Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prioritizing quality problems in SMEs: a methodology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a new methodology to be used by small and medium enterprises to characterize their performance in quality, highlighting weaknesses and areas for improvement. The methodology aims to identify the main causes of quality problems and help to prioritize improvement initiatives. This is a methodology that intends to be easy to implement by companies with low maturity level in quality. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the literature review a methodology for diagnosing and prioritizing quality problems is proposed. Then two longitudinal case studies are performed to refine and validate the proposed methodology. The methodology is organized in six different steps which include gathering information about predetermined processes and sub-processes of quality management, defined based on Juran’s trilogy, and about predetermined results categories. Findings – The application of the methodology was successful in two case studies and a report was produced on the q.
Furin inhibition results in absent or decreased invasiveness and tumorigenicity of human cancer cells

Pro-protein convertases such as furin are expressed in many human tumor lines and primary tumors. Furin processes stromelysin-3, membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) involved in tumor cell invasiveness, as well as growth factors such as transforming growth factor β1. Evaluation of furin expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells exhibiting different invasive ability showed that furin overexpression correlated with their respective invasiveness. The use of a selective furin inhibitor, alpha 1-PDX (PDX) was studied in three furin-expressing invasive HNSCC cell lines. The effects of PDX transfection were evaluated in vivo and in vitro to determine changes in the malignant phenotype. Transfection of HNSCC cell lines with PDX resulted in significant decrease or absence of tumorigenicity after s.c. inoculation into severe combined immunodeficient mice. Likewise, in vitro invasiveness was reduced ≈50%. The in vivo invasion assay using tracheal xenotransplants showed even more drastic reductions of the invasive ability of PDX-transfected cells (up to an 80% decrease). PDX-transfected cells did not invade or penetrated less into the tracheal wall tissues than their vector alone-transfected counterparts. In addition, the former cells showed a remarkable decrease in MMP-2 processing and activity. After PDX transfection the cells were less efficient in processing the tumor progression-associated furin substrates transforming growth factor β1 and pro-membrane type 1-MMP. These findings indicate that furin inhibition is a feasible approach to attenuate and even abolish certain critical attributes of the advanced malignant phenotype. Thus, furin should be considered as a promising target for cancer therapy.
Marriage in transition: Evidence on age, education, and assets from six developing countries

Marriage is an event of great social and economic significance in most societies. Despite the centrality of marriage in an individual’s life history the literature on marriage patterns pays little attention to men. This paper examines trends in schooling age and assets at marriage for both men and women and spousal differences in these variables in six countries—Bangladesh Ethiopia Guatemala Mexico the Philippines and South Africa—using comparable data sets and methodologies. Descriptive statistics show that the correlation between personal characteristics is increasing compared to the correlation between parental characteristics indicating greater personal choice in marriage. Multivariate results indicate that both husbands and wives are better educated and older in more recent marriages. Husbands’ assets at marriage increase through time in four countries and remain constant in two. Wives’ assets at marriage increase in three countries remain constant in two and decline in one. Husband educational advantage at marriage has decreased in three countries has not changed in two and has increased in one. Husband age seniority has decreased in four countries and remained constant in two. However the distribution of assets at marriage continues to favor husbands. In three of the six countries studied the husband–wife asset difference has not changed through time—and therefore continues to favor husbands—and has increased in the other three. While the reduction of husband–wife gaps in schooling and age may improve the balance of power within the family persistent differences in assets in favor of husbands may have important effects on family well-being. Lastly the implications of increased personal choice and delayed marriage on the institution of marriage itself deserve further investigation. (authors)
Intervention Versus Regulation: The Role of the IMF in Crisis Prevention and Management

In this working paper, E. V. K. FitzGerald, of the Finance and Trade Policy Research Center at the Oxford University, investigates roles that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) might play given its mandate to provide institutional support for a global capital market that can promote trade and investment and given current worldwide economic instabilities, such as highly volatile exchange rates and financial and macroeconomic instabilities experienced in nonindustrialized countries. The experience of steady growth and price stability under the Bretton Woods system is often cited in support of a return to a managed fixed- rate system. FitzGerald contends, however, that although exchange rate instability might be related to the major financial crises of the past 20 years, such instability is not the source of financial crises; rather, factors such as the worldwide integration of financial markets and the development of heterogeneous financial instruments have created new sources of instability. In the new worldwide financial system exchange rates function as asset prices (that is, they reflect international capital flows) as well to regulate trade flows. Current account balances are, then, more likely a function of internal imbalances than of trade imbalances. Moreover, because interest rates reflect the desire to hold a given stock of bonds, their fluctuation does not cause international capital markets to clear (that is, cause saving to equal investment on a global scale).
Short‐term adaptation and chronic cardiac remodelling to high altitude in lowlander natives and Himalayan Sherpa

