Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overweight and obesity and incidence of leukemia: A meta‐analysis of cohort studies

We conducted a meta‐analysis to summarize the available evidence from cohort studies on the association between excess body weight and incidence of leukemia. Studies were identified by searching the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases (1966–July 2007) and by examining the references of retrieved articles. A random‐effects model was used to combine the results from individual studies. We identified 9 cohort studies with data on body mass index (BMI) or obesity in relation to incidence of leukemia. Compared with nonoverweight individuals (BMI < 25 kg/m2), the summary relative risks (RRs) of leukemia were 1.14 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–1.25] for overweight individuals (BMI 25–30 kg/m2) and 1.39 (95% CI, 1.25–1.54) for obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) individuals. On a continuous scale, a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with a 13% increased risk of leukemia (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07–1.19). In a meta‐analysis of 4 studies reporting results on subtypes of leukemia, the summary RRs associated with obesity were 1.25 (95% CI, 1.11–1.41) for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 1.65 (95% CI, 1.16–2.35) for acute lymphocytic leukemia, 1.52 (95% CI, 1.19–1.95) for acute myeloid leukemia and 1.26 (95% CI, 1.09–1.46) for chronic myeloid leukemia. This meta‐analysis indicates that excess body weight is associated with an increased risk of developing leukemia. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cultural Determinants in Chinese and White-American Preschool Children' s Understanding of Physical Laws and Social Rules

The current study compared the development of social conformity in whiteAmerican preschoolers cross culturally to Chinese preschoolers. In 1998 Charles Kalish performed a study to investigate children's conformity to social conventions, in which Midwestern, American children were presented with pictures and a related scenario, and asked questions in order to better understand the role of mental states and processes. His 2 results concluded that a higher level of executive functioning connects to a greater theory of mind. Few studies have begun to explore how culture may playa role in children's development of reasoning skills. Within American culture, there has been a link established between children's executive functioning skills and theory of mind. The cunent study sought to replicate and expand Kalish's work (1998), by comparing
Socio-Economic Development Model Based on Stochastic Advance-Retreat Course: An Analysis on U. S. Economy in Recent 70 Years

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to reveal some basic characteristics in social and economic process, and lay the analytic foundation for advance-retreat course (ARC). Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents the analytic model of stochastic ARC (SARC), which is based on the partial distribution and partial process (belonging to the probability theory and stochastic process), and describes some important characteristics of social and economic process in a quantitative method. Findings - The successful socio-economic process, including many biological process, are usually divided into three basic stages: the weak growth, the quick development and the swift decline. In general, rapid growth brings with it the weak persistence, and slow growth brings with it the strong persistence. The socio-economic fluctuations are mainly caused by the excessive environmental pressures. The duration of the socio-economic growth is inverse with the environmental pressure. Research limitations/implications - All the basic variables and parameters in an ARC model should be no less than zero. Practical implications - Based on US GDP (chained) price index data (1940-2005), American economic process in recent 70 years is analyzed, and the analysis indicates, American economic motivity is clearly insufficient after 2008, and the present economic recovery will be very arduous and prolonged. Social implications - The environmental pressures will become the main problem for future global socio-economic development. Originality/value - SARC model in this paper presents a special way to analyze the social development and economic growth, and is helpful to related academic research and socio-economic decision making.
Public Fiscal Behaviour & Aid Heterogeneity in Aid-Recipient Economies

The paper develops a model of public fiscal behaviour of the aid-recipient government in the presence of both endogenous and heterogeneous foreign aid. We endogenize aid on the grounds that the recipient government has some influence over aid disbursements. Regarding aid heterogeneity, it is argued that each of the main four categories of aid, namely project aid, programme aid, technical assistance and food aid may exert different effects on the recipient economy. Furthermore, in case the preferences of the aid-recipient government are higher for some of these types of aid, neglecting aid heterogeneity would lead to aggregation bias in the results and conclusions. The model adds an important new dimension to the vast aid effectiveness literature and calls for further modelling as well as empirical work in this promising research area so that significant policy implications can be derived.
Territorial Autonomy in the Shadow of Conflict: Too Little, Too Late?

