Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of linear instrumental variables methods in health services research and health economics: a cautionary note.

OBJECTIVE To investigate potential bias in the use of the conventional linear instrumental variables (IV) method for the estimation of causal effects in inherently nonlinear regression settings. DATA SOURCES Smoking Supplement to the 1979 National Health Interview Survey, National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, and simulated data. STUDY DESIGN Potential bias from the use of the linear IV method in nonlinear models is assessed via simulation studies and real world data analyses in two commonly encountered regression setting: (1) models with a nonnegative outcome (e.g., a count) and a continuous endogenous regressor; and (2) models with a binary outcome and a binary endogenous regressor. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The simulation analyses show that substantial bias in the estimation of causal effects can result from applying the conventional IV method in inherently nonlinear regression settings. Moreover, the bias is not attenuated as the sample size increases. This point is further illustrated in the survey data analyses in which IV-based estimates of the relevant causal effects diverge substantially from those obtained with appropriate nonlinear estimation methods. CONCLUSIONS We offer this research as a cautionary note to those who would opt for the use of linear specifications in inherently nonlinear settings involving endogeneity.
Organ transplants do not escape paradoxical embolisms

Acute renal allograft dysfunction in the first weeks after transplantation primarily requires examination for acute rejection, drug‐associated injury, pre‐renal failure due to exsiccosis/dehydration, and post‐renal problems such as urinary tract obstruction. In rare instances, main renal artery or vein thrombosis may be found, e.g. due to acute rejection of the vessels. Herein, we describe the clinical course of a patient with a recent renal transplantation who presented with an acute enigmatic renal allograft failure which, after intensive diagnostic efforts, emerged as paradoxical embolism with extensive allograft ischemia in consequence of a venous thrombosis and a patent foramen ovale − a so far unreported case.
The i-LIMB Hand and the DMC Plus Hand Compared: A Case Report

The i-LIMB hand is a novel upper limb myoelectric prosthetic hand with several joints in the fingers and thumb. This study aimed to determine whether this new device had more functionality than a more conventional myoelectric prosthetic hand with only a single joint between the thumb and two fingers. Therefore, a 45-year-old man with a wrist disarticulation used the i-LIMB hand and the widely used Dynamic Mode Control hand (DMC plus hand) in a test procedure that covered all functional levels of the International Classification of Function (ICF). Functional outcomes of the i-LIMB seemed to be lower than or equal to the DMC plus hand. The patient's satisfaction tended to be in favor of the i-LIMB. Compared to the DMC plus hand, the i-LIMB was more reliable when holding objects but had a lack of power and was less robust. We concluded that the i-LIMB hand has limited additional functionality compared to the DMC plus hand.
An Efficient Privacy-Preserving Location-Based Services Query Scheme in Outsourced Cloud

With the pervasiveness of location-aware mobile electronic devices and the advances of wireless communications, location-based services (LBS), which can help people enjoy a convenient life, has attracted considerable interest recently. However, the privacy issues of LBS are still challenging today. Aiming at the challenges, in this paper, we present a new efficient and privacy-preserving LBS query scheme in outsourced cloud, i.e., EPQ, for pervasive smartphones. In the EPQ scheme, the LBS provider's data are first outsourced to the cloud server in an encrypted manner, and then, a registered user can get accurate LBS query results without divulging his/her location information to the LBS provider and the cloud server. Specifically, based on an improved homomorphic encryption technique over a composite order group, a special spatial range query algorithm SRQC over ciphertext is proposed, with which EPQ achieves privacy preservation of user's query and confidentiality of LBS data in the outsourced cloud server. Through detailed security analysis, we show that EPQ can resist various known security threats. In addition, we also implement EPQ over a smartphone and three workstations with a real LBS data set, and extensive simulation results further demonstrate that the proposed EPQ scheme is highly efficient at the smartphone side and can be implemented effectively in the cloud server.
Parallel input to the hippocampal memory system through peri‐ and postrhinal cortices

IN the rat, the rhinal cortices consist of the perirhinal, postrhinal and entorhinal cortices. The perirhinal and postrhinal cortices, which serve as major input sources to the entorhinal cortex, receive functionally different types of information. In this study we looked at the projections from the perirhinal and postrhinal cortices to the different parts of the entorhinal cortices using an anterograde tracing technique. Our results show that the perirhinal cortex preferentially projects to the lateral entorhinal cortex, whereas the postrhinal cortex mainly sends fibers to the medial entorhinal cortex. Since the lateral and medial entorhinal cortices are differentially connected with the hippocampus, we suggest that functionally different types of information are processed in parallel in the hippocampal memory system.
New application of partitioning methodology: identity-based dual receiver encryption

