Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in fetal growth among singleton gestations in the United States and Canada, 1985 through 1998.

We examined trends in fetal growth among singleton live births in the United States and Canada. The data files (n = 48,637,680; 16.6% blacks) for US births, and the Canadian Birth Database of Statistics Canada (n = 3,167,702) for Canadian births were used. Trends were assessed between 1985-86 and 1997-98 with reference to mean birthweight, birthweight-for-gestational-age z-score, and proportions delivered low birthweight (< 2,500 g), small for gestational age (SGA: birthweight < 10th centile for gestational age) and large for gestational age (LGA: birthweight > 90th centile). The term "mean birth weight" increased in the US and Canada between 1985 and 1998, as have the mean z-score. Rates of term SGA births declined among US (11% among whites and 12% among blacks) and Canadian births (27%). Preterm SGA births increased by 3% and 17%, respectively, among US whites and blacks, but declined by 11% among Canadian births. Further, term LGA births increased in the US (5% among whites and 9% among blacks) and Canada (24%). Preterm LGA births declined by 13%, 25%, and 14% among US whites and blacks, and Canadian births, respectively. These findings suggest that US and Canadian babies are getting bigger. The role of preterm obstetrical induction and preterm cesarean delivery are likely to have influenced these trends.
Organizational expatriates and self-initiated expatriates: differences in cross-cultural adjustment and job satisfaction

Reflecting on recent trends in the international labor force, this study investigates and compares organizational expatriates (OEs), who are dispatched by their companies to international posts, with self-initiated expatriates (SIEs), who by their own volition move and work abroad. Findings from a survey of 57 OEs and 124 SIEs in Tokyo show several differences in individual- and job-related factors, cross-cultural adjustment and job satisfaction between OEs and SIEs. More specifically, mediation analyses show SIEs to have higher interaction adjustment because of their longer stay in the host country and higher host-country language proficiency. However, SIEs have lower job satisfaction because they work more often under host-country national supervisors.
Design and experimental validation of a magnetically suspended planar motor with integrated contactless energy transfer system

This paper presents the design and experimental validation of a magnetically suspended planar motor with integrated contactless energy transfer system. The translator of the planar motor embeds four iron-cored linear synchronous motors which magnetically suspend and propel the translator underneath a stationary checkerboard permanent magnet array. A contactless energy transfer system, by means of an inductive coupling, is integrated in the airgap of the planar motor to provide energy to the wirelessly moving translator, and, thereby, removes moving cables. A prototype of the planar motor has been manufactured. The translator is controlled in six DOF, is accelerated with 5 m/s2 in the x- and y-direction, and has a position and rotation error of 15 μm and 200 μrad. The integrated contactless energy transfer system has an average output power of 230 W, which varies 32% along the stroke of the moving translator and has an efficiency of 71%.
Wall Street's Contribution to Management Accounting: The Stern Stewart EVA Financial Management System

EVA is a variant of residual income marketed by Stern Stewart & Co., a New York consulting firm, with the purpose of promoting value-maximising behaviour in corporate managers. This paper reviews the EVA system in the light of this purpose. First, it outlines the rationale for the use of residual income in "value-based management", highlighting the potential shortcomings of residual income as a single-period performance indicator. Second, it considers the adjustments to GAAP-based accounting advocated by Stern Stewart in order to produce a more economically meaningful version of residual income (EVA) which might serve as an effective indicator of single-period performance. Third, it examines the Stern Stewart approach to the setting of EVA benchmarks. Finally, it reviews the logic behind the use of the "bonus bank" to separate the award of EVA-based bonuses from the payment of such bonuses.
Applying the Dissonance-Minimising Format to Value Cultural Heritage in Developing Countries

We adapt the dissonance-minimising (DM) format proposed by Blamey et al. [Land Economics, 75 (1999) 126] in a dichotomous choice contingent valuation survey to estimate the economic benefits of preserving a cultural heritage site in Vietnam. We find that the DM format can be successfully applied to avoid biases because of yea-saying in a developing country context. Copyright 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation 2009 Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc. and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
The Effects of Education on Fertility Change in Ghana: A Decomposition Analysis

Comparing two surveys conducted in Ghana (1987/88 and 1998/99), this study examines whether there has been a substantial decline in fertility over the decade. Oaxaca – Ransom, 1994 decomposition method is employed in the analysis. The method determines the change in fertility and whether the difference is attributed to observed characteristics of individual women or coefficients. The study finds that, fertility has indeed declined; but the change is very small. This confirms doubts expressed in studies like Bongaart et al, 1984, Caldwell, 1992 and others. They noted that, although transition has begun in SSA, the continent is not likely to see any substantial decline before the beginning of the next century. This study further finds that, the decline in fertility albeit small is mainly attributed to differences in characteristics (80.5%) and the most important of these characteristics, is expenditure. The findings suggest that, an increase in expenditure per adult significantly contributes to fertility decline. This particular result concurs with the quantity – quality trade-off theory expounded by Becker, 1960. It also mimics the kind of effect that is normally observed in developed countries and some developing countries that are far into their fertility transition. The main determinant of the study, education, is also found to contribute to fertility decline; but not as much as earnings.
Does regulation make it worse

