Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interrogating the impact of industrial clustering on firm-level employment growth : a case study of the Durban Automotive Cluster (DAC).

More than a decade since the democratic transition in 1994, South Africa still grapples with incredibly high levels of unemployment. An underperforming manufacturing sector has hampered economic growth and job creation in a country with a large pool of low and semiskilled labour. In response to these challenges the South African government has initiated a guiding framework (NIPF) and action plan (IPAP) spearheaded by a sectoral and geographic focus to place the country on a more labour-intensive industrial growth path. Given this context, it is instructive to note that industrial clustering has been identified as critical to the sustainable development of industry in both developed and developing economies. Whilst the role of industrial clustering in assisting industrial development is well documented, this paper aims to further interrogate the impact of industrial clustering on another critical developmental issue, employment. Using the Durban Automotive Cluster (DAC) as a case study, the primary objective of this research is to interrogate the impact of industrial clustering on firm-level employment. A mixed-method methodology is utilised in the study, collecting both primary and secondary data from face-to-face interviews conducted with nineteen firm-level representatives and two DAC representatives. The research findings and analysis conclude that on average, the impact of the DAC on firmlevel employment is positive, although largely indirect. In particular, small or firms with low degrees of production-related technological intensity on their production perceive the impact of the DAC on their firm-level employment most positively. The majority of member firms believe the DAC has either helped sustain or in some cases grow their firms’ employment levels. The only variable that has had a more positive impact on firm-level employment is the MIDP, with labour market policies perceived to have had the most negative impact on employment. The study suggests that greater communication between the DAC and local and national governments to ensure each stakeholder’s objectives are better aligned to ensure growth of the industry (to stimulate job creation). This process will not be simple and will depend heavily on the country’s ability to address critical macro-constraints that the study has shown to hinder employment growth amongst the DAC firms. Whilst the findings relate specifically to the automotive industry in KwaZulu-Natal, the relevance of the findings extends well beyond the automotive sector. The study provides key lessons for South Africa’s sectoral and geographically focused industrial policy focus that aims to achieve industrial development and employment growth in South Africa.
State of stress in slabs as a function of large‐scale plate kinematics

The state of stress of slabs subducting worldwide, as revealed by seismicity, is extremely variable both with depth and between different subduction zones. Although in principle, slab pull should enhance downdip extension in the slab, the reconstructed stress fields for intermediate depths (between 100 and 300 km) range from downdip compression to downdip extension. Using 2‐D viscoelastic plane strain models we investigate the dependency of the stress field of slabs on geometry (dip of the slab) and kinematics (velocity of convergence between upper and lower plates and their absolute velocity with respect to the underlying mantle) of subduction zones. We conclude that although the state of stress in slabs is also controlled by other processes, downdip compression in the subducting slab is enhanced by mantle flow opposing the direction of the dip of the slab, whereas downdip extension is favored by mantle flow in the same direction of the slab dip (i.e., sustaining it). These predictions are in agreement with available geophysical observations, although exceptions to this simple pattern are observed worldwide. In addition, if the slab is decoupled from the upper plate, convergence between upper and lower plates induces a downdip compressional component of stress within the slab, decreasing the magnitude of extension in models characterized by mantle flow sustaining the slab and increasing compression in models with mantle flow opposing subduction. However, these are second‐order variations when compared to the control exerted by absolute plate kinematics and by the magnitude of slab pull. Sensitivity analysis of rheological parameters allows us to conclude that these results are generally consistent, although low values of viscosity of the lithospheric mantle render this prediction less stable.
Comparative Evaluation of Dimensional and Occlusal Accuracy of Non-Working Antagonist Casts: A Study on Different Impression Materials and 3D Printing

