Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employee decisions to exit the Australian Public Service

Despite some success in recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the Australian Public Service (APS), the long-term trend is one of declining representation. A fundamental issue is that rates of separation among Indigenous public servants remain consistently greater than those of their non-Indigenous counterparts. The research presented here seeks to understand the reasons Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees opt to leave the APS. Drawing on the analysis of existing datasets, and original interviews with former and current APS employees, the findings presented here offer insights into the key factors involved in APS employment. The paper also raises important implications for strategies that aim to increase rates of Indigenous employment in the APS.
Comparison of radiolabeled octreotide and meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy in malignant pheochromocytoma.

METHODS The results of in vivo somatostatin scintigraphy were correlated with those of MIBG from 14 patients, aged 22-66 yr, with metastatic pheochromocytoma (10 patients), malignant paraganglioma (3 patients) and metastatic ganglioneuroblastoma (1 patient). Twelve patients had elevated catecholamine excretion. A dynamic study and serial whole-body scans (4-48 hr) were obtained after injection of 130-187 MBq of 111In-DTPA-Phe-1-octreotide. When indicated, SPECT imaging was done. The results were compared to MIBG scans obtained after a diagnostic or a therapeutic dose. RESULTS Three patients with more than 20 tumor sites on MIBG scans had only 1-9 sites on 111In-octreotide scintigraphy. Two patients had no MIBG uptake but one had lung uptake on octreotide scintigraphy. In the other 9 patients with a total of 41 foci of MIBG uptake, 33 sites of 111In-octreotide uptake are found. All positive images with octreotide scintigraphy were seen at or before 4 hr, but the contrast improved at 24 hr. Uptake intensity was lower with 111In-octreotide than MIBG and the number of tumor sites was higher with MIBG. However, seven foci were positive only on octreotide scintigraphy and six of them could not be confirmed by other imaging modalities. CONCLUSION Use of octreotide to identify somatostatin receptors seems promising, especially when results from MIBG scans are negative. Moreover octreotide images could aid in determining a treatment regimen as well as establishing the extent of disease and prognosis.
The value of non-financial information in small and medium-sized enterprise risk management

Few studies that have focused on developing credit risk models specifically for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have included non-financial information as a predictor of company creditworthiness. In this study we have available non-financial, regulatory compliance and “event” data to supplement the limited accounting data that is often available for non-listed firms. We employ a sample consisting of over 5.8 million sets of accounts of unlisted firms, of which over 66,000 failed during the period 2000–2007. We find that data relating to legal action by creditors to recover unpaid debts, company filing histories, comprehensive audit report/opinion data and firm-specific characteristics make a significant contribution to increasing the default prediction power of risk models built specifically for SMEs.
Implicit User Profiling in News Recommender Systems

User profiling is an important part of content-based and hybrid recommender systems. These profiles model users’ interests and preferences and are used to assess an item’s relevance to a particular user. In the news domain it is difficult to extract explicit signals from the users about their interests, and user profiling depends on in-depth analyses of users’ reading habits. This is a challenging task, as news articles have short life spans, are unstructured, and make use of unclear and rapidly changing terminologies. This paper discusses an approach for constructing detailed user profiles on the basis of detailed observations of users’ interaction with a mobile news app. The profiles address both news categories and news entities, distinguish between long-term interests and running context, and are currently used in a real iOS mobile news recommender system that recommends news from 89 Norwegian newspapers.
Dietary intake of heme iron and body iron status are associated with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Some potential role of iron overload in the development of diabetes mellitus have been suggested. Our study aimed to systematically assess the association between the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and iron intakes/body iron status. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles. Relative risks (RR) of GDM in relation to dietary iron intakes and body iron stores were pooled with the random-effects model. Weighted mean differences of iron blood markers between GDM and non-GDM individuals were also analyzed. RESULTS Twenty-five studies were included in the qualitative analysis, and 23 studies with 29,378 participants and 3,034 GDM patients were included in the quantitative analysis. Dietary intake of heme iron was significantly associated with GDM risk (RR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.28 to 2.12), and the pooled RR for each 1mg/day increment of heme iron intake was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.19 to 1.61). No association between GDM and the intakes of nonheme iron, total iron, or supplemental iron was detected. Body iron stores, as represented by serum ferritin level, were correlated with GDM risk (RR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.11). Moreover, the concentrations of both serum ferritin and serum iron were increased in GDM patients, compared with non-GDM individuals. CONCLUSIONS Increased dietary intake of heme iron and body iron status are positively associated with the risk of GDM development in pregnant women. Future studies are warranted to better understand the role of iron in GDM development.
How prevalent is violence towards nurses working in general hospitals in the UK?