What is the purpose of regulation? What are we really trying to achieve? What should the world look like after it has been regulated? Many “stakeholders” assent to the concept of regulation as a tool to fix a problem, but is there any clear idea about what the outcomes should be? It is very easy to become enmeshed in the mechanisms and processes of compliance without developing a grasp of the principles underlying regulation. This paper argues that regulation is based on ethical drivers that, if we understand them better, will help direct us towards a more effective and efficient system. Incoherent and excessive regulation can diminish individuals’ and firms’ ability to comprehend these principles and apply them in everyday judgments. A culture of dependency can result. Increased regulation of an undirected kind could indeed make matters worse.
Generalized Models of Japanese Demand for Fish

Given a relative lack of knowledge about Japanese consumer preferences for fish, Japanese fish demand is modeled using both Marshallian (ordinary) and inverse demand systems, each of which nests a number of competing specifications. Results indicate that the inverse demand systems dominate the ordinary demand systems in forecasting performance and in nonnested tests. The inverse system suggests that Japanese fish prices are less responsive to changes in consumption than found in previous studies. Copyright 1997, Oxford University Press.
Serial MR imaging of small arterially-enhancing liver lesions in patients with chronic liver disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine the significance of small arterially-enhancing liver lesions seen with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with chronic liver disease. MATERIAL AND METHOD Our institutional review board approved this retrospective study, without requiring informed consent. Over a two-year period, 258 consecutive patients with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis underwent multiphase three-dimensional, gadolinium-enhanced, breath-hold gradient-echo MRI. From this group, 29 patients underwent at least one follow-up MR study. When a small (< or = 20 mm) arterially-enhancing lesion was detected, the maximum diameter shape, signal intensities (T1-weighted and T2-weighted), and pattern of enhancement were evaluated to assess the associations between the imaging appearance on initial MR exam and subsequent behavior on follow-up imaging. Statistical testing was performed with JMP Statistical Software (SAS, Inc., Cary, NC) and StatXact 7 Statistical Software for Exact Nonparmetric Inference (Cytel, Inc., Cambride, MA). RESULTS Sixty-five small (< or = 20 mm) arterially-enhancing lesions were detected in 29 patients. Ten of 65 lesions (15%) in nine patients were subsequently proven to represent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while the remaining lesions either disappeared (46) or remained stable in size (9). Of the 10 lesions subsequently proven to represent HCC, eight lesions converted from hypo- or isointense to hyperintense on subsequent T2-weighted MRI (p < 0.001), seven lesions converted from hyper- or isointense to hypointense on subsequent T1-weighted images (p < 0.001), seven lesions demonstrated growth on subsequent MRI exam (mean increase in mean diameter = 1.4 cm), and five lesions subsequently developed rim enhancement that was not initially present. CONCLUSION Small, arterially-enhancing lesions detected with MRI have a low likelihood of representing HCC, and MRI follow-up of such lesions is a reasonable approach. Lesions that increase in size, convert to hypointense on subsequent T1W images, convert to hyperintense in T2W images, or develop rim enhancement on follow-up MRI images are concerning and should prompt consideration of intervention.
The price/acceptance function: perspectives of a pricing policy in European telecommunication markets

Success in innovation management of telecommunication products depends not only on sales, but also, and primarily so, on actual call times by subscribers (e.g. on their mobile phones). It is not only the purchase price that plays a major role for this type of service, but also call and rental charges. This study investigates two potential subscribers’ decisions, using the graphic device of a price/acceptance function and a charge/acceptance function. The first decision is to buy telecommunications products (accepting the purchase price), and the second decision is to use these products (accepting the charges for using the product). In particular, an attempt is made to describe the general profile of the price/acceptance function through considerations of plausibility. Based on an empirical experiment, conclusions are drawn for the pricing policy of telecommunication products, which point to abandoning fixed basic charges and to giving away end‐user sets (e.g. mobile phones) free of charge.
Towards Convergence in Europe? Institutional Adaptation to Europeanization in Germany and Spain

