Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incidence trends of human papillomavirus‐related head and neck cancer in Taiwan, 1995–2009

Recent studies suggested that human papillomavirus (HPV) is an emerging risk factor of head and neck cancer (HNC), particularly for oropharyngeal cancer. Studies from the West showed a rising trend of HPV‐related HNC despite a decrease of the overall HNC incidence. In contrast, the overall HNC incidence in Taiwan has continued to rise. It is not clear whether the incidence trends of HPV‐related HNC in Taiwan have a similar pattern to those from countries with an overall decreasing incidence of HNC. This study examined the incidence trends of HPV‐related and HPV‐unrelated HNC in Taiwan using data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Our results showed that the incidence trends of HPV‐related and HPV‐unrelated HNC in Taiwan both rose during 1995–2009. The incidence of HPV‐related HNC (1.3 per 100,000 in 1995 to 3.3 in 2009, annual percentage change (APC) = 6.9, p < 0.0001) rose more rapidly than the incidence of HPV‐unrelated HNC (10.4 per 100,000 in 1995 to 21.7 in 2009, APC = 5.0, p < 0.0001). The rising trend of HPV‐related HNC was particularly prominent for HNC occurring in tonsil (APC = 8.2, p < 0.0001), in men (APC = 7.5, p < 0.0001), and in those aged between 40 and 50 years (APC = 8.5, p < 0.0001). Although the overall incidence of HNC in Taiwan has continued to increase, the most rapid rise is in the HPV‐related HNC. This suggests that similar to the Western world, HPV‐related HNC is becoming an important public health issue in Taiwan.
Optimal Team Incentives with Ces Production

Standard economic theory and intuition suggests that the free rider problem will overwhelm firm-wide incentives in large firms. Despite this, such schemes are relatively common in manufacturing firms and may be more popular in larger firms. This paper models an optimal incentive contract and a simple partnership with CES production functions. The results suggest that when employee inputs are complements, firm-wide incentives such as profit sharing and partnerships are quite valuable, even in large firms.
Ownership status, symbolic traits, and housing association attractiveness: evidence from the German residential market

This study investigates whether the non-profit and for-profit status of housing associations implies a symbolic meaning and represents an informational cue that potential renters may value. Referring to the stereotype content model, we examine the relationship between renters’ perceptions of the stereotypical dimensions of ‘competence’ and ‘warmth’ of management-related images and, subsequently, rental housing attractiveness. Using a between-subject-experimental design (for-profit vs. non-profit housing associations) in a German rental market context, a sample of 200 respondents was placed in a hypothetical rental offering situation and asked to evaluate the rental provider with respect to stereotypical perceptions. The study results show that the extent to which the management of a housing association is perceived to behave unselfishly and consistently with moral codes (warmth) and is able to bring about one's intent (competence) are positively related to rental housing attractiveness. The results imply that symbolic trait inferences have incremental value beyond the instrumental attributes of a rental offering, such as rental price or housing comfort, in the explanation of rental housing attractiveness. For a citizen-oriented rental housing policy, the study suggests that policy-makers should make reflections on the limitations of privatisation measures and should promote the capacity of public and non-profit rental offers and housing associations.
Handbook for estimating demographic statistics from incomplete data in developing countries.

For the demographer analyzing incomplete data this manual is meant to help in the following areas: 1) the basis for theoretical methods and technics; 2) the calculations used to apply this theory translating it into concrete figures; and 3) the mortality models used. The main aim is to list in one place the basic hypotheses underlying each mathematical formula or model under consideration its use and field of application. Researchers then can concentrate on the practical and operational side of the subject. The handbook is divided into 3 parts: 1) mathematical relations 2) application to observed data and 3) the main model life tables. The manual is not a comprehensive treatise on mathematical demography. It presents those relations which are likely to lead to practical application in the field. Matrices are omitted since current adjustment methods do not use them. Part II expresses the practical external mathematical relationships as adequately as possible on the basis of discontinuous data. Part III is deliberately restricted to mortality models because of the fundamental role of mortality in the demographic process the complexity of the phenomenon which occurs at all ages and the difficulty of making observations and the danger of errors and lacunae. These are descriptive (not causal) and determinist (not stochastic) models. However the factors causing current mortality decline in the Third World are very different from those which prevailed in Europe at the time of industrialization. Therefore the authors attempted to overcome the fact that these tables present a poor picture of observed or foreseeable trends. The main purpose of these models is to improve knowledge of mortality rates in populations where statistics are "defective"; so to be truly applicable they must take into account the particularities of that mortality. The authors recommend successive approximations to test or adjust them. To make it easier for the newcomer they have tried to set out a comparative synthesis as objective and honest as possible of the large number of conceptually varied models described.
A Survey of Exchange Rate Pass-Through in Asia

Exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) refers to the transmission of exchange-rate changes into import (export) prices of goods in the destination-market currency as well as into aggregate domestic prices. This paper examines the analytical and empirical literature on ERPT with particular reference to Asia. It is generally believed that Asian economies are potentially susceptible to ERPT into domestic inflation since they are highly trade-dependent. Particular attention is paid to production sharing - a key characteristic of Asian trade - and its implications for ERPT.
Parkinsonism with excessive daytime sleepiness--a narcolepsy-like disorder?

BACKGROUND Parkinsonian patients with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), hallucinations, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), short mean sleep latencies, and sleep-onset REM periods (SOREMP) on multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT) have been reported. In these patients a narcolepsy-like pathophysiology of sleep-wake disturbances has been suggested. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 14 consecutive patients with Parkinsonism and EDS. Standard studies included assessment of duration and severity of Parkinsonism (Hoehn & Yahr score), Epworth sleepiness score (ESS), history of "REM-symptoms" (RBD/hallucinations/sleep paralysis/cataplexy-like episodes), polysomnography (PSG), MSLT, and measurement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of hypocretin-1 (orexin A). RESULTS There were 12 men and 2 women (mean age 69 years; range 54-82). The mean duration and the Hoehn&Yahr score were 6.3 years and 2.2, respectively. Diagnoses included idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD, n = 10), dementia with diffuse Lewy bodies (n = 3), and multisystem atrophy (n = 1). The ESS was > or = 10 in all patients (mean 12; range 10-18). "REM-symptoms" were reported by all but two patients (hallucinations: n = 9; RBD: n = 9). None of the patients reported cataplexy-like symptoms or sleep paralysis. On PSG sleep apnea (apnea hypopnea index > 10/h, n = 7), periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS-index > 10/h, n = 6), and features of RBD (n = 5) were found. On MSLT mean sleep latency was < 5 minutes in 10 patients, and SOREMP were found in two patients. When compared with controls (n = 20, mean 497 pg/ml; range 350-603), CSF hypocretin-1 levels were normal in 8 patients and low in 2 patients (221 and 307 pg/ml, respectively). CONCLUSION These findings do not support the hypothesis of a "final common pathway" in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy and Parkinsonism with EDS. Sleep apnea and PLMS may play a so-far underestimated role in the pathogenesis of EDS in Parkinsonian patients.
A single peripheral injection of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates granule cell production and increases cerebellar growth in newborn rats.

The control of neuronal number is critical for coordinating innervation and target organ requirements. Although basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is known to regulate neuron number in the developing embryonic cortex, its potential role during postnatal brain development remains undefined. To address this issue, the cerebellum, a site of postnatal neurogenesis, was used. Previously, we found that a single peripheral injection of bFGF in newborn rats elicited mitosis of neuronal precursors in the external germinal layer (EGL) 8 h after administration. We now define the sustained effects of bFGF treatment on postnatal granule cell production and cerebellar growth. Seventy-two h after a single injection of bFGF (20 ng/g) in newborn rats, the fraction of BrdU-labeled cells in the EGL increased by 46% without altering apoptotic cell number, consistent with enhanced precursor proliferation. Moreover, bFGF increased mitotically labeled cells by 100% and total cell density by 33% in the internal granular layer (IGL), the final destination of the EGL precursors. Because cerebellar volume also increased by 22%, bFGF-induced proliferation enhanced generation of total IGL neurons and increased cerebellar growth. These morphometric measures were corroborated independently by using DNA quantitation: cerebellar DNA content increased 16% after bFGF injection, consistent with increased neuron number. Furthermore, using DNA quantitation as an index, increased total cerebellar cell number elicited by bFGF injection persisted beyond the neurogenetic period, until P35. We conclude that a single postnatal injection of bFGF increases granule neuron number and enhances cerebellar growth following mitotic stimulation.
First-class airline travellers' perception of luxury goods and its effect on loyalty formation

This study examines how first-class airline travellers' perception of luxury goods influences the formation of their loyalty to first-class flights. Based on the proposed hypotheses, a conceptual model was developed and tested using empirical data collected from a sample of 202 first-class airline travellers in the USA. The results indicate that the five types of perceptions of luxury goods (e.g. quality, hedonism, conspicuousness, exclusivity, and the extended self) were generally associated with consumer attitudes towards first-class flights and thus led to well-being perceptions and perceived price fairness. In addition, well-being perceptions enhanced perceived price fairness, customer identification, and loyalty. Finally, alternative attractiveness moderated the relationship between consumer attitudes towards first-class flights and perceived price fairness. The results have important theoretical and managerial implications.
Quasielastic proton-nucleus scattering in a relativistic plane-wave impulse approximation.

