Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causes of Caregiver Turnover and the Potential Effectiveness of Wage Subsidies for Solving the Long-Term Care Workforce 'Crisis'

Abstract Detailed data on private providers of long-term community-based residential services for persons with developmental disabilities permit investigation of the causes of frontline worker turnover. The endogeneity of turnover with compensation variables is accounted for in the estimation using instrumental variables. Turnover is determined by resident characteristics, frontline-worker compensation, and establishment characteristics. The share of higher-need residents and agency size predict higher turnover, while compensation and non-profit status are associated with lower turnover. Our findings indicate that public policies to reduce turnover through compensation subsidization can be effective. Our preferred estimates suggest an approximate one-quarter increase in total compensation would cut turnover by one-third.
Panel Data Sample Selection Model: an Application to Employee Choice of Health Plan Type and Medical Cost Estimation

This paper utilizes a nonparametric panel data sample selection model to correct selection bias in the analysis of longitudinal medical claims data. Selection bias in the health economics data is a common problem and many health economists have used Heckman type selection models in cross-sectional analyses. Since longitudinal data structure is common in health economics data, especially medical claims data, the correction of selection bias in the longitudinal sense is especially valuable for health economics related researches. The complicated modeling and extensive computer programming needs, however, resulted to only a few health economics researches in this direction. This paper suggests a relatively simple estimation framework to correct sample selection bias in longitudinal data. An example of health care utilization of PPO type plan holders in an employee pool is also provided as follows: in the first step, a random effect panel data probit model was used to estimate each employeeâ€™s choice between HMO type plans and PPO type plans; in the second step, a nonparametric fixed effect panel data selection model, using the estimates from the first step, was used to estimate the medical expenditures of PPO plan holders (similar to Kyriazidou, Econometrica 1997). Since the second step estimation can be expressed as a weighted least squares regression, this framework is simple to use, but among others, this nonparametric framework is robust from any parametric misspecification and free from a controversial health econometric problem called retransformation in two part model (Manning, Journal of Health Economics 1998; Mullahy, Journal of Health Economics 1998; Ai and Norton, Journal of Health Economics 2000). There are some interesting results from this example, but among others, the selection bias influenced significantly on the Age effect of medical expenditures. Since there were more young employees in the HMO plan holders, the Age effect of PPO plan holders was almost doubled after considering for selection bias
Cointegration in Small Samples: Empirical Percentiles, Drifting Moments and Customized Testing

Empirical distributions of the studentized Augmented Dicky-Fuller cointegration statistic for data generated by simulation are analyzed for small samples. Empirical 1 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent fractiles are tabulated for various sample sizes and various numbers of regressors. It is found that means, standard deviation, moment coefficients of skewness and moment coefficients of kurtosis can be approximated by a function of an inverse of the sample size. A more precise technique of testing cointegration in small samples is suggested, which requires formulating a separate simulation model for generating critical values of a cointegration for particular empirical models. This is exemplified by testing cointegration in a model describing the black market foreign exchange rate for Poland. Copyright 1990 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Identification and functional characterization of a polymorphic oestrogen response element in the human coagulation factor IX gene promoter

The liver expressed procoagulant factor IX (FIX) shows inter‐individual variation in levels, some of which is heritable. Raised levels of FIX are associated with a thrombotic tendency. This study demonstrated that, in females but not males, part of this variation in FIX levels is due to polymorphic genotype at a locus in the factor IX gene (F9) promoter 698 bp upstream of the major transcription initiation site (−698C/T). The −698C allele (associated with higher FIX level) shows closer homology to a canonical ORE sequence and a higher binding affinity for oestrogen receptor α than the −698T allele. Reporter gene vectors were constructed with elements spanning residues −738 to +50 of the F9 promoter corresponding to wild type −698C and −698T alleles. A related series of vectors comprising three copies of the F9 ORE driving expression of a minimal synthetic promoter were also created. Transfection into the liver‐derived HepG2 and erythroleukaemic K562 cell lines demonstrated increased levels of expression in the presence of oestrogenic factors when compared to those found in their absence; this stimulation was more pronounced in the non‐liver derived K562 cell line and from the reporter vectors containing promoter elements corresponding to the −698C allele.
Phenotypic properties of a unique rpoA mutation (phs) of Escherichia coli

The phs mutation of Escherichia coli has been suggested to affect the Na+/H+ antiport (D. Zilberstein, E. Padan, and S. Schuldiner, FEBS Lett. 168:327-330, 1980). We have recently shown that the mutation affects the rpoA gene and thus affects transcription. The extent of the pleiotropy of the phs mutation was investigated. In addition to the previously reported growth defect on L-glutamate and melibiose, the mutation also affects at least two other metabolic systems. The transport and metabolism of arabinose is impaired and the transport of sulfate is reduced. The extent to which the effects of the phs mutation on metabolism are due to a defect in the Na+/H+ antiport was investigated, and no causal role for this transport system in the metabolic defects was found.
The local destination tourism network: Development issues

