Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysing the role of union instrumentality in women’s participation in trade unions: A study of Indian manufacturing sector

Number of women in formal employment in India is significantly lower than that of men, and few women join and participate actively in trade unions in India. This paper attempts to study the factors influencing participation of women workers in unions in India. It is based on the assumption by Klandermans (1984) that the willingness to participate in an activity is the weighted sum of goal motives, social motives and reward motives. Goal and reward motives of participating in union may be related to union instrumentality, whereas social motives may be linked to approval for union participation from family, colleagues and employer. Willingness to participate is the weighted sum of these motives. Convenience in participating in union-related activities is another determinant of union participation. We propose that union instrumentality moderates the relationship of women’s participation in trade unions with approval and convenience as independent variables. Women’s participation in trade unions was measured with four indices of worker participation in union activities from the scale originally used by Chacko (1985) and a self-developed item. Convenience and approval were measured by five-item and four-item self-developed Likert-type scales respectively. The construct of union instrumentality has been evaluated by using a seven-item Likert-type scale with items derived from union instrumentality questionnaires available in literature.Data from a sample of 214 women workers of 8 manufacturing units across 5 public sector organisations was subject to hierarchical regression analysis. Findings lend support to the moderating effect of union instrumentality. Our study sheds light on the nature of relationship of convenience of women workers and approval of their family, peers and employer on their participation in trade unions, and shows a positive relationship between these constructs. The findings add to existing literature that examines the antecedents of workers’ participation in trade unions, especially in context of women. Moreover, our research has illustrated union instrumentality as a moderator in the relationship of convenience and approval with participation in trade unions. We may hence deduce that women workers who have convenience as well as approval from their peers, employers and family members are more likely to participate positively in union-related activities.
Quantification of Multiple Climate Change and Human Activity Impact Factors on Flood Regimes in the Pearl River Delta of China

Coastal flood regimes have been irreversibly altered by both climate change and human activities. This paper aims to quantify the impacts of multiple factors on delta flood. The Pearl River Delta (PRD), with dense river network and population, is one of the most developed coastal areas in China. The recorded extreme water level (m.s.l.) in flood season has been heavily interfered with by varied income flood flow, sea-level rise, and dredged riverbeds. A methodology, composed of a numerical model and the index , has been developed to quantify the impacts of these driving factors in the the PRD. Results show that the flood level varied 4.29%–53.49% from the change of fluvial discharge, 3.35%–38.73% from riverbed dredging, and 0.12%–16.81% from sea-level rise. The variation of flood flow apparently takes the most effect and sea-level rise the least. In particular, dense river network intensifies the impact of income flood change and sea-level rise. Findings from this study help understand the causes of the the PRD flood regimes and provide theoretical support for flood protection in the delta region.
Short-Run Dynamic Effects of Debt Changes on the Primary Budget Surplus

This paper provides a modification of Bohn(1998)'s test for the sustainability of fiscal policy. The new aspect of the alternative test lies in the emphasis of the short-run adjustment of the primary budget surplus in a response to changes in debt. To capture the short-run dynamic effects of debt increase on the primary surplus, we use a structural VAR model whose identification is given by exploiting the period-by-period budget equation. A basic impulse-response analysis then can show how governments react to increases of debt. As an empirical illustration, the new method is applied to the real data from South Korea.
Volumetric locking suppression method for nearly incompressible nonlinear elastic multi-layer beams using ANCF elements

The analysis and solution of many modern flexible multibody dynamic problems require formulations that are able to effectively model bodies with nonlinear materials undergoing large displacements and deformations. The absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) in connection with a continuum-based approach is one way to deal with these systems. The main objective of this work is to extend an existent approach for the modelling of slender structures within the ANCF framework with nonlinear, nearly incompressible materials using the volumetric energy penalty technique. The main part of the study is devoted to the evaluation of multi-layer beam models and simplifications in the locking suppression method based on F-bar projection. The results present significantly better agreement with the reference solution for multi-layer structures built with the standard ANCF beam element as compared with the earlier implementation.
Casted Wood - Tactile and Visual Aspects When Target Areas Are in Indoor Applications

