Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Case Series: Evaluation of a Behavioral Sleep Intervention for Three Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Dyssomnia

Objective: The authors conducted a preliminary evaluation of a behavioral sleep intervention for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyssomnia delivered via distance treatment. Method: Three children (1 male, 2 females; aged 6-10 years) with ADHD and dyssomnia participated in a 5-week manualized intervention. Using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design, the children were randomly assigned to a 1-, 2-, or 3-week baseline and then received the 5-week intervention. Sleep problems were assessed daily by both objective and subjective measures. Measures of problematic nighttime behaviors and daytime ADHD symptoms were also obtained weekly. Results: After 5 weeks, a clinically significant decrease was found in the severity of the children’s dyssomnia. No changes in ADHD symptoms were noted. Gains were generally maintained at the 3-month follow-up. Parents perceived the intervention as being “helpful” to “very helpful. ” Conclusion: Based on the initial data, this intervention shows promise as an effective and feasible treatment.
Stakeholder Perceptions of Climate Change Impacts at the Regional Scale: Implications for the Effectiveness of Regional and Local Responses

Interviews and three workshops with a wide range of stakeholders to explore their perceptions of climate change impacts and responses were conducted in two English regions (East Anglia and north-west England) as part of a UK government-funded research project on the integrated assessment of climate change impacts in the following domains: biodiversity, the coastal zone, agriculture and water resources. The findings suggest that whilst local and regional impacts are of considerable interest to regional stakeholders, their ability to respond through adapted policy and practice depends upon their existing frames of reference with respect to their understanding of the policy- and decision-making systems, and the operation of current institutional processes and response mechanisms. The authors use the empirical and conceptual findings to support the notion of the co-production of knowledge with institutional frameworks and processes.
Parallel Expression of Enzyme Inhibitors of CD8T Cell Activity in Tumor Microenvironments and Secretory Endometrium

The divergent requirement for tolerance to support conception and protective response against sexually transmitted infections defines the unique immunological dynamics in the female reproductive tract (FRT). In part, these requirements are achieved by the cyclic modulation of cytolytic CD8T cell function in the FRT that underlie the respective immunosuppressive and immunocompetent milieus during the secretory and proliferative phases of the menstrual cycle. The CD8T cell function can be dampened by exposure to indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and/or arginase enzymes. Indeed, these 2 enzymes are known as primary inducers of immune suppression in tumor microenvironments. This review discusses the intriguing parallel expression of these 2 enzymes in tumor microenvironments and in the secretory endometrium. We surmise that investigating the underlying natural mechanisms that suppress and restore the immunocompetence of CD8T cells in the FRT each month may provide valuable insights into ways to artificially recapitulate these mechanisms and inhibit immune suppression in tumor microenvironments.
Investor Protection and International Investment Positions: An Empirical Analysis*

Given the recent revival of interest in the institutional determinants of global capital flows, we investigate the relationship between investor protection and international investment positions, using data on 40 countries for the period 1970-98. We find that strong shareholder protection is an important predictor of gross foreign direct investment liabilities, while countries with strong creditor protection tend to have positive stocks of net foreign assets. We conclude that the global pattern of investor protection is a significant determinant of international investment positions. Copyright 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Conducting and Coding Elite Interviews

In real estate the maxim for picking a piece of property is “location, location, location. ” In elite interviewing, as in social science generally, the maxim for the best way to design and conduct a study is “purpose, purpose, purpose. ” It's elementary that the primary question one must ask before designing a study is, “What do I want to learn? ” Appropriate methods flow from the answer. Interviewing is often important if one needs to know what a set of people think, or how they interpret an event or series of events, or what they have done or are planning to do. (Interviews are not always necessary. Written records, for example, may be more than adequate.) In a case study, respondents are selected on the basis of what they might know to help the investigator fill in pieces of a puzzle or confirm the proper alignment of pieces already in place. If one aims to make inferences about a larger population, then one must draw a systematic sample. For some kinds of information, highly structured interviews using mainly or exclusively close-ended questions may be an excellent way to proceed. If one needs to probe for information and to give respondents maximum flexibility in structuring their responses, then open-ended questions are the way to go.
BIASES IN STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHING: THE CASE OF FACULTY OF ECONOMICS & ADMINISTRATION, UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA

This paper shows that class size has inappropriately influenced students’ judgements on evaluation of lecturers in the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya. A bias exists whereby courses with small enrolment receive good overall teaching ratings, whereas larger classes have produced poor evaluations. On the other hand, teaching ratings are not affected by instructor characteristics (instructional experience, rank and gender) or course characteristics (type and level of subject, and time and day course is taught). To improve the construct validity of student ratings as a measure of teaching performance, this paper suggests using results from regression analysis to estimate the bias factor associated with class size, and adjusting the overall teaching ratings based on this estimate in order to remove the class size bias. Introduction Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is commonly used in tertiary institutions to measure teaching performance, with the prime purpose of improving course and teaching quality. This tool is also often used as part of the evaluation process for staff appraisal. The reliability and validity of SET as a measure of teaching effectiveness has been the subject of much research. The review by Greenwald (1997) shows that there are more researchers who advocated the validity of SET than those who viewed this otherwise. However, the acceptance of its validity does not mean that all SET instruments are reliable. The reliability and usefulness of the instruments depend on the content and items being measured. A lack of understanding of what is actually being measured by the SET instrument often leads to misuse and criticism. Bedggood and Pollard (1999), for example, argued that SET can be seriously flawed when used as the sole measure of teaching effectiveness based on the outcome of their examination of the survey design of SET in eight Australian universities. It is generally recognized that SET should be
The impact of employee perceptions of organizational corporate social responsibility practices on job performance and organizational citizenship behavior: evidence from the Chinese private sector

This paper examines the impact of employee perceptions of organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on their job performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Hierarchical regression analysis on two-wave data from 184 supervisor/subordinate dyads from three organizations located in Zhejiang Province, South-East China, revealed that employee perceptions of CSR toward social and non-social stakeholders strongly influenced their OCB. However, employee perceptions of CSR toward employees, customers and government influenced neither their job performance nor OCB.
Deployment and the use of mental health services among U.S. Army wives.

BACKGROUND Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have involved the frequent and extended deployment of military personnel, many of whom are married. The effect of deployment on mental health in military spouses is largely unstudied. METHODS We examined electronic medical-record data for outpatient care received between 2003 and 2006 by 250,626 wives of active-duty U.S. Army soldiers. After adjustment for the sociodemographic characteristics and the mental health history of the wives, as well as the number of deployments of the personnel, we compared mental health diagnoses according to the number of months of deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Iraq-Kuwait region and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan during the same period. RESULTS The deployment of spouses and the length of deployment were associated with mental health diagnoses. In adjusted analyses, as compared with wives of personnel who were not deployed, women whose husbands were deployed for 1 to 11 months received more diagnoses of depressive disorders (27.4 excess cases per 1000 women; 95% confidence interval [CI], 22.4 to 32.3), sleep disorders (11.6 excess cases per 1000; 95% CI, 8.3 to 14.8), anxiety (15.7 excess cases per 1000; 95% CI, 11.8 to 19.6), and acute stress reaction and adjustment disorders (12.0 excess cases per 1000; 95% CI, 8.6 to 15.4). Deployment for more than 11 months was associated with 39.3 excess cases of depressive disorders (95% CI, 33.2 to 45.4), 23.5 excess cases of sleep disorders (95% CI, 19.4 to 27.6), 18.7 excess cases of anxiety (95% CI, 13.9 to 23.5), and 16.4 excess cases of acute stress reaction and adjustment disorders (95% CI, 12.2 to 20.6). CONCLUSIONS Prolonged deployment was associated with more mental health diagnoses among U.S. Army wives, and these findings may have relevance for prevention and treatment efforts.
Generation of phases I and II of migrating myoelectric complex in the dog.

The mechanisms of generation of most of the phases of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) are unclear. Except for phase III activity, this issue has not been investigated directly. We have qualitatively examined the relations between different phases of the MMC cycle in order to provide an objective basis for the formation of theories. Eight dogs of either sex were implanted with 10 bipolar electrodes distributed along the gastrointestinal tract. Myoelectric activity was recorded during the fasted state or after feeding until the return of the MMC cycle. The relations between phase I duration, phase II duration, phase III migration time, and phase III period were examined using simple linear-regression methods. We found that only phase I duration was highly correlated (r = 0.87, P less than 0.01) with phase III migration time and that only phase II duration was highly correlated (r = 0.90, P less than 0.01) with phase III period. In either the fed or fasted state, phase III activity that began in the midjejunum was accompanied concurrently with phase I activity of the duodenum and upper jejunum, where phase III activity had not occurred. Also, the position of phase III activity in the lower small intestine when phase I activity of the upper small intestine ended was 277 +/- 24 cm (83 +/- 5% of the small intestinal length) from the pylorus, and the coefficient of variation of this position was significantly smaller (P less than 0.01) than that of the other cycle variables. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reflections on the Double Dividend Debate The Importance of Interest Groups and Information Costs