This article evaluates the effect of territorial autonomy on the outbreak of internal conflict by analyzing ethnic groups around the world since WWII. Shedding new light on an ongoing debate, we argue that the critics have overstated the case against autonomy policies. Our evidence indicates that decentralization has a significant conflict-preventing effect where there is no prior conflict history. In postconflict settings, however, granting autonomy can still be helpful in combination with central power sharing arrangements. Yet, on its own, postconflict autonomy concessions may be too little, too late. Accounting for endogeneity, we also instrument for autonomy in postcolonial states by exploiting that French, as opposed to British, colonial rule rarely relied on decentralized governance. This identification strategy suggests that naïve analysis tends to underestimate the pacifying influence of decentralization.
Estimating the Severity of the WikiLeaks United States Diplomatic Cables Disclosure

In November 2010, the WikiLeaks organization began the release of over 250, 000 diplomatic cables sent by US embassies to the US State Department, uploaded to its website by (then) Private Manning, an intelligence analyst with the US Army. This leak was widely condemned, including by the then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. We assess the severity of the leak by considering the size of the disclosure relative to all diplomatic cables that were in existence at the time—a quantity that is not known outside of official sources. We rely on the fact that the cables that were leaked are internally indexed in such a way that they may be treated as a sample from a discrete uniform distribution with unknown maximum; this is a version of the well known “German Tank Problem”. We consider three estimators that rely on discrete uniformity—maximum likelihood, Bayesian and frequentist unbiased minimum variance—and demonstrate that the results are very similar in all cases. To supplement these estimators, we employ a regression-based procedure that incorporates the timing of cables’ release in addition to their observed serial numbers. We estimate that, overall, approximately 5% of all cables from this timeframe were leaked, but that this number varies considerably at the embassy-year level. Our work provides a useful characterization of the sample of documents available to international relations scholars interested in testing theories of ‘private information’, while helping to inform the public debate surrounding Manning’s trial and thirty-five year prison sentence.
Exploring Firm Emergence: Initially Conditioned or Actively Created?

Previous research has established a connection between initial conditions and new firm performance. Research on the gestation activities of nascent entrepreneurs, on the other hand, has demonstrated the potential importance of active behaviours on firm emergence. Since no research has addressed the effects of these two constructs on firm emergence in an empirical fashion, we frame this paper as an exploratory study designed to answer the following research question: to what extent do initial conditions and/or active behaviours explain firm emergence? We use a French national business plan competition to identify nascent firms. As a result, it seems that only active behaviours make a statistically significant impact on firm emergence, while initial conditions do not. Therefore, our preliminary finding is that a firm emerges merely through the active behaviours of entrepreneurs rather than as an outcome of initial conditions.
Udp‐glucose dehydrogenase as a novel field‐specific candidate biomarker of prostate cancer

Uridine diphosphate (UDP)‐glucose dehydrogenase (UGDH) catalyzes the oxidation of UDP‐glucose to yield UDP‐glucuronic acid, a precursor for synthesis of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans that promote aggressive prostate cancer (PC) progression. The purpose of our study was to determine if the UGDH expression in normal appearing acini (NAA) from cancerous glands is a candidate biomarker for PC field disease/effect assayed by quantitative fluorescence imaging analysis (QFIA). A polyclonal antibody to UGDH was titrated to saturation binding and fluorescent microscopic images acquired from fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue slices were quantitatively analyzed. Specificity of the assay was confirmed by Western blot analysis and competitive inhibition of tissue labeling with the recombinant UGDH. Reproducibility of the UGDH measurements was high within and across analytical runs. Quantification of UGDH by QFIA and Reverse‐Phase Protein Array analysis were strongly correlated (r = 0.97), validating the QFIA measurements. Analysis of cancerous acini (CA) and NAA from PC patients vs. normal acini (NA) from noncancerous controls (32 matched pairs) revealed significant (p < 0.01) differences, with CA (increased) vs. NA, NAA (decreased) vs. NA and CA (increased) vs. NAA. Areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.59–0.83) for NAA and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.59–0.83) for CA (both vs. NA). These results support the UGDH content in prostatic acini as a novel candidate biomarker that may complement the development of a multi‐biomarker panel for detecting PC within the tumor adjacent field on a histologically normal biopsy specimen.
Effects of drought and ice rain on potential productivity of a subtropical coniferous plantation from 2003 to 2010 based on eddy covariance flux observation

