Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Niveles de vida y desarrollo económico en la España contemporánea: Una visión antropométrica

RESUMEN El artículo señala la importancia que tienen las medidas antropométricas, y de la estatura en particular, como indicadores de los cambios en el estado nutricional y de la salud de las poblaciones. Muestra la utilidad y los problemas de los registros militares españoles que proporcionan información sobre la talla y el peso de los reclutas. Y a través de unas series locales de talla de los reemplazos se exploran los cambios en el bienestar de los españoles desde mediados del siglo xix. Los datos revelan una correlación entre salud, riqueza, renta y estatura, y se pone de manifiesto la aparente relación de la talla con los ciclos económicos y demográficos que se registran en la España del siglo xx. ABSTRACT The anthropométric measures, and in particular the physical stature, are used as indicators of changes in the nutritional status and health of populations. The paper shows the utility and the problems of Spanish military records that tell us about changes in the welfare, by human height and weight, during the course of the last two centuries. Data suggest a strong correlation between health, wealth, income and height But the most interesting findings are related with the apparent relationship between human height cycles and economic and demographic cycles that are registered over the course of the twentieth century in Spain.
The Economics of Exogenous Increases in Wage Rates in a Behavioral/X-Efficiency Model of the Firm*

Standard neoclassical theory predicts that higher real wage rates result in less employment and a lower rate of employment growth than would otherwise exist with lower real wage rates.1 Thus, exogenous interventions in the labor market which serve to increase real wage rates, such as effective minimum wage legislation and effective unionization, are said to have deleterious effects on the economy. Underlying these dominant theoretical propositions and their concomi? tant policy prescriptions, which decry minimum wage legislation and the existence of trade unions, is the assumption that given a prevailing
Validation of a Self-Report Comorbidity Questionnaire for Multiple Sclerosis

Background/Aims: Researchers increasingly recognize the high frequency of comorbidity in multiple sclerosis (MS) and the negative impact on quality of life and disability, but little work has evaluated methods of comorbidity measurement in MS. We aimed to validate a self-report questionnaire for assessing comorbidity in MS. Methods: Patients with MS were recruited from the MS Clinic in Winnipeg, Canada and the Mellen Center (Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA) from October 2008 to 2009. Using a questionnaire, participants reported the presence or absence of 36 comorbidities, sociodemographic characteristics, and disability status. Abstractors blinded to questionnaire results collected data regarding the comorbidities of interest and their treatments. Using the medical record as the gold standard, we determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the questionnaire data. To measure agreement we calculated kappa (ĸ) statistics. Results: We enrolled 404 participants. Agreement between self-report and medical records was high (ĸ >0.82) for diabetes and hypertension; substantial (ĸ = 0.62–0.80) for hyperlipidemia, thyroid disease, glaucoma, and lung disease; moderate (ĸ = 0.43–0.56) for osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, depression, heart disease, and anxiety disorders. Agreement was slight to fair for the remaining comorbidities. Conclusions: Self-report is a valid way to capture comorbidities affecting MS patients.
Examining the Link between “Familiness” and Performance: Can the F–PEC Untangle the Family Business Theory Jungle?

Family business research appears to be caught in a “jungle” of competing theories in regards to familiness and performance. This study provides a further empirical examination into that relationship. We employ a family influence scale (the familiness–power, experience, and culture scale [F–PEC]) presented by Klein, Astrachan, and Smyrnios in an attempt to assess the relationship between familiness and performance in 831 family businesses. The resulting regression analysis adds to the current state of the literature by demonstrating significant and interesting results. Specifically, familiness showed associations with revenue, capital structure, growth, and perceived performance; however, the relationships were both positive and negative, thus casting doubt upon the F–PEC as a vehicle for untangling the jungle. We conclude with discussion and implications.
Politics and IMF Conditionality

Bailouts sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are famous for their conditionality: in return for continued installments of desperately needed loans, governments must comply with austere policy changes. Many have suggested, however, that politically important countries face rather weak stringency. Obstacles to testing this hypothesis include finding a measure of political importance that is not plagued by endogeneity and obtaining data on IMF conditionality. We propose to measure political importance using temporary membership on the UN Security Council and analyze a newly available data set on the level of conditionality attached to (a maximum of) 314 IMF arrangements with 101 countries over the 1992–2008 period. We find a negative relationship: Security Council members receive about 30 percent fewer conditions. This suggests that the major shareholders of the IMF trade softer conditionality in return for political influence over the Security Council.
Forward Exchange Price Determination in Continuous Time

