Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Product Quality Risk Perceptions and Decisions: Contaminated Pet Food and Lead‐Painted Toys

In the context of the recent recalls of contaminated pet food and lead‐painted toys in the United States, we examine patterns of risk perceptions and decisions when facing consumer product‐caused quality risks. Two approaches were used to explore risk perceptions of the product recalls. In the first approach, we elicited judged probabilities and found that people appear to have greatly overestimated the actual risks for both product scenarios. In the second approach, we applied the psychometric paradigm to examine risk perception dimensions concerning these two specific products through factor analysis. There was a similar risk perception pattern for both products: they are seen as unknown risks and are relatively not dread risks. This pattern was also similar to what prior research found for lead paint. Further, we studied people's potential actions to deal with the recalls of these two products. Several factors were found to be significant predictors of respondents’ cautious actions for both product scenarios. Policy considerations regarding product quality risks are discussed. For example, risk communicators could reframe information messages to prompt people to consider total risks packed together from different causes, even when the risk message has been initiated due to a specific recall event.
Effectiveness of RCA Institutions to Limit Local Externalities: Using Foreclosure Data to Test Covenant Effectiveness

Residential community associations (RCAs) are said to be an efficient institutional agreement to limit local spillovers. While several studies have identified a positive marginal effect of RCA rules, none have explicitly measured the effectiveness of these institutions to limit local externalities. This study measures this effectiveness by estimating how the direct and spillover price impacts caused by foreclosure differ by RCA status. Using a spatial hedonic model that controls for selection bias using propensity score methods and coarsened exact matching we find that foreclosed RCA properties experience smaller direct foreclosure discounts and produce smaller spill-over effects than their non-RCA counterparts. (JEL D62, R31)
Spatially interconnected controllers for flow transition problems

In this paper, the synthesis of a network of local controllers for the purpose of controlling the transition from laminar to turbulent flow is presented, using a recently proposed spatially interconnected model of plane Poiseuille flow. Measured feedback signals used by the controllers are the local changes in wall shear force, and the generated control action is a local change in fluid wall normal velocities. Thus, in contrast to most previously proposed control schemes which operate in Fourier domain, this approach works in physical domain. Moreover, the proposed decentralized scheme does not require a central processing unit. Simulation results based on a linearized model are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed control scheme.
Evaluation of Exome Sequencing to Estimate Tumor Burden in Plasma

Accurate estimation of systemic tumor load from the blood of cancer patients has enormous potential. One avenue is to measure the presence of cell-free circulating tumor DNA in plasma. Various approaches have been investigated, predominantly covering hotspot mutations or customized, patient-specific assays. Therefore, we investigated the utility of using exome sequencing to monitor circulating tumor DNA levels through the detection of single nucleotide variants in plasma. Two technologies, claiming to offer efficient library preparation from nanogram levels of DNA, were evaluated. This allowed us to estimate the proportion of starting molecules measurable by sequence capture (<5%). As cell-free DNA is highly fragmented, we designed and provide software for efficient identification of PCR duplicates in single-end libraries with a varying size distribution. On average, this improved sequence coverage by 38% in comparison to standard tools. By exploiting the redundant information in PCR-duplicates the background noise was reduced to ∼1/35000. By applying our optimized analysis pipeline to a simulation analysis, we determined the current sensitivity limit to ∼1/2400, starting with 30 ng of cell-free DNA. Subsequently, circulating tumor DNA levels were assessed in seven breast- and one prostate cancer patient. One patient carried detectable levels of circulating tumor DNA, as verified by break-point specific PCR. These results demonstrate exome sequencing on cell-free DNA to be a powerful tool for disease monitoring of metastatic cancers. To enable a broad implementation in the diagnostic settings, the efficiency limitations of sequence capture and the inherent noise levels of the Illumina sequencing technology must be further improved.
Community Leaders and the Urban Forest: A Model of Knowledge and Understanding

Foresters have a sound understanding of the urban forest, but this level of understanding rarely extends to the people who are able to effect change in communities—leaders. This article describes knowledge and understanding of the urban forest based on personal interviews conducted with leaders in two cities using qualitative research methods. Interpretation of the data suggests a knowledge and understanding model with three main constructs: urban forest meaning, processes, and benefits and outcomes. Respondents described the urban forest through categories (e.g., green spaces, quality of life) in terms of these constructs in a gradient ranging from entry to bridging to mature. The emergence of the constructs and categories provides a better understanding of how leaders perceive the urban forest and gives direction to future research that will continue the development of the model.
The Service Recovery Strategies, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty

This paper reports on a study investigating key attributes of service recovery strategies in internet shopping mall. In theses day, service recovery has received important attention in the service operation management literature. Service recovery involves those actions designed to resolve problems, alter negative attitudes of dissatisfied consumers and to ultimately retain these customers. The study examined that service recovery strategies (apology, compensation) impact on the customer satisfaction. And customer satisfaction impacts on customer loyalty with SEM (Structural Equation Modeling). This study can be used a strategic implication for internet shopping mall managers to develop successful service recovery strategies.
Does a mandatory telemedicine call prior to visiting a physician reduce costs or simply attract good risks?

This paper aims to estimate empirically the efficiency of a Swiss telemedicine service introduced in 2003. We used claims' data gathered by a major Swiss health insurer, over a period of 6 years and involving 160 000 insured adults. In Switzerland, health insurance is mandatory, but everyone has the option of choosing between a managed care plan and a fee-for-service plan. This paper focuses on a conventional fee-for-service plan including a mandatory access to a telemedicine service; the insured are obliged to phone this medical call centre before visiting a physician. This type of plan generates much lower average health expenditures than a conventional insurance plan. Reasons for this may include selection, incentive effects or efficiency. In our sample, about 90% of the difference in health expenditure can be explained by selection and incentive effects. The remaining 10% of savings due to the efficiency of the telemedicine service amount to about SFr 150 per year per insured, of which approximately 60% is saved by the insurer and 40% by the insured. Although the efficiency effect is greater than the cost of the plan, the big winners are the insured who not only save monetary and non-monetary costs but also benefit from reduced premiums.
Stated and inferred attribute attendance models: A comparison with environmental choice experiments

There is increasing evidence that respondents to choice experiment surveys do not consider all attributes presented in the choice sets. Not accounting for this ‘attribute non-attendance’ leads to biased parameter estimates, and hence biased estimates of willingness to pay. Various methods exist to account for non-attendance in the analysis of choice data, with limited agreement as to which method is ‘best’. This paper compares modelling approaches that can account for non-attendance, based on stated and inferred attribute non-attendance. Respondents' stated non-attendance is incorporated in the specification of multinomial and mixed logit models. Inference of non-attendance is based on equality constrained latent class models. Results show that model fit is significantly improved when attribute non-attendance is taken into account, and that welfare estimates are lower when incorporating non-attendance. The inference based on equality constrained latent class models provides the best model fit. There is little concordance between stated and inferred non-attendance, suggesting that respondents may not answer attendance statements truthfully.
State Intervention and the Role of History - state and private actors in Swedish network industries

Three main theoretical positions towards state intervention and regulation are discussed in relation to the case of Swedish infrastructure. The positive, the normative, and the political transaction cost approaches are examined in relation to the historic development of regulatory systems in civil aviation, railroads, and telecommunications. The authors show that governance regimes have historical roots, and develop differently due to policies implemented by state agencies. Three points are illuminated with a view to the interaction between state and private actors in the transport and communication sector. First, the role and function of the state agencies as well as the political system itself point to the need for a more refined analysis of state action. The active role of state agencies is also discussed emphasizing the difference between political decisions and the implementation of such decisions. Second, the role of a historical perspective is discussed, arguing that it makes possible a better understanding of the reasons behind choices of particular strategies. Finally, there might be good reason to expect the state either to act solely as a rent seeker, or as a promoter of optimal solutions.
New genetic data on Amerindians from the Paraguayan Chaco