Increasing occurrences of climate extreme events urge us to study their impacts on terrestrial carbon sequestration. Ecosystem potential productivity deficits could characterize such impacts and display the ecosystem vulnerability and resilience to the extremes in climate change, whereas few studies have analyzed the yearly dynamics of forest potential productivity deficits. Based on a perfect-deficit approach, we used in situ eddy covariance flux data and meteorological observation data at Qianyanzhou station from 2003 to 2010 to explore the relationship between potential productivity and climate extremes, such as droughts in 2003 and 2007, ice rain in 2005, and an ice storm in 2008. We found (1) the monthly canopy photosynthetic capacity (CPC) deficits could be mainly explained by air temperature (Ta) deficits (R2 = 0.45, p < 0.000 01); (2) a significant correlation was noted between seasonal CPC deficits and co-current Ta deficits (R2 = 0.45, p < 0.000 01), especially in winter (R2 = 0.79, p = 0.003); (3) drought in summer exerted a negatively lagged effect on potential productivity (R2 = 0.59, p = 0.02), but at a short time scale; and (4) annual CPC deficits captured the impacts of climate extremes on the forest ecosystem potential productivity, and the two largest potential productivity deficits occurred in 2003 (relative CPC deficits = 0.34) and in 2005 (relative CPC deficits = 0.35), respectively. With the perfect-deficit approach, the forest ecosystem vulnerability to extremes was analyzed in a novel way.
Fabio Besta: accounting thinker and accounting history pioneer

This paper seeks to reveal Fabio Besta (1845–1922) as an important accounting thinker. It attempts to underline his influence on accounting theory, and highlight his major impact on the development of accounting history knowledge. It is shown that Besta, through his accounting thought, founded on a value-based theory and an equity-centred accounting system (sistema patrimoniale), facilitated the shift from a personalistic to a non-personalistic, or materialistic, theory of accounts. It is suggested that Besta's La Ragioneria is a milestone in accounting history. In this work he anticipated the adoption of a comparative international approach to accounting history research, particularly in relation to the exploration of pre-Pacioli double-entry bookkeeping. His work was also important to the dissemination of knowledge about early double-entry bookkeeping practices, and thereby encouraged further investigations by the accounting history community.
Overweight and obesity are associated with musculoskeletal complaints as early as childhood: a systematic review

In order to examine (i) the association between weight status and musculoskeletal complaints (MSC) in children, and (ii) whether overweight and obese children have a higher risk of developing MSC than normal‐weight children Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane were searched (all years up to 2 January 2013) for observational studies studying direct associations between body mass index (or weight status) and MSC in children.
Portfolio Analysis in a Stable Paretian Market

Recently evidence has come forth which suggests that empirical probability distributions of returns on securities conform better to stable Paretian distributions with infinite variances than to the normal distribution. Using a generalized form of a technique proposed by Sharpe [17] in a recent issue of this journal, this article develops a portfolio analysis model for a stable Paretian market. The article also shows the range of conditions under which diversification is a meaningful economic activity, even though probability distributions of returns on individual securities have infinite variances.
Attracting divergent segments to a destination:

The success of Macao as an international gaming hub is ironic, considering that the government has rarely promoted it as a gambling destination. Rather, government marketing and promotional efforts promote Macao as a world heritage destination, which raises questions about marketing efficiency, the effectiveness of tourist segmentation, and the allocation of marketing resources. This in-depth investigation compares visitor types by probing whether gaming visitors participate in activities similar to those undertaken by cultural heritage visitors and vice versa. The goals of this article are twofold: to assess the degree of compatibility between divergent visitor segments in a destination based on their behavior and propensity to undertake different activities, and to gauge the implications for long-term sustainable and effective tourism marketing efforts. This is in contrast with previous studies, which in general consider only segment attractiveness and focus mostly on just one unique visitor segment. In addition to the activities sought, this article examines the level of involvement and social characteristics of both gaming and cultural heritage visitors.
Democratic Limits to Redistribution: Inclusionary versus Exclusionary Coalitions in the Knowledge Economy

The knowledge economy, deindustrialization, and the decline of Fordism have undermined the economic complementarities that once existed between skilled and semiskilled workers. The result has everywhere been a decline in coordinated wage bargaining and unionization and a no-table rise in labor market inequality. Yet, the political responses have been very different across advanced democracies. While labor markets for part-time and temporary employment have been deregulated across the board, some countries have compensated losers through increased cash transfers and active labor market programs and others have allowed inequality and insider-outsider divisions to grow deeper. This article argues that the divergent government responses reflect differences in underlying electoral coalitions, and that these in turn mirror the structure of party and electoral systems. The authors support their argument with evidence for government responses to economic shocks in the period 1980 to 2010.
A Computational Account of Optimizing Social Predictions Reveals That Adolescents Are Conservative Learners in Social Contexts