Abstract Tourism networks are an increasingly important tool for economic development. At a local destination level, such networks have a potentially significant contribution to make towards sustainable tourism embracing community and commercial interests. This paper describes an instrumental case study that analyses the realities of a young local destination tourism network. It reflects upon tensions among the membership arising from community and commercial value systems, and how these affect aspects of its operation such as goals, plans, activities and relationships with support agencies. The network is understood in the context of its lifecycle and considers how it could be more effectively developed. Existing theory on tourism networks is developed in relation to their life cycle, benefits and contributions, support and management.
Conindex: Estimation of Concentration Indices

Concentration indices are frequently used to measure inequality in one variable over the distribution of another. Most commonly, they are applied to the measurement of socioeconomic-related inequality in health. We introduce the user-written command conindex, which provides point estimates and standard errors of a range of concentration indices. The command also graphs concentration curves (and Lorenz curves) and performs statistical inference for the comparison of inequality between groups. We offer an accessible introduction to the various concentration indices that have been proposed to suit different measurement scales and ethical responses to inequality. We also demonstrate the command's capabilities and syntax by analyzing wealth-related inequality in health and health care in Cambodia.
Labor matching: putting the pieces together

The original Mortensen-Pissarides model possesses two elements that are absent from the commonly used simplified version: the job destruction margin and training costs. I find that these two elements enable a model driven by a single aggregate shock to simultaneously explain most movements involving unemployment, vacancies, job destruction, job creation, the job finding rate and wages. The job destruction margin's role in propagating aggregate shocks is to create an additional pool of unemployed at the onset of a recession. The role of training costs is to explain the simultaneous decline in vacancies and slow response of job creation.
Cocaine-mediated microglial activation involves the ER stress-autophagy axis

Cocaine abuse leads to neuroinflammation, which, in turn, contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration associated with advanced HIV-1 infection. Autophagy plays important roles in both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, the possible functional link between cocaine and autophagy has not been explored before. Herein, we demonstrate that cocaine exposure induced autophagy in both BV-2 and primary rat microglial cells as demonstrated by a dose- and time-dependent induction of autophagy-signature proteins such as BECN1/Beclin 1, ATG5, and MAP1LC3B. These findings were validated wherein cocaine treatment of BV-2 cells resulted in increased formation of puncta in cells expressing either endogenous MAP1LC3B or overexpressing GFP-MAP1LC3B. Specificity of cocaine-induced autophagy was confirmed by treating cells with inhibitors of autophagy (3-MA and wortmannin). Intriguingly, cocaine-mediated induction of autophagy involved upstream activation of 2 ER stress pathways (EIF2AK3- and ERN1-dependent), as evidenced by the ability of the ER stress inhibitor salubrinal to ameliorate cocaine-induced autophagy. In vivo validation of these findings demonstrated increased expression of BECN1, ATG5, and MAP1LC3B-II proteins in cocaine-treated mouse brains compared to untreated animals. Increased autophagy contributes to cocaine-mediated activation of microglia since pretreatment of cells with wortmannin resulted in decreased expression and release of inflammatory factors (TNF, IL1B, IL6, and CCL2) in microglial cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that cocaine exposure results in induction of autophagy that is closely linked with neuroinflammation. Targeting autophagic proteins could thus be considered as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cocaine-related neuroinflammation diseases.
Comprehensive income information: a user's perspective

The goal of this experimental study was to examine whether nonprofessional investors actually use comprehensive income (CI) in their financial calculations and analyses. We assessed how these actors process actuarial gains and losses on defined benefit pension plans as an "other comprehensive income" (OCI) item, and whether the presentation format for CI affects their judgements and decisions, while considering the directional impact of the OCI item (actuarial loss or actuarial gain). Using 125 Canadian MBA students as proxies for nonprofessional investors, we conclude that nonprofessional investors generally do not use CI, are not affected by its presentation format, and are influenced in relatively few of their judgements by the direction of the OCI item's impact. These findings have important implications for standard setters, who may wish to better conceptualise the CI concept and revisit their current emphasis on CI information.
Publications, Patents, and the Market for University Inventions

This paper examines factors that influence the likelihood of a university invention being licensed. Inventors’ prior academic output is positively correlated with the likelihood that their new technologies will be licensed, but is uncorrelated with the payments specified by the license contract or the returns of the technology to the university. This suggests that inventors’ academic status attracts the attention of potential licensees, but does not necessarily change their inferences about the quality of technologies for sale. Additionally, patent grants are associated with significant increases in the rate at which technologies are licensed and are most important for inexperienced inventors.
Clathrin, adaptors, and sorting.

