Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Work-Related Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome Cases from Surveillance in Selected US States

Learning ObjectivesDistinguish between reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) and other cases of work-related asthma (WRA) associated with a known asthma-inducing agent.Contrast the clinical features, severity, and course of RADS with those of other WRA related to an identified asthma inducer.Identify differences in outcome and disposition between RADS and other WRA. The objective was to elaborate the descriptive epidemiology of work-related cases of reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS). Cases of work-related asthma (WRA) were identified in four states in the United States during 1993–1995 as part of the Sentinel Event Notification Systems for Occupational Risks (SENSOR). Information gathered by follow-back interview was used to describe 123 work-related RADS cases and to compare them to 301 other WRA cases whose onset of disease was associated with a known asthma inducer. RADS represented 14% of all new-onset WRA cases identified by the state SENSOR surveillance systems. RADS cases had significant adverse medical and occupational outcomes identified by follow-back interview. In particular, 89% still had breathing problems, 78% had ever sought emergency care and 39% had ever been hospitalized for work-related breathing problems, 54% had applied for worker compensation benefits, and 41% had left the company where they experienced onset of asthma. These values equaled or exceeded the comparable figures for those WRA cases whose onset was attributed to a known inducer. Work-related RADS represents a minority of all WRA cases, but the adverse impact of this condition appears to equal that of other WRA cases.
Readiness factors for the Lean Six Sigma journey in the higher education sector

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to reveal the readiness factors (RFs) which are required for the successful introduction and development of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) initiative within the context of higher education (HE) sector. These RFs are a pre-requisite for the successful implementation, deployment and sustainability of LSS in higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach - – The author uses secondary data from literature to justify the need for RFs before any HEI invests on continuous improvement (CI) methodologies such as LSS. The author would argue that these RFs must be assessed properly to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the HEI. Findings - – The paper presents the RFs which are essential for the implementation and sustainability of LSS. It is important to note that RFs are prior to embarking on a CI initiative whereas success factors are determined once the senior management team decides to invest on a specific CI initiative (Lean, LSS, etc.) Research limitations/implications - – This is a very theoretical paper based on the existing literature and authors’ experiences in the HE sector. The next stage of the research is to carry out empirical studies in a number of HEIs to determine the RFs for LSS as a business process improvement methodology. Originality/value - – This paper makes an attempt to derive the RFs for the successful development of LSS in the HE sector from the current literature. The RFs would assist any HE sector who would like to launch a LSS journey for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes across the business.
The cigarette box as an advertising vehicle in the United Kingdom: A case for plain packaging

This research aimed to study tobacco advertising between 1950–2003 and to evaluate the role of the cigarette box in advertising. Tobacco company advertisements (n = 204) were coded for content and meanings used to promote their product. There was a significant shift from cigarettes being displayed to the cigarette box only. Changes in advertising and the meanings evoked were unrelated to changes in smoking behaviour. It is argued that the cigarette box has absorbed the meanings associated with smoking and has become an effective vehicle for advertising. It is also argued that this can only be minimised with plain packaging.
Congruence Among Voters and Contributions to Political Campaigns

This paper builds a theory of electoral campaign contributions. Interest groups contribute to political campaigns to signal their private information on the valence of candidates for office. Campaign contributions by an interest group enhance electoral fortunes by a candidate who is valent with this group. The candidate preferred by an interest group whose private information is the most precise receives the highest contributions and wins political office. Campaign contributions are smaller than donor electoral sorting benefits.
Hormonal Regulation of Sodium-Dependent Phosphate Transport in Opossum Kidney Cells

There are multiple regulators of renal proximal tubule sodium-dependent phosphate (Na+-Pi) transport, including 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-Vit. D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and arachidonic acid (AA) and/or its metabolites. The purpose of our studies was to determine whether the effect of these factors on Pi transport is synergistic or antagonistic. The control solution or the substances were added independently or coincidentally to opossum kidney (OK) cells before incubation for 4 h. 1,25-Vit. D (10–8M) had no significant effect on Pi transport (↑6.8%; p = 0.8). PTH (10–7M) significantly inhibited Pi transport by 39.6% (p < 0.0001). IGF-1 (10–8M) stimulated Pi transport by 19.6% (p < 0.0001). The AA metabolite 20-HETE (10–7M) had no significant impact on Pi transport (⇓6.4; p = 0.3). The combined effect of 1,25-Vit. D and PTH was no different from PTH alone (p = 0.2). Likewise, addition of either 1,25-Vit. D or 20-HETE to IGF-1 failed to affect the magnitude of the increase on Pi transport induced by IGF-1 alone (p = 0.4, p = 0.6, respectively). The combination of 20-HETE and PTH was not different from that observed with PTH alone (p = 0.9). We conclude that in OK cells, PTH inhibits whereas IGF-1 stimulates Pi transport into OK cells. The effects of each of these hormones are independent and unaffected by either 1,25-Vit. D or 20-HETE.
Exploring the Effects of History Length and Age on Mining Software Change Impact

The goal of Software Change Impact Analysis is to identify artifacts (typically source-code files) potentially affected by a change. Recently, there is an increased interest in mining software change impact based on evolutionary coupling. A particularly promising approach uses association rule mining to uncover potentially affected artifacts from patterns in the system's change history. Two main considerations when using this approach are the history length, the number of transactions from the change history used to identify the impact of a change, and history age, the number of transactions that have occurred since patterns were last mined from the history. Although history length and age can significantly affect the quality of mining results, few guidelines exist on how to best select appropriate values for these two parameters. In this paper, we empirically investigate the effects of history length and age on the quality of change impact analysis using mined evolutionary couplings. Specifically, we report on a series of systematic experiments involving the change histories of two large industrial systems and 17 large open source systems. In these experiments, we vary the length and age of the history used to mine software change impact, and assess how this affects precision and applicability. Results from the study are used to derive practical guidelines for choosing history length and age when applying association rule mining to conduct software change impact analysis.
Government Debt and International Portfolio Diversification

An explanation for the widely-observed phenomenon of home country asset preference is provided by the existence of government debt. Domestic government debt implies future taxes for domestic residents. Since no market exists for the statutory obligation to pay taxes, the present value of future tax payments needed to finance government debt is viewed as a nontraded asset (or liability). Because there is a positive covariation in the return on the domestic bond with the government debt liability, holding the domestic bond reduces the variation in the return on domestic residents' traded plus nontraded, or total wealth. For this reason, risk-averse domestic assetholders are shown to increase the amount of traded wealth they hold in domestic government bonds as domestic government debt increases.
Climate perceptions and the customer orientation of frontline service employees

Satisfaction of customers' needs is particularly dependent upon the customer orientation of frontline employees. Understanding the drivers of such orientation is, therefore, a key issue in current research. Research relating perceptions of organisational values with the customer orientation of employees is rather sparse. This topic is approached by investigating the role of selected dimensions of psychological climate in promoting the customer orientation of frontline service employees. A structural equations model is developed and empirically tested, indicating that perceptions of customer, ethical, and innovation climates exert an indirect effect on the adoption of customer-oriented behaviours by frontline employees.
SEU and SEFI Protection for DDR3 Memories in a Xilinx Zynq-7000 FPGA

In satellite on-board computers, memories are one of the components that need protection against radiation. Their effects can cause several types of errors like: Single Event Upsets (SEUs) that affect a bit of memory, Multiple-Cell Upsets (MCU), which corrupt several bits, and Single Event Functional Interrupt (SEFI) in control circuits, which can cause malfunction of the entire memory chip. This paper describes an implementation on the Zynq-7000 System on Chip (SoC) of a VHDL design which incorporates Error Correction Codes (ECC) for DDR3 memories. The proposed design is based on the use of Orthogonal Latin Square (OLS) codes, which not only provide error correction to all single bit errors, but also double correction for data bits. It is able to retrieve the contents of a memory device from the information of the others when a SEFI occurs with a simultaneous SEU (instead of the basic Single-bit Error Correction-Double-bit Error Detection SEC-DED)
Evaluation of the sustainable land use status of the North China Plain

The North China Plain is one of the most important production areas for wheat and maize in China, and also has the densest agricultural population in China. How to use and develop the limited land resources reasonably, and improve and protect them, have become issues of major concern. This paper is based on sustainability theory, reviewing the fundamental principles of sustainability, and developing an index system with which to evaluate the sustainability status of land use. We also use this method to evaluate the land-use status of the North China Plain and to analyze current factors affecting sustainable land use in this area. In addition, we propose a specific method for evaluating sustainable land use.
Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in treatment of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. Umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells are immunosuppressive. We transplanted mesenchymal stem cells in a patient with refractory progressive MS, and the disease course was stabilized after the transplantation. We postulate that mesenchymal stem cells have a potent immunosuppressive effect in vivo.
Why is Unemployment in France so High?

High and persistent unemployment, as well as its composition, e.g., high youth unemployment, suggests underlying structural problems in the French labor market. Comparisons with other industrial countries, as well as time series and cross-section empirical evidence, point to a number of potential causes of structural unemployment in France. These include the generosity of long-term relative to short-term unemployment benefits, the minimum wage, the level of employers` tax wedge, skills mismatch, and the cost of capital. The paper assesses recent labor market measures in France that are considered, on the whole, as a step in the right direction, and puts forward a number of additional possible measures which could help to ensure that when the economic recovery gathers pace, unemployment will decline more quickly and more substantially than in the past.
Histopathologic Examination of the Sentinel Lymph Nodes

Abstract: Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) are the most likely site of regional metastasis. Their step sectioning and cytokeratin immunohistochemistry (IHC) result in the upstaging of breast cancer. The heterogeneity of histologic methods is partially responsible for differences in nodal upstaging of the disease in different reports. Intraoperative assessment might be done by both frozen sections and imprint cytology; both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Several guidelines relating to the histopathology of sentinel nodes, including the recent European Working Group for Breast Screening Pathology guidelines, are briefly summarized. These latter advocate multilevel assessment of grossly or intraoperatively negative sentinel nodes with levels separated by a maximum of 1 mm and allow IHC in their assessment, although this latter method is not mandatory. Both methods of intraoperative evaluation are allowable. There are also minimum requirements for the reports on sentinel node histology. For example, the reports should include the extent of nodal involvement, the method used for their identification, and preferably the method used for investigating the sentinel nodes, even if the results are negative. These guidelines are intended to form the basis for national guidelines in European countries.
The Emergence of a Third Party Government in Korea: Contents and Consequences

This paper argues that Korea, which has long been dominated by the state in many facets of its socio-economic and political activity, is undergoing a fundamental change from a ‘developmental state’ to a ‘third party government,’ and the pace of the transformation has quickened since the economic crisis of 1997. Distinguishing features of this transformation have been the pervasive sharing of responsibility for the delivery of publicly-financed services and the exercise of governmental authority with a host of what Salamon (1995) called “third parties” which include local governments, quasi-autonomous (regulatory) agencies, quangos, nonprofit organizations, public enterprises, and other private institutions. Not only has the state transformed the way it provides many vital and peripheral public services by privatizing or contracting out to private agencies, but also substantial changes have been made as to how it makes policy by forming a more ‘inclusive policy network’ rather than the usual ‘exclusive network. ’ By examining the changes in both the scale of government activity and the proliferation of new ‘tools’ of government actions, one can detect a fundamental transformation in the way the state operates in both the policy formulation and implementation stages. The changes brought by these three factors require a new thinking on terms ‘public management’ and ‘public responsibility’ in Korea. Privatization of public services in a board sense, the utilization of advisory committees, and the growing influence of NGOs have caused the public and private sectors to have multiple and overlapping responsibilities. Thoughts must to be given to how public values and probity can be preserved while maintaining and improving safeguards against increased opportunities for bureaucratic and political behavior.
Post‐spike distance‐to‐threshold trajectories of neurones in monkey motor cortex

A recently developed method permits calculation of the post‐spike distance‐to‐threshold trajectory from an extracellularly recorded spontaneous spike train, using a transform of the interspike interval histogram. We applied this method to 61 single neurones recorded from the primary motor cortex of an awake behaving monkey; 39 cells were antidromically identified as pyramidal tract neurones (PTNs). The cells fell into three categories. Fifty‐three trajectories (37 from PTNs) had statistically significant peaks 10–60 ms after the preceding spike. Six neurones (2 PTNs) had non‐peaked trajectories which rose exponentially towards threshold. Two cells (both unidentified) had trajectories which declined monotonically away from threshold with increasing post‐spike latency. The peaked trajectories were unlikely simply to be an artefact of changing firing rate, which potentially can invalidate this method. Firstly, computer simulations confirmed that the method could accurately re‐create both exponential and peaked trajectories, even in the presence of the same rate modulation as seen experimentally. Secondly, the responses of eight cells to weak single pulse intracortical microstimulation (20 μA) through a nearby electrode were measured. For each cell, including representatives of all three trajectory shapes, the modulation of response probability with post‐spike latency was consistent with the trajectory computed from the spontaneous discharge. We also demonstrated that cells showed a peaked trajectory during periods with either high or low spontaneous network oscillations, so that the peaks were likely to be generated in part by single cell properties rather than exclusively by network activity. We conclude that many single neurones in motor cortex have an increased probability of firing a spike around 30 ms after the previous action potential. This could act to enhance synchronized oscillatory discharge among populations of cells at functionally relevant frequencies.
Delegation of Decisions About Change in Organizations: The Roles of Competition, Trade, Uncertainty, and Scale

Using unique establishment-level data, we find that delegation of organizational change is more likely in workplaces that: face a competitive product market, export, have predictable demand, are part of a smaller overall organization, and have fewer workplaces in the firm producing the same output. Surprisingly, we find no significant relationship between import competition and the allocation of decision-making rights within a firm. Our results are robust to a range of specifications and to alternative measures of our key explanatory variables. (JEL D23, L23, L29).
Institutional and Strategic Choice Perspectives on Board Involvement in the Strategic Decision Process

The level of a board of directors' involvement in strategic decisions can be viewed as an institutional response or as a strategic adaptation to external pressures for greater board involvement. We examined the antecedents and effects of board involvement from both the institutional and strategic choice perspectives. Data obtained from personal interviews with 114 board members and archival records indicated that board size and levels of diversification and insider representation were negatively related to board involvement, and organizational age was positively related to it. Furthermore, we found board involvement to be positively related to financial performance after controlling for industry and size effects. Overall, the results suggest that both theoretical perspectives are necessary for a comprehensive description of the strategic role of boards.
Is Skill Mismatch Impeding U.S. Economic Recovery?

As the labor market continues its slow return to health following the Great Recession, economic policymakers have been concerned that unemployed workers do not have the skills required for the jobs that employers would like to fill. In this article, the author reviews available evidence and finds little empirical basis for the view that skill mismatch has impeded U.S. economic recovery. She then considers why the widespread perception of serious skill mismatch is so much at odds with what the data suggest. The article concludes with a brief discussion of implications for policy.
Regulatory Approaches to Monitoring Sustainable Forest Management1

SUMMARY The institutions created to address the problems associated with forest utilisation, degradation and destruction internationally have ranged from hard laws, put in place by governments through legislation, to soft law mechanisms such as forest certification. Each of these standards requires enforcement and evaluation through monitoring and information reporting. Despite differing levels of legalisation, the monitoring and information reporting requirements documented in hard and soft law mechanisms can reveal considerable crossover. It is therefore important to identify where hard laws are adequate for individual SFM situations and where soft laws are performing better, with a view to identifying overlaps that affect the efficiency, cost effectiveness and level of confidence in the monitoring process. This paper presents a basic theoretical background to SFM and discusses two important characteristics, namely adaptive management and monitoring. The hard and soft law mechanisms available to forest policy makers are addressed and, finally, the role of stakeholders and the wider operating environment in forestry-related monitoring is considered.
Frequency and clinical context of decreased apparent diffusion coefficient reversal in the human brain.

PURPOSE To determine the probability that regions of decreased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) return to normal without persistent symptoms or T2 change and the settings in which these ADC reversals occur. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three hundred magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies were selected at random from a database of 7,147 examinations to determine the probability of a pathologically decreased ADC. In cases with decreased ADC, the clinical history was recorded and, if available, follow-up MR imaging findings were evaluated. Five cases of ADC reversal became known during the same period and were evaluated to determine the initial ADC decrease, clinical outcome, and findings at follow-up imaging. RESULTS Findings in 116 of 300 MR imaging studies revealed regions of decreased ADC. In 49 of 116 studies, follow-up MR imaging examinations were performed at least 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms; ADC did not reverse. Five cases of ADC reversal were identified in the same period, giving an estimated 0.2%-0.4% probability of ADC reversal. Clinical settings were venous sinus thrombosis and seizure (n = 3), hemiplegic migraine (n = 1), and hyperacute arterial infarction (n = 1). Both white matter (n = 3) and gray matter (n = 3) regions were involved. CONCLUSION Reversal of ADC lesions is rare, occurs in complicated clinical settings, and can involve white or gray matter.