Background The aim of this study was to assess and compare the vertical/horizontal dimensions and occlusal accuracy of non-working/opposing casts obtained from three different impression materials and 3D print cast. Material/Methods Dentulous Master models simulating a case of a fixed dental prosthesis were mounted on an articulator (control group). Opposing mandibular casts obtained from three different impression materials [Hydrogum Alginate (Conventional), Hydrocolor 5 (Extended-Pour Alginate), FreeAlgin (Alginate Alternative)] and 3-dimensional print constituted test groups [Gp AL(C)], [Gp AL(E)], [Gp AL(F)] and [Gp 3D-C], respectively. Three points, anterior vertical (AV), posterior vertical (PV), and anteroposterior (AP) were compared for dimensional accuracy among casts. Occlusal accuracy was analyzed on Medit Link software at 3 teeth (#13, #17, and #27). After calculating means for each group, the differences were calculated at probability value of P≤0.05 using the single-sample t test, ANOVA, and Tukey test. Results The dimensions were significantly different from those of the mounted master models except in Gp AL(E) and Gp AL(F) at AV dimension and Gp AL(E) at AP dimension (P>0.05). A statistically significant difference of the error of means among the 4 tested groups [Gp AL(C), Gp AL(E), Gp AL(F), and Gp 3D-C] were detected only at 2 dimensions (AV and PV) between the Gp AL(E) and Gp 3D-C and between Gp AL(F) and Gp 3D-C groups. Other groups showed no significant differences. Conclusions The opposing casts obtained from the extended-pour alginate and alginate alternative impression materials showed higher occlusal accuracy compared to conventional alginate and 3D printed casts.
Phase-Dependent Differential In Vitro and Ex Vivo Susceptibility of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium keratoplasticum to Azole Antifungals

Fungal keratitis (FK) is an invasive infection of the cornea primarily associated with Aspergillus and Fusarium species. FK is treated empirically with a limited selection of topical antifungals with varying levels of success. Though clinical infections are typically characterized by a dense network of mature mycelium, traditional models used to test antifungal susceptibility of FK isolates exclusively evaluate susceptibility in fungal cultures derived from asexual spores known as conidia. The purpose of this study was to characterize differences in fungal response when topical antifungal treatment is initiated at progressive phases of fungal development. We compared the efficacy of voriconazole and luliconazole against in vitro cultures of A. flavus and F. keratoplasticum at 0, 24, and 48 h of fungal development. A porcine cadaver corneal model was used to compare antifungal efficacy of voriconazole and luliconazole in ex vivo tissue cultures of A. flavus and F. keratoplasticum at 0, 24, and 48 h of fungal development. Our results demonstrate phase-dependent susceptibility of both A. flavus and F. keratoplasticum to both azoles in vitro as well as ex vivo. We conclude that traditional antifungal susceptibility testing with conidial suspensions does not correlate with fungal susceptibility in cultures of a more advanced developmental phase. A revised method of antifungal susceptibility testing that evaluates hyphal susceptibility may better predict fungal response in the clinical setting where treatment is often delayed until days after the initial insult.
A Quantitative Evaluation of Seismic Signals at Teleseismic Distances—I Radiation from Point Sources

Summary The aim of the series of papers to be published under the above title is to follow up and improve Carpenter's (1966) attempt to construct realistic pulse shapes for teleseismic body waves from underground explosions. The present work deals with both explosions and shallow earthquakes and with the radiation of surface waves as well as body waves. The extension of Carpenter's theory to take crustal layering more accurately into account involves the matrix theory first introduced by Thomson (1950) and developed by Haskell. We shall use the notation of Haskell's (1964) paper in the following analysis and the initial theoretical work is concerned with some of the groundwork and one or two results which have not been covered by Haskell in his series of papers (1953, 1962, 1964). A point source can be represented either as a system of forces or as a discontinuity in the displacement or stress or their derivatives across an element of surface. We show here that a general source of either type is equivalent in the generation of elastic radiation to a discontinuity across a horizontal plane in the displacement and the stress acting on the plane. This means that any point source can be put into a form suitable for computations based on the Thomson-Haskell theory. The theory is applied to the construction of theoretical models of earthquake and explosive sources. Some of the more realistic models so far proposed are given in the later section of the paper.
A national examination of discrimination, resilience, and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: the All of Us Research Program