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 15 1 COAT COMPONENTS 153 Clathrin Triskelions and Adaptors . 153 Function and Distribution of Adaptors 156 COATED PITS AS MOLECULAR FILTERS . 159 Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis. 159 Clathrin-Mediated Intracellular Sorting . 1 62 Defective Sorting in Yeast Cells Lacking Clathrin . 165 Interaction of Receptors with Adaptors. 166 CONCLUSIONS AND PROBLEMS 167
Endoscopic Harvesting of Radial Artery Graft for Coronary Artery Bypass

The radial artery is used frequently in cardiac revascularization and requires an average 23-cm forearm incision. With proper instrumentation (Tsukuba-West Virginia Endoscopic Radial Artery: TW-ERA series, Takumi Cardio Co., Chiba, Japan), the radial artery can be harvested utilizing two small transverse incisions. The authors report six cases of endoscopic harvest of a radial artery graft. Length of the endoscopic incision is 2 cm proximally and 3 cm distally. Operation time and tourniquet times were approximately 80 to 120 minutes. No complications such as hematomas, nerve damage, or delay in healing were observed at the donor sites. Plastic surgeons, with their expertise in radial forearm flaps, hand surgery, and subcutaneous endoscopic techniques, can contribute greatly to the minimally invasive harvesting of the radial artery, preventing associated morbidity and improving the aesthetic and functional outcome of the donor site.
The development and initial evaluation of a realistic simulated SPECT dataset with simultaneous respiratory and cardiac motion for gated myocardial perfusion SPECT

We developed a realistic simulation dataset for simultaneous respiratory and cardiac (R&C) gated SPECT/CT using the 4D NURBS-based Cardiac-Torso (NCAT) Phantom and Monte Carlo simulation methods, and evaluated it for a sample application study. The 4D NCAT phantom included realistic respiratory motion and beating heart motion based on respiratory gated CT and cardiac tagged MRI data of normal human subjects. To model the respiratory motion, a set of 24 separate 3D NCAT phantoms excluding the heart was generated over a respiratory cycle. The beating heart motion was modeled separately with 48 frames per cardiac cycle for each of the 24 respiratory phases. The resultant set of 24 × 48 3D NCAT phantoms provides a realistic model of a normal human subject at different phases of combined R&C motions. An almost noise-free SPECT projection dataset for each of the 1152 3D NCAT phantoms was generated using Monte Carlo simulation techniques and the radioactivity uptake distribution of 99mTc sestamibi in different organs. By grouping and summing the separate projection datasets, separate or simultaneous R&C gated acquired data with different gating schemes could be simulated. In the initial evaluation, we combined the projection datasets into ungated, 6 respiratory-gates only, 8 cardiac-gates only, and combined 6 respiratory-gates & 8 cardiac-gates projection datasets. Each dataset was reconstructed using 3D OS-EM without and with attenuation correction using the averaged and respiratory-gated attenuation maps, and the resulting reconstructed images were compared. These results were used to demonstrate the effects of R&C motions and the reduction of image artifact due to R&C motions by gating and attenuation corrections. We concluded that the realistic 4D NCAT phantom and Monte Carlo simulated SPECT projection datasets with R&C motions are powerful tools in the study of the effects of R&C motions, as well as in the development of R&C gating schemes and motion correction methods for improved SPECT/CT imaging.
Redressing First Nations historical trauma: Theorizing mechanisms for indigenous culture as mental health treatment

Indigenous “First Nations” communities have consistently associated their disproportionate rates of psychiatric distress with historical experiences of European colonization. This emphasis on the socio-psychological legacy of colonization within tribal communities has occasioned increasingly widespread consideration of what has been termed historical trauma within First Nations contexts. In contrast to personal experiences of a traumatic nature, the concept of historical trauma calls attention to the complex, collective, cumulative, and intergenerational psychosocial impacts that resulted from the depredations of past colonial subjugation. One oft-cited exemplar of this subjugation—particularly in Canada—is the Indian residential school. Such schools were overtly designed to “kill the Indian and save the man. ” This was institutionally achieved by sequestering First Nations children from family and community while forbidding participation in Native cultural practices in order to assimilate them into the lower strata of mainstream society. The case of a residential school “survivor” from an indigenous community treatment program on a Manitoba First Nations reserve is presented to illustrate the significance of participation in traditional cultural practices for therapeutic recovery from historical trauma. An indigenous rationale for the postulated efficacy of “culture as treatment” is explored with attention to plausible therapeutic mechanisms that might account for such recovery. To the degree that a return to indigenous tradition might benefit distressed First Nations clients, redressing the socio-psychological ravages of colonization in this manner seems a promising approach worthy of further research investigation.
Sustainability reporting as negotiated storytelling