- The most relevant senses to collect information are sight and touch, as these senses parse the world through feedback of materials, colours, shapes and structures. This paper aims to understand potentials in relation to the tangible and intangible properties of the combination of wood and cellulose nanofibrils (later CNF), when future target products are in a living environment, mostly in indoor applications. Different sizes of wood flour, sawdust or veneer-like pieces of wood have been mixed together with CNF to make material samples and designed pieces. Due to the strong hydrogen bonds and adhesive-like characteristics of CNF, adhesives or glue is not needed to bind materials together and, therefore, does not affect the consistency or visuality. One of the specific benefits is that the wet material does not need to be hot pressed, because during the drying period the material tightens itself. Haptic properties, such as surface temperature and texture, can be similar to wood-based products in general. Pieces can be lightweight, because the density of the material varies depending on the proportions of the ingredients. As a result, different kinds of surface structures, colours, haptic properties and visuality can be designed, varying the consistency and proportion of the materials. A mixture of wooden pieces and CNF could be manufactured into boards, but in this research, the main focus has been to understand the potentials of the casting technique to shape the material. The selected shaping method enables a new kind of method to work with wood-based materials. Although the combination of these materials has been studied, it is unknown if this has been done using methods of design research. In the future, casted wood could be utilised e.g. in indoor applications, such as furniture or architecturally related products when three-dimensional shapes are needed with natural tactile and visual appearance.
The effects of a sexual victimization history, sexual attitudes, and ethnicity on women's sexual assault scripts

This study examined the effects of a sexual victimization history, sexual attitudes, ethnicity, and proximity of past sexual assault on women’s hypothetical sexual assault scripts. It also compared previously sexually victimized women’s hypothetical sexual assault scripts to their actual assault narratives. Two hundred forty-seven undergraduate women wrote hypothetical sexual assault scripts describing an unwanted sexual experience and completed measures assessing the individual differences variables of interest. Women who reported a victimization history then wrote about their assault experience while women who did not report such history wrote about a bad date or ”hook-up” experience. A coding manual was developed and experts in the sexual violence research area coded the hypothetical scripts and assault narratives. Qualitative analysis revealed several important relationships between the individual differences variables and specific script characteristics. Specifically, victimization history had the most differences related to individual variables. Victimized women included alcohol, consensual kissing, and the context of a party in their hypothetical scripts more frequently than nonvictimized women. They described knowing the man for between one month and one year less frequently than nonvictimized women. Results also indicated distinct incongruence between women’s hypothetical scripts and their actual assault narratives.
Biocontrol of Fusarium wilt by Bacillus pumilus, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, and Rhizobium sp. on lentil

The present study examined the effects of Bacillus pumilus, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, and Rhizobium sp. on wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis and on the growth of lentil. Inoculation with F. oxysporum caused significant wilting, and reduced plant growth, the number of pods, and nodulation. Inoculation with B. pumilus together with P. alcaligenes caused a greater increase in plant growth, number of pods, nodulation, and root colonization by rhizobacteria, and also reduced Fusarium wilting to a greater degree than did individual inoculation. Use of Rhizobium sp. resulted in a greater increase in plant growth, number of pods, and nodulation, and reduced wilting more than B. pumilus did. Combined application of B. pumilus and P. alcaligenes with Rhizobium sp. resulted in the greatest increase in plant growth, number of pods, nodulation, and root colonization by rhizobacteria, and also reduced wilting in Fusarium-inoculated plants.
Puri W cation of recombinant proteins from mammalian cell culture using a generic double-a Y nity chromatography scheme

Transient transfection of mammalian cells has proven to be a useful technique for the rapid production of recombinant proteins because of its ability to produce milligram quantities within 2 weeks following cloning of their corresponding cDNA. This rapid production also requires a fast and eYcient puriWcation scheme that can be applied generically, typically through the use of aYnity tags such as the polyhistidine-tag for capture by immobilized metal-aYnity chromatography (IMAC) or the Strep-tag II, which binds to the StrepTactin aYnity ligand. However, one-step puriWcation using either of these tags has disadvantages in terms of yield, elution conditions, and purity. Here, we show that the addition of both Strep-tag-II and (His)8 to the C-terminal of r-proteins allows eYcient puriWcation by consecutive IMAC and StrepTactin aYnity. This approach has been successfully demonstrated using the intracellular protein DsRed, as well as two secreted proteins, secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), all produced by transient transfection of HEK293-EBNA1 cells in medium supplemented with bovine calf serum. All proteins were puriWed to >99% homogeneity with yields varying from 29 to 81%. Crown copyright  2004 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The discovery of gas-rich, dusty starbursts in luminous reddened quasars at z ∼ 2.5 with ALMA

MB acknowledges funding from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) via an Ernest Rutherford Fellowship. GJ is grateful for support from NRAO through the Grote Reber Doctoral Fellowship Program. RGM and PCH acknowledge funding from STFC via the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Consolidated Grant. SA-Z acknowledges support from Peterhouse, Cambridge.
The Job Creation Effect of R&D Expenditures

In this study we use a unique database covering 25 manufacturing and service sectors for 16 European countries over the period 1996-2005, for a total of 2,295 observations, and apply GMM-SYS panel estimations of a demand-for-labour equation augmented with technology. We find that R&D expenditures have a job-creating effect, in accordance with the previous theoretical and empirical literature discussed in the paper. Interestingly enough, the labour-friendly nature of R&D emerges in both the flow and the stock specifications. These findings provide further justification for the European Lisbon-Barcelona targets.
NMR Based Metabolomics Evaluation in Neonatal Calves with Acute Diarrhea and Suspected Sepsis: A New Approach for Biomarker/s

