Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tackling undeclared work in Europe: lessons from a 27-nation survey

The aim of this article is to unravel the heterogeneous nature of undeclared work across the European Union and to evaluate the consequences for tackling such work. Until now, most studies of undeclared work have sought to measure the variations in its magnitude. Far fewer have evaluated the nature of undeclared work and whether it is configured in different ways across nations. Indeed, the only evidence so far available on its nature is that produced by small-scale intensive studies of particular places, populations and sectors. Although these display the existence of heterogeneous varieties of undeclared work, what is not known is whether all of these types are ubiquitous across the EU, as well as whether the overall configuration of undeclared work varies across different regions and nations. To fill this gap, the first cross-national survey of undeclared work is here reported undertaken in the 27 member states of the EU based on 26,659 face-to-face interviews conducted during 2007. The overarching finding is that although the array of types of undeclared work exists across the EU, some are more concentrated in particular countries and regions than others, resulting in marked geographical variations in the configuration of the undeclared sphere. Analysing the policy approaches used by the 27 member states, it is then revealed that most countries, due to their adoption of narrow readings of the character of undeclared work, currently use only a relatively limited range of the potential policy measures at their disposal. The article therefore concludes by calling for wider recognition of the diverse nature of undeclared work in the EU and for a broader range of policy approaches and measures to be experimented with when tackling such work.
A collective mechanism for phase variation in biofilms

Understanding how microbes gather into biofilm communities and maintain diversity remains one of the central questions of microbiology, requiring an understanding of microbes as communal rather then individual organisms. Phase variation plays an integral role in the formation of diverse phenotypes within biofilms. We propose a collective mechanism for phase variation based on gene transfer agents, and apply the theory to predict the population structure and growth dynamics of a biofilm. Our results describe quantitatively recent experiments, with the only adjustable parameter being the rate of intercellular horizontal gene transfer. Our approach derives from a more general picture for the emergence of cooperation between microbes.
Functional sensibility assessment. Part I: develop a reliable apparatus to assess momentary pinch force control

A precise magnitude and timing control of pinch performance is based on accurate feed‐forward and feedback control mechanisms. Ratio of peak pinch force and maximum load force during a functional performance is a sensitive parameter to reflect the ability to scale pinch force output according to actual loads. A pinch apparatus was constructed to detect momentary pinch force modulation of 20 subjects with normal hand sensation. The results indicated high intra‐class correlation coefficient and small coefficient of variation of the detected force ratio among three repeated tests, which represented that the stability test of the measured response confirmed the feasibility of this apparatus. The force ratio for a 480 g object with a steel surface ranged between 1.77 and 1.98. Normal subjects were able to scale and contribute pinch force precisely to a pinch‐holding‐up test. This study may provide clinicians a reliable apparatus and method to analyze the recovery of functional sensibility in patients with nerve injuries. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27: 1116–1121, 2009
The Information Content of Aggregate Insider Trading

This study investigates the information content of aggregate insider trading by analyzing ap proximately sixty thousand open-market sales and purchases by insider s from January 1975 to October 1981. The paper first examines the rel ation between market movements and aggregate insider trading. The evi dence suggests that insiders cannot always distinguish between the ef fects of firm-specific and economywide factors. The paper also invest igates whether publicly-available information about aggregate insider trading activity can help predict future stock-market returns and pr ovide market analysts with market timing ability. Copyright 1988 by the University of Chicago.
On the Accuracy of Producer Price Indexes for Pharmaceutical Preparations: An Audit Based on Detailed Firm-Specific Data

This paper reports preliminary results of a detailed audit of one component of the Producer Price Index (PPI), using data from a large muiltproduct company. We compare price indexes constructed in a variety of ways from the universe of products of a large pharmaceutical manufacturer in the US, with price indexes constructed from the particular products of this firm sampled by the BIS, using BIS and alternative index number procedures. A principal finding is that price indexes based on the BIB sample of this firm grew similarly to the published PPI's for SIC 28341, but in contrast, price indexes computed using the universe of products manufactured by the firm grew much more slowly. Although some variations emerge depending on how one undertakes the calculations, our typical finding is that, employing monthly data from January 1984 through December 1989, the BIB sample price index rises at nearly the same rate as the PPI, bet at roughly twice the rate of indexes based on the universe of products shipped by this pharmaceutical firm. We also report results of a preliminary attempt to uncover the source of this disparity, we provide some evidence on the "new goods" problem, and we implement a procedure to mitigate the problem of "drift" associated with the Tornqvist approximation to the Divisia chained index.
Quality of life among Ghanaian adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV: a mixed methods study