We survey the history of carbon taxation, the range of market-based instruments (MBIs) of environmental control, and the state of the double dividend debate, in order to suggest directions for future research into MBIs. Returning MBI revenues as lower distortionary taxes rather than as lump sums raises aggregate welfare, but we favour MBIs which raise little or no revenue, for reasons of political acceptability to interest groups. At the same time, the overall case for any environmental improvement is weaker because of general equilibrium interactions with prior distortionary taxes. Research seems most necessary on quantifying the efficiency benefits of market control of heteroge- neous polluters, the benefits of environmental improvement, the tax interaction effect, and the various information costs of an MBI, all on a case-by-case basis for different pollutants and places.
A hybrid ripple model and two hybrid observers for its estimation

In this paper we propose a novel model of the ripple produced in different contexts involving switching power electronics. The novelty of this model is that the nonsmooth waveform characterizing the ripple is captured by a suitable hybrid dynamics performing state jumps at the switching instants. In addition to showing that this model is effective at representing the ripple waveform, we propose two hybrid schemes ensuring asymptotic observation of the ripple waveform, one of them using knowledge of the switching instants and a second one without knowledge of the switching instants. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid observation laws.
Sixty years of the People's Republic: local perspectives on the evolution of the state in China

Abstract Although the People's Republic of China turns 60 in 2009, popular and to some extent academic perceptions of its political system remain over-determined by the experience of its first 30 years. The socio-economic impact of the policies of the last three decades is well recognised but not the context in which these have occurred. In particular, there is a tendency to differentiate sharply between dramatic economic growth and its consequences and the lack of political change. While it is clearly the case that the Chinese Communist Party remains in power it is equally as obvious that economic reform has had and been accompanied by major political change. Studies on the state in transition at local levels certainly suggest that change has been significant. Moreover, these local studies also indicate the need to further conceptualise understanding of the state in China. The state idea is rather too general a concept and too blunt an instrument for analysis compared to research that considers the state's values and ideology, the social base of political power, the structures and processes of the political system, the authoritative decision-makers, bureaucracy and administration, and the state's international interactions.
Italy, Germany, Japan: From Economic Miracles to Virtual Stagnation

Over the last six decades, economic developments in the three countries that were defeated in World War II look strikingly similar. First came rapid reconstruction. Then followed the economic miracles of the Golden Age. The years that went from the first oil shock to the mid-1990s still saw fairly robust, and relatively similar, economic developments. Finally, during the last 15 years, the three countries held the dubious record of having the lowest output growth rates in the OECD area. The paper looks primarily at Italy, using the examples of Germany and Japan to search for parallels and contrasts. Among similarities, the main one lies in overall macroeconomic trends. The main differences are in economic policies (where Germany and Japan followed a much more orthodox stance than Italy), in institutional set-ups (with Italy much less efficient than Germany and Japan), in labour market relations (with much greater conflict in Italy than in the other two countries), and in regional developments (where Italy was handicapped by the presence of the Mezzogiorno, while Germany and Japan were hardly touched by regional differentials, at least until unification in Germany. Indeed, had Italy's government institutions, labour market relations and regional differentials been less problematic, Italy's growth performance might well have been superior to that of both Germany and Japan.
The Effects of Family Policy on Mothers’ Labor Supply: Combining Evidence from a Structural Model and a Natural Experiment

Parental leave and subsidized child care are prominent examples of family policies supporting the reconciliation of family life and labor market careers for mothers. In this paper, we combine different empirical strategies to evaluate the employment effects of these policies for mothers in Germany. In particular we estimate a structural labor supply model and exploit a natural experiment, i.e. the reform of parental leave benefits. By exploiting and combining the advantages of the different methods, i.e the internal validity of the natural experiment and the external validity of the structural model, we can go beyond evaluation studies restricted to one particular methodology. Our findings suggest that a combination of parental leave benefits and subsidized child care leads to sizable employment effects of mothers.
Chronic subdural hematoma of the spinal cord: report of a case.

ALTHOUGH intracranial chronic subdural hematoma is a well recognized and documented clinical entity, the occurrence of such a lesion in a spinal location has not heretofore been reported to my knowledge. The following case is presented as an example of such an occurrence. Case Report A 40-year-old oilfield mechanic was admitted to the Medical Center Hospital on February 14, 1955, with a chief complaint of progressive weakness of the right leg of 5 years' duration. He gave a history of having been injured on February 28, 1950, while working under the floor of an oil derrick that was 5 feet .
Cellular mechanisms involved in protection and recovery from influenza virus infection in immunodeficient mice