What is the topic of this review? At high altitude, the cardiovascular system must adapt in order to meet the metabolic demand for oxygen. This review summarizes recent findings relating to short‐term and life‐long cardiac adaptation to high altitude in the context of exercise capacity. What advances does it highlight? Both Sherpa and lowlanders exhibit smaller left ventricular volumes at high altitude; however, myocardial relaxation, as evidenced by diastolic untwist, is reduced only in Sherpa, indicating that short‐term hypoxia does not impair diastolic relaxation. Potential remodelling of systolic function, as evidenced by lower left ventricular systolic twist in Sherpa, may facilitate the requisite sea‐level mechanical reserve required during exercise, although this remains to be confirmed.
Evaluating the effectiveness of policies related to drunk driving

New findings are presented on the effectiveness (in terms of fatal crash reductions) of state-level public policies related to drunk driving. Conventional estimates of policy effects might be biased because of the endogeneity of policiess this concern is addressed by analyzing the time pattern of policy effects with respect to the date of adoption. For the 0.08 BAC law, the results suggest that a bias upward exists, but the policy is still somewhat effective. Graduated licensing programs for young drivers and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) organization are also evaluated for the first time in this type of analysis. The estimated time pattern of effects for graduated licensing suggest that its effects are also overstated in conventional analyses, but the policy is still effective for young drivers. The estimates for MADD do not imply an effect, but this result could be due to the crudeness of the variable used. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Epidemiology of trypanosome infections of the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes in the Zambezi Valley

SUMMARY The epidemiology of trypanosome infections of Glossina pallidipes was studied at a riverine site in the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe for a period of 13 months. Over 9000 flies were captured using a single trap. These flies were dissected, screened for trypanosome infection, sexed, and aged using both wing fray and (for females) ovarian category indices. Midgut infections were identified to species using recently developed DNA probes. The overall prevalence of mature infections was 5·5%, comprising 3·1% Trypanosoma vivax-type and 2·4% T. congolense-type (which included very low prevalences of T. brucei, T. simiae and another Nannomonas species). The prevalence of infection increased with age. For T. vivax-type infections in flies aged by ovarian category this relationship could be described by a simple ‘catalytic’ model assuming a constant per capita rate of infection. For T. congolense-type infections this model tended to over-estimate prevalence in older age classes, implying that the rate of infection decreases with age, and/or that infected flies have higher mortality rates, and/or that a significant fraction of the population is resistant to infection. Prevalences of infection also varied between months. This variation was more marked for T. vivax-type infections and was negatively correlated with both temperature and rainfall. The shape of the age-prevalence relationship, however, did not vary significantly between months. These observations are not fully explained by variation in the age-structure of the tsetse population and are consistent with temporal variation in the rate of infection (rather than in the trypanosome developmental period or in effects of infection on fly mortality). Possible causes of this variation are discussed.
Photoinduced covalent binding of frusemide and frusemide glucuronide to human serum albumin.

AIMS To study reaction of photoactivated frusemide (F) and F glucuronide (Fgnd metabolite) with human serum albumin in order to find a clue to clarify a mechanism of phototoxic blisters from high frusemide dosage. METHODS F was exposed to light in the presence of human serum albumin (HSA). HSA treated with this method (TR-HSA) was characterized by fluorescence spectroscopic experiment, alkali treatment and reversible binding experiment. RESULTS Less 4-hydroxyl-N-furfuryl-5-sulphamoylanthranilic acid (4HFSA, a photodegradation product of F) was formed in the presence of HSA than in the absence of HSA. A new fluorescence spectrum excited at 320 nm was observed for TR-HSA. Alkali treatment of TR-HSA released 4HFSA. Quenching of the fluorescence due to the lone tryptophan near the warfarin-binding site of HSA was observed in TR-HSA. The reversible binding of F or naproxen to the warfarin-binding site of TR-HSA was less than to that of native HSA. These results indicate the photoactivated F was covalently bound to the warfarin-binding site of HSA. The covalent binding of Fgnd, which is also reversibly bound to the warfarin-binding site of HSA, was also induced by exposure to sunlight. Fgnd was more photoactive than F, indicating that F could be activated by glucuronidation to become a more photoactive compound. CONCLUSIONS The reactivity of photoactivated F and Fgnd to HSA and/or to other endogenous compounds may cause the phototoxic blisters that result at high F dosage.
Motivations for organic farming among farmers from Malopolska Province, Poland