Dual receiver encryption (DRE), a notion of public key encryption (PKE) introduced at CCS’04, allows two independent receivers to decrypt a ciphertext into a same plaintext. This crypto primitive is quite useful in designing denial of service attack-resilient protocols. To our knowledge, prior DRE constructions are considered in the traditional PKE settings, which may face the difficulty of certificate management. This paper aiming at solving this dilemma of DRE in the traditional PKE settings, and gives an identity-based variant version of DRE: identity-based dual receiver encryption (ID-DRE) that combines the notion of DRE and identity-based encryption (IBE). Based on Waters’ IBE (Crypto’05), two ID-DRE schemes are constructed in the standard model and by partitioning methodology, provable security of our ID-DRE schemes are obtained under the decisional bilinear Diffie-Hellman. Furthermore, we achieve a tighter reduction by adopting a random walk-like methodology of analysis on the lower bound of simulators’ artificial abort, which also results in better security tightness for Waters IBE. This improved result O(pn q) for Waters’ IBE, where n is the bitlength of messages and q is the number of adversarial key queries, is consistent with Hofheinz and Kiltz’s result (Crypto’08). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does Deployment to War Affect Public Service Motivation? A Panel Study of Soldiers Before and After Their Service in Afghanistan

Exposure to the extreme stress of warfare may affect soldiers’ perceptions of others and society. Using panel data from two companies on a tour of duty to Afghanistan in 2011, this article analyzes how different dimensions of soldiers’ public service motivation are influenced by deployment to war. As expected, soldiers’ compassion decreased and commitment to the public interest increased, while self-sacrifice did not change systematically. Deployment to war was expected to affect inexperienced soldiers more than their experienced colleagues, but this hypothesis was only partially satisfied. The key contribution of the article is the use of panel data and the examination of motivational changes. Moreover, studying soldiers’ public service motivation enables us to connect public administration and military sociology and thereby to establish a better understanding of motivation in extreme settings.
Fast DNA hybridization chip by controling temperature and velocity of nucleic acids

We demonstrate that the efficiency of DNA hybridization could be improved by introducing elevated temperature in the hot region and higher velocities in the cold region of a microfluidic chip. Compared with the conventional methods, this hybridization microchip was shown to increase the hybridization signal 4.6-fold within 30 minutes using a 1.4 kb target DNA as the test material. The increase in fluorescence intensity was apparent when the temperature was higher than 82°C, and the fluorescence intensity reached an asymptotic value as T > 90°C. A mathematical model was proposed to relate the fluorescence intensity of DNA hybridization with the temperature of hot region and the velocity of cold region. Based on these results, the new hybridization chip with the processes of temperature and velocity differences will provide additional efficiency in DNA detection.
Low-Loss and High-Voltage III-Nitride Transistors for Power Switching Applications

This paper describes recent technological advances on III-nitride-based transistors for power switching applications. Focuses are placed on the progress toward enhancing the breakdown voltage, lowering the ON-resistance, suppressing current collapse, and reducing the leakage current in AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Recent publications revealed that the tradeoff relation between ON-resistance and breakdown voltage in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs exceeded the SiC limit and was getting close to the GaN limit; however, the breakdown voltage achieved was still lower than the theoretical impact ionization limit. A novel process featuring strain-controlled annealing with a metal stack, including Al gave rise to significant reduction in the sheet resistance in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, suggesting the possibility of dramatic reduction in ON-resistance of GaN-based power devices. Some of the interesting approaches to suppress current collapse indicated that surface trapping effects must be controlled by the optimization of surface processing as well as by the reduction of bulk traps in the epitaxial layers. Close correlation between the local gate leakage current and point defects exposed on the free-standing GaN substrate demonstrated that further reduction of defects on bulk GaN substrates is truly required as future challenges.
A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY STATEMENTS OF AWARD WINNING COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE PROFESSORS

As our economy calls for improved employment skills, educational institutions must provide quality teaching to prepare students for success. Researchers purport that an important factor in determining student learning is the teacher, and that one of the most prominent factors in student achievement is teacher quality. The search for the attributes, dispositions, knowledge, and instructional skills that define effective teachers continues as scholars seek to discover the teacher variables that lead to student achievement. The purpose of the descriptive research was to identify themes present in the teaching philosophy statements of the United States Department of Agriculture Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences award recipients. Content analysis technique was utilized in reviewing the provided espoused philosophy statements of award winners from 2000 – 2010. Findings include identification of eleven emergent themes. Future recommendations would include a study to determine if a disconnect exists between the stated teaching philosophy of award winning professors and their actual teaching practice. Further application would be to analyze the classroom practice of award winning professors and the impact had on student learning.
Distinguished Fellow: Mincering Labor Economics

Jacob Mincer has helped set the research agenda and professional style in labor economics for over 30 years. His research helped uncover the empirical content of human capital theory, where he used those ideas to study the determinants of earnings and the sources and nature of earnings inequality. He was also a pioneer in studying labor force participation decisions of married women. For the past decade, Jacob has set his characteristic stamp on the empirical study of job mobility. The following brief survey is meant to convey some of the flavor of Jacob Mincer's work and why it has been so influential in labor economics.
A Secure Watermarking and Tempering Detection Technique Using 2 Level DWT

Digital Watermarking is a vital field for copyrights of a variety of electronic documents and media. Mostly easy to get to on the Internet with images, it can occasionally be attractive to apply copyrights. Digital watermarking is a method of combining data into a digital signal. In digital watermarking we work on two images one is for watermark image, which is overlie on the original image (secondary image) that gives security to the image. It acts as a digital mark, providing the image a good judgment of ownership or authenticity. Digital watermarking method is very inspiring for image authentication or security for attacks. This paper present a review on digital watermarking their classification, application, techniques, attacks and also tampering detection in digital watermarking. We proposed a new algorithm for digital watermarking and tampering detection technique, by combing these techniques, we can improve the security of image.
In Vitro Rhizome Production from Nodal Explants and Callus Formation of the Medicinal Plant Dioscorea oppositifolia L.

In vitro Studies of wild yam also known as Dioscorea oppositifolia L. is reported. Direct organogenesis and indirect organogenesis of D. oppositifolia is achieved in this study. Shoot and root were produced from nodal explants with Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5mg/l 6benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.1mg/l NAA. Callus was successfully produced from leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Multiple shoots were initiated from callus in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with-2.0mg/l Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 2.5mg/i kinetin. Root induction was also achieved simultaneously from the base of the shoots in the same medium. Regenerants acclimatized in soil-rite showed vigorous shoot growth (within 2 weeks) and after 5 6 months were suitable for planting.
Increasing Sensor Flexibility Through Neuromodulation

Both biological and man-made motor control networks require input from sensors to allow for modification of the motor program. Real sensory neurons are more flexible than typical robotic sensors because they are dynamic rather than static. The membrane properties of neurons and hence their excitability can be modified by the presence of neuromodulatory substances. In the case of a sensory neuron, this can change, in a functionally significant way, the code used to describe a stimulus. For instance, extension of the neuron’s dynamic range or modification of its filtering characteristics can result. This flexibility has an apparent cost. The code used may be situation-dependent and hence difficult to interpret. To address this issue and to understand how neuromodulation is used effectively in a motor control network, I am studying the GPR2 stretch receptor in the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system. Several different neuromodulatory substances can modify its encoding properties. Comparisons of physiological and anatomical evidence suggest that neuromodulation can be effected both by GPR2 itself and by other neurons in the network. These results suggest that the analog of neuromodulation might be useful for improving sensor performance in an artificial motor control system.
MLST of housekeeping genes captures geographic population structure and suggests a European origin of Borrelia burgdorferi

Lyme borreliosis, caused by the tick-borne bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, has become the most common vector-borne disease in North America over the last three decades. To understand the dynamics of the epizootic spread and to predict the evolutionary trajectories of B. burgdorferi, accurate information on the population structure and the evolutionary relationships of the pathogen is crucial. We, therefore, developed a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for B. burgdorferi based on eight chromosomal housekeeping genes. We validated the MLST scheme on B. burgdorferi specimens from North America and Europe, comprising both cultured isolates and infected ticks. These data were compared with sequences for the commonly used genetic markers rrs-rrlA intergenic spacer (IGS) and the gene encoding the outer surface protein C (ospC). The study demonstrates that the concatenated sequences of the housekeeping genes of B. burgdorferi provide highly resolved phylogenetic signals and that the housekeeping genes evolve differently compared with the IGS locus and ospC. Using sequence data, the study reveals that North American and European populations of B. burgdorferi correspond to genetically distinct populations. Importantly, the MLST data suggest that B. burgdorferi originated in Europe rather than in North America as proposed previously.
Optimum Currency Areas in East Asia A Structural VAR Approach

This article empirically assesses the suitability of the East Asian economies for a regional monetary arrangement, on the basis of their symmetry in macroeconomic disturbances, as satisfying one of the preconditions for forming an Optimum Currency Area. Specifically, the Structural Vector Autoregression (VAR) approach is considered in discovering the incidences of transitory and permanent shocks, as a tentative way of identifying potential candidates for monetary union. Owing to East Asia's differing economic circumstances and development, a practical approach towards regional monetary integration would be to begin with smaller sub-groupings. The preliminary findings of this study suggest that there exists scope among selected groups of East Asian economies for potential monetary integration. The implication is that smaller sub-groupings could eventually culminate in a single currency area, subject to the fulfilment of the necessary preconditions and harmonization requirements.
Analysis of wage flexibility across the Euro Area: evidence from the process of convergence of the labour income share ratio

This article analyses wage flexibility as a factor in the unemployment rate across 12 Euro Area countries. We use extensive evidence pertaining to the countercyclical behaviour of the labour income share ratio to estimate its equilibrium value in the long run. This measure is calculated using a hybrid New Keynesian Phillips curve. Additionally, by using spatial econometrics, we can incorporate into the study the interdependence in the inflation among the countries. As a result, we identify countries that might see an improvement in their employment rates by improving their wage flexibility. We also identify countries with high unemployment that is not a consequence of a lack of wage flexibility.
Gainsharing and knowledge sharing: the effects of labour–management co-operation

We compare patterns of employee knowledge sharing in the form of suggestions for reducing costs and improving productivity submitted as part of a gainsharing reward system in two organizations. Combining insights from recent studies that use employee risk sharing and organizational learning frameworks to understand how gainsharing programmes work, we propose that employees' willingness to share high-risk (second-order-learning) knowledge with management is affected by the degree of labour–management co-operation and trust. Specifically, we hypothesize that union support and involvement in gainsharing affects employee knowledge sharing by increasing employees' initial acceptance of the compensation risk associated with gainsharing and by facilitating employee willingness to take on additional compensation and employment risk over time. We test these hypotheses using time series data on employee suggestions and gainsharing performance at two locations with similarly structured gainsharing plans but different levels of labour–management co-operation. The results generally support our hypotheses. We conclude by considering the implications of these results for gainsharing design and implementation as well as the broader implications of the effect of HR practices on employee knowledge sharing and knowledge management in organizations.
Cell-type-specific expression of the platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor: a role for GATA-binding protein

Platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor (PDGF alpha R) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor for all three existing PDGF isoforms, AA, AB, and BB. Transcripts of PDGF alpha R are detected as early as in fertilized mouse eggs and throughout adulthood in a time- and space-specific manner, thereby suggesting an important role of PDGFs in mammalian development. In this study, we have investigated the mechanism involved in cell-type-specific PDGF alpha R gene expression during early embryonic development. Using F9 embryonic carcinoma cells as an in vitro study model, we identified a differentiation-dependent enhancer element within the PDGF alpha R promoter that controlled receptor expression during parietal endoderm cell differentiation induced by retinoic acid and dibutyryl cyclic AMP treatment. The differentiation-dependent enhancer element sequence bore no resemblance to consensus DNA-binding sites of either the retinoic acid receptor family or the cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein family. It was composed of two identical 12-bp direct repeats separated by a 17-bp insert sequence enriched in C and A nucleotides. Although only a single repeat was needed to form specific DNA-protein complexes with factors present in F9 parietal endoderm cell extracts, both repeats together were necessary to display cell-type-specific enhancing activity. Mutational analysis revealed that the protein-binding sites within the repeat sequences were identical to GATA-binding sites. In this study, we provided evidence to suggest that a member of the GATA transcription factor family (GATA-4) is responsible for parietal endoderm-specific PDGF alpha R expression.
European Human Resource Management: Researching Developments over Time **

This paper uses insights and data gained from 15 years of involvement in a research network studying HRM developments in Europe to explore the notion of "European HRM" and the meanings of convergence and divergence in HRM Using data from the last decade of the Cranet research, the paper puts forward a more nuanced view of the notions of convergence and divergence, finding evidence of directional convergence, but little evidence of final convergence: whilst there are trends which point in similar directions, national differences remain a key factor in HRM.
Executive Compensation and Corporate Fraud in China

This study investigates the relation between CEO compensation and corporate fraud in China. We document a significantly negative correlation between CEO compensation and corporate fraud using data on publicly traded firms between 2005 and 2010. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that firms penalize CEOs for fraud by lowering their pay. We also find that CEO compensation is lower in firms that commit more severe frauds. Panel data fixed effects and propensity score methods are used to demonstrate these effects. Our results also indicate that corporate governance mechanisms influence the magnitude of punishment. We find that CEOs of privately controlled firms, firms that split the posts of CEO and chairman, and CEOs of firms located in developed regions suffer larger compensation penalties for committing financial fraud. Finally, we show that CEOs at firms that commit fraud are more likely to be replaced compared to those at non-fraud firms.