Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
State Health Expenditure Accounts: Minnesota's Perspective

Minnesota's approach to the development and use of State health expenditure accounts (SHEAs) was developed to assist State policymakers with decisions regarding health care reform. The accounts are based on an annual survey of third-party payers and summary Medicaid and Medicare data. Summary data are presented along with a discussion of data collection methodology, estimation, and dissemination. Minnesota's experience demonstrates that the ability of States to conduct detailed analysis of health care spending and to use these estimates to change State policy, inform national policy debate, conduct impact analysis, educate policymakers, and monitor market trends.
Legislative performance of the Russian State Duma: the role of parliament in an authoritarian regime

ABSTRACT Authoritarian governments remain in power much longer when they distribute benefits to their supporters in an institutionalised way. Permitting parliament to fulfil a legislative function is an important strategy for autocrats to obtain long-lasting support from their allies. Political parties play an important role in this process – while having strong influence on the behaviour of MPs, empirical evidence from the Russian State Duma suggests that loyalty is rewarded with support for the legislative proposals of individual members. Amendments to government bills are high in quantity and often substantially significant. Legislative performance is, however, mostly limited to the United Russia party.
Improving agility and discipline of software development with the Scrum and CMMI

This study presents a method of combining the Scrum methodology with the CMMI maturity model to improve both agility and discipline of software development. First, the authors propose the CMMI-Scrum reference model, which maps Scrum practices onto 123 practices of CMMI staged levels 2 and 3. For 60- of CMMI practices, which are insufficiently covered by Scrum they add new practices that improve discipline while maintaining agility. The practices to improve an actual software development process are selected from the reference model with the P-Sel algorithm based on answers to a questionnaire with 25 single-choice questions. They have applied our approach to processes of two IT companies, where on average 72- of the suggested practices were confirmed, 24.5- were mismatched and 3.5- were rejected.
Scientific problems in the regulation of red blood cell products

BACKGROUND: For the past 30 years, red blood cell (RBC) storage systems have been licensed in the United States based on the demonstration that 24‐hour in vivo recovery was greater than 75% and hemolysis was less than 1%. Now additional requirements for storage system licensure have being added. The meaning and value of these new requirements have been questioned.
Identification and characterization of a DNA region involved in the export of capsular polysaccharide by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5a

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae synthesizes a serotype-specific capsular polysaccharide that acts as a protective barrier to phagocytosis and complement-mediated killing. To begin understanding the role of A. pleuropneumoniae capsule in virulence, we sought to identify the genes involved in capsular polysaccharide export and biosynthesis. A 5.3-kb XbaI fragment of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5a J45 genomic DNA that hybridized with DNA probes specific for the Haemophilus influenzae type b cap export region was cloned and sequenced. This A. pleuropneumoniae DNA fragment encoded four open reading frames, designated cpxDCBA. The nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences of cpxDCBA contained a high degree of homology to the capsule export genes of H. influenzae type b bexDCBA, Neisseria meningitidis group B ctrABCD, and, to a lesser extent, Escherichia coli K1 and K5 kpsE and kpsMT. When present in trans, the cpxDCBA gene cluster complemented kpsM::TnphoA or kpsT::TnphoA mutations, determined by enzyme immunoassay and by restored sensitivity to a K5-specific bacteriophage. A cpxCB probe hybridized to genomic DNA from all A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes tested, indicating that this DNA was conserved among serotypes. These data suggest that A. pleuropneumoniae produces a group II family capsule similar to those of related mucosal pathogens.
ssSNPer: identifying statistically similar SNPs to aid interpretation of genetic association studies

UNLABELLED ssSNPer is a novel user-friendly web interface that provides easy determination of the number and location of untested HapMap SNPs, in the region surrounding a tested HapMap SNP, which are statistically similar and would thus produce comparable and perhaps more significant association results. Identification of ssSNPs can have crucial implications for the interpretation of the initial association results and the design of follow-up studies. AVAILABILITY http://fraser.qimr. edu.au/general/daleN/ssSNPer/
Methodology in Housing Policy