ABSTRACT In Sub-Saharan Africa, increasing numbers of children with perinatally acquired HIV (PAHIV) are living into adolescence. These adolescents face numerous unique challenges such as parent illness/death and years of medication use. Optimizing care for these youth requires an understanding of the factors that contribute to physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships, and quality of life (QOL). This mixed methods study collected quantitative questionnaire data from 40 Ghanaian adolescents with PAHIV (50% female, 12–19 years old) who received care through an adolescent HIV clinic in Kumasi, Ghana. The study also presents results from qualitative interviews conducted with 20 adolescents. Results from quantitative analyses suggested that a significant number of participants were not virally suppressed (67%) and participants reported barriers to treatment adherence, limited social support, concerns about disclosure and HIV-related stigma, limited resources, and lower than expected QOL. Salient themes from the qualitative analyses included limited understanding of how HIV is transmitted, the interplay between food insecurity and treatment adherence and the need for developing safe relationships through which adolescents can discuss their illness without fear of accidental disclosure of their HIV status.
Changes in kinematics and trunk electromyography during a 2000 m race simulation in elite female rowers

Achieving excellence in rowing requires optimization of technique to maximize efficiency and force production. Investigation of the kinematics of the trunk, upper and lower extremity, together with muscle activity of the trunk, provides an insight into the motor control strategies utilized over a typical race. Nine elite female rowers performed a 2000 m race simulation. Kinematic data of the trunk and extremities, together with electromyography (EMG) activity of spinal and pelvic extensor and flexor muscles, were compared at 250 and 1500 m. At 1500 m, there was greater dissociation in the timing of leg extension and arm flexion and delayed trunk extension. Also at 1500 m, the spine demonstrated a delayed peak extension angular velocity of the T4–T7 and L3–S1 spinal segments in the early drive along with delayed and increased peak extension angular velocity of T10–L1 and L1–L3 spinal segments during the late drive. Trunk muscle fatigue was not evident; however, the abdominals demonstrated larger EMG burst areas at 1500 m. Alterations in trunk kinematics suggest that the trunk acts as a less stiff lever on which to transfer the forces of the legs to the arms and handle. Increased abdominal activity may reflect increased demand to control the trunk, given the altered coordination between the legs, trunk and arms.
A Synthesis of Current Findings Regarding Neurobiological Correlates and Treatment of Suicidal Behavior a

Considerable progress has been made in the study of neurobiological correlates of suicidal behavior. These studies have confirmed the link between reduced serotonergic function and serious suicidal acts. They have localized the changes to the ventral prefrontal cortex and suggested how genetics, childhood rearing, alcoholism, substance abuse, gender, age, and cholesterol intake can modulate suicide rates through effects on the serotonergic system. Future studies need to apply this knowledge in the development of in vivo brain imaging and molecular genetic probes for study of high-risk patients. Identification of high-risk groups is essential for the conduct of controlled treatment trials, which are presently almost entirely lacking in suicidal populations. Previous clinical trials of medications and psychotherapies have targeted axis I or axis II disorders but not the predisposition to suicidal acts. Controlled treatment in high-risk patients must be undertaken to identify interventions that can reduce the propensity for suicidal acts. Such interventions will supplement current treatment strategies that target the associated psychiatric illness and reduce the opportunities to attempt suicide in high-risk patients by hospitalization.
Tariff Reform in France, 1860–1900: The Politics of Economic Interest. By Michael Stephen Smith. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1980. Pp. 272. $18.50

Is tariff history making a comeback as part of a larger revival of interest in economic institutions? If Michael Smith's excellent study can be taken as a representative straw in the wind, it demonstrates one way to stand the old institutional/political approach on its head. Once upon a time, when tariff history stood near the center of economic historians' concerns, it was mostly treated, especially by Anglo-American scholars, as a crucial component of an independent variable, the fundamental long-term swings in the ideological pendulum from mercantilism to laissez-faire to interventionist liberalism (or "neo-mercantilism"). Emanating from such ideological constructs, commercial policies like tariffs were then examined for their impact, good or bad, on economic development. Then doubts crept in on the adequacy of the constructs themselves, and the onslaught of numbers and economic models, or structures and mentalites began; the epitome of the French version of the new economic history, the Histoire economique et sociale de la France, in treating the period 1815 to 1880 devotes less than six of almost 900 pages to the tariff. It is not revolutionary, of course, to treat French tariffs in the nineteenth century as a product of economic interests, but Smith carries this interpretation to an extreme; tariff policy is exclusively the result of fighting, jockeying, compromising among the major business interests—economic sectors, industries, regions, and firms. For him, the significance of tariff policy is not its impact on the economy as a whole or even on the fortunes of the particular interest groups which produced it (though in passing he has modestly sensible things to say about its modest impact). Rather, the significance of tariff history is precisely its contribution to the study of structures and mentalites. It becomes a new avenue of approach to an analysis of the interest groups themselves, a reflection of the evolving structure of the French economy.
Local Party System Nationalisation: Does Municipal Size Matter?