New data on 17 blood group and protein genetic systems obtained among the Ayoreo and Lengua Indians of Paraguay are presented. They include the first report on the red cell band‐3 protein investigated among South American Indians. This information was integrated with previous results available for these two and four other groups. Five of the six populations reside in the Chaco area, while the sixth was included as an outgroup living elsewhere in Paraguay. Four of the five Chaco tribes exhibit good genetic homogeneity, but the Ayoreo are somewhat different. The results confirm the Chaco as a distinct biological (as well as cultural and economic) region, which should be considered in evaluations of genetic variability among South American Indians. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 13:660–667, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Perceptual bias for affective and nonaffective information in asymmetric Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE To relate lateralized impairments of visual perception in Parkinson's disease to asymmetries in the severity of motor symptoms. METHOD Ten patients with worse left-sided motor symptoms (LPD), 15 with worse right-sided (RPD), and 13 healthy age-matched controls (all right-handed) viewed mirror-imaged pairs of emotional chimeric faces, (left side smiling, right neutral, and vice versa), of greyscales (strips whose luminance varied smoothly from black on the left to white on the right, and vice versa) and of gender chimeric faces (left side male, right female, and vice versa). Participants signaled which stimulus appeared happier, brighter, or more feminine, respectively, so showing which side received more attention. RESULTS For emotional chimeras, controls and LPD showed little bias, whereas RPD showed a strong bias to left hemispace (p = .018, r = .45). Across all patients, this bias was associated with severity of right-sided motor impairment (p = .018, r = .49). The bias was much weaker and insignificant for greyscales (p = .72, r = .14). For gender chimeras, RPD again showed a significantly greater left hemispace bias than did LPD (p = .037, r = .47), although neither patient group differed significantly from controls. Across all patients, this bias correlated with ratio of right-to-left symptom severity (p = .044, r = .48). CONCLUSIONS The left hemispace bias in RPD is greater for facial than for luminance judgments, and is amplified for emotional judgments. Asymmetrical degeneration of the striatum, particularly involving the left side, appears to underlie this deficit in visual processing.
Monte Carlo Simulator and Ancillary Response Generator of Suzaku XRT/XIS System for Spatially Extended Source Analysis

We have developed a framework for the Monte-Carlo simulation of the X-Ray Telescopes (XRT) and the X-ray Imaging Spectrometers (XIS) onboard Suzaku, mainly for the scientific analysis of spatially and spectroscopically complex celestial sources. A photon-by-photon instrumental simulator is built on the ANL platform, which has been successfully used in ASCA data analysis. The simulator has a modular structure, in which the XRT simulation is based on a ray-tracing library, while the XIS simulation utilizes a spectral "Redistribution Matrix File" (RMF), generated separately by other tools. Instrumental characteristics and calibration results, e.g., XRT geometry, reflectivity, mutual alignments, thermal shield transmission, build-up of the contamination on the XIS optical blocking filters (OBF), are incorporated as completely as possible. Most of this information is available in the form of the FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) files in the standard calibration database (CALDB). This simulator can also be utilized to generate an "Ancillary Response File" (ARF), which describes the XRT response and the amount of OBF contamination. The ARF is dependent on the spatial distribution of the celestial target and the photon accumulation region on the detector, as well as observing conditions such as the observation date and satellite attitude. We describe principles of the simulator and the ARF generator, and demonstrate their performance in comparison with in-flight data.
Genetic engineering of crops: a ray of hope for enhanced food security

Crop improvement has been a basic and essential chase since organized cultivation of crops began thousands of years ago. Abiotic stresses as a whole are regarded as the crucial factors restricting the plant species to reach their full genetic potential to deliver desired productivity. The changing global climatic conditions are making them worse and pointing toward food insecurity. Agriculture biotechnology or genetic engineering has allowed us to look into and understand the complex nature of abiotic stresses and measures to improve the crop productivity under adverse conditions. Various candidate genes have been identified and transformed in model plants as well as agriculturally important crop plants to develop abiotic stress-tolerant plants for crop improvement. The views presented here are an attempt toward realizing the potential of genetic engineering for improving crops to better tolerate abiotic stresses in the era of climate change, which is now essential for global food security. There is great urgency in speeding up crop improvement programs that can use modern biotechnological tools in addition to current breeding practices for providing enhanced food security.
(Dis-)Owning the Corporation: Three Models of Employee-Shareholder Activism

This article focuses on the experimentation with shareholder activism by employee representatives in several large German corporations. I argue that these experiments are a manifestation of a new politics of solidarity that has emerged in the wake of the financialisation process in Germany. What unites the employee-shareholder activists is a strong rejection of short-term shareholder value maximisation, particularly as it affects the corporation's employees. To this end, they have created of a new form of interest organisation, the so-called employee shareholder associations ( Vereine der Belegschaftsaktionare or ESAs) that have institutionalised local practices of employee-shareholder activism within German corporations. In this article, I will take a closer look at three ESAs and their activities, each representing a different type of employee-shareholder activism: a 'front door strategy' at Deutsche Telekom, a 'back door strategy' at Siemens, and 'peeking through the window' at TUI. This article will demonstrate that shareholder activism by local employee representatives offers an innovative variation on the typical conflict lines within the corporation identified by scholars of corporate governance.
Physical Therapy and Athletic Training 2015 Measures of Functional Performance and Their Association With Hip and Thigh Strength

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Physical Therapy and Athletic Training Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@odu.edu. Repository Citation Kollack, Roger; Van Lunen, Bonnie L. ; Ringleb, Stacie I. ; and Oñate, James M. , "Measures of Functional Performance and Their Association With Hip and Thigh Strength" (2015). Physical Therapy and Athletic Training Faculty Publications. 5. http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/pt_pubs/5
Why Did the Netherlands Develop so Early? The Legacy of the Brethren of the Common Life

This research establishes a link between the Brethren of the Common Life (BCL), a religious community founded by Geert Groote in Deventer in the late fourteenth century, and the early economic development of the Netherlands. The BCL stimulated human capital accumulation. The historical analyses show that the BCL contributed to the high rates of literacy, to the high level of book production and to city growth in the Netherlands. These findings are supported by a set of OLS regressions and further corroborated by 2SLS estimates that use distance from Deventer as an instrument for the presence of the BCL.
Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Guangdong Province, China: A Population-Based Survey of 78,355 Women

Background The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the distribution of different HPV genotypes vary greatly within different geographical and ethnic populations, especially in Asia. The HPV infection data based on regional population are extremely important for researchers to develop new efficient HPV screening assays and estimate the effect of vaccines on preventing from cervical cancer. Methods A total of 78,355 women from Guangdong Province, China, whose ages were from 18 to 75 years were enrolled in this study. All epidemiological data were obtained by face-to-face interview. Cervical exfoliated cells were collected, and HPV-DNA test was conducted with the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight mass spectrometry. Results The overall HPV infection prevalence in the study population was 7.3%. The top 6 HPV genotypes were HPV16 (1.5%), HPV52 (1.2%), HPV58 (1.0%), HPV18 (0.7%), HPV45 (0.5%), and HPV6 (0.5%), accounting for 69.7% of all detected HPV infection types. Two peaks of HPV infection were detected in the population of old age group (>50; 9.6%) and young group (<25; 8.2%). Infection with single genotype HPV (6.2% in all; 85.7% in HPV-positive women) was more frequent than infection with multiple HPV (1.0% and 14.3% respectively). Results of multivariate logistic regression revealed that sexual active years, numbers of sexual partner, and numbers of pregnancy were risk factors of HPV infection. Conclusions This study provides useful epidemiological information on cervical HPV infection prevalence in general female population from Guangdong Province, China. In this population, HPV infection prevalence was 7.3%, and genotypes HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58 showed a relatively high prevalence.
A Review on Attachment and Adolescent Substance Abuse: Empirical Evidence and Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Background This paper reviews research on the relation of attachment and substance use disorders (SUD) in adolescence. Based on a theoretical introduction, we review evidence for a possible general link between SUD and insecure attachment, for links between specific forms of SUD and specific patterns of attachment, and for studies on family patterns of attachment in adolescence. Methods Using medical and psychological databases, we identified 10 studies on adolescent SUD and another 13 studies on adult SUD. Results Empirical evidence strongly supports the assumption of insecure attachment in SUD samples. With regard to specific patterns of attachment, results mainly point towards fearful and dismissing-avoidance, whereas single studies report preoccupied and unresolved patterns. Results indicate different patterns of attachment in different groups of substance abusers, that is, fearful-avoidant attachment in heroin addicts and more heterogeneous results in abusers of other substances. Explorative data suggest different types of insecure family attachment patterns, which might imply different functions of substance abuse and lead to different treatment recommendations. Methodological problems such as poor assessment of SUD and the use of different measures of attachment limit comparability. Conclusions Although a lot of research is still needed to address the unknowns in the relation between attachment and SUD, there is strong evidence for a general link between SUD and insecure attachment. Data on connections between different patterns of attachment and different pathways towards SUD are less conclusive but mainly point to disorganized and externalizing pathways. Evidence suggests that fostering attachment security might improve the outcome of state-of-the-art approaches in both early interventional treatment and prevention. Implications for individual and family approaches are outlined.
A wireless identification system with an efficient antenna based on passive SAW devices

A wireless identification system based on SAW devices is presented. To reduce degradation of the antenna performance associated with the piezoelectric materials with a good electro-mechanical coupling property, an efficient design of the transponder is required. By measuring parameters of the SAW ID tag, the performance was tested by experimentation.