BACKGROUND Violence in nursing is not a new phenomenon but in recent years much greater emphasis has been placed on the problem in the United Kingdom (UK). A number of official reports, media stories and national initiatives have focused attention on the problem in this country. However, it is not clear whether violence and abuse have in fact become more prevalent. At present little is known about the scale of the problem for general nurses working in general hospitals in the UK. AIM OF THE STUDY A realistic assessment of the scale of this problem should facilitate a meaningful debate about the interventions needed to counter it and support the requests for funding that will be required. This study aimed to establish the utility of existing research findings, to include relevant but previously unused sources and to synthesize the results. METHOD A systematic search of the literature pertinent to the aim of the study was followed by a critical review. The focus was on research originating in the UK, including some general research on occupational violence which included data on nurses. FINDINGS Overall, the research findings are limited. The best available evidence suggests nurses as a whole do face a high level of risk compared with all workers and this excess risk holds for general nurses. The data support a figure of more than 9.5% of general nurses working in general hospitals assaulted (with or without injury) in any 1 year. Trends over time are impossible to identify at present. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to combat the problem should include greater emphasis on the problem outside accident and emergency departments, prioritizing preregistration training in the management of aggression, and further research. Better reporting should also be a priority.
Streptomyces alfalfae sp. nov. and comparisons with its closest taxa Streptomyces silaceus, Streptomyces flavofungini and Streptomyces intermedius.

A novel streptomycete strain, designated XY25T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil in an alfalfa field in Jingyang, Shanxi, China. The isolate showed optimal growth at 37 °C, and was capable of growing at pH 6-10 and in the presence of 0-6 % (w/v) NaCl. Mycelia of strain XY25T appeared spiral and developed into white spore chains with long-rod spores and a smooth surface. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of XY25T was determined and was found to be highly similar to those of species of the genus Streptomyces including Streptomyces silaceus DSM 41861T (99.11 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Streptomyces flavofungini DSM 40366T (98.49 %) and Streptomyces intermedius DSM 40372T (98.43 %), all of which were used for further characterization. Each of the four streptomycetes showed distinctive patterns of carbon usage and fatty acids composition. Analysis of cellular components of strain XY25T revealed ll-diaminopimelic acid as diagnostic diamino acid and xylose as the major sugar, whereas polar lipids were determined as phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, an unknown phospholipid, two unknown phosphatidylinositol mannosides and several unknown lipids. Menaquinones were dominated by MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8), and the main fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. DNA-DNA hybridization studies indicated that strain XY25T showed relatedness values of 35.2-40.42 % with the closest related species. Based on these results, strain XY25T represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces alfalfae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XY25T ( = KCTC 39571T = CCTCC AA2015019T).
Evaluation of shelf life of buffalo meat in aerobic cold storage using physicochemical parameters.

The study evaluated the shelf life of buffalo meat in refrigerated storage. The shelf life was evaluated for 9 days where all the physicochemical parameters were analysed on alternate days i.e. on the 0th, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th days. Buffalo meat was kept in polystyrene foam trays which were covered with PVC film and stored at refrigeration temperature. A significant change was recorded in physicochemical parameters during the storage period. pH, TVBN(total volatile basic nitrogen), FAA (free amino acid), and tyrosine value increased significantly (P<0.05) during storage period while concentration of glucose decreased significantly (P<0.05) during storage period. Significant positive (P<0.01) correlation was recorded among physicochemical parameters viz. TVBN, FAA, and tyrosine value. Significant negative (P<0.01) correlation was recorded between physicochemical parameters related to protein and glucose.
MANAGEMENT'S PERSPECTIVES ON COMMON STOCK DUTCH AUCTION TENDER OFFERS

A survey on common stock repurchase programs completed through dutch auction tender offers was mailed to 57 firms; 23 firms responded. These firms conducted their dutch auctions during the period 1981-1989. Managers perceive common stock repurchases as a cash investment policy decision and as a medium through which management signals the true value of the firm. The results of the survey indicate that these shares have not been repurchased for use in a future acquisition of another firm. Respondents have not identified the factors which determine the premium in a dutch auction common stock tender offer but they do identify the factors which, they believe, do not affect the premium: these factors include dividend policy of the firm, institutional holdings and the performance of the stock relative to the market. Managers choose dutch auction tender offers over traditional fixed price tender offers for several reasons including: a higher probability of success, and avoidance of the pricing decision associated with a fixed price tender offer. Through dutch auction tender offers, managers are able to signal undervaluation of the firm however remain ambiguous about their true estimate of the value of the firm.
Compensation law for constrained systems with initial state uncertainty based on piecewise affine function