Poor condition of Polish agriculture, clean soil environment and extensive methods of production make Poland particularly suitable for developing environmentally friendly forms of farming. In the last decade the number of people who have decided to convert from old, conventional farms to new, environmentally friendly ones, has markedly increased. The objective of this study was to find out what motivates farmers to convert to, or establish organic farms. We were particularly interested in the environmental aspect of their decisions. The study was conducted in the form of a questionnaire among organic farmers – compliance certificate holders – in the Malopolska Province, Poland. The results show that organic farmers' environmental knowledge is selective and focuses only on some areas of farming. Respondents' knowledge and environmental awareness and their education, age or sex were not related, however, their knowledge about nature goes hand-in-hand with their environmental awareness. The prevailing majority of organic farmers know the basic mechanisms of nature that are significant for agricultural production; they are also aware of threats from conventional farming and understand the need to propagate organic farming as its alternative. In their activity, organic farmers attain several objectives simultaneously, but their main motivation is not environmental.
The Effects of School Competition on Academic Achievement and Grading Standards

Nationwide school choice and fixed per-student governmental funding provide incentives for Dutch schools to perform well. Roughly one third of Dutch pre-university schools are of catholic denomination. Acknowledging this widely available outside option to public and other schools, this paper considers the effect of catholic competition on non-catholic school performance in pre-university education. Employing data from central exit exams, a positive link between competition intensity and academic achievement is found. In addition to raising achievement, higher levels of competition are not associated with a deterioration of grading standards. Finally, (inverse) quantile regression estimates show no evidence of schools at the bottom of the achievement distribution being hurt by competition.
Predicting Ross River Virus Epidemics from Regional Weather Data

Background. Diseases caused by arboviruses cause extensive mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Weather directly affects the breeding, abundance, and survival of mosquitoes, the principal vector of many arboviruses. The goal of this study was to test whether climate variables could predict with high levels of accuracy (more than 70%) epidemics of one arbovirus, Ross River virus disease. Methods. Weather data from two regions in southeastern Australia were matched with Ross River virus disease data for the period 1991 to 1999. Our aim was to develop simple models for the probability of the occurrence of an epidemic in an area in a given year. Results. Two predictable epidemic patterns emerged, after either high summer rainfalls or high winter rainfalls. A prerequisite relating to host-virus dynamics was lower than average spring rainfall in the preepidemic year. The sensitivity of the model was 96% for Region 1 and 73% for Region 2. Conclusions. Early warning of weather conditions conducive to outbreaks of Ross River virus disease is possible at the regional level with a high degree of accuracy. Our models may have application as a decision tool for health authorities to use in risk-management planning.
Power Parity, Preponderance, and War between Great Powers, 1816-1989

Empirical study has worn essential theoretical edges from the power transition theory and rival balance-of-power theories, leaving a misshapen question: does parity in quantitative power capabilities of opposing individual states discourage or encourage war between those two states? Distortions of both theory and evidence—mixing balances of power with balances of terror; overlooking political geography, political incapacity, and alliance formations; and confining observations to state-dyads—render the evidence poor and weak. When the distortions are removed, the very strong evidence is that approximate parity in power capabilities encouraged war between great power disputants between 1816 and 1989.
The Effect of Social Cohesion on Levels of Recorded Crime in Disadvantaged Areas

This paper investigates the hypothesis that the level of crime in disadvantaged areas will be influenced by their levels of social cohesion. This issue is examined using two methods for delineating areas of disadvantage (geodemographic classifications and the British government's official deprivation measure, the Index of Local Conditions) and two independent components of social cohesion, one defines the level of 'social control' in an area and the other identifies 'ethnic heterogeneity'. The results suggest that levels of crime are significantly lower than expected in disadvantaged areas with high levels of social cohesion and vice versa. A complementary analysis of Homewatch schemes revealed that such schemes lead to reduced levels of burglary in affluent areas, but appear to have the opposite effect to that desired in more disadvantaged areas.
DESIGNING POLLUTION MARKET INSTRUMENTS: CASES OF UNCERTAINTY