A number of studies suggest that European integration impacts upon the domestic institutions of the Member States by changing the distribution of resources among domestic actors. I argue in this article that resource dependency needs to be embedded in an institutionalist understanding of Europeanization in order to explain when and how Europe affects the domestic institutions of the Member States. First, domestic institutions determine the distribution of resources among the domestic actors in a given Member State. Second, the compatibility of European and domestic institutions determines the degree to which Europeanization changes this distribution of resources and hence the degree of pressure for institutional adaptation. Third, the domestic institutional culture determines the dominant strategies of actors by which they respond to such a redistribution of resources facilitating or prohibiting institutional adaptation. I demonstrate my argument empirically by comparing the impact of Europeanization on the territorial institutions of Germany and Spain. I conclude with some considerations on whether we are likely to see convergence among the domestic institutions of the Member States.
Judging the book by the cover: consumer preferences of hospitality industry uniforms for destination brands

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine if consumers have substantially common color preferences in hospitality uniforms for destination brands. Employee uniforms with their dimensions of style, material and color are a crucial part of the coordinated brand message of a business or a destination; however, this has been a void in tourism and hospitality literature. Current visitors to Hong Kong were studied using intercept surveys in four different groups controlling for potential confounding factors. Although results reveal the common perception and preference for black-white-formal uniforms for Hong Kong’s hospitality industry across different treatment groups as well as different cultural groups, implications and discussions are provided as a call for further research in this venue of inquiry. Design/methodology/approach – This is a cross-sectional study using a site intercept survey with structured questionnaires on Chinese and international travelers in Hong Kong. Four different surveys were.
Identifying Neighborhood Businesses: A Comparison of Business Listings

Information on local economic activity is often collected from a list of firms. However, it is difficult to gauge the accuracy of any one source of business listings, given that there is no independent list against which a source may be evaluated. The research presented here constructs such a master list by combining records from several sources and verifying the accuracy of a substantial number of the records. The five lists used to construct the master file are then evaluated against this complete listing. The lists compared here include Dun's Market Indicators, the Hanis Directory, Covered Employment and Wages file (ES202), the Manufacturers Directory, and a locally enumerated database.
General asymmetric stochastic volatility models using range data: estimation and empirical evidence from emerging equity markets

We extend the range-based approach of Alizadeh et al. (2002) in order to deal with leverage and size effects and nonnormal conditional distribution in Stochastic Volatility (SV) models. We employ the Efficient Importance Sampling (EIS) method to estimate the range-based asymmetric SV models. Empirical results for the stock market indices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN5) countries show that the conditional distributions of stock returns are nonnormal and that the model considered captures the existence/absence of the leverage and size effects.
Distributed energy resources management with cyber-physical SCADA in the context of future smart grids

In the energy management of a small power system, the scheduling of the generation units is a crucial problem for which adequate methodologies can maximize the performance of the energy supply. This paper proposes an innovative methodology for distributed energy resources management. The optimal operation of distributed generation, demand response and storage resources is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model (MILP) and solved by a deterministic optimization technique CPLEX-based implemented in General Algebraic Modeling Systems (GAMS). The paper deals with a vision for the grids of the future, focusing on conceptual and operational aspects of electrical grids characterized by an intensive penetration of DG, in the scope of competitive environments and using artificial intelligence methodologies to attain the envisaged goals. These concepts are implemented in a computational framework which includes both grid and market simulation.
The Impact of Congressional Reform: House Democratic Committee Assignments

In 1974, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives adopted major reforms in their committee assignment process. Drawing upon interviews with participants and personal observation, we identify the major differences and similarities in the new and old assignment mechanisms and in their environments. The formal and informal procedural changes, in turn, lead to a set of expectations about the role and significance of the characteristics of requesters and Committee on Committees (CC) members in postreform assignment decisions. These expectations are tested using previously unavailable CC ballot tallies for assignments in the 95th-97th Congresses. These data permit us to peer into the “black box” of the assignment process and to avoid questionable assumptions about who is nominated and the mechanism by which they are elected. Despite the presence of significant changes in the process, few differences in the factors shaping assignment decisions are found. Still, the openness of the new environment and the n.
Unmasking the Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting is an effort by a company to document its care for social life and the environment. It documents social and environmental activities such as health and safety, environmental protection, fighting poverty, and educational development. However, CSR reporting could be a mask to cover social and environmental disintegration and even a vehicle to obtain more wealth to sustain the going concerns of the company. This article uses the Hegelian dialectic approach to analyze the functions of CSR reporting, through thesis, antithesis and syntheses. An extension to mental-spiritual analysis is also conducted to complete the secular Hegelian tradition. In addition, it is deemed useful to understand and abstract texts from the CSR reports as well as to view the impact of the CSR on company performance. This research hopes to bring awareness that the CSR is not only a way to care for social and environmental life, but under critical perspective, it is also a way to support firms’ profit motives, and thus, capitalism.
Battery-powered miniaturized electroporation system for in-situ gene transfer in stem cell research