This paper considers a method for designing a compensation law for constrained linear systems with initial state uncertainty. By introducing a decomposition technique for finite-horizon linear systems, we derive a compensation law that satisfies system constraints under initial state uncertainty of a plant. The compensation law is characterized by a piecewise affine function of the available plant state. A numerical example is presented for illustrating the proposed compensation law.
On the Psyche and Warts: II. Hypnotic Suggestion and Warts

&NA; Hypnosis was attempted in 62 patients with warts. Deep hypnosis was established in 15. Within a four‐week period after the therapeutic suggestion was given, 8 of these 15 patients showed complete remission of their warts, in contrast to the occurrence of 2 cures in the 47 patients who could not be deeply hypnotized. The findings suggest that the hypnotic relationship may play a significant role in facilitating the curative process in certain patients with warts. The inability to cure some patients under the same or similar conditions, the occurrence of cures under other conditions, and the phenomena of so‐called spontaneous cure indicate that factors other than those involved in the specific hypnotic procedure undoubtedly played a role. These factors urgently require further experimental clarification.
Barriers in the Management of Tuberculosis in Rawalpindi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious, airborne disease and remains a major global public health hazard. TB is a major cause of mortality and is affecting millions of people in low-income and middle-income countries. Worldwide, one person out of three is infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Timely diagnosis and treatment are the two key factors for better outcomes. Non-adherence to TB treatment is an important barrier for TB control programs. This study was designed to understand the barriers encountered by TB patients when seeking health care. Materials and Methods A qualitative study was conducted during the months of August and December 2010 on 15 health facilities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 TB patients (13 males and 10 females) aged 15-65 years. In addition, 15 health personnel were also interviewed. Results Most patients were found to be well informed about the idea of taking TB medications under direct supervision and its overall importance. However, many of them were not convinced with either drugs or treatment protocols. We found that limited knowledge of patients, loss of employment, financial burden, social stigma and long distance from health facility were the main barriers for TB adherence. Conclusion More patient-centred interventions and attention to the barriers are required to improve the treatment adherence. Direct observation of patients and regular home visits by health workers can reduce the risk of non-adherence.
Shopper-Facing Retail Technology: A Retailer Adoption Decision Framework Incorporating Shopper Attitudes and Privacy Concerns

Continual innovation and new technology are critical in helping retailers’ create a sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, shopper-facing technology plays an important role in increasing revenues and decreasing costs. In this article, we briefly discuss some of the salient retail technologies over the recent past as well as technologies that are only beginning to gain traction. Additionally, we present a shopper-centric decision calculus that retailers can use when considering a new shopper-facing technology. We argue that new technologies provide value by either increasing revenue through (a) attracting new shoppers, (b) increasing share of volume from existing shoppers, or (c) extracting greater consumer surplus, or decreasing costs through offloading labor to shoppers. Importantly, our framework incorporates shoppers by considering their perceptions of the new technology and their resulting behavioral reactions. Specifically, we argue that shoppers update their perceptions of fairness, value, satisfaction, trust, commitment, and attitudinal loyalty and evaluate the potential intrusiveness of the technology on their personal privacy. These perceptions then mediate the effect of the technology on shopper behavioral reactions such as retail patronage intentions and WOM communication. We present preliminary support for our framework by examining consumers’ perceptions of several new retail technologies, as well as their behavioral intentions. The findings support our thesis that shopper perceptions of the retailer are affected by new shopper-facing technologies and that these reactions mediate behavioral intentions, which in turn drives the ROI of the new technology.
Dose and wavelength of laser light have influence on the repair of cutaneous wounds.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study was to compare histologically the effect of GaAlAs (lambda 830 nm, phi approximately 2 mm(2), 35 mW) and InGaAlP (lambda 685 nm, phi approximately 2 mm(2), 35 mW) lasers, alone or in association with doses of 20 or 50 J/cm(2) on cutaneous wounds in the dorsum of the Wistar rat. BACKGROUND DATA The healing time of surgical wounds is of extreme importance and it is usually associated with a post-operative period free of infection and with less pain and inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty Wistar rats were divided into seven groups: Group I - control (non-irradiated); Group II - lambda 685 nm, 20 J/cm(2); Group III - lambda 830 nm, 20 J/cm(2); Group IV - lambda 685 nm and lambda 830 nm, 20 J/cm(2); Group V - lambda 685 nm, 50 J/cm(2)); Group VI - lambda 830 nm, 50 J/cm(2); and Group VII - lambda 685 nm and 830 nm, 50 J/cm(2). The animals were sacrificed 3, 5, and 7 days after surgery. RESULTS Light microscopic analysis using H&E and Picrosírius stains showed that, at the end of the experimental period, irradiated subjects showed increased collagen production and organization when compared to non-irradiated controls. Inflammation was still present in all groups at this time. CONCLUSION Group IV (lambda 830 nm and lambda 685 nm, 20 J/cm(2)) presented better results at the end of the experimental period. It is concluded that low-level light therapy (LLLT) can have a positive biomodulatory effect on the repair of cutaneous wounds.
Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia on Running Economy