Objective To examine the impact of resilience on the association between discrimination and trajectories of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic across racial and ethnic groups. Methods Data were drawn from 5 waves of the All of Us Research Program’s survey on the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of American adults. Linear mixed-effects models were fitted to assess the association between discrimination exposure throughout the pandemic and depressive symptoms over time. An interaction term was introduced between resilience and discrimination exposure to assess if resilience buffered the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms over time. Race-stratified linear mixed-effects models examined racial/ethnic differences in the association between resilience, discrimination, and depressive symptoms over time. Results Fifty-one thousand nine hundred fifty-eight participants completed surveys between May and December of 2020. Results indicated that exposure to more discrimination was associated with increasing trajectories of depressive symptoms over time (b = 0.48, p < 0.001). However, resilience moderated the association between discrimination and well-being over time such that higher resilience mitigated the detrimental effect of experiencing discrimination on depressive symptoms across time (b = −0.02, p < 0.001). Conclusion Identifying protective features such as resilience can promote the development of culturally tailored interventions to address mental health in the context of discrimination.
Current status of image-enhanced endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic inflammation leads to unfavorable clinical outcomes and increases the risk of developing colorectal neoplasm (CRN); thereby highlighting the importance of endoscopically evaluating disease activity as well as detecting and characterizing CRN in patients with IBD. With recent advances in image-enhanced endoscopic (IEE) technologies, especially virtual chromoendoscopy (VCE) platforms, this review discusses state-of-the-art IEE techniques and their applicability in assessing disease activity and surveillance colonoscopy in patients with IBD. Among various IEE, VCE demonstrated the capacity to identify quiescent disease activity. And endoscopic remission defined by the new scoring system using VCE platform better predicted clinical outcomes, which may benefit the tailoring of therapeutic strategies in patients with IBD. High-definition dye-chromoendoscopy (HD-DCE) is numerically superior to high-definition white light endoscopy (HD-WLE) in detecting CRN in IBD; however, discrepancy is observed in the statistical significance. VCE showed comparable performance in detecting dysplasia to HD-WLE or DCE and potential for optical diagnosis to differentiate neoplastic from nonneoplastic lesions during surveillance colonoscopy. Applying these novel advanced IEE technologies would provide opportunities for personalized medicine in IBD and optimal treatment of CRN in patients with IBD.
Effects of an oil spill on the soft-bottom macrofauna of Arthur Harbour, Antarctica compared with long-term natural change

The macroinfauna at depths 30–115 m was sampled in March–April 1989, c. two months after an oil spill that resulted from the grounding of the Bahia Paraiso. Stations consisted of the oil-spill site and a comparable control location, and two historical sites previously sampled in 1971. The historical sites were located at two distinct points along a known continuum of increasing physical stability with depth, attributed to disturbances from glacial calving. Macroinfaunal assemblages at most stations were characterized by very high densities and numbers of taxa. There were no significant differences (P<0.05) between the oil-spill and control sites in numbers of individuals, species, or families; nor were there any major differences in dominant fauna or overall community composition. The absence of a detectable impact on the fauna is consistent with results of hydrocarbon analyses, which showed that subtidal sediments were nearly devoid of contamination emanating from the Bahia Paraiso. The assemblage at the shallower of the two historical sites, however, showed a substantial change over the 18-yr period between studies. This change consisted of a shift toward a more species-rich and abundant macroinfauna characteristic of the more physically stable parts of the harbour. This change may be related to the fact that the glacier face near this site has retreated c. 250 m over the last 20 yrs, resulting in less physical disturbance of the adjacent seafloor.
Global runoff routing with the hydrological component of the ECMWF NWP system

A global river routing scheme coupled to the ECMWF land surface model is implemented and tested within the framework of the Global Soil Wetness Project II, to evaluate the feasibility of modelling global river runoff at a daily time scale. The exercise is designed to provide benchmark river runoff predictions needed to verify the land surface model. Ten years of daily runoff produced by the HTESSEL land surface scheme is input into the TRIP2 river routing scheme in order to generate daily river runoff. These are then compared to river runoff observations from the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) in order to evaluate the potential and the limitations. A notable source of inaccuracy is bias between observed and modelled discharges which is not primarily due to the modelling system but instead of to the forcing and quality of observations and seems uncorrelated to the river catchment size. A global sensitivity analysis and Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) uncertainty analysis are applied to the global routing model. The ground water delay parameter is identified as being the most sensitive calibration parameter. Significant uncertainties are found in results, and those due to parameterisation of the routing model are quantified. The difficulty involved in parameterising global river discharge models is discussed. Detailed river runoff simulations are shown for the river Danube, which match well observed river runoff in upstream river transects. Results show that although there are errors in runoff predictions, model results are encouraging and certainly indicative of useful runoff predictions, particularly for the purpose of verifying the land surface scheme hydrologicly. Potential of this modelling system on future applications such as river runoff forecasting and climate impact studies is highlighted. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Acute Coronary Syndromes Compendium Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy for Acute Coronary Syndromes