The work of Black and Scholes [2] and Merton [4] suggests that analysis of hedged positions in a continuous time random walk model yields powerful insights into the valuation of financial securities. The present paper extends this methodology in a straightforward fashion to foreign exchange transactions. By adopting the device of hedging in a secondary market for forward currency contracts against a long position in spot currency, a simple statement of boundary conditions for the forward position can be detailed. This allows a direct solution of the continuous time valuation problem that yields the interest rate parity theory.
Organizational capability: creating competitive advantage

Building better products or services, pricing goods or services lower than the competition, or incorporating technological innovation into research and manufacturing operations must today be supplemented by organizational capabilityl-the firm's ability to manage people to gain competitive advantage (Exhibit 1). To establish organizational capability, the business must adapt to changing customer and strategic needs by establishing internal structures and processes that influence its members to create organization-specific competencies. Employees become a critical resource for sustainable competitiveness.
Immunological Tolerance, Pregnancy, and Preeclampsia: The Roles of Semen Microbes and the Father

Although it is widely recognised as involving two stages (poor placentation followed by oxidative stress/inflammation), the precise originating causes of pre-eclampsia (PE) remain elusive. We have previously brought together some of the considerable evidence that a (dormant) microbial component is commonly a significant part of its aetiology. However, apart from recognising, consistent with this view, that the many inflammatory markers of PE are also increased in infection, we had little to say about immunity, whether innate or adaptive. In addition, we focussed on the gut, oral and female urinary tract microbiomes as the main sources of the infection. We here marshall further evidence for an infectious component in PE, focussing on the immunological tolerance characteristic of pregnancy, and the well-established fact that increased exposure to the father’s semen assists this immunological tolerance. As well as these benefits, however, semen is not sterile, microbial tolerance mechanisms may exist, and we also review the evidence that semen may be responsible for inoculating the developing conceptus with microbes, not all of which are benign. It is suggested that when they are not, this may be a significant cause of preeclampsia. A variety of epidemiological and other evidence is entirely consistent with this, not least correlations between semen infection, infertility and PE. Our view also leads to a series of other, testable predictions. Overall, we argue for a significant paternal role in the development of PE through microbial infection of the mother via insemination. “In one of the last articles which he wrote, the late Professor F J Browne (1958) expressed the opinion that all the essential facts about pregnancy toxaemia are now available and that all that is required to solve the problem is to fit them together in the right order, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle” [1] “It appears astonishing how little attention has been given in reproductive medicine to the maternal immune system over the last few decades. ” [2]
Welfare state effects on social capital and informal solidarity in the European Union: evidence from the 1999/2000 European Values Study

English This article tests whether state-organised solidarity substitutes social capital and informal solidarity, based on recent data from the European Values Study. At country level, we find that welfare spending has a reinforcing effect on social capital and a negative substitution effect on informal solidarity. At the individual level, there is also evidence for a substitution effect, since informal solidarity is lower among people who live in countries that spend more on social protection. In addition, there is evidence of a ‘national burden’ effect, since informal solidarity is lower among people who live in countries with an older population, with higher unemployment, and with a higher percentage of immigrants.
6‐Thioguanine — efficacy and safety in chronic active Crohn's disease

Background : Azathioprine and mercaptopurine are commonly used in chronic active Crohn's disease. They share the disadvantage of a delayed onset of action and potentially serious side‐effects, and are metabolized to thioguanine nucleotides which are thought to be the active metabolites. The direct use of 6‐thioguanine may offer a more rapid and safer alternative. We conducted an open prospective study to investigate the efficacy and safety of 6‐thioguanine in chronic active Crohn's disease.
Measuring performance in primary care: econometric analysis and DEA

We use data from the Health Service Indicators database to compare different methods of measuring the performance of English Family Health Services Authorities (FHSAs) in providing primary care. A variety of regression and data envelopment analysis methods are compared as summary efficiency measures of individual FHSA performance. The correlation of the rankings of FHSAs across DEA and regression methods, across two years of data and across three different specifications of the technology of primary care are examined. Efficiency scores are highly correlated within variants of the two methods, and across years for a given method. Inter method correlations are smaller and correlations across different specifications of the primary care production process are negligible and sometime negative.
Cahiers du GRES Attractivité comparée des territoires Marocains et tunisiens au regard des IDE

The existing literature points to a series of determinants of FDI attraction such as the size of markets, the costs of labor, infrastructure, the educational level of the labor force, or policy reforms and political stability . However, potential tradeoffs or complementarities between similar countries are rarely underscored as factors explaining the performance or the under-performance in attracting FDI. In this paper we try to determine if there is an inverse (positive) relationship between FDI flows in Tunisia and in Morocco. We test this hypothesis is tested in a VAR model (Vector Autogressive Regression) and we show that FDI in Tunisia attract, in an indirect way, the FDI in Morocco, probably by improving the climate of business in the region. But, meanwhile, Morocco undergoes a significant diversion of FDI in favour of Tunisia in the long run.
Parents' reactions to adolescents' suicide attempts.