We investigated the effects of two 5-wk periods of intermittent hypoxia on running economy (RE). 11 male and female middle-distance runners were randomly assigned to the intermittent hypoxia group (IHG) or to the control group (CG). All athletes trained for a 13-wk period starting at pre-season until the competition season. The IHG spent additionally 2 h at rest on 3 days/wk for the first and the last 5 weeks in normobaric hypoxia (15-11% FiO2). RE, haematological parameters and body composition were determined at low altitude (600 m) at baseline, after the 5 (th), the 8 (th) and the 13 (th) week of training. RE, determined by the relative oxygen consumption during submaximal running, (-2.3+/-1.2 vs. -0.3+/-0.7 ml/min/kg, P<0.05) and total running time (+1.0+/-0.9 vs. +0.4+/-0.5 min, P<0.05) changed significantly between the IHG and CG only during the first 5-wk period. Haematological and cardiorespiratory changes indicate that the improved RE was associated with decreased cardiorespiratory costs and greater reliance on carbohydrate. Intermittent hypoxia did not affect RE during the second 5-wk period. These findings suggest that the effects of intermittent hypoxia on RE strongly depend on the training phase.
Young Firms and Industry Dynamics in Belgium

Recent studies reveal the importance of entrants and young firms for job creation, productivity and economic growth. Some scholars argue that the falling rate at which new firms are established, can explain, to a certain extent, the productivity slowdown witnessed in most OECD countries. Belgium appears to stand out unfavourably from other countries in its very low start-up rate. This paper reviews the empirical cross-country evidence, provides some additional analysis of the role of young firms in industry-level employment and productivity dynamics in Belgium and concludes with a discussion of the implications for economic policy. Jel Classification D22, D24, E23, E24, H32, L25, L26, L53
Economic Value of Multi-Peril Coastal Hazard Insurance

Expanding the National Flood Insurance Program to allow policyholders to purchase optional erosion coverage eliminate coverage disputes when erosion and flood both contribute to a loss, and provide affordable national erosion coverage. We examine the household welfare effect of multi-peril hazard insurance coverage by coupling information on NFIP policy in force with a survey data for a sample of coastal households in the US southeast. Our results indicate that the value of multi-peril hazard insurance is substantially higher for households who live in the coastal zone. We also test effect of risk perception (subjective risk assessment) on individuals’ decision to purchase multi-peril hazard insurance and find that higher risk perception leads to higher probability of purchasing multi-peril insurance coverage and increases the mean willingness to pay for insurance.
Intellectual Capital: A Strategic Management Perspective

Strategic management is associated with leveraging the strengths of an enterprise and to cash on the opportunities by overcoming the weaknesses and threats. Realization of the competencies of an enterprise would enable it to establish a competitive edge over its rivals. Since intellectual capital refers to the combined intangible capital which enables the company to function, it is critical for strategic management in knowledge-based industries. In the knowledge-based economy, numerous corporate organizations have utilized intellectual capital as their competitive advantage to create corporate value. The key issue in leveraging intellectual capital, as strategic tool for the business success, lies in the measurement of intellectual capital. As the adage goes, “what can be measured can be managed and what can be managed can be measured. ” Therefore, measurement of intellectual capital is a precondition for the ‘strategic management’ of intellectual capital. In this paper, an attempt is made to measure the value of intellectual capital in monetary terms, using the well-established indirect methods. The strength of these methods lies in their ability to utilize publicly available information about the firms. The primary objective of the study is to suggest the availability and reliability of the financial methods for the measurement of intellectual capital of the publicly traded companies, by analyzing the case of the Indian pharmaceutical companies.
The importance of community engagement in policy development: an Australian case study

The Australian Domain Name Administrators have launched a new domain name space designed specifically for community groups to develop community Websites for the benefit of the local community. The purpose of the scheme under which these domains are issued is to link community members through community-managed Websites, and to encourage broad community participation and engagement. Despite broad community engagement during initial development, many changes have since been made to the policy governing these new domain names. This paper presents an overview of the scheme under which these community domains can be used, and identifies the changes made to the policy since it was initially proposed. A comparison of the proposed and implemented policies, and the communitypsilas feedback, is presented. Consideration of the impacts of these changes, made without concern for genuine community engagement, is provided to highlight the importance of community engagement to policy development.