Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying Quality Indicators of SAE and FFA: A Delphi Approach.

The purpose of this study was to determine quality indicators for SAE and FFA according to 36 experts across the United States. This is a part of a larger study looking at all components of the traditional three-circle model. The study utilized the Delphi technique to garner expert opinion about quality indicators in Agricultural Education. For SAE, round two resulted in two of the 46 quality statements reaching consensus. In addition, 17 SAE items were determined not to be quality indicators. Four of the 26 SAE statements in round three reached consensus. Also, for FFA, round two resulted in 13 of the 65 quality FFA statements reaching consensus, with 16 of the 65 FFA items determined not to be quality indicators of FFA. Six of the 36 FFA statements in round three reached consensus. This study is valuable in determining a scientific basis for identifying possible indicators of quality SAE and FFA.
Total management of the open abdomen

The management of complex abdominal problems with the ‘open abdomen’ (OA) technique has become a routine procedure in surgery. The number of cases treated with an OA has increased dramatically because of the popularisation of damage control for life‐threatening conditions, recognition and treatment of intra‐abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome and new evidence regarding the management of severe intra‐abdominal sepsis. Although OA has saved numerous lives and has addressed many problems related to the primary pathology, this technique is also associated with serious complications. New knowledge about the pathophysiology of the OA and the development of new technologies for temporary abdominal wall closure (e.g. ABThera™ Open Abdomen Negative Pressure Therapy; KCI USA Inc., San Antonio, TX) has helped improve the management and outcomes of these patients. This review will merge expert physician opinion with scientific evidence regarding the total management of the OA.
Designing “Najeeb”: Technology-Enhanced Learning For Children With Impaired Hearing Using Arabic Sign-Language ArSL Applications

Technology is increasingly being used to motivate learning. Deaf children in the Arab-speaking world traditionally face challenges in acquiring basic skills and encounter difficulties particular to their abilities. Their inclusion in regular schooling contexts in our education system places much responsibility for their success on the support of educators and caregivers designated to provide them with the assistance they need. Technology enhanced learning has the potential for generating meaningful learning experiences for children to develop their cognitive, social and literacy skills. In this paper, we describe the design and development of an iOS application that provides an opportunity to children with impaired hearing, ages 7–12, to learn about basic Islamic tenets like ablution (Wudu), daily prayer (Salah), and supplication (Athkar) using the Arabic Sign Language (ArSL).
The Marginal Efficiency Cost of Redistribution

The efficiency effects of redistributive policies are analyzed using a computational general equilibrium model, based on U.S. data for 1979. For parameter values considered most reasonable, a tax-financed universal cash grant generates losses for the higher-income groups that exceed the gains of the lower-income groups by 50 to 130 percent. These efficiency costs are substantially below those calculated by other authors. The marginal efficiency cost of redistribution through wage subsidies is near zero and can be negative. Social preferences regarding inequality need not be anywhere near Rawlsian in order for society to prefer further redistribution. Copyright 1988 by American Economic Association.
Direct Torque Control Algorithm for Induction Motor Using Hybrid Fuzzy-PI and Anti-Windup PI Controller with DC Current Sensors

In this paper, torque ripple minimization in direct torque control (DTC) of three phase Induction Motor (IM) using PI, hybrid fuzzy PI and anti-windup PI controller were compared. Speed performance is also improved when the controllers were changed. Reconstruction of phase current method is used in the conventional method, by using this method cost of the sensors is reduced and also basic DTC performance is maintained. The reference speed is used for generating the reference torque with the help of PI controller. The drawback is torque ripple in induction motor by using the existing DTC. In proposed system, controller of hybrid fuzzy-PI and antiwindup PI were implemented for generating the reference torque. The speed performance is improved by hybrid Fuzzy-PI controller and the torque ripples will be minimized by using the anti-windup PI controller. The proposed method is implemented using MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Demonstration of an enhanced trench Bimode Insulated Gate Transistor ET-BIGT

In this paper, a 3300V Bimode Insulated Gate Transistor BIGT chip utilizing an Enhanced Trench MOS cell is demonstrated. The paper provides an insight into the ET-BIGT device design along with the static and dynamic electrical results obtained from the first manufactured prototypes. The combined advantages of a low loss Enhanced Trench cell concept and BIGT chip integration sets a new milestone for delivering higher output power for the next generation BIGT power modules.
Prosodic and segmental aspects of nonword repetition in 4- to 6-year-old children who are deaf and hard of hearing compared to controls with normal hearing

ABSTRACT Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) are at an increased risk of speech and language deficits. Nonword repetition (NWR) is a potential predictor of problems with phonology, grammar and lexicon in DHH children. The aim of the present study was to examine repetition of prosodic features and segments in nonwords by DHH children compared to children with normal hearing (NH) and to relate NWR performance to measures of language ability and background variables. In this cross-sectional study, 14 Swedish-speaking children with mild–profound sensorineural hearing loss, aged 4–6 years, and 29 age-matched controls with NH and typical language development participated. The DHH children used cochlear implants (CI), hearing aids or a combination of both. The assessment materials included a prosodically controlled NWR task, as well as tests of phonological production, expressive grammar and receptive vocabulary. The DHH children performed below the children with NH on the repetition of tonal word accents, stress patterns, vowels and consonants, with consonants being hardest, and tonal word accents easiest, to repeat. NWR performance was also correlated with language ability, and to hearing level, in the DHH children. Both prosodic and segmental features of nonwords are problematic for Swedish-speaking DHH children compared to children with NH, but performance on tonal word accent repetition is comparably high. NWR may have potential as a clinically useful tool for identification of children who are in need of speech and language intervention.
A Framework for Developing and Testing Financial Capability Programs Targeted to Elementary Schools

Concerns about consumers' ability to manage their finances have triggered a range of proposals, including interventions aimed at elementary school students. The goal of these approaches is to improve lifelong economic decision making, but the evidence supporting their efficacy is thin. In this article, the authors discuss the trend toward elementary financial education and propose a framework for developing evidence-based programs. They emphasize the need for understanding the underlying mechanisms that facilitate the translation of student knowledge into the ability to make sound economic decisions over the life course. The framework illustrates the importance of articulating the intended mechanisms and effects of education programs. This focus on mechanisms will not only facilitate the evaluation of individual programs, but also the synthesis of evidence across interventions.
Reduced height Luneburg lens antennas for satellite communications-on-the-move

The hemispherical (or half-Luneburg) lens antenna is a candidate type for satellite communications-on-the-move, either singly or as an element in a small array. It offers good aperture efficiency in a reduced height and excellent scanning performance. This work describes the development of half Luneburg lens antennas together with feeding arrangements to provide highly directive antennas with good scanning properties. The effects of the primary feed pattern and other loss mechanisms are investigated and reported. Measured gain for a 432mm diameter polymer lens at 30 GHz is 38.7 dBi.
A Dynamic Macroeconometric Model of Pakistan’s Economy

In this study, an attempt has been made of develop a dynamic macroeconometric model of Pakistan’s economy to examine the behaviour of major macroeconomic variables such as output, consumption, investment, government expenditure, money, interest rates, prices, exports, and imports. The model consists of 21 equations, of which 13 are behavioural and the rest are identities. The Engle-Granger two-step cointegration procedure is used to derive the long-run and short -run elasticities for the period 1972-2009. The test of significance of each estimated equation seems to validate the model. The estimated long-run parameters are used to perform simulation experiments to determine the model’s ability to track historical data and to assess the behaviour of the key macroeconomic variables in response to the changes in selected exogenous variables. The results indicate that the majority of macroeconomic variables follow an increasing trend over the period of simulation, 2009-2013.
The role of interleukin‐6 in insulin resistance, body fat distribution and energy balance

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is a central player in the regulation of inflammation, haematopoiesis, immune response and host defense mechanisms. During the last decade, an accumulating amount of data suggested a pivotal role for IL‐6 in metabolic processes, thus fortifying the picture of IL‐6 as a multifaceted, pleiotropic cytokine. Because of its secretion by adipose tissue and contracting skeletal muscle and its broad action on central and peripheral organs, IL‐6 has been termed an adipokine and a myokine. Its quantitative release from adipose tissue results in a subclinical, systemic elevation of IL‐6 plasma levels with increasing body fat content, which may be implicated in the proinflammatory state leading to insulin resistance. On the other hand, IL‐6 produced in the working muscle during physical activity could act as an energy sensor by activating AMP‐activated kinase and enhancing glucose disposal, lipolysis and fat oxidation. In addition, both impaired IL‐6 secretion and action are risk factors for weight gain. Thus, IL‐6 clearly has lipolytic effects and anti‐obesity potential. However, the application of IL‐6 itself is at least limited by a narrow therapeutic range and its important function for a balanced inflammatory response. Further studies on the molecular basis of the metabolic effects of IL‐6 could elucidate novel therapeutic strategies for custom‐designed, IL‐6‐related substances.
Expression of stress proteins and mitochondrial chaperonins in chronically stimulated skeletal muscle.

Molecular chaperones and cytosolic stress proteins are actively involved in the stabilization, import and refolding of precursor proteins into mitochondria. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between mitochondrial content under steady-state conditions, and during the induction of organelle biogenesis, with the expression of stress proteins and mitochondrial chaperonins. A comparison of steady-state levels of mitochondrial enzyme activity [cytochrome c oxidase (CYTOX)] with chaperonin levels [the heat-shock protein HSP60, the glucose-regulated protein GRP75 (mtHSP70)] in striated muscles possessing a wide range of oxidative capacities revealed a proportional expression between the two. This relationship was disrupted by chronic contractile activity brought about by 10 days of 10 Hz stimulation of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, which induced 2.4-fold increases in CYTOX activity, but 3.2- and 9.3-fold increases in HSP60 and GRP75 respectively. The inducible stress protein HSP70i was detected at low levels in control TA muscle, and was increased 9.6-fold by chronic contractile activity, to values comparable with those found in the unstressed soleus muscle. This increase occurred in the absence of changes in type I MHC levels, indicating independent regulation of these genes. Despite the increases in HSP60 and HSP70i proteins, contractile activity did not alter their respective mRNA levels, illustrating post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene regulation during contractile activity. In contrast, the mRNA levels encoding the co-chaperonin CPN10 were increased 3.3-fold by contractile activity. Thus, the expression of individual mitochondrial chaperonins is independently regulated and uncoordinated. The extent of the induction of these stress proteins and chaperonins by contractile activity exceeded that of membrane enzymes (e.g. CYTOX). It remains to be determined whether this marked induction of proteins comprising part of the protein import machinery is beneficial for the translocation of enzyme precursors into the mitochondria during conditions of accelerated biogenesis.
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Manifestations

Current concepts of the many complex pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical and laboratory manifestations of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are presented. Considerable attention has been devoted to interrelationships within the hemostasis system. Only by clearly understanding these extraordinarily complex pathophysiological interrelationships can the clinician and laboratory scientist appreciate the divergent and wide spectrum of often confusing clinical and laboratory findings in patients with DIC. Many therapeutic decisions are controversial and will remain so until more is published about specific therapeutic modalities and survival patterns. The future holds promise for not only newer antithrombotic agents, but also agents which will block, blunt or modify cytokine activity and the activity of vasoactive substances. Also, therapy must be highly individualized depending on the nature of DIC, age, etiology of DIC, site and severity of hemorrhage or thrombosis and hemodynamic and other clinical parameters.
Evaluating the Optic Disc and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Glaucoma II: Optical Image Analysis

Glaucoma is a widespread, blindness-causing disease that is characterized in part by specific and sometimes subtle changes in optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer topography. Several recently developed computer-based optical imaging techniques allow objective evaluation of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer. These techniques use different optical properties and different properties of the retina to provide micron scale measurements of many aspects of optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer structure. This article describes and evaluates 3 of these techniques: confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, scanning laser polarimetry, and optical coherence tomography
The effect of alcohol on testosterone concentrations in alcohol-preferring and non-preferring rat lines.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported associations between human alcohol drinking and testosterone levels. METHODS In this study we investigated serum testosterone concentrations without and under the influence of alcohol in alcohol-preferring (AA) and nonpreferring (ANA) rat lines. Animals were tested in both mornings and afternoons and the alcohol doses were 0.75 and 1.50 g/kg. RESULTS Higher basal serum testosterone levels were detected in the AA rats compared with the ANA rats in both mornings (152%, p = 0.028) and afternoons (75%, p = 0.035). The high alcohol dose decreased the testosterone concentrations of both the AA and the ANA rats (p = 0.001-0.01). The low dose, however, decreased testosterone concentrations only in the ANA line (line difference in the morning: p = 0.027; in the afternoon p = 0.000). CONCLUSION The present results support previous indications of a positive association between testosterone and alcohol drinking. Furthermore, the present results, together with earlier reports on the AA and ANA rats, introduce the possibility of a connection between this association and the hypothalamic opiate system, which is also involved in the feedback regulation of testosterone synthesis.
Foreign devaluation as a coordinating device of heterogeneous investors: A game‐theoretic analysis of financial contagion

This paper investigates financial contagion by extending the Morris–Shin (1998) model of financial crises. It is assumed that before a devaluation in a foreign country, home investors have only private information on the state of the home country. It is demonstrated that the occurrence of a currency crisis in the foreign country may trigger a similar crisis in the home country by coordinating heterogeneous beliefs of home investors. The model is designed to describe the Asian currency crisis of 1997.
Measuring quality gaps in hotels: the case of Crete

Reports on a study that applied the well‐ established SERVQUAL methodological instrument to an investigation of those hotels in Crete that have adopted the ISO 9000 quality standard. Three service gaps are explored through a questionnaire survey of guests and managers in ten Cretan hotels. The study finds that there is a divergence between the perceptions of service quality of guests and managers, and that the greatest gaps exist in hotels of the highest quality classification. Finally, some implications of the ISO standard in hotels are discussed.
Survey of naturally occurring CD4+ T cell responses against NY-ESO-1 in cancer patients: Correlation with antibody responses

NY-ESO-1 is one of the most immunogenic proteins described in human cancers, based on its capacity to elicit simultaneous antibody and CD8+ T cell responses in vivo. Although HLA class II restricted epitopes from NY-ESO-1 have been identified, no broad survey has yet established the status of natural CD4+ T cell responses in cancer patients in relation to CD8+ and antibody responses. We used a recently developed general strategy for monitoring CD4+ responses that overcomes the need for prior knowledge of epitope or HLA restriction to analyze a series of 31 cancer patients and healthy donors for the presence of CD4+ T cells to NY-ESO-1, and related this response to NY-ESO-1 expression in tumor cells and serum antibodies to NY-ESO-1. None of the 18 patients that tested seronegative for NY-ESO-1 had detectable CD4+ T cell responses. On the contrary, 11 of 13 cancer patients with serum antibodies to NY-ESO-1 had polyclonal CD4+ T cell responses directed against various known and previously undescribed NY-ESO-1 epitopes. NY-ESO-1 peptide 80–109 was the most immunogenic, with 10 of 11 patients responding to this peptide. We show here that 12-mer determinants from NY-ESO-1 eliciting a CD4+ T cell response were peptide 87–98 with promiscuous HLA class II presentation, peptide 108–119 restricted by HLA-DP4, and peptides 121–132 and 145–156, both shorter epitopes from previously described HLA-DR4 peptides, also presented by HLA-DR7. This study represents the next step in compiling a comprehensive picture of the adaptive immune response to NY-ESO-1, and provides a general strategy for analyzing the CD4+ T cell response to other tumor antigens eliciting a humoral immune response.
THE EFFECTS OF EPISODIC MEMORY LOSS ON AN AMNESIC PATIENT ’ S ABILITY TO REMEMBER THE PAST AND IMAGINE THE FUTURE

This article examines the effects of memory loss on a patient’s ability to remember the past and imagine the future. We present the case of D.B. , who, as a result of hypoxic brain damage, suffered severe amnesia for the personally experienced past. By contrast, his knowledge of the nonpersonal past was relativelypreserved. A similar pattern was evidenced in his ability to anticipate future events. Although D.B. had great difficulty imaginingwhat his experiencesmight be like in the future, his capacity to anticipate issues and events in the public domain was comparable to that of neurologically healthy, age-matchedcontrols. These findings suggest that neuropsychological dissociations between episodic and semantic memory for the past also may extend to the ability to anticipate the future.
TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND LABOR MARKET IN BRAZIL: IMPACTS ON EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES IN TRADEABLES AND NONTRADEABLES SECTORS

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impacts of openness on employment and wages, taking into consideration two crucial aspects. The first, related to labor demand, refers to an increase in the relative employment of less-skilled workers. With Brazil being a developing country with abundant less-skilled labor, it can be expected – based on H-O-S – that income redistribution in favor of unskilled labor may occur after the trade liberalization. The second aspect is the impact on tradeables and non-tradeables. The H-O-S model implicitly admits tradeables goods only. However, the effect on the labor market is also felt on the non-tradeables sector. This aspect has been neglected in the analyses concerning this subject in the Brazilian economy. The conclusion raises the point that it is difficult to define any prevalence of labor demand shifts in the tradeables or nontradeables sectors. However, when the analysis is carried out after breaking down data based on levels of education, it is possible to conclude that the demand for unskilled workers increased after trade liberalization in Brazil. Nevertheless, demand shifts among sectors suggest that H-O-S framework does not explain the impacts of trade liberalization in Brazil, since the demand for skilled workers increased among the same sectors. This data, however, needs to be looked at with caution since the stabilization in Brazil (1994) changed income distribution by means and through the effects of an inflation tax and forced saving.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE EFFECTS OF TAX SHOCKS ON OUTPUT: NOT SO LARGE, BUT NOT SMALL EITHER

I thank Roger Gordon and a referee for very helpful suggestions; Carlo Favero for several discussions that helped clarify the issues, and for pointing out a crucial mistake in an earlier version of the paper; Yuriy Gorodnichenko, who discussed an earlier version at the NBER-IGIER TAPES conference held in Varenna, Italy in June 2010; and Morten Ravn for very useful comments. Elia Pietro Boe provided excellent research assistance. This paper was produced as part of the project Growth and Sustainability Policies for Europe (GRASP), a Collaborative Project funded by the European Commission's Seventh Research Framework Programme, contract number 244725. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Towards Neoliberal Trade Unionism: Decline, Renewal and Transformation in North American Labour Movements

The article argues that ‘renewal’ and ‘crisis’ are inadequate descriptors of the current state of the American and Canadian labour movements. Many of the structural and strategic shifts that have remade labour unions in North America over the past two decades — including new organizing strategies, bargaining outcomes and political strategies — speak rather to a contradictory reconstitution of organized labour along neoliberal lines and the impasse of the renewal project. If there is a crisis in the labour movement, it is a crisis in the nature of trade unions as working‐class organizations. The article builds this argument through, in turn, a historical overview, a critical reading of the labour renewal literature and a discussion of current trade union practice.