OBJECTIVES To examine parents' emotional and verbal reactions to adolescents' suicide attempts and to test models of the interpersonal functions of suicide attempts. METHOD Thirty-four mothers and fathers of 23 adolescent suicide attempters were assessed shortly after the attempt regarding their emotional reactions the day before, upon discovering, and the day after the suicide attempt, using both open-ended and structured interviews. RESULTS Feelings of caring, sadness, and anxiety increased from before the attempt to the point of discovery, and for mothers they remained higher through the following day. Hostile feelings were present in approximately 50% of mothers across the time points; however, upon discovering the suicide attempt, parents were less likely to verbalize hostility than they were to verbalize support and to be careful what they said. CONCLUSIONS The findings have implications for clinical interventions with parents of recent suicide attempters.
How HIV-1 Takes Advantage of the Cytoskeleton during Replication and Cell-to-Cell Transmission

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infects T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells and can manipulate their cytoskeleton structures at multiple steps during its replication cycle. Based on pharmacological and genetic targeting of cytoskeleton modulators, new imaging approaches and primary cell culture models, important roles for actin and microtubules during entry and cell-to-cell transfer have been established. Virological synapses and actin-containing membrane extensions can mediate HIV-1 transfer from dendritic cells or macrophage cells to T cells and between T cells. We will review the role of the cytoskeleton in HIV-1 entry, cellular trafficking and cell-to-cell transfer between primary cells.
The Institutional Process of Market Clientelism: Guanxi and Private Business in a South China City

Patron—client ties are pervasive in the post-Mao economy between entrepreneurs operating private firms and cadres staffing the state's administrative, distributive and production organs. The burgeoning literature on private business is converging on a view of them as localized exchanges of commercial wealth for bureaucratic power. These deviations from central policies and standard procedures enable entrepreneurs to manage their dependence on local authorities while giving officials new sources of income that buttress their power within jurisdictions. However, less attention has been paid to the ties themselves. This article shifts the focus from patron–client ties as localized exchange to examine their operation in private business and function in marketization. The starting assumption is that patron–client exchange is also a type of market transaction: although expressed in popularly legitimated sentiments of social trust, goods and services are voluntarily exchanged.
T‐lymphocyte subsets in the human lacrimal gland

Abstract. This study examines the microscopical appearance, location, distribution, subdivision and density of T‐lymphocytes in the human lacrimal gland. Fourteen glands, 7 from either sex, were removed and frozen shortly after the donors' death, and processed for immunoperoxidase staining, utilizing a biotinavidin system and one of the following monoclonal antibodies: Anti‐Leu‐1 and ‐Leu‐4, which recognize T‐lymphocytes, anti‐Leu‐2a, which binds to suppressor/cytotoxic T‐cells, and anti‐Leu‐3a+3b, which recognizes helper/inducer cells. The T‐lymphocytes in the human lacrimal gland were small to medium sized, mainly located in the interacinar tissue, often adjacent to an acinus or close to a collecting duct. The median number of each T‐cell subset per defined field (0.086 mm2) at x 500 magnification was as follows: Males: Leu‐1: 3.1, Leu‐2a: 4.9, Leu‐3a + 3b: 2.8, Leu‐4: 4.5. Females: Leu‐1: 4.3, Leu‐2a: 5.0, Leu‐3a + 3b: 3.7 and Leu‐4: 5.8. The sex difference was not statistically significant. The helper/suppressor cell ratio in the human lacrimal gland was 0.57 for males and 0.74 for females.
Joint Consultation and Workers Commitment in Nigerian Banking Industry

This study examined the relationship between Joint Consultation, a form of Employee Voice and WorkersCommitment. Using Cross Sectional Survey design, a sample size of 357 workers from the banks in theSouth-South zone of Nigeria was used as respondents. The results drawn from the use of Spearman Rank OrderCorrelation showed that Joint Consultation had a significant positive association with workers affectivecommitment, but no significant association with workers continuance and normative commitment. The studyfound that with the use of Joint Consultation, workers are emotionally attached to their organizations andexhibits little continuance and normative commitment.
Investment instruments with volatility target mechanism