We investigated the role of different lymphocyte subpopulations in the host defense reaction against influenza virus infection, taking advantage of various immunodeficient mouse strains. Whereas, following immunization, wild-type animals showed complete protection against challenge with a lethal dose of A/PR8/34 (PR8) virus, mice that lack both B and T cells but not NK cells (namely, scid and RAG2(-/-) mice) did not display any protective effect in similar conditions. By contrast, J(H)D(-/-) mice devoid of B cells and immunized with virus showed a protective response after challenge with a lethal dose. The immunized J(H)D(-/-) mice that survived completely recovered from the influenza virus infection. Immunized J(H)D(-/+) mice exhibited a more complete protection, suggesting the role of specific antibodies in resistance to infection. To assess the role of natural immunity in the host defense against influenza virus, we carried out experiments with scid mice challenged with lower but still lethal doses of PR8 virus. While an increased NK activity and an increased number of NK1.1+ cells in lungs of scid mice infected with PR8 virus were noted, in vivo depletion of the NK1.1+ cells did not affect the overall survival of the mice. Our results show that specific T cells mediate protection and recovery of J(H)D(-/-) mice immunized with live virus and challenged with lethal doses of influenza virus.
Ending One's Life in a Nursing Home: A Note on Swedish Findings

Statistics on place of death, validated against longitudinal evidence on the entrance into nursing homes, show the “final” rate of institutionalization to have risen in the decades between 1938 and 1975 in Sweden. In a local study, 15 percent entered a nursing home between the ages of sixty-seven and eighty, which seems representative of national trends. The “final” rate is estimated to be between 22 percent and a maximum of about 40 percent. Currently, the socially and economically deprived dominate in Swedish nursing homes just as they did in the poor house of the past. Yet, rising rates may indicate raised welfare for the poorest in society. Issues concerning who is institutionalized and why appear more important than precise measurement of rates of institutionalization.
High prevalence of asymptomatic plasmodium falciparum infections in a highland area of western Kenya: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND Transmission of malaria in an area of hypoendemicity in the highlands of western Kenya is not expected to lead to rapid acquisition of immunity to malaria. However, the subpopulation of individuals with asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection may play a significant role as an infection reservoir and should be considered in malaria-control programs. Determination of the spatiotemporal dynamics of asymptomatic subpopulations provides an opportunity to estimate the epidemiological importance of this group to malaria transmission. METHODS Monthly parasitological surveys were undertaken for a cohort of 246 schoolchildren over 12 months. The prevalence of P. falciparum infection among 2,611 blood samples was analyzed by both microscopy and polymerase chain reaction, and infection durations were determined. RESULTS Infection prevalence and duration (range, 1-12 months) decreased with age and altitude. The prevalence was high among pooled blood samples recovered from children aged 5-9 years (34.4%) and from those aged 10-14 years (34.1%) but was significantly lower among blood samples obtained from older children (9.1%). The prevalence decreased from 52.4% among pooled blood samples from children living at an altitude of approximately 1,430 m to 23.3% among pooled samples from children living at an altitude of 1,580 m. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection was high, with polymerase chain reaction analysis detecting a significantly greater number of infections, compared with microscopy. Our results are consistent with gradual acquisition of immunity with increasing age upon repeated infection, and they also show that the risk of malaria transmission is highly heterogeneous in the highland area. The results provide strong support for targeted malaria-control interventions.
Stability of the gorilla microbiome despite simian immunodeficiency virus infection

Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) have been discovered in over 45 primate species; however, the pathogenic potential of most SIV strains remains unknown due to difficulties inherent in observing wild populations. Because those SIV infections that are pathogenic have been shown to induce changes in the host's gut microbiome, monitoring the microbiota present in faecal samples can provide a noninvasive means for studying the effects of SIV infection on the health of wild‐living primates. Here, we examine the effects of SIVgor, a close relative of SIVcpz of chimpanzees and HIV‐1 of humans, on the gut bacterial communities residing within wild gorillas, revealing that gorilla gut microbiomes are exceptionally robust to SIV infection. In contrast to the microbiomes of HIV‐1‐infected humans and SIVcpz‐infected chimpanzees, SIVgor‐infected gorilla microbiomes exhibit neither rises in the frequencies of opportunistic pathogens nor elevated rates of microbial turnover within individual hosts. Regardless of SIV infection status, gorilla microbiomes assort into enterotypes, one of which is compositionally analogous to those identified in humans and chimpanzees. The other gorilla enterotype appears specialized for a leaf‐based diet and is enriched in environmentally derived bacterial genera. We hypothesize that the acquisition of this gorilla‐specific enterotype was enabled by lowered immune system control over the composition of the microbiome. Our results indicate differences between the pathology of SIVgor and SIVcpz/HIV‐1 infections, demonstrating the utility of investigating host microbial ecology as a means for studying disease in wild primates of high conservation priority.