A battery-powered miniaturized electroporation (EP) system was designed and fabricated to tackle the challenging DNA transfection of stem cells. The system consists of a programmable mini-electroporator and a micro EP chip. Large statistical data of loading efficiency for five different size molecules and cell viability were determined under various voltage and duration in this system for HeLa cell and MEF cell line. Based on more than 2,000 single-cell electroporation experiments, an EP phase diagram for MEF cells have been generated for the first time. It can be used to significantly increase the in-situ gene transfer efficiency. In addition, the EP boundary curve for MEF cells can be described by a simple empirical formula. Comparing to the conventional instrument, the miniaturized electroporation system can greatly shorten the experimental time. We also proposed a new system for continuous online monitoring in-situ gene expression, which is still in progress,
No influence of the MDR-1 C3435T polymorphism or a CYP3A4 promoter polymorphism (CYP3A4-V allele) on dose-adjusted cyclosporin A trough concentrations or rejection incidence in stable renal transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND A substantial proportion of the variability in the absorption and clearance of cyclosporin A (CsA) after oral administration has been attributed to variability in liver cytochrome P-450 3A4 (CYP3A4) activity and intestinal P-glycoprotein (P-gp) concentration. A polymorphism in the CYP3A4 promoter region, termed "variant" allele CYP3A4-V, was postulated to be associated with altered CYP3A4 enzyme activity. A polymorphism in exon 26 (C3435T) of the multidrug resistance-1 (MDR-1) gene was correlated with intestinal expression and in vivo activity of P-gp. METHODS We investigated the occurrence of both polymorphisms in 124 stable Caucasian renal transplant recipients (>6 months after transplantation) on CsA as the primary immunosuppressant. Real-time, rapid-cycle PCR methods were developed and used for genotyping. RESULTS The estimated allele frequencies for the MDR-1 C3435T allele (54%) and the CYP3A4-V allele (4.8%) were similar to those reported for Caucasian populations. No significant differences were found for the CsA doses needed to maintain similar CsA trough concentrations in patients with and without the CYP3A4-V allele or in patients with different MDR-1 C3435T genotypes. Furthermore, neither of the polymorphisms investigated was associated with renal function as assessed by creatinine plasma concentration or, in a retrospective analysis, the incidence of acute rejection. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the MDR-1 C3435T mutation and the CYP3A4-V variant are not major determinants of CsA efficacy in renal transplant recipients.
Leveraged Lévy processes as models for stock prices

Adopting a constant elasticity of variance formulation in the context of a general Lévy process as the driving uncertainty we show that the presence of the leverage effect† in this form has the implication that asset price processes satisfy a scaling hypothesis. We develop forward partial integro-differential equations under a general Markovian setup, and show in two examples (both continuous and pure-jump Lévy) how to use them for option pricing when stock prices follow our leveraged Lévy processes. Using calibrated models we then show an example of simulation-based pricing and report on the adequacy of using leveraged Lévy models to value equity structured products. †One explanation of the documented negative relation between market volatilities and the level of asset prices (the ‘smile’ or ‘skew’), we term the ‘leverage effect’, argues that this negative relation reflects greater risk taking by the management, induced by a fall in the asset price, with a view of maximizing the option value of equity shareholders.
Short‐term low‐intensity blood flow restricted interval training improves both aerobic fitness and muscle strength

The present study aimed to analyze and compare the effects of four different interval‐training protocols on aerobic fitness and muscle strength. Thirty‐seven subjects (23.8 ± 4 years; 171.7 ± 9.5 cm; 70 ± 11 kg) were assigned to one of four groups: low‐intensity interval training with (BFR, n = 10) or without (LOW, n = 7) blood flow restriction, high‐intensity interval training (HIT, n = 10), and combined HIT and BFR (BFR + HIT, n = 10, every session performed 50% as BFR and 50% as HIT). Before and after 4 weeks training (3 days a week), the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), maximal power output (Pmax), onset blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), and muscle strength were measured for all subjects. All training groups were able to improve OBLA (BFR, 16%; HIT, 25%; HIT + BFR, 22%; LOW, 6%), with no difference between groups. However, VO2max and Pmax improved only for BFR (6%, 12%), HIT (9%, 15%) and HIT + BFR (6%, 11%), with no difference between groups. Muscle strength gains were only observed after BFR training (11%). This study demonstrates the advantage of short‐term low‐intensity interval BFR training as the single mode of training able to simultaneously improve aerobic fitness and muscular strength.