Over the last years, extreme volatility levels are observed in global equity markets. Studying the recent market crashes in detail (e.g. the market crashes of 2002 and 2008), one notices that dramatic market downturns often happen in scenarios with extreme market volatility. Practitioners often recognize rising volatility as a good indicator for a falling market (see, e.g. Augen 2008). Many modern investment instruments with participation in equities include imbedded financial derivatives (such as equity options) in their design. High volatility levels dramatically increase prices of derivatives linked to these equities or equity indices. As a result, investment instruments with imbedded equity derivatives become less attractive to investors.
HEAVY METAL ADSORPTION BY CRUDE CONIFEROUS BARKS: A MODELLING STUDY

ABSTRACT Equilibria and mechanisms involved in the adsorption process of metal ions (Cr3+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+) from aqueous solutions using coniferous barks as biosorbent substrate were investigated. Crude barks were used in this study since previous experiments showed a decreasing uptake for chemically treated barks in the considered granulometry. In our experimental conditions, the maximum binding capacity of barks followed the decreasing order Cr3+>Cu2+>Pb2+>Ni2+>Zn2+ whereas their general binding affinity decreased as: Pb2+>Cr3+> Ni2+>Zn2+>Cu2+. Adsorption isotherms at the optimal physico-chemical conditions were established and the adsorption phenomenon was described by the non-competitive Langmuir adsorption model which fitted well the experimental data. An evaluation of adsorption capability was carried out using model parameters which were graphically determined. Models for removal of cations have been discussed; they represent efficient tools for predicting the behaviour of the biosorbents in metal ion adsorption systems.
Comparison of PCR and other diagnostic techniques for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in dyspeptic patients

A sensitive and specific PCR-based assay to detect the Helicobacter pylori 16S rRNA gene present in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded gastric biopsy specimens has been developed. A total of 95 patients with dyspepsia were evaluated for the presence of chronic active gastritis and an infection with H. pylori through the use of diagnostic assays based on biopsy specimens and serology. The "gold standard" for the presence of the bacteria was direct detection in histological sections of biopsy specimens by Giemsa stain. The results obtained with the PCR assay performed on the biopsy specimens (94% sensitivity and 100% specificity) were equivalent to the detection of H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibodies by the commercially available second-generation Cobas Core anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G enzyme immunoassay (94% sensitivity and 98% specificity) for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Urease testing and bacterial culture of the biopsy specimens were inferior (88 and 70% sensitivity and 96% and 98% specificity, respectively). A Western blot (immunoblot) analysis had slightly greater sensitivity (96%), although specificity was reduced to 93%. This research prototype PCR assay was shown to be highly reliable for the detection of infection with H. pylori and the presence of chronic active gastritis in the population studied.
Radial MRI during free breathing in contrast-enhanced hepatobiliary phase imaging

Background Use of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) for diagnosis of hepatic tumors has been previously reported. Fat-saturated 3D T1-weighted gradient echo sequence (TIGRE) imaging using a breath-hold technique is usually used for dynamic studies and hepatobiliary phase Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In cases where the patient has difficulty holding their breath, this scanning method can be difficult. Purpose To investigate the usefulness of a fat-saturated T1-weighted spin-echo (SE) sequence using a radial read-out (radial acquisition regime-SE, RADAR-SE) during free breathing for hepatobiliary phase Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. Material and Methods Images were acquired at 1.5 T. First, a phantom with diluted Gd-EOB-DTPA was scanned using the TIGRE sequence and the RADAR-SE sequence. Contrast ratios of the sequences were compared. Next, the hepatobiliary phase was imaged in 62 patients using the TIGRE sequence with breath-hold and the RADAR-SE during free breathing. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations were compared. Results In the phantom study, RADAR-SE had a higher contrast ratio than TIGRE. In the clinical study, artifacts were more conspicuous in RADAR-SE compared to TIGRE images in the qualitative evaluation. However, RADAR-SE images were equal to or better than TIGRE images in patients who had difficulty holding their breath. The signal intensity ratio of the liver was statistically higher using RADAR-SE than TIGRE. Conclusion RADAR-SE can be useful for hepatobiliary phase Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in patients who have difficulty holding their breath.
On leaving the nunnery: management in trade unions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore trade union management, using data from four major unions. Managers and management have generally been absent from trade union discourse but unions are substantial organisations that need good management. The paper seeks to understand the extent to which senior trade union officials accept managerial roles and to discuss the significance of this.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on 56 interviews with senior trade union managers using a case study approach.Findings – The paper concludes that management is consciously understood and implemented by trade union leaders who take their managerial roles and achieving the goals of the members seriously. It suggests that this is likely to affect the dynamics of the relationships between the various actors in trade union democracy.Research limitations/implications – Evidence is gained from trade union managers themselves. Further research needs to focus both on the managed and on the lay members to whom .