"This paper examines design alternatives for emissions trading credits and assesses their relative performance given several sources of uncertainty endemic to market-based environmental regulatory programs. Facilities regulated in such programs face significant uncertainty about their total emissions. Uncertainty arises due to changes in production-demand schedules for their product, imperfect knowledge of abatement efficiency, and other informational lags. Depending on the design of the trading credit, this uncertainty can result in significant market price volatility and undesirable increases in peak emissions (in the absence of additional costly market institutions, such as contingent contracts and brokered insurance). In addition to the design alternatives, the paper considers allocation alternatives to alleviate these unintended effects and also discusses the value of properly designed reconciliation markets". Copyright 1994 Western Economic Association International.
Effects of work-function variation on analog figures-of-merits of inversion-mode and junctionless nanowire transistors

We investigate the analog figures-of-merits (FOMs) of inversion-mode and junctionless nanowire transistors regarding to the gate metal work-function variation using 3D TCAD simulations. The junctionless device shows more immunity to work-function variation on analog FOMs compared to the inversion-mode counterpart. The correlation between parameters affects the immunity of variation on analog FOMs. Compared to the inversion-mode devices, the overall variation in JL devices are less with weak correlation between transconductance and the gate capacitance resulting in similar cut-off frequency characteristics.
The Theory of Public Utility Pricing

Debate about deregulation has focused considerable attention on the pricing policies of public utilities. Much work has been done by economists on this subject, and in this book the results of that research are presented and made accessible to students of economics. The main subject is the policy to be followed by a regulated monopoly, but the analysis is broadened to take account of a fringe of competitive suppliers, making it relevant to electric utilities and local telephone companies in the US, to PTT's in Europe, to the possible privatisatibn of telecommunications in Australia, and to the telecommunications structure in the UK where the dominant supplier has recently been privatised. The book gives a unified and simplified exposition of the modern theory of efficient pricing which is not available elsewhere. The theoretical discussion is supplemented by numerical simulation comparing Fully Distributed Cost Pricing, Ramsey Pricing, and Optimal Non-uniform Pricing.
Association of a 33-Kilodalton Cysteine Proteinase Found in Corn Callus with the Inhibition of Fall Armyworm Larval Growth

Protein patterns of callus from corn (Zea mays L.) inbreds that are either resistant or susceptible to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda [J.E. Smith]) were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Fall armyworm larvae reared on callus initiated from resistant inbreds were significantly smaller than those reared on callus of susceptible inbreds. A 33-kD protein found in callus from the resistant inbreds Mp704 and Mp708 was absent in callus from the susceptible inbreds Tx601 and Ab24E. However, a 36-kD protein found in Ab24E callus immunoreacted with polyclonal antibody raised against the 33-kD protein. When Mp704 nonfriable callus changed to friable, larval growth was not inhibited and the 33-kD protein was absent. There was a significant negative correlation between the concentration of the 33-kD protein in the callus and the weight of the larvae feeding on the callus in the F2 progeny of Mp704 X Tx601. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 33-kD protein suggested that it was cysteine proteinase. Purification of the 33- (Mp708) and 36-kD (Ab24E) proteins indicated that they were both cysteine proteinases. The 33-kD cysteine proteinase had 7-fold higher specific activity than the 36-kD enzyme.
Green food industry in China: development, problems and policies

Abstract Organic food is the development trend of food in the world today. China's green food is a kind of food with pollution-free, safety, high-quality and nutritious properties, similar to organic food in the international market. The Chinese government has paid attention to the sustainable development of agro-ecosystems under the pressures of population growth and agricultural expansion since the 1980s and began to develop a green food industry in 1990. After the development of about two decades, now the Chinese green food industry has already entered a fast-growth stage. It has reached a considerable scale and is expanding rapidly. The share of green food in the global market is continuously increasing and a two-tier certification system has been established. However, green food's further development is still facing some difficulties and problems. This paper mainly analyzes those problems and discusses reasonable solutions. Specifically, this paper first gives a detailed introduction to green food and the green food industry in China, and then analyzes the major problems impeding the further development of green food industry, such as unreasonable product structure and enterprise structure, incomplete market system and backward certification system. Finally, suggestions on product structure, enterprise structure, publicity, market, certification system and governmental policies are put forward.
Advances in VCSELs for Communication and Sensing

The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) has become a light source of great importance for industrial and consumer applications. This includes communication and sensing in particular, where dynamics and optical mode behavior are key performance characteristics. This tutorial treats relevant VCSEL basics, performance requirements and recent progress toward higher speed, higher single-mode power, and polarization control.