Proton-nucleus quasielastic scattering cross sections and spin observables are calculated in a relativistic plane-wave impulse approximation for nuclei from $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ to $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ at energies of 300 to 800 MeV. Relativistic effects are incorporated by using Dirac spinors with enhanced lower components characterized by an effective mass from 0.8 to 0.9M. The analyzing power is found to decrease significantly from free NN values when relativistic spinors are used. This reduction is in good agreement with data. Little change in polarization transfer coefficients ${D}_{i\mathcal{'}j}$ is found at 500 MeV. However, predictions of enhanced ${D}_{s\mathcal{'}s}$ and ${D}_{l\mathcal{'}l}$ are made at lower energies. Calculations are also presented for (p,n) quasifree charge exchange reactions. Here the analyzing power is almost unchanged but large changes in cross section and polarization transfer coefficients are possible. These changes depend on how pion contributions to the NN amplitudes are treated. Suggestions for future theoretical and experimental work are made.
Cell Entry of Borna Disease Virus Follows a Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis Pathway That Requires Rab5 and Microtubules

ABSTRACT Borna disease virus (BDV), the prototypic member of the Bornaviridae family within the order Mononegavirales, exhibits high neurotropism and provides an important and unique experimental model system for studying virus-cell interactions within the central nervous system. BDV surface glycoprotein (G) plays a critical role in virus cell entry via receptor-mediated endocytosis, and therefore, G is a critical determinant of virus tissue and cell tropism. However, the specific cell pathways involved in BDV cell entry have not been determined. Here, we provide evidence that BDV uses a clathrin-mediated, caveola-independent cell entry pathway. We also show that BDV G-mediated fusion takes place at an optimal pH of 6.0 to 6.2, corresponding to an early-endosome compartment. Consistent with this finding, BDV cell entry was Rab5 dependent but Rab7 independent and exhibited rapid fusion kinetics. Our results also uncovered a key role for microtubules in BDV cell entry, whereas the integrity and dynamics of actin cytoskeleton were not required for efficient cell entry of BDV.
Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation: How Companies Can Seize Opportunities in the Face of Technological Change

Explores how innovation transforms industries, suggesting a strategic model to help firms to adjust to ever-shifting market dynamics. Understanding and adapting to innovation -- 'at once the creator and destroyer of industries and corporations' -- is essential with increasing fragmentation and foreign competition, and the consequent demand for high cost-value and globally appealing products. Business cycles and population ecology (which focuses on linkages between survival, population density of firms, and size and growth of the market) are used to explain the surprising amount of movemente that characterizes even the largest, most established firms. The history of innovation is explored through a diverse variety of industries -- from typewriters to incandescent light bulbs to ice. These accounts show that entrepreneur-inventors and innovative firms tend to become conservative and defensive as the market expands beyond their original concept; this is the point at which it becomes difficult for the firm, originally innovative, to keep up with market shifts. Following these trends, organizations are either organic or mechanistic. Organic firms operate in an uncertain environment, so that individuals must collaborate on frequent adjustments in a limited hierarchy with a rich flow of communication. Mechanistic organizations, on the other hand, are characterized by rigid coordination that establishes consistent routines, especially following the advent of a successful corporate innovation. Firms must accept the inevitability of change by valuing innovation even above past success; one of management's most essential roles is to find a balance between supporting new and established innovations. (CJC)
Risk Preferences in the Small for a Large Population

We analyse risk preferences using an experiment with small-stake gambles and real incentives in a representative sample of 1,422 Dutch respondents. Our structural econometric model incorporates four individual-level parameters: Utility curvature, loss aversion, preferences towards the timing of uncertainty resolution, and the propensity to choose randomly rather than on the basis of preferences. The model incorporates observed and unobserved heterogeneity. We nd that socio-economic and demographic variables are signicantly correlated with preference parameters but are of minor importance compared to the unobserved heterogeneity component. All four parameters contribute to explaining the choices of the individuals in our sample, but preferences towards the timing of uncertainty resolution play a smaller role than the others.
Reconciliation of Income and Consumption Data in Poverty Measurement.