Despite the worsening of the housing crisis in North America — the Canadian and US federal governments refuse to discuss the issue in any meaningful way. Still, this crisis deserves special attention, so what have authors said about the matter? Constantine Kontokosta and Alan Walks and Brian Clifford provide compelling arguments on housing policy and political economics. The former employs a comparative analysis of regional and local governments in America, and the latter uses a descriptive case study to ascertain Canada’s federal management of the housing market. Furthermore, we argue that no single research method suffices; instead, political scientists should balance their approaches to create a comprehensive methodology. Such a methodology provides insightful findings while ensuring an argument’s intelligibility and measurement validity. This thesis may be overdone, but its very truth and importance call for an inquiry. As severe as the housing crisis is, political scientists expect a well-rounded methodology. Hence, to test this argument, Kontokosta and Walks and Clifford make for a good comparison. To this end, we summarize and compare the above two articles. They both use case studies; however, Kontokosta couples his with statistical analysis and Walks and Clifford develop their argument with document analysis: the former’s case study is selective, the latter’s is comprehensive. Both studies’ methodological strength lies in their insights, unearthing successes and failures in the recent history of housing policy.
Returnee entrepreneurs and the institutional environment: case study insights from China

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of returnee entrepreneurs, their venturing efforts and the impact of the institutional environment they operate in, and thereby to propose a conceptual model depicting how returnee entrepreneurs create and operate new ventures and interact with the institutional environment. Design/methodology/approach This study followed a multiple case study approach based on data collected from in-depth inquiries into 11 returnee entrepreneurs and their ventures in China which was analysed inductively. Findings Analysis of case study data resulted in a conceptual model of returnee entrepreneurs illustrating micro-level characteristics of the phenomenon and the interplay with the institutional environment of an emerging economy. Insights from the case study are discussed in terms of implications for entrepreneurial motivations, human and social capital, estrangement from the home country, internationalisation behaviour and objectives of returnee-owned ventures. Originality/value Previous research on the phenomenon of returnee entrepreneurs is highly fragmented and has largely focussed on specific and isolated outcomes. This study offers a holistic inquiry contributing to a better understanding of the phenomenon as a whole and presenting key properties of the phenomenon.
Head injury rehabilitation: the role of a neurotrauma clinic

Survivors of head injury are often left with varying degrees of disability and complex and varied needs, necessitating prolonged periods of rehabilitation and continuing care. Advances have been made in the acute management of these patients, but continuing management in terms of rehabilitation remains deficient with lack of specialist resources and a fragmented service. For head-injured patients, lack of access to appropriate ongoing rehabilitation may have profound effects on outcome and social re-integration. There are also considerable economic implications for planning and provision of services. The aims of this paper are to describe, review and evaluate the role of a Neurotrauma clinic within the Head Injury Service at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. The multidisciplinary Neurotrauma clinic commenced in June 2003 following an extensive collaborative research programme to assess current regional head injury service provision and address deficiencies and management issues. Patients of all ages with ongoing problems following varying severity of head injury are followed up at 2 months + post-injury for as long as appropriate. Patients complete an SF-36 and GOSE questionnaire at each clinic appointment and this self-reported data is complemented by neuropsychological assessments, and demographic data entered on a database. The clinic acts as a ‘gateway’ to access appropriate ongoing rehabilitation and a source of information and support. The routine collection of outcome data enables tracking of individual patient progress and outcome and provides an information resource for further research. The findings highlight deficiencies in rehabilitation both in general service provision and specific patient need. Evidence in support of demand, need and effectiveness of rehabilitation for head injury is particularly relevant within the limited resources of the NHS. Early indications show that a specialist clinic can assist in providing continuity of patient care, in improving coordination of services, and act as a resource for further research on epidemiology, outcome and impact of rehabilitation.
Welfare Effects of Expansions in Equilibrium Models of an Electricity Market With Fuel Network

The welfare of electricity producers and consumers depends on congestion in the transmission grid, generation costs that consist mainly of fuel costs, and strategic behavior. We formulate a game theoretic model of an oligopolistic electricity market where generation costs are derived from a fuel supply network. The game consists of a fuel dispatcher that transports fuels at minimum cost to meet generator demands, generators that maximize profit in Cournot competition, and an independent system operator (ISO) that sets nodal prices to balance electricity supply with linear demand functions. We prove the existence of an equilibrium. If fuel supplies are unlimited, the same equilibria hold in a simplified version of the game in which each generator optimizes its fuel acquisition from the network. In some very simple examples under different assumptions about the rationality of generators with respect to ISO decisions, paradoxical effects on total welfare can occur from expanding either electricity transmission capacity or the transportation capacity of low-cost fuel. We find some instances in which the paradox occurs only under bounded rationality of the generators, others where it occurs only if the generators are fully rational, and still others where it occurs to different degrees under the two rationality assumptions.
Social Data Mining: Collection and Analysis of Political Posts

Social Networks become an important part of people’s lives. A large number of individuals contribute to their contents. All aspects of everyday life – from work to politics, and further from entertainment to personal events – are reflected in posts generated on a daily basis. Those posts are perceived as a source of information that becomes a target and subject of analysis and research. This thesis addresses an issue of collecting and analyzing tweet posts. A comprehensive study of available programming tools suitable for collecting posts from multiple social networks has been conducted. Based on the results of that investigation, we have designed and developed a methodology for collecting tweets. Further, we have constructed a Social Data Mining Platform. The platform, implemented using Elasticsearch (open source full-text search engine), provides a number of approaches and algorithms for analysis of tweets. The analysis goes beyond processing of hast-tags and includes matching processes that involve the whole context of tweets. We have selected political tweets as the subject of our study. We have demonstrated how the proposed platform can be used to gain better understanding of political issues and opinions of a populace.
Explaining smallholder aspirations to expand irrigation crop production in Makhathini and Ndumo-B, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACT This paper explores the factors influencing aspirations of smallholders to expand irrigation farming activities. It demonstrates the importance of aspirations to informing agricultural policies and understanding the behaviour of farmers and their vision regarding their farms. The Heckman two-step regression model was used to determine factors affecting aspirations/willingness of farmers to expand in the first stage and their ability to achieve or realise those aspirations in the second stage. The paper identifies five key factors that influence farmer aspirations (willingness to expand), i.e., positive psychological capital, access to markets, access to credit, land tenure security, and membership in other social groups. Gender, asset ownership, access to markets and local resource use conflicts were significant in determining farmers’ ability to achieve those aspirations. The study reveals the importance of developing positive psychological capital among smallholders and affirms the need for affordable production credit. To better make use of irrigation schemes, there is a need to build the capacity of smallholders to achieve their aspirations through empowering women and improving access to physical assets and markets. Land tenure security concerns need addressing while supporting institutions that promote social interaction and learning remain vital for the growth of the smallholder irrigation sector.
Evaluation of Cross-Protection of a Lineage 1 West Nile Virus Inactivated Vaccine against Natural Infections from a Virulent Lineage 2 Strain in Horses, under Field Conditions

ABSTRACT Although experimental data regarding cross-protection of horse West Nile virus (WNV) vaccines against lineage 2 infections exist, the cross-protective efficacy of these vaccines under field conditions has not been demonstrated. This study was conducted to evaluate the capability of an inactivated lineage 1 vaccine (Equip WNV) to protect against natural infections from the Nea Santa-Greece-2010 lineage 2 strain. In total, 185 WNV-seronegative horses in Thessaloniki, Greece, were selected during 2 consecutive years (2011 and 2012); 140 were immunized, and 45 were used as controls. Horses were examined for signs compatible with WNV infection. Neutralizing antibody titers against the Greek strain and the PaAn001/France lineage 1 strain were determined in immunized horses. WNV circulation was detected during both years in the study area. It was estimated that 37% and 27% of the horses were infected during 2011 and 2012, respectively. Three control animals developed clinical signs, and the WNV diagnosis was confirmed. Signs related to WNV infection were not observed in the vaccinated animals. The nonvaccinated animals had a 7.58% ± 1.82% higher chance of exhibiting signs than immunized animals (P < 0.05). Neutralizing antibodies raised against both strains in all immunized horses were detectable 1 month after the initial vaccination course. The cross-protective capacity of the lowest titer (1:40) was evident in 19 animals which were subsequently infected and did not exhibit signs. Neutralizing antibodies were detectable until the annual booster, when strong anamnestic responses were observed (geometrical mean titer ratio [GMTR] for lineage 1 of 30.2; GMTR for lineage 2 of 27.5). The results indicate that Equip WNV is capable of inducing cross-protection against natural infections from a virulent lineage 2 WNV strain in horses.
New method of change in temperature coefficient delay of acoustic waves in thin piezoelectric plates

As is well-known, the development of highly effective and thermostable acoustic devices assumes using the acoustic waves with high coefficient of electromechanical coupling (K2) and low temperature coefficient of delay (TCD). At present, it also is well-known that fundamental shear horizontal (SH0) acoustic waves in thin piezoelectric plates possess significantly more electromechanical coupling compared to surface acoustic waves (SAW) in the same material. However, although the value of TCD of SH0 waves is insignificantly less than for SAW, this is not enough for development of thermostable devices. This paper suggests a new way of decreasing TCD of SH0 waves in piezoelectric plates at a high level of electromechanical coupling. This way assumes to use the structure containing the piezoelectric plate and liquid with the special dependence of permittivity on temperature. Theoretical and experimental investigation showed that, for SH0 wave in YX LiNbO3 plate at hf=700 m/s (h=plate thickness, f=wave frequency) the presence of butyl acetate can decrease the value of TCD by six times at K2=30%. In a whole the obtained results open the wide prospect of using SH0 wave in thin piezoelectric plate for development of highly effective and thermo-stable acoustic devices
Oblimersen Sodium (Genasense bcl-2 Antisense Oligonucleotide)

Bcl-2 protein inhibits apoptosis and confers resistance to treatment with traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and monoclonal antibodies. Oblimersen sodium is an antisense oligonucleotide compound designed to specifically bind to human bcl-2 mRNA, resulting in catalytic degradation of bcl-2 mRNA and subsequent decrease in bcl-2 protein translation. Both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer show baseline and inducible expression of bcl-2, which may contribute to resistance to therapy. Preclinical studies have shown that combining bcl-2 antisense with chemotherapy improves antitumor response, increases apoptosis of tumor cells, and increases survival. Preliminary data from a large international randomized trial in melanoma show a trend toward increased survival and significantly improved response rates and response duration when oblimersen is added to dacarbazine. Phase I studies in small cell lung cancer patients demonstrate that oblimersen can be combined with paclitaxel or carboplatin and etoposide. The combination of docetaxel and oblimersen has been shown to be feasible in Phase I studies and is currently undergoing evaluation in comparison with docetaxel alone as first-line salvage therapy in patients refractory or relapsed after one prior chemotherapy regimen. Enhancement of the efficacy of anticancer treatments with oblimersen bcl-2 antisense therapy represents a promising new apoptosis-modulating strategy.
Fundal height: a useful screening tool for fetal growth?

Objective. To determine the utility of fundal height in screening for small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) neonates at term. Study design. This was a retrospective cohort study of 3627 women at University of California, San Francisco from 2002 to 2006 with term, singleton pregnancies specifically examining the 448 who had third trimester ultrasounds for size unequal to dates by fundal height. χ2 analyses determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of fundal height as a screening tool for abnormal intrauterine growth. Results. The sensitivity of fundal height was 16.6% for detecting actual birthweight (BWt) > 90th percentile (p < 0.001) and 17.3% for < 10th percentile (p < 0.001). Specificity ranged from 92.4 to 95.4%. Significant differences existed among subgroups by maternal weight, parity, age, and ethnicity. Sensitivity was lower for SGA among overweight/obese women but higher among multiparous women. Additionally, women ≥35 years showed higher sensitivity for extreme LGA, and several notable differences were found by ethnicity such as higher sensitivity for extreme LGA among Caucasian women. Conclusion. The sensitivity of fundal height for detecting abnormal intrauterine growth was less than 35% for all subgroups, although specificity was more ideal at >90%. Other modalities should be considered to screen for growth abnormalities.
Factorial structure for Six Sigma project barriers in Indian manufacturing and service industries

The purpose of this paper is to identify the latent constructs of various barriers affecting Six Sigma implementation in Indian industries. ,Literature review resulted in 15 frequently reported barriers in Six Sigma implementation. An empirical survey of 168 Six Sigma practitioners including green belts, black belts (BB), and master BB from 40 Indian companies was conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire. The responses were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis which resulted into five constructs. ,The study proposes five constructs, namely “role of top management,” “cultural change,” “expected attitude,” “availability of resources,” and “level of quality maturity. ” The focused approach by organizations to overcome barriers in Six Sigma can be oriented using these constructs. ,Six Sigma implementation needs elimination of barriers in projects. Top management support in planning and resource allocation supplemented by favorable employee attitude in bringing cultural change can develop quality maturity to implement Six Sigma successfully. ,This study fills the gap in the literature by studying critical success factors, critical failure factors, and barriers together. This study is one of its kinds in the Indian context which captures the views of Six Sigma certified professionals from the organizations which are implementing Six Sigma.
Detection of Displacement Vectors through Edge Segment Detection

The research on displacement vector detection has gained increasing attention in recent years. However, no relationship between displacement vectors and the outlines of objects in motion has been established. We describe a new method of detecting displacement vectors through edge segment detection by emphasizing the correlation between displacement vectors and their outlines. Specifically, after detecting an edge segment, the direction of motion of the edge segment can be inferred through the variation in the values of the Laplacian-Gaussian filter at the position near the edge segment before and after the motion. Then, by observing the degrees of displacement before and after the motion, the displacement vector can be calculated. The accuracy compared to other methods of displacement vector detection demonstrates the feasibility of this method.