Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foreign Direct Investment and Labour Productivity in South Africa

The impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on domestically owned firms in developing countries has been a topic of much debate in the literature. The popular belief is that there is a substantial positive link between foreign investment and domestic enterprises. It has been argued that FDI provides access to advanced technologies and other intangible assets that can spillover to local manufacturing industries. Existing empirical studies in the area can be divided into two groups - one which concludes that FDI improves the productivity of domestic firms, and the other which argues that the impact is unclear or even negative. However, little is known about the effect of FDI on domestic firms in the African context. Noting this gap, this paper uses firm level unbalanced panel data from South Africa to examine the impact of foreign investment on labour productivity of domestic firms. The estimates presented here show that while foreign firms improve the productivity of their own workers, there is no evidence of either positive or negative spillover effect form FDI on productivity of labour in local firms at either the national or regional level. This finding is consistent with a meta analysis of the existing empirical literature on the topic. The meta analysis shows that the estimates of FDI spillovers are systematically affected by the specific research approach adopted. This paper conducts a detailed sensitivity analysis using alternative specifications and taking into account alternative definitions of foreign presence, but the results are robust and show that there is no effect of FDI on labour productivity in domestically owned firms. -- Relevance to Development Studies -- Unlike many previous researches regarding the spillover effects of foreign investment, this study gives due attention to different estimation concerns that might be a source of potential bias while analysing firm level data. It also points out some research design factors that could determine the findings in ex-ante stage using meta analysis. In addition, it classifies foreign presence based on ownership status and examines whether FDI spillover is geographically limited. Therefore, it contributes as alternative source of evidence for better understanding the relation between foreign investment and labour productivity of domestic firms in developing countries.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia in 120 infants treated consecutively with permissive hypercapnea/spontaneous respiration/elective repair.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Poor prognosis (approximately 50% survival rate and significant morbidity) traditionally has been associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The authors reviewed a single institution experience and challenged conventional wisdom in the context of a care strategy based on permissive hypercapnea/spontaneous respiration/elective repair. METHODS From August 1992 through February 2000, all infants with CDH and (1) respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation, (2) in-born or (3) transferred preoperatively within hours of birth are reported. All respiratory care strategy used permissive hypercapnea/spontaneous respiration and combined with elective repair. Arterial blood gas values and concomitant ventilator support were recorded. Outcome markers were (1) need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO, (2) discharge to home, (3) supplemental oxygen need at discharge, and (4) influence of non-ECMO ancillary therapies (surfactant, nitric oxide, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation). RESULTS One hundred twenty consecutive infants were reviewed. Overall survival rate was 75.8%, but, excluding 18 of 120 not treated (6 lethal anomalies, 10 overwhelming pulmonary hypoplasia, 3 prerepair ECMO-related neurocomplications), 84.4% survived to discharge. A total of 67/120 were inborn. Non-ECMO ancillary treatments had no impact on survival rate. ECMO was used in 13.3%. Surgery was transabdominal; prosthetics were used in 7%. Tube thoracostomy was rare. Every inborn patient (n = 11) requiring a chest tube for pneumothorax died. Respiratory support before surgery was peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), 22, FIO(2),. 43 with PaO(2), 66 torr; PaCO(2), 41 torr; and pH, 7.32. The survivors discharged on oxygen (n = 2) died at 4 and 7 months. CONCLUSIONS The majority of infants with life-threatening CDH treated with permissive hypercapnea/spontaneous respiration/elective surgery survive to discharge with minimal pulmonary morbidity.
The role of smoking-cessation-specific parenting in adolescent smoking-specific cognitions and readiness to quit.

BACKGROUND An instrument assessing smoking-cessation-specific parenting was developed and tested in relation to a) the pros of smoking and quitting and self-efficacy to resist smoking, and b) adolescent readiness to quit. METHODS Cross-sectional survey data from 998 Dutch adolescents who smoked regularly were used to perform structural equation analyses. RESULTS Adolescents who perceived relatively few advantages of smoking and many benefits of quitting reported a high readiness to quit. Self-efficacy was not related to readiness to quit. Smoking-cessation-specific parenting was both directly related to a high readiness to quit, and indirectly through the perceived pros of quitting. Also, if one or both parents were smokers, adolescents reported experiencing less smoking-cessation-specific parenting and a lower readiness to quit. However, in general, differences in paths were not found between adolescents with two parents who did not smoke and adolescents with one or two parents who smoked. CONCLUSIONS Given that anti-smoking socialisation has not yet been operationalised in terms of smoking-cessation-specific parenting, the present results will warrant further research into smoking-cessation-specific parenting in relation to adolescent smoking cessation. Further, parental smoking should not discourage parents from engaging in smoking-cessation-specific parenting as its relations with smoking cognitions and readiness to quit were highly similar in both the group with two parents who did not smoke and the group with one or two parents who smoked.
Do Federal Home Loan Bank membership and advances lead to bank risk-taking?

Throughout the 1990s, commercial banks turned to Federal Home Loan Bank advances to help plug the gap between loan growth and core deposit growth. By 1999, outstