Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prolactin Levels during the Periparturitional Period in the Biparental Cotton-Top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus): Interactions with Gender, Androgen Levels, and Parenting

Unlike biparental bird and rodent species, mating and parenting occur simultaneously in cotton-top tamarins, Saguinus oedipus, providing a unique model for examining endocrine interactions. This study was designed to determine the relationship of prolactin to testicular androgens during parenting and mating. Specifically we examined (1) the patterns of postpartum prolactin excretion in male and female tamarins with and without infant survival; (2) the relationship between androgen and prolactin levels during the periparturitional period in male tamarins; and (3) male hormonal response to the postpartum mating that occurs simultaneously with paternal care. All females showed an elevation in prolactin during the first week postpartum and when infants died, female prolactin levels decreased significantly. Infant survival during the first 15 days did not influence male levels of prolactin, cortisol, or the testicular androgens testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Prolactin did not show an inverse relationship with any of the androgens (testosterone, DHT) studied during the postpartum period. No significant differences in hormones were found between prepartum levels and the first, second, and third 5-day blocks postpartum for all 10 males. Males who had infant-care experience showed an increase in testosterone during the first 5 days postpartum and prolactin levels correlated with the number of previous births a male had experienced. However, the most significant changes in testosterone occurred in males whose mates ovulated during the first 15 days following birth in contrast to males whose mates ovulated later than 15 days. These results indicate that unlike females, male tamarins are not showing hormonal changes in response to infants. Urinary androgens did not show an inverse relationship to prolactin in male tamarins, but were elevated concurrent with the female's fertile period.
Field Studies on the Sick Building Syndrome a

Field studies of the sick building syndrome have generally used questionnaires developed to define symptoms present over weeks and months, such as those asking ". do you usually . " Although such studies have implicated ventilation systems as a major contributor to indoor air quality complaints, no specific exposures have been identified. An alternative approach is based on the short-term quantification of symptoms and characterization of the indoor environment with direct-reading or short-term sampling techniques. This paper summarizes the development of such a method in two studies in problem buildings and its subsequent application in a study in nonproblem buildings. The method correctly identified the postulated cause in a first building and generated a hypothesis for intervention in the second. In the nonproblem buildings, the levels of complaints appear related to the levels of VOCs, lighting, hours spent at desks, and crowding. This approach has suggested that dose-response relationships do exist in the sick building syndrome. Weaknesses of this approach include an inability to adequately address microbial characterization of indoor environments and the social and organizational predictors of complaints that are recognized to be of importance.
Citizen Participation and Citizen Evaluation in Disaster Recovery

In April 1997, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, experienced a disastrous flood. Both cities have been textbook examples of success according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They have an updated infrastructure, paid for largely by the federal government. Their downtowns are on the road to recovery with new construction and businesses. The paths of the two cities have diverged in the social and political aftermath of the flood. East Grand Forks, following consultant suggestions, instituted extensive citizen participation initiatives. East Grand Forks has experienced political stability and citizen satisfaction. Grand Forks relied primarily on bureaucratic guidance to react to the disaster. Grand Forks has experienced changes in government structure, turnover of elected and appointed officials, and much less positive citizen evaluation. This study examines the effect of perceptions of citizen participation on the citizens’ evaluation of the success of the recovery.
Impaired coronary vasodilatory capacity after dipyridamole administration in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

To investigate mechanisms for a reduced coronary vasodilatory capacity in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), maximum coronary blood flow and minimum coronary vascular resistance were measured by administering dipyridamole (0.56 mg/kg) to 19 patients with non-obstructive HCM and to 7 control subjects. The maximum coronary blood flow was significantly lower (131 +/- 46 vs 192 +/- 41 ml/100 g . min, p less than 0.01, mean +/- SD) and the minimum coronary vascular resistance was significantly higher (0.64 +/- 0.23 vs 0.44 +/- 0.13 mmHg/ml/100 g . min, p less than 0.05) in HCM patients. There were no significant correlations between maximum coronary blood flow or minimum coronary vascular resistance and the baseline left ventricular end-diastolic pressure or the severity of systolic narrowing of the left anterior descending artery of the septal perforator. In contrast, the minimum coronary vascular resistance was correlated significantly with the left ventricular muscle mass (r = 0.55, p less than 0.05), but its correlation to small coronary vessel disease could not be studied. In addition, HCM patients with a reduced exercise tolerance (less than 7 metabolic units) demonstrated a significantly lower maximum coronary blood flow and higher minimum coronary vascular resistance than control subjects. These findings suggest that: (1) there is a group of HCM patients who have a reduced coronary vasodilatory capacity, (2) abnormal coronary vasculature is a possible underlining mechanism of HCM, either due to inadequate growth unassociated with left ventricular hypertrophy or as small coronary vessel disease, and (3) a reduced coronary vasodilatory capacity.
Screening for impaired glucose tolerance in obese children and adolescents. A validation and implementation study.

What is already known about this subject Fasting triglycerides above 1.17 mmol/L have been shown to be useful to select obese children and adolescents who may present impaired glucose tolerance in a Canadian cohort. Fasting plasma glucose is associated with the risk to present impaired glucose tolerance in several cohorts of obese children and adolescents.
The potential use of laser capture microdissection to selectively obtain distinct populations of cells for proteomic analysis — Preliminary findings

Proteomics‐based studies offer a powerful complementary approach to DNA/RNA‐based investigations and are now being applied to investigate aspects of many diseases including cancer. However, the heterogeneous nature of tissue samples often makes interpretation difficult. We have undertaken a study into the potential use of a novel laser capture microdissection (LCM) system to isolate cells of interest for subsequent proteomic analysis. Retrieval of selected cells is achieved by activation of a transfer film placed in contact with a tissue section, by a laser beam (30 or 60 μm diameter) which is focused on a selected area of tissue using an inverted microscope. The precise area of film targeted by the laser bonds to the tissue beneath it and these cells are then lifted free of surrounding tissue. Although the technique has been shown to be readily compatible with subsequent analysis of nucleic acids, little information is yet available regarding the application of protein‐based analyses to the captured tissue. We report here preliminary data regarding the potential use of the LCM system in combination with two‐dimensional electrophoresis to examine protein profiles of selected tissue areas. Electrophoretic profiles of proteins from normal and malignant renal tissue samples showed little change following LCM, nine selected proteins showed identical mass spectrometric sequencing profiles, and two selected proteins retained antigenicity. Dissection of epithelial tissue from a sample of normal human cervix resulted in enrichment of some proteins compared with analysis of the whole tissue. LCM will be a valuable adjunct to proteomic studies although further detailed validation is necessary.
IT project risk assessment methods: a literature review

A key step of IT project risk management is risk assessment. Risk assessment methods rely on the problem and object to be addressed. This study introduces the process of IT project risk assessment and reviews applications of IT project risk assessment methods. Furthermore, we analyse and compare 20 methods for assessing risk in IT project. Finally, this study proposes a target-process-oriented framework for classifying IT project risk assessment methods. Differences of IT project risk assessment methods are also analysed.
Economic Growth and Labor Standards: Evidence from a Dynamic Panel Data Model

The relations between economic growth and international labor standards are explored in a panel of 121 countries from 1974 to 2004. A large literature has empirically tested the neoclassical and endogenous growth models using cross-sectional or panel regressions. Here, the growth model is augmented with labor standards. A dynamic panel data model is used to account for the endogeneity of the determinants of economic growth and labor standards. Two measures of labor standards are used: the rate of work injuries and the rate of strikes and lockouts. The estimation results show that higher levels of labor standards are associated with higher rates of economic growth. Copyright © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Real-Time Out-of-Sample Exchange Rate Predictability

This paper revisits the long-standing Meese and Rogoff puzzle by examining the importance of real-time data for exchange rate forecasting. Most of the existing literature on exchange rate predictability uses recent historical data, which are not available to the public at the time the forecasts are made. This paper evaluates short- and long-horizon out-of-sample exchange rate predictability using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and Taylor rule fundamentals for 16 OECD currencies during the post-Bretton Woods era. Comparing the results with real-time and revised data, the evidence of short-run exchange rate predictability with Taylor rule models is stronger with real-time data. The models with Taylor rule fundamentals outperform the naive no-change model at the 1-quarter horizon for 8 out of 16 currencies vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar with real-time data and for 6 out of 16 currencies with revised data, with the strongest evidence coming from specifications that incorporate heterogeneous coefficients. The evidence of short-run predictability is much stronger with Taylor rule models than with conventional purchasing power parity model regardless of which type of data is used. The out-of-sample performance of both PPP and Taylor rule fundamentals improves at longer horizons, with PPP model performing best in the long run. At the 16-quarter horizon, the models with Taylor rule fundamentals outperform the random walk for 10 out of 16 currencies vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar with either type of data, while the PPP model outperforms the naive no-change model for 13 out of 16 currencies with real-time data and for 11 out of 16 currencies with revised data. Key Words:
23-Level Inverter for Electric Vehicles Using a Single Battery Pack and Series Active Filters

Cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel inverters have been conceived as an alternative to reduce total harmonic distortion (THD) in medium-voltage drives. The reduced THD makes them useful for electric vehicle (EV) applications, but the main problem with the CHB is the large amount of isolated power sources required to feed each of the H-bridges. An improved variant known as the asymmetrical CHB (ACHB) inverter uses H-bridges of different sizes and then needs fewer isolated power sources than the CHB. However, in battery-powered EVs, only one power supply (fuel cell or battery pack) is desirable. This work presents a solution to solve the problem, operating some of the small H-bridges (Aux-bridges) as series active filters and using a small high-frequency link (HFL). With this solution, only one dc source is required to feed the inverter, and if the control is adjusted to work at particular switching points, more than 98% of power is transferred through the larger H-bridges (MAIN bridges). The proposed ACHB topology can produce any number of levels, and the M AIN bridges always commutate at fundamental frequency. As the number of levels must remain constant for all output voltages, a variable dc source is required to control the amplitude of the motor voltage. This work shows some simulations and experiments on a 2-kW 27-level ACHB working with only 23 levels. The concept is being implemented in a small EV with an ACHB drive of 18 kW.
Labor Supply and Marital Separation

Panel data are used to estimate the effect of marital separation on labor supply. Female labor supply increases substantially and male labor supply declines marginally, lending support to the theory of specialization within the household. The most interesting finding is that women began to increase their labor supply well before the actualsplit occurs, suggesting either that shocks to labor supply change divorce probabilities or that women with a higher likelihood of divorcework more. This argument is pursued by constructing and estimating a simultaneous model of labor supply and divorce risk. Copyright 1986 by American Economic Association.
Levels and systems of employment in the Japanese retail trade: a comparison with France

The Japanese retail trade generates considerably more jobs than its French counterpart, and it manages these jobs in a very different way. The aim of this paper is to present both an economic explanation of the comparative levels of the retail employment in both countries and a socio-economic comparative interpretation of the corresponding employment systems. The first part of the paper presents the main differences between the two countries in respect of employment levels in retailing. In the second part, we put forward a set of economic explanations for these differences. In the third part, more qualitative differences in employment systems and, in particular, labour segmentation and flexibility, are analysed against the background of family structures and norms and of certain institutional features at national and industry level. This final part provides an opportunity for a reassessment of the concepts that have traditionally underpinned segmentation and dual labour market theories. Copyright 2001 by Oxford University Press.
PRIO Conflict Site 1989–2008: A Geo-Referenced Dataset on Armed Conflict

This article presents PRIO Conflict Site, a geo-referenced dataset on armed conflict, which provides geographic information on the location, scope, and size of all conflicts in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset, 1989â€“2008. In contrast to earlier efforts to map the incidence of conflicts, this dataset is structured in a country-year format that accounts for the temporal dynamics of conflicts. The article reveals that unlike the well-known post-Cold War decline of conflict, there is no contemporaneous decline in the spatial extent of conflict. Furthermore, it is shown that governmental conflicts are more dynamic, both in terms of location and scope, than separatist conflicts.
Scholarly approach brings sweeping change

84 It’s hard not to be a little overwhelmed talking to Robert Merton. Widely acknowledged as one of the finest living scholars in the field of economics, his work has played a recognizable part in shaping the global financial systems of today. His application of continuous-time financial mathematics to the problem of option pricing almost thirty years ago paved the way for new kinds—and applications—of economic valuations, which have had ramifications in fields ranging from derivatives markets to risk management. This work, of course, earned him the Nobel Prize, shared with Myron Scholes and acknowledging the late Fischer Black, the other key contributor to the theory. There can be no doubt that the contributions of these men influenced the evolution of the world’s financial systems (see below: Black–Scholes, Merton and option pricing). They also provided early evidence of the scope of Merton’s vision. In the autobiography he wrote for the Nobel foundation he explained that as a young PhD student he deserted mathematics for economics because of the belief that macroeconomics could help prevent unemployment and inflation. In other words, he thought that by working in economics he could contribute something that ‘mattered’ and could potentially affect millions of people. There is little doubt that his achievements to date are already on that scale. His focus these days is geared towards a new model for modern financial systems that can provide insight into their inefficiencies and suggest workable solutions. The vision, if anything, has intensified. Yet this man of great intellect and ambition is nonetheless approachable and accommodating, an articulate tutor of his subject, yet far from presumptuous about the importance of his research. ‘I was delighted to have been involved in something that did have such a substantial impact. Achieving that once in a lifetime is more than most people can hope for! I do not necessarily expect to achieve that again. ’But his current work holds just such a promise.
A new business model for the gift industry in Taiwan

Purpose – In the gift industry, there are many large enterprises with strong brand image, customer loyalty, marketing, or service, and they are also rich in retail channels and resources. In this situation, how can brand‐new or small companies thrive in a competitive market? The purpose of this paper is to present a case study from the experiences in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses intensive interviews with company managers; considers the opinions of experts; and collects useful historical data for analysis.Findings – The paper summarizes eight key success factors for Franz: products and places; unique technology and process; unique business model; cost control capability; high growth in the gift market and popularity of orientalism; access to clients; small organizations; and human resources.Research limitations/implications – An intensive interview is a kind of oral questionnaire. The interviewee responds to the questions in his/her own way to provide significant answers but this may.
Regulation, Cell Differentiation and Protein-Based Inheritance

Recent research using fungi as models provide new insight into the ability of regulatory networks to generate cellular states that are sufficiently stable to be faithfully transmitted to daughter cells, thereby generating epigenetic inheritance. Such protein-based inheritance is driven by infectious factors endowed with properties usually displayed by prions. We emphasize the contribution of regulatory networks to the emerging properties displayed by cells.
The underpricing and long-run underperformance of initial public offerings: evidence from Vietnam

We examine a sample of listed firms in Vietnam Stock Market from January 2005 to July 2012 to find evidence for initial public offering (IPO) underpricing and long-run underperformance. The study employs market-adjusted measures and cross-sectional analysis. The results show that the degree of underpricing measured by the two alternative methods is 38% and 49%, respectively. We find no evidence for long-run underperformance in time horizons of 12, 24 and 36 months. Furthermore, the study documents that oversubscription rate and reserve price are negatively correlated to the level of underpricing. Market factor has a weak impact. Other factors such as firm size, listing delay, age and post-IPO state-ownership level have no relationship with underpricing. Our finding for impact of reserve price contributes to literature about determinants of underpricing in an auction mechanism. This implies managers should prudently take it into consideration before proceeding with an IPO. The results also suggest a strategy which invests in IPO stocks having low oversubscription rate and low reserve price can overperform the market.
PARENTS AND SCHOOL: AGENTS OFNATIONALSOCIALIZATION?

Can school foster identification with the receiving country to the point that second generation immigrants abandon their parents’ original national identification? To answer this question, this paper focuses on the case of Catalonia. Catalonia is an interesting case study because it has three key characteristics: first, a center-periphery cleavage; second, regional, rather than central, government is responsible for education; and third, the presence of a significant number of immigrants who moved there from other Spanish regions between the mid-fifties and mid-seventies. Building on recent empirical works, this paper examines the impact of the language policy that has been implemented in Catalan schools since 1983. The results of the analysis suggest that even if years of schooling can increase the chances that both the children of natives and the children of immigrants develop a bi-national identification, parents’ feeling of ‘being Catalan’ is the key element that fosters Catalan oriented identification among their children. The results also provide evidence in favor of the idea that both immigrant families’ economic progress and immigrant families’ self-selection into neighborhoods with a moderate presence of other immigrants are decisive elements in promoting identification with Catalonia.
The rise of intrusive online advertising and the response of user experience research at Yahoo!

Over the past five years, online advertising has shifted dramatically toward much greater levels of intrusiveness in an effort to increase advertising effectiveness. Advances in user experience through good design or improvements in usability in many products have been tarnished by forms of online advertising that have become increasingly annoying to users. Since advertising is often the primary source of revenue for many products, user experience design and research teams have had to accept online advertising as a "design constraint," with little influence on the advertising format selected. Here, we describe the emergence of a new user experience research role and our ongoing effort at Yahoo! to understand the nature and negative impacts of online advertising on user experience, with the goal of feeding this knowledge into the decision making process for ad formats, ad characteristics, and where ads are best placed within the Yahoo! network.
Rural and remote communities -- innovation in the midst of adversity.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Rural and Remote Health provides clear evidence of both the necessities facing rural communities and the invention spawned by those who do not accept ‘No’ as an answer. We have over 70 original research articles progressing through to publication as we speak. And yet, I doubt if we are uncovering more than the tip of the rural and remote health innovation iceberg.