Metabolic consequences of diarrhea-induced sepsis revealed by plasma 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) quantitative metabolomics. Diarrhea and sepsis is generally the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in pre-weaned calves. Traditional biomarkers for sepsis are mainly derived from host immune/inflammatory response. Various high-throughput omics technologies facilitate comprehensive screening of sepsis-specific biomarkers in human medicine. The aim of this first study was to reveal the new potential biomarkers in diarrhea-induced septic neonatal calves evaluating by 1H-NMR based quantitative metabolomics. Clinical and laboratory data revealed all the ill calves had leukocytosis, metabolic acidosis and failure of colostral passive transfer. This study produced quantitative data sets that presented differences between patients with diarrhea–induced sepsis and healthy subjects in the level of the water and lipid soluble metabolites. All the lipid soluble metabolites (e.g., sphingomyeline, various fatty acids, etc.) were significantly decreased in diseased calves. Changes in water soluble metabolites (increases in niacinamide, choline + phosphocholine, 2-methylglutarate and isopropanol, and decreases in formate, lysine-arginine, acetate, creatine) were meaningful for pathogenic mechanisms of sepsis. This pilot study showed the implementation of plasma 1H-NMR quantitative metabolomics because it produced a physiologically relevant metabolite data set that distinguished diarrhea-induced sepsis from healthy ones. The metabolites identified and quantified in the study may be new potential biomarkers for systemic inflammatory response syndrome in calf sepsis.
An effective GC method for the determination of the fatty acid composition in silkworm pupae oil using a two-step methylation process

In the search for an accurate and effective method for the deter- mination of the fatty acid composition in silkworm pupae oils, five methylation methods were evaluated for use in the gas chromatographic (GC) quantification of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). These included two one-step acid-catal- yzed (H2SO4 and BF3) and two one-step base-catalyzed (KOH and NaOCH3) esterification processes, as well as a two-step procedure catalyzed successively by KOH and H2SO4. These methods were comparatively adopted to quantify FAMEs in silkworm pupae oil using GC-MS and GC and then their precision, stability and average recovery rates were validated. The results indicated that compared with the four one-step methyl esterification methods, the two-step methylation effectively improved the synthesis yield of FAMEs, conserved the agents and eliminated the usage of potential harmful reagents. The proposed GC method was validated, exhibited good accuracy and precision, and was successfully applied to the quantification of FAMEs in several varieties of silkworm pupae oils. The short analytical run time leads to low costs and a fast chromatographic procedure. In summary, two-step pretreatment had superior performance, providing technical references for the determination and analysis of fatty acids in other oils.
The Effect of Foreclosure Regulation: Evidence for the US Mortgage Market at State Level

Do laws to protect borrowers curb foreclosures? This question is addressed by analysing the impact of foreclosure laws on default rates at state level in the US mortgage market. Using panel data techniques, we find a statistically significant effect of regulation on the different stages of the foreclosure process. More precisely, we analyse the effect of regulation on 60- day delinquencies and foreclosure starts, with a focus on three protective elements commonly found in state foreclosure laws, namely requiring a judicial process, granting a redemption period and banning a deficiency judgment. We find that, whereas protective states exhibit, on average, lower 60-day delinquency rates, more protection does not ultimately bring about lower foreclosure rates. Lenders seem to ration credit to mitigate costly protective laws, thereby reducing delinquency rates; but this effect is overshadowed by a moral hazard problem since, once borrowers are delinquent, they have incentives to take advantage of the protection due to the lower costs of foreclosure. We also find that the recent housing market crisis has exacerbated that behaviour. Finally, we show that lengthening the foreclosure process is no cure for the foreclosure crisis
Investigation of Drying Phenomenon of Terry Woven Fabricsn

The paper presents an investigation of the drying ability of terry fabrics with respect to pile height and finishing. The terry fabrics used in the experimental work were made from linen/cotton yarns, and the pile height of the samples was 6 and 12 mm. The fabrics analysed were grey (without finishing) as well as affected by washing with detergent, softening, centrifuging and tumbling procedures. The uniformity of dispersions was proved, and the high informativity of the experiment was found by analysing all data of the remaining water ratio of the terry fabrics. The evaporating process lasted till 130-150 min for grey terry fabrics and till 130-190 min or longer for finished variants. The regressions investi gated showed a very good or good match with experimental data: determination coefficient R2=0.7882-0.9492. Mainly the results are best described by logarithmic, polynomial and linear regressions.
Alternative Approaches to Housing Services and Japanese CPI: -Bias from Nominal Rigidity of Rents-

Despite the significant decrease in housing prices during the collapse of the Japanese bubble in the first half of the 1990s, housing rents hardly changed at all. Why is it that housing rents do not change? Why are housing prices and housing rents not linked? In this paper, in order to address these questions, we conducted an alternative indicators for housing services in CPI. First, we found that the annual proportion of residential units whose rent changed was no more than about 5%. This is extremely low, representing 1/20 of the figure for the U.S. and 1/6 of the figure for Germany. The underlying reason for this high degree of rigidity is the specific circumstances of the Japanese housing market, where opportunities to change rents are inherently limited due to the fact that tenant turnover is low while the duration of rental contracts is two years. Even more important, however, is the fact that rents are not changed even when opportunities to change them arise such as tenant turnover or contract renewals, thereby significantly lowering the probability of rents changing. Based on analysis using the adjustment hazard function technique proposed by Caballero and Engel (2007)[3], we found that whether or not a given unit's rent was adjusted mostly did not depend on how much its current rent diverged from the market conditions. In addition, it has been pointed out that the high depreciation rate characteristic of the Japanese market is a problem. Addressing this problem is extremely important when it comes to estimating housing rent indexes.
Community-dwelling individuals living with chronic wounds: Understanding the complexity to improve nursing care. A descriptive cohort study

Background: Chronic disease management is a priority in most healthcare systems. The burden of managing these chronic conditions frequently falls on nurses since the majority of individuals with chronic conditions are treated by nurses in the community or home care setting. Chronic wounds are frequently one of the conditions managed thus were used as an example to illustrate the profile of the population being referred for community care. Fully understanding this population is a first step toward successful chronic disease management and improved care planning for nursing. Objectives: 1) Describe demographic, circumstance-of-living, clinical and wound characteristics of individuals living with a chronic condition; 2) Determine pain, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), function and health outcomes on admission and along the trajectory to healing; and 3) Identify factors to assist health authorities in gathering planning data for chronic disease populations. Design: Secondary data analysis of four major studies using a descriptive/exploratory design. Setting: Care delivered in the community in three Canadian provinces at either a clinic or in home by trained nurses using an evidence-informed protocol. Participants: 735 cognitively intact adults receiving community wound care for a leg ulcer below the knee of venous or venous-mixed etiology. Main Outcome Measure(s): Demographic, clinical, circumstance-of-living, ulcer characteristics and interventions, pain, HRQoL and health outcomes, and healthcare utilization. Main Results: Participants averaged 68 years old, 30% had three or more comorbidities, and many lived alone (37%). Ulcers were present for 11 weeks (median) prior to receiving care and took almost 10 weeks to heal. At baseline 85% reported leg ulcer pain, 53% issues with mobility, 24% issues with washing or dressing, 58% had issues performing usual activities, and one-third reported moderate anxiety or depression. Conclusion: The data illustrate the complexity surrounding individuals receiving community care for a chronic wound and illuminate the challenges faced in planning an effective chronic disease management approach. Implications from this study are relevant to planners, policy-makers and frontline care providers and a number of specific recommendations are offered.
Resolução temporal em crianças: análise de diferentes testes

Introducao: Entender como os estimulos acusticos sao processados ao longo da via auditiva e fundamental para compreender os processos que subjazem a comunicacao humana. A variavel tempo influencia na compreensao da fala, pois esta relacionada a habilidade auditiva de resolucao temporal. O tempo minimo percebido na mudanca do som e conhecido como limiar de resolucao temporal, e existem dois testes disponiveis para uso clinico: Randon Gap Detection Test (RGDT) e Gaps-In-Noise (GIN). Objetivo: Verificar o desempenho de criancas normo-ouvintes, sem queixa de processamento auditivo, nos testes RGDT e GIN e sugerir um deles para avaliar essa populacao. Metodo: Participaram do estudo 33 criancas sem queixa de alteracao do processamento auditivo, 17 do sexo feminino e 16 do sexo masculino, com idade entre sete e dez anos e 11 meses e limiares auditivos dentro da normalidade, bilateralmente. Todos foram submetidos a avaliacao audiologica basica para verificar a audicao periferica, RGDT e GIN. Resultados: Para o teste GIN, o valor medio de deteccao de gaps das criancas foi de 4,8 ms, enquanto que para o RGDT foi de 11,67 ms. Conclusao: O GIN mostrou-se de mais facil aplicacao nos escolares enquanto que o RGDT mostrou-se com maior dificuldade de entendimento da tarefa pelos mesmos, porem detecta mais as possiveis alteracoes na habilidade de resolucao temporal na populacao avaliada. Assim, sugere-se que seja utilizado o teste RGDT em escolares na faixa etaria deste estudo, quando os mesmos forem capazes de compreender a tarefa solicitada pelo teste.