Abstract Local party systems are not necessarily copies of their country's national party system. Some national parties do not field candidates in all municipalities, while in other municipalities there are non-partisan lists/local parties. In this article it is hypothesised that the larger the municipality (in number of inhabitants), the more the local party system will resemble the national party system (and vice versa). The hypothesis is tested using data from the 2001 local elections in Denmark. For this purpose, an index of local party system nationalisation is developed. The index is formulated in general terms so as to make it applicable in other settings and in comparisons between countries and over time.
The Impact of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme and its Linkages

Abstract This paper assesses the impact of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP), the largest social protection programme in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. Using propensity score matching techniques, we find that the programme has little impact on participants on average, due in part to transfer levels that fell far below programme targets. Participants with access to both the PSNP and packages of agricultural support are more likely to be food secure, to borrow for productive purposes, use improved agricultural technologies, and operate non-farm own business activities. However, beneficiaries did not experience faster asset growth.
Transposition of the Pterygopalatine Fossa during Endoscopic Endonasal Transpterygoid Approaches

Abstract Introduction Complete or partial removal of the pterygoid process provides lateral extension of the endonasal corridor necessary to approach the Meckel cave, infrapetrous skull base, and medial infratemporal fossa. This paper provides the anatomical foundations for the endoscopic endonasal transpterygoid approach with preservation of all neurovascular structures inside the pterygopalatine fossa. Methods Eight endoscopic transpterygoid approaches were performed in fresh cadaveric specimens. In all dissections the vidian nerve and the periosteal sac enclosing the pterygopalatine fossa were preserved. Results We reliably transposed the pterygopalatine fossa to approach the Meckel cave, infrapetrous skull base, and medial infratemporal region, preserving the neurovascular structures inside the pterygopalatine fossa in all specimens. Conclusions The transposition of the pterygopalatine fossa neurovascular structures for endoscopic endonasal approaches to the skull base is an alternative technique that is both feasible and desirable. The transposition requires no additional technical skills but requires comprehensive knowledge of its anatomy. The anatomical preservation of the neurovascular structures is potentially beneficial to the quality of life of patients. Clinical studies are necessary to prove the real benefits of this technique.
Prediction Portfolio Variance: Firm-Specific and Macroeconomic Factors

This paper tests whether portfolio managers can make reliable predictions of the portfolio variance with available risk measures. Using out-of-sample tests, we compare four sets of models for their ability to predict portfolio variance. The models are based on: (I) time series of returns, (ii) market model, (iii) firm-specific variables sold by the BARRA corporation, and (iv) macroeconomic variables suggested by Chen, Roll and Ross. Our results indicate a surprising degree of predictability of portfolio variance using either historical data or external information. Rank order correlations betweenpredicted and actual variances are as high as 0.67. Predicting portfolio variance during 1987 is not any more difficult than in other years in spite of the dramatic increase in volatility. We find that firm-specific factors are more accurate than macroeconomic factors or estimates based on historical data. Furthermore, no more than ten factors, and probably only five, are necessary for fisk prediction and there is a reduction in prediction power if more factors are included.
The Kinematic Car: Teaching Undergraduates Nonholonomic Mechanical System Basics

The project-based undergraduate J-term course Kinematics and Mechanism Design is described, both technically and from a pedagogy point of view. In this course students discovered the kinematic car, a classic example of a nonholonomic mechanical system that everyone can relate to; especially mechanical engineering students. Technical work entailed kinematic modeling using
The evolution of tourism and tourism research

This paper reviews the development of tourism to emphasize the fact that tourism, even ‘mass tourism’, is not a new phenomenon but process which has characterized human behaviour for many centuries, and is essentially iterative in nature. To understand it fully it is necessary to review what has gone before, along with the influences of factors such as technological innovation, and social and economic changes in societies. Similarly, academic research in tourism has a long history, despite the fact that some tourism scholars and students appear to think such research is a recent development. Tourism research is best thought of as an ongoing process with varying emphases and foci at different times, beginning with essentially factual case studies, followed by a period of extensive if somewhat shallow theoretical development, and the current situation with its paradoxes and fallacies. The paper concludes with noting the suggested divisions of tourism research between management (applied) and social (theoretical) approaches, and between sophisticated statistical analysis and highly personal descriptions, which leaves many academic researchers and those in the tourist industry frustrated and disappointed by the failure to study and help resolve the real problems of tourism and its development.
Individual differences in factors that modulate storage and retrieval of traumatic memories

It is argued that memory for traumatic events is similar to that for other distinctive, personally significant events regardless of whether they are affectively positive or negative. Examined in this light, the focus now shifts to the role of individual differences in neurobiological, social, cognitive, and constitutional factors that conspire to determine long-term retention of significant autobiographical experiences. What is known about these factors in determining memorability is reviewed, issues of measurement inadequacies discussed, and recommendations for further research outlined.
Angiotensinogen (M235T) and angiotensin‐converting enzyme (I/D) polymorphisms in association with plasma renin and prorenin levels

Objective The angiotensinogen T235 allele is associated with elevated plasma angiotensinogen levels whereas the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) deletion (D) allele is associated with elevated ACE activity. It remains unclear, however, whether these genetically mediated elevations of angiotensinogen and ACE levels are functionally relevant. Given that the renin–angiotensin system is subject to renin feedback regulation, we specifically investigated the associations between the angiotensinogen T235 allele and the ACE D allele with plasma renin and prorenin levels. Design and methods Plasma levels of renin, prorenin, angiotensinogen, ACE and aldosterone, as well as angiotensinogen and ACE genotypes were determined in 228 men and 168 women (age 52–65 years), who had participated in a population survey in southern Germany. Subjects taking antihypertensive drugs or oestrogen replacement therapy were excluded. Results We corroborated previous findings demonstrating associations between the T235M polymorphism and plasma angiotensinogen levels (P < 0.05) and between the ACE I/D polymorphism and plasma ACE (P < 0.01). After adjustment for sex, age and blood pressure, the T235 allele of the angiotensinogen gene was also related to lower plasma prorenin (P < 0.03) and renin (P < 0.01) levels, but not to plasma ACE and aldosterone. By contrast, the ACE I/D polymorphism was not related to components of the system other than plasma ACE. Conclusions The angiotensinogen T235 allele is associated with decreased renin levels. This finding may point to a mechanism that counteracts the genetic elevation of angiotensinogen plasma levels and, thus, the plasmatic angiotensin II-generating pathway in subjects carrying the angiotensinogen T235 allele. These results may help to explain discrepant findings regarding associations between this allele and cardiovascular disorders. Furthermore, the presumed feedback downregulation of renin levels supports the importance of angiotensinogen as a determinant of angiotensin II generation. Finally, no evidence was found suggesting that the ACE D allele affects components of the circulating renin–angiotensin system other than plasma ACE.
The Marmara earthquake: epidemiological analysis of the victims with nephrological problems.

BACKGROUND Crush syndrome resulting from earthquakes is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, as seen during the catastrophic Marmara earthquake that struck Northwestern Turkey in August 1999. This report analyzes the epidemiological characteristics of the crush syndrome victims of this disaster. METHODS In order to analyze the nephrological problems caused by this earthquake, questionnaires were prepared within the first week of the disaster and sent to 35 reference hospitals that treated the victims. Data obtained by these questionnaires are the subject of this report. RESULTS Of the 5302 hospitalized patients in reference hospitals, 639 (12.0%) suffered from nephrological problems, and 477 (9.0%) needed dialysis support. Considering the patients with renal problems, there was not any significant difference in gender; however, the incidence of children younger than 10 years and the older population (older than 60 years of age) was significantly lower as compared with the resident population of the affected area (P < 0.001). Nonsurvivors were older (34.5 +/- 16.1 years) than survivors (31.2 +/- 14.4 years, P = 0.048), while no deaths were recorded under the age of 10. Most patients (70.1%) were admitted within the first three days after the earthquake, and the mortality rate among these victims was higher (17.7%) as compared with victims admitted thereafter (10.0%, P = 0.016). The average time period under the rubble was 11.7 +/- 14.3 hours, which was not significantly different between survivors and nonsurvivors, while the victims who required dialysis support spent shorter durations under the rubble, as compared with the ones who were not dialyzed at all (10.3 +/- 9.5 vs. 15.9 +/- 23.1 hours, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Victims of catastrophic earthquakes are characterized by a high incidence of renal problems and the need for dialysis support. The incidence of nephrological problems is lower in children, while the period of time under the rubble is not a prognostic indicator of survival.