Sustainablity reporting (SR) is an established phenomenon in business. Despite this fact, there is relatively limited knowledge on the nature of the process of generating structured SR information. This paper shows how accounting information materializes and takes shape in a SR. By relying on a storytelling approach and a qualitative case study of a large Swedish retailer, the article demonstrates how a SR process is characterized by ‘negotiations’ between internal constituents as to defining the ‘best’ story of the corporation’s sustainability impact. It is argued that such an approach better captures the nature of a SR process compared to rationalistic control-oriented or legitimacy-seeking ‘window-dressing’ characterizations of the SR process. Understanding the SR process as characterized by negotiated storytelling implies recognizing different factors as relevant to the outcome of a SR process. Such factors include the existence of competing motives based on different master-ideas, path dependency, competence issues and actorhood specificities and preferences.
Automatic segmentation and skeletonization of neurons from confocal microscopy images based on the 3-D wavelet transform

In this work, we focus on methods for the preprocessing of neurons from three-dimensional (3-D) confocal microscopy images, which are needed for a subsequent detailed morphologic analysis. Due to the specific image properties of confocal microscopy scans, we had to include several heuristic approaches which are based on multiscale edges to guarantee meaningful results: (1) a reliable segmentation of objects of different sizes independent of image contrast, and, based on it, (2) the computation of skeleton points along the branch central axes, and (3) the reliable detection of branching points and of problematic regions. These are preprocessing steps to gather information which is needed by the subsequent construction of a graph representing the geometry of the neuron and a final surface reconstruction.
The Making of a Complex Spike: Ionic Composition and Plasticity

Abstract: Climbing fiber (CF) activation evokes a large all‐or‐nothing electrical response in Purkinje cells (PCs), the complex spike. It has been suggested that the role of CFs (and thus complex spikes) is that of a “teacher” in simple learning paradigms such as associative eyeblink conditioning. An alternative hypothesis describes the olivocerebellar system as part of a timing device and denies a role of the CF input in learning. To date, neither of these hypotheses nor others can definitively be verified or discounted. Similarly, the complex spike evades a clear understanding when it comes to the cellular events underlying complex spike generation. What is known, however, is that complex spikes are associated with large dendritic calcium signals that are required for the induction of long‐term depression (LTD) at the parallel fiber (PF)‐PC synapse. PF‐LTD is a form of long‐term synaptic plasticity that has been suggested to underlie certain forms of cerebellar motor learning. In contrast to the PF input, the CF input has been considered invariant. Our recent discovery of LTD at the CF input shows that complex spikes are less static than previously assumed. In addition to depression of CF‐evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents, long‐lasting, selective reduction of slow complex spike components could be observed after brief CF tetanization. To understand the functional implications of CF‐LTD, it is crucial to know the types of currents constituting the specific complex spike components. Here we review the “anatomy” of the complex spike as well as our observations of activity‐dependent complex spike waveform modifications. In addition, we discuss which properties CF‐LTD might add to the circuitry of the cerebellar cortex.
An Empirical Study of the Adoption of Sophisticated Capital Budgeting Practices and Decision-Making Effectiveness

Abstract This paper examines the trend towards greater sophistication in investment selection techniques and control processes, and their impact on capital budgeting decision effectiveness. Based on a sample of 100 large UK firms, the study examines the capital budgeting practices employed over an 11-year period. Very significant increases in the uptake of sophisticated investment methods are reported, particularly in the analysis of project risk. These developments are partly explained by the rapid developments in computing within capital budgeting. Clear evidence is found to suggest that senior finance executives believe that the adoption of sophisticated investment practices gives rise to improved effectiveness in the evaluation and control of large capital projects.
An Improved Group-Based Neighbor Discovery Algorithm for Mobile Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks have been widely used in a variety of commercial and military applications, which often require neighbor nodes to establish connection quickly. Due to high mobility of nodes, it is a challenging issue to reduce discovery delay. Most discovery designs are based on pairwise and fixed duty cycle, in which discovery is passively achieved when two nodes wake up at the same time. In order to further improve the efficiency of neighbor discovery in mobile sensor networks, this paper proposes an improved group-based neighbor discovery algorithm (IGND) which dynamically adjusts the nodes’ active time based on spatial properties. This paper describes the network model and the algorithm implementation in detail. Simulation results show that the improved algorithm has a good effect in reducing discovery latency and promoting discovery efficiency.