: The past 2 decades have witnessed the introduction and demise of several different antithrombotic medications for acute coronary syndromes. Part of the assessment of these compounds has been their effect on thrombotic events relative to the degree of increase in bleeding events. This review will outline the data supporting various antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies and their combinations in patients with acute coronary syndromes and related disorders in both the acute and chronic phases of therapy. ( Circ Res . 2014;114:1929-1943.) Acute Coronary Syndromes: Pathology, Diagnosis, Genetics, Prevention, and Treatment Mechanisms of Plaque Formation and Rupture Inflammation and its Resolution as Determinants of Acute Coronary Syndromes Lipoproteins as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in the Setting of Acute Coronary Syndrome Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease Imaging Plaques to Predict and Better Manage Patients With Acute Coronary Events Reperfusion Strategies in Acute Coronary Syndromes Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy for Acute Coronary Syndromes Nonantithrombotic Medical Options in Acute Coronary Syndromes: Old Agents and New Lines on the Horizon Global Perspective on Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Burden on the Young and Poor preprocedural or upstream therapy versus procedural or in-laboratory benefit. The Early Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibition in Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (EARLY-ACS) trial 60 randomized 9492 patients with ACS intended to undergo PCI to receive eptifibatide early ( ≤ 12 hours before angiography) versus during the procedure. The 30-day occurrence of death or MI was not different between the early treatment and delayed treatment groups (odds ratio [OR], 0.89; P =0.08). The early treatment group did have more bleeding events and red cell transfusions. Data from EARLY-ACS, a meta-analysis of related studies, and another large-scale timing trial, Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage Strategy (ACUITY), 61 support the selective rather than the routine use of upstream GPIIb/IIIa therapy for patients with ACS. This is because the reduction in ischemic events is modest, yet the increase in bleeding events is marked. 6 Among patients with STE-ACS, multiple placebo-con-trolled studies were completed testing GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors, although again without the routine use of thienopyridines. These studies demonstrated a significant reduction in 30-day ischemic events, but with less robust evidence for durable benefit at 6 months. In comparison, the Bavarian Reperfusion Alternatives Evaluation-3 (BRAVE-3) trial 62 tested upstream abciximab against placebo among 800 patients after preload-ing with 600 mg of clopidogrel. The study failed to show a reduction in infarct size or clinical benefit with abciximab.
DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ON ATLANTIC BLUE AND SHORTFIN MAKO SHARKS

SUMMARY Demographic analysis on Atlantic blue shark and shortfin mako shark was done. Uncertainties of input parameters were accounted by Monte Carlo simulation. Current total mortality of those sharks was estimated by catch curve analysis applied to catch at age data of Japanese longline observer data. The results suggested that current fishing mortality on blue shark is sustainable. As for the short fin mako shark current fishing mortality appeared to result in negative intrinsic rate of increase indicating population decline. RESUME
Testing OSL failures against a regional Weichselian glaciation chronology from southern Scandinavia

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is used extensively for dating Quaternary sediments. In stratigraphic successions, inter‐till beds dated by OSL constrain ages of periglacial or interglacial episodes, while till testifies to ice‐sheet oscillations. The majority of OSL results from southern Scandinavia agree with the glaciation chronology predicted by numerical and relative ages, but not all. Overestimation of the expected timing seems to arise from an inherited signal acquired prior to the latest depositional episode. Here, the geological context is examined for solifluction deposits that cap Middle Weichselian periglacial strata and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice proximal deposits showing pre‐LGM ages. Suggestions are given as to how the depositional environment may influence the dating results. Even though independent dating anchors the marine Cyprina clay and last interglacial peat bogs to the Eemian interglacial, OSL ages show underestimation by up to 60%. It is discussed whether variations in dose rates after burial could be responsible for this discrepancy. Despite these failures, OSL ranks among the most qualified methods for dating Quaternary sedimentary successions.
Occurrence of Volatile Organic Compounds in Aquifers of the United States 1

Abstract: Samples of ambient ground water were collected during 1985‐2002 from 3,498 wells in 98 aquifer studies throughout the United States. None of the sampled wells were selected because of prior knowledge of nearby contamination. Most of these samples were analyzed for 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to characterize their national occurrence. Volatile organic compounds were found in samples collected from 90 of the 98 aquifer studies. Occurrence frequencies of one or more VOCs for the 98 aquifer studies ranged from 0 to about 77% at an assessment level of 0.2 microgram per liter (μg/l). The aquifer studies with the largest occurrence frequencies were in southern Florida, southern New York, southern California, New Jersey, and Nevada. Trihalomethanes and solvents were the most frequently occurring VOC groups. Of the 55 VOCs included in this assessment, 42 occurred in at least one sample at an assessment level of 0.2 μg/l. Chloroform, perchloroethene, and methyl tert‐butyl ether were the most frequently occurring VOCs. Many factors, such as the hydrogeology of the aquifer, use of VOCs, land use, and the transport and fate properties of VOCs, affect the occurrence of VOCs in ground water.