blank levels (approximately 55 pg of Hf), so that a subsequent isotopic measurement with ICPMS is possible. An excellent separation from rock-forming constituents is achieved, including those elements (Al, P, Ti, Cr, Fe, Mo, etc.) known to interfere in conventional separation methods based on ion-exchange techniques. The potential of this new method for Hf isotopic analysis is demonstrated by replicate MC-ICPMS measurements of 176Hf/177Hf ratios in seven international reference materials of silicate rocks, spanning a range of Hf contents and bulk compositions.
The Impact of a Lasting Economic Crisis on Employee Attitudes: A Follow-up and Extension

This paper presents a follow-up study of Markovits et al.â€™s (2014) comparison of large samples of Greek employees before and at the onset of the economic crisis. Now at the crisisâ€™ peak, we again sampled data from 450 employees about their job satisfaction, organizational commitment, regulatory focus, and burnout. Overall, compared to the two samples before, employeesâ€™ job attitudes further decrease with lower normative and higher continuance commitment, lower (extrinsic and intrinsic) job satisfaction and both lower promotion and (somewhat surprisingly) even lower prevention orientation. Expanding previous studies, results show that satisfaction and commitment are also related to burnout and that those participants who are currently employed but had experienced personal unemployment during the crisis showed more negative attitudes and higher burnout.Keywords: SME, micro firms, entrepreneurship, growth, creativity & business skills
The Hidden Enterprise Culture of Moscow: Entrepreneurship and Off-the-Books Working Practices

Even though entrepreneurs are commonly depicted as risk takers, little evaluation has occurred on whether they weigh the costs of being caught and the level of punishments, and engage in off-the-books working practices. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the degree to which entrepreneurs engage in such off-the-books work. Reporting a survey conducted in Moscow during late 2005 and early 2006 of 81 entrepreneurs (defined here as individuals starting-up an enterprise in the past three years), just 3.7 percent are found to operate on a wholly legitimate basis. The remaining 96.3 percent have not registered their business, have no license to trade and conduct all of their trade on an off-the-books basis. The outcome is a call to move beyond the wholesome and virtuous ideal-type of legitimate super heroes that pervade textbook depictions of entrepreneurs and toward a fuller understanding of the lived realities of entrepreneurship.
Factors influencing ‘missing girls’ in South Korea

Despite the massive attention drawn to ‘missing girls,’ there has been no study that specifically focuses on the association between childlessness and the daughter deficit. Using a bivariate probit selection model, this article analysed the data for 6475 married women aged 15–49 years collected from the 2003 Korea National Fertility and Family Health Survey. The results showed that a couple's decision to have a child exerted a significant influence on its daughter deficit. This study also found that the effect of a woman's education on daughter deficit did not correspond to that of her husband's level of education. Additionally, a prediction was made that if a one child family norm were prevailing in South Korea, the probability of a couple's having a daughter deficit would increase by as much as 63.9%.
Optimal Insurance Design under Rank Dependent Utility

We derive explicitly the optimal insurance contract for an individual behaving according to rank dependent utility as described in Quiggin (1993). The utility function is assumed to be concave and the probability distortion is reversed S-shaped. We apply the technique of quantile formulation to solve this problem thoroughly, and we show that the optimal contract fully insures small losses, and insures large losses above a deductible. We finally compare, both analytically and numerically, our result with those of models having convex or concave distortions.
Stock Market Return Expectations: Some General Properties

This paper examines how and how well do leading economists forecast stock market returns. This question is fundamental in finance, since the Capital Asset Pricing foundation rests upon assumptions about the properties of investors' expectations for stock market returns. The results reveal that economists' expectations of market returns as exemplified in Livingston's data do not meet the necessary conditions of efficiency. It should be noted however, that in later period some improvement in the quality of economists' forecasts was observed.
Measuring Service Quality in Restaurants: an Application of the Servqual Instrument

Can SERVQUAL-traditionally an instrument for measuring service quality- be proven as an effective tool in assessing customer perceptions of service quality in restaurants? The research presented in this article is an examination of the nature of the association between service quality as perceived byconsumers and its service determinants. The SERVQUAL instrument itself is discussed, and a demonstration of how it can be used by restaurants in assessing quality service is included. The managerial implications of using SERVQUAL as an assessment tool include meeting and managing customer expectations, managing the physical design of the product, educating service customers, developing a total quality management program, achieving continuous quality through automation, and engaging in periodic review of the procedures, personnel, and property of the operation. With the assessment knowledge generated by such a review, restaurants may then begin to manage their strengths and weaknesses productively.
The application of the enlargement law to HVDC cable lines