A recent series of papers has renewed interest in the question of whether consumption data are superior to income data for poverty measurement. Although the Census Bureau has provided researchers with an experimental series of variables that can produce a comprehensive income measure, this resource has not been fully exploited in previous analyses. When poverty is measured by a comprehensive income measure, income poverty rates and trends are similar to consumption poverty rates. Arguments that income is measured with more error than consumption at the bottom of the distribution are shown to be based upon inferior income data. © 2008 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Ireland’s Image as a Tourism Destination in France: Attribute Importance and Performance

Ireland is highly dependent on tourism as an employment and revenue generator. Recent trends, however, suggest that visitors from France, one of Ireland’s key source markets, may have peaked. Tourism images are critical to the success of any destination, particularly because of how they affect the level of satisfaction with the tourist experience. Ireland is frequently acknowledged as a successfully branded and marketed tourism destination. Nonetheless, few image studies to date have focused specifically on Ireland, and none has analyzed the image of Ireland as a tourism destination in France. The aim of this study, therefore, was to redress this knowledge deficit. A questionnaire was used to examine the importance of certain destination attributes for French tourists and to determine how French visitors rate Ireland’s performance with respect to these attributes pre- and postvisitation. This information was subsequently incorporated into an importance-performance analysis grid.
Implementation of Universal Screening for Domestic Violence in an Urgent Care Community Health Center

Given the morbidity and mortality associated with domestic violence (DV), there is international recognition that the health sector has a responsibility to prevent violence. In North America, the health sector has commonly responded by developing protocols for identifying victims of abuse. This utilization-focused evaluation describes the process involved in the implementation of a universal DV screening protocol undertaken by nurses in the urgent care clinic of a community health center. Dealing with the challenges of the urgent care setting, the strong and supportive urgent care team approach helped integrate the screening procedure into routine nursing practice. Understanding the purpose of asking about DV, quickly recognizing problems, validating staff concerns, and adapting procedures resulted in a strong commitment to implementation. This research has implications for others looking to implement or evaluate screening protocols in other health care settings.
Biological Activities of Chemically Synthesized Proteus‐Type Lipid A

A bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is composed of three structural regions; an 0-polysaccharide region, a common core region, and a lipid A moiety. Lipid A is known to be responsible for various biological activities including pyrogenicity, lethal toxicity, macrophage activation, adjuvant effect, mitogenicity for B-lymphocytes, Shwartzman reaction, induction of interferon, and tumor necrosis factor, antitumor activity and so on (9). Recent chemical analyses revealed that lipid A contains a P(1 6)-linked D-glucosamine disaccharide with substituents of phos-
Structuration of zero-shrinkage LTCC using mineral sacrificial materials

Recently, LTCC (low-temperature co-fired ceramic) technology has increasingly found applications beyond pure electronics, in fields such as microfluidics, sensors and actuators, due to the ease of shaping the tapes in the green (unfired) state. Accurate control of hollow structures such as channels, membranes, cavities and gaps below cantilevers has remained difficult, however, although carbon-based sacrificial materials and adhesive/solvent-assisted low-pressure lamination techniques are adequate for several uses. Mineral sacrificial pastes (MSP), introduced by several groups including our laboratory, allow in principle much better control of open structures such as bridges and cantilevers, as they are removed only after the firing step. In practice, accurate dimensional control has been limited by deformation of the LTCC during sintering, due to shrinkage mismatch with the MSP. Attempts to eliminate this problem have met with limited success, as it is very difficult to perfectly match the shrinkage curve of the MSP (which must retain open porosity) to that of the LTCC substrate. Therefore, in this work, we endeavour to investigate MSP materials on self-constraining "zero-shrinkage" LTCC tape, which is therefore compatible with a low degree of sintering of the MSP. We present results of optimising the MSP formulation accordingly, to achieve reasonable consolidation, low deformation of LTCC and easy removal in weak acid solutions. Important topics such organic vehicle formulation and complete release processes (etching, rinsing and drying) of thin structures are also addressed.
Exploring the economy – environment relationship in the case of sulphur emissions

This paper explores the relationship between economic development and environmental pollution by using panel data for 97 countries for the period 1950–2003. Various econometric techniques are applied to a sample of European Union (EU) countries and to a full sample including both EU and non-EU countries. For the full sample, cross-country variation in the estimated slopes is observed with extremely heterogeneous parameters, making aggregation not useful. These findings do not hold for the EU countries, implying that policies to control pollution must consider both the specific economic situation and the structure of the industrial and the business sectors of each region.