As adolescents transition to the complex world of adults, optimizing predictions about others' preferences becomes vital for successful social interactions. Mounting evidence suggests that these social learning processes are affected by ongoing brain development across adolescence. A mechanistic understanding of how adolescents optimize social predictions and how these learning strategies are implemented in the brain is lacking. To fill this gap, we combined computational modeling with functional neuroimaging. In a novel social learning task, male and female human adolescents and adults predicted the preferences of peers and could update their predictions based on trial-by-trial feedback about the peers' actual preferences. Participants also rated their own preferences for the task items and similar additional items. To describe how participants optimize their inferences over time, we pitted simple reinforcement learning models against more specific “combination” models, which describe inferences based on a combination of reinforcement learning from past feedback and participants' own preferences. Formal model comparison revealed that, of the tested models, combination models best described how adults and adolescents update predictions of others. Parameter estimates of the best-fitting model differed between age groups, with adolescents showing more conservative updating. This developmental difference was accompanied by a shift in encoding predictions and the errors thereof within the medial prefrontal and fusiform cortices. In the adolescent group, encoding of own preferences and prediction errors scaled with parent-reported social traits, which provides additional external validity for our learning task and the winning computational model. Our findings thus help to specify adolescent-specific social learning processes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adolescence is a unique developmental period of heightened awareness about other people. Here we probe the suitability of various computational models to describe how adolescents update their predictions of others' preferences. Within the tested model space, predictions of adults and adolescents are best described by the same learning model, but adolescents show more conservative updating. Compared with adults, brain activity of adolescents is modulated less by predictions themselves and more by prediction errors per se, and this relationship scales with adolescents' social traits. Our findings help specify social learning across adolescence and generate hypotheses about social dysfunctions in psychiatric populations.
A New Framework for Service Supply Chains

Despite the extensive amount of academic work devoted to supply chain management, today the structure of service supply chains still remains unexplored. The aim of this paper is to verify and explain this gap with regard to the unique nature of the services industry and the applicability of existing supply chain management literature to service businesses. This paper develops a new model for service supply chains and applies it to the healthcare industry. The results of this study are relevant both to practitioners in the services industry and to researchers conducting further studies in the field.
Learning by Firms and Incremental Technical Change

This article proposes that learning by firms lies at the root of incremental technical change in industry. Firms may, therefore, be seen as learning organizations for the acquisition, accumulation, and generation of knowledge. Furthermore, firms may be characterized by different levels and types of "knowledge capital. " Copyright 1992 by Royal Economic Society.
Nutritional Status of Adolescents in Selected Government and Private Secondary Schools of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Changes in the nutritional intake combined with increasingly sedentary life styles and increasing urbanization has led to the emergence of chronic disease as a major new health threat. Objective: To assess and compare nutritional status of adolescents and analyze the risk factors associated to/with overweight/obesity in government and private secondary schools of Addis Ababa, 2012. Methods: A comparative cross sectional study comprising 1024 adolescents of government and private secondary schools of Addis Ababa was conducted from February 02, 2012 to June 28, 2012. Information on socio-demographic data, eating habits and physical activity was collected using interviews. Measurements on weight and height were made using standardized weighing scales and measuring boards, respectively. Height-for-age and body mass index-for-age were compared to the 2007 WHO growth reference. Data were entered using Epi info version 3.5. 1, WHO AnthroPlus and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: Overall, the prevalence of stunting (low height-for-age), underweight (low body mass index-for-age) and overweight/obese (high body mass index-for-age) in all school adolescents was 7.2% (95% CI; 5.8, 9.0), 6.2% (95% CI; 4.9, 8.0) and 8.5% (95% CI; 6.9, 10.4), respectively. Adolescents in government schools were significantly more likely to be undernourished [stunting; 51(10.0%) versus 23(4.5%) and underweight; 36(7.0%) versus 28(5.5%)] compared to their counterparts in private schools (P-value <0.05). Adolescents in private schools were overweight/obese compared to those in government schools [65(12.7%) versus 22(4.3%); OR=3.2 (95% CI; 1.9, 5.3)]. Conclusions and recommendations: The findings of this investigation showed that being in a private school, lacking daily breakfast and consumption of animal products more than once a day are significantly associated with overweight/Obese during adolescence. Results of this study emphasize the need for educational interventions at early ages involving the whole family to promote optimal nutritional status.
Reverse E-auction Usage in Supply Processes of Brazilian Companies: An Exploratory Survey

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to present new findings on reverse e-auction processes based on a survey of characteristics and outcomes of their adoption by buyer firms in the Brazilian context. The determinants of successful outcomes in reverse e-auctions were also investigated. Results revealed that user companies are mostly large in size, with good support structures, acquiring medium to high value commodity-type items with significant price reductions. The multiple regression analysis conducted to test the contribution of dimensions identified in the extant literature as being antecedents to perceived successful outcomes led to few conclusive results, indicating the need for further studies.