In this paper the traditional enlargement law for AC cables - based on the so-called “volume effect” - is extended to DC cables via an innovative theoretical approach, that takes into account some aspects peculiar of HVDC cables, i.e. the dependence of the electric field profile on volume electrical resistivity of the insulation, the associated dependence of volume resistivity on electric field and temperature, the role played by the heat dissipated through the cable layers and by the thermal resistivity of the insulation. An application of the novel enlargement law developed is given in the paper considering real HVDC cables and examining the influence of some of the many parameters appearing in the model.
Skeletal muscle calcineurin: influence of phenotype adaptation and atrophy.

Calcineurin (CaN) has been implicated as a signaling molecule that can transduce physiological stimuli (e.g., contractile activity) into molecular signals that initiate slow-fiber phenotypic gene expression and muscle growth. To determine the influence of muscle phenotype and atrophy on CaN levels in muscle, the levels of soluble CaN in rat muscles of varying phenotype, as assessed by myosin heavy chain (MHC)-isoform proportions, were determined by Western blotting. CaN levels were significantly greater in the plantaris muscle containing predominantly fast (IIx and IIb) MHC isoforms, compared with the soleus (predominantly type I MHC) or vastus intermedius (VI, contains all 4 adult MHC isoforms). Three months after a complete spinal cord transection (ST), the CaN levels in the VI muscle were significantly reduced, despite a significant increase in fast MHC isoforms. Surprisingly, the levels of CaN in the VI were highly correlated with muscle mass but not MHC isoform proportions in ST and control rats. These data demonstrate that CaN levels in skeletal muscle are highly correlated to muscle mass and that the normal relationship with phenotype is lost after ST.
The Boundaries and Limitations of Agency Theory and Stewardship Theory in the Venture Capitalist/Entrepreneur Relationship *

The dynamic ownership arrangements surrounding the venture capitalist–entrepreneur (VC–E) relationship inherent in new ventures make the examination of principals’ or venture capitalists’ (VCs) and agents’ (entrepreneurs) governance arrangements interesting to explore. This article examines the limitations of agency theory and then stewardship theory in explaining the behaviors of individuals in the VC–E relationship. Our analysis points out the potential problems inherent in each theory's explanatory ability as it relates to the VC–E relationship. Lastly, theoretical gaps in the VC–E relationship are discussed along with suggestions for new theory surrounding this important and intriguing relationship.
A spatial analysis of R&D: the role of industry proximity

This paper employs individual firm data in order to check the existence of industry-spatial effects alongside other microeconomic determinants of R&D investment. Spatial proximity is defined by a measure of firms’ industry distance based on trade intensity between sectors. The spatial model specified here refers to the combined spatial-autoregressive model with autoregressive disturbances. In modelling the outcome for each location as dependent on a weighted average of the outcomes of other locations, outcomes are determined simultaneously. The results of the spatial estimation suggest that in their R&D decision firms benefit from spillovers originating from neighbouring industries.
Influence of Risk Factors on the Safety of Ileocolic Anastomosis in Crohn’s Disease Surgery

BACKGROUND: Ileocecal resection is the most commonly performed operation in patients with Crohn’s disease. Anastomotic-associated complications, with their associated morbidity, are the most feared risks of surgery. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the influence of a variety of putative risk factors in a homogenous group of patients undergoing first or subsequent surgery for Crohn’s disease to quantify the cumulative risk for anastomotic-associated complications. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: All patients undergoing ileocecal or ileocolic resections for Crohn’s disease from 2000 to 2010 were studied with the use of a prospective database. Demographics, operative details, possible risk factors, and anastomotic-associated complications were recorded. Patients having strictureplasties, multiple resections, or subtotal colonic resections were excluded from analysis. Statistical analysis was by univariate analysis (Mann-Whitney U test) and binary logistic regression. OUTCOMES: An anastomotic-associated complication was defined as a proven anastomotic leak, postoperative fistulation, or intra-abdominal abscess formation. RESULTS: Two hundred seven patients (109 female) with a median age of 35 years (range, 13-75 years) were identified. One hundred seventy-three underwent primary anastomosis, 94 as an emergency procedure. Fifty-three had laparoscopic (5 converted) procedures. Nineteen of 173 anastomotic complication events (11%) were recorded. Steroid usage (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.0-7.2) and the presence of preoperative abscess formation (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.2-9.8) were identified as independent predictors of anastomotic-associated complications. In the absence of both steroids and intra-abdominal abscess, the risk of anastomotic complications was 6%, which increased to 14% if either risk factor was present. When both risk factors were present, complication rates reached 40%. CONCLUSION: Steroid usage and preoperative abscess were associated with higher rates of anastomotic complications following ileocolic resection for Cohn’s disease. When both risk factors are present, it is best to avoid primary anastomosis.
The Relationship Between Caregivers' Global Ratings of Alzheimer's Disease Patients' Quality of Life, Disease Severity, and the Caregiving Experience

OBJECTIVES To compare caregivers' ratings of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients' global quality of life (QOL) using direct assessments and substituted judgments, and to identify qualities of the patients and their caregivers that are associated with these QOL assessments. DESIGN Cross-sectional interviews. SETTING A university-based Memory Disorders Clinic. PARTICIPANTS Forty primary caregivers of AD patients. MEASUREMENTS Direct scaling of overall quality of life (poor, fair, good, very good, or excellent) and measures of dementia severity, the caregiving experience, and patient and caregiver demographics. RESULTS The majority of patients had mild (n = 20) or moderate (n = 11) AD. Caregivers' direct assessments of patient QOL were poor (5%, n = 2), fair (28%, n = 11), good (40%, n = 16), very good (20%, n = 8), and excellent (8%, n = 3). Twenty-one (52.5%) of the caregivers rated the patient's QOL the same as they thought the patient would; 12 (30.0%) rated the patient's QOL worse; and seven (17.5%) rated the patient's QOL better. Agreement between the two ratings was fair to moderate. Bivariate analyses showed that lower ratings of caregivers' direct assessments of patient QOL were associated with decreasing ratings of patient mental health and increasing dementia severity, caregiver burden, and caregiver depression. Multivariate models showed burden to be the significant predictor of caregivers' rating of patient QOL and the subscale measuring the caregivers' distress at controlling patient behavior had the strongest association with QOL. Lower ratings of substituted judgment assessments of patient QOL were associated with lower caregiver ratings of the patient's mental health. CONCLUSIONS Nearly one-half of the caregivers of patients with predominantly mild to moderate AD assess a patient's QOL differently than they believe the patient would. Dementia severity and the caregiver's experiences of depression and burden negatively affect caregivers' assessments of QOL. These results provide a compelling reason why clinicians should take the time to screen for and address caregiver depression and burden and problematic patient behaviors.
Influence of androgen receptor repeat polymorphisms on personality traits in men.

BACKGROUND Testosterone has been attributed importance for various aspects of behaviour. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential influence of 2 functional polymorphisms in the amino terminal of the androgen receptor on personality traits in men. METHODS We assessed and genotyped 141 men born in 1944 recruited from the general population. We used 2 different instruments: the Karolinska Scales of Personality and the Temperament and Character Inventory. For replication, we similarly assessed 63 men recruited from a forensic psychiatry study group. RESULTS In the population-recruited sample, the lengths of the androgen receptor repeats were associated with neuroticism, extraversion and self-transcendence. The association with extraversion was replicated in the independent sample. LIMITATIONS Our 2 samples differed in size; sample 1 was of moderate size and sample 2 was small. In addition, the homogeneity of sample 1 probably enhanced our ability to detect significant associations between genotype and phenotype. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that the repeat polymorphisms in the androgen receptor gene may influence personality traits in men.
Who Do Start‐Up Firms Imitate? A Study of New Market Entries in the CLEC Industry

Institutional theory contends firms imitate other firms with ideal traits, whereas the strategic groups literature on imitation suggests firms imitate similar firms. We address this debate by studying 1,067 market entries by founder‐managed start‐ups in the U.S. Competitive Local Exchange Carrier industry from 1996 to 2004. In support of the strategic groups literature, start‐ups imitate entry decisions of and gravitate toward markets that are densely populated by other start‐ups. Though start‐ups avoid markets already densely populated by corporate ventures, they imitate the market entries of corporate ventures. Our discussion of these and other findings provide insights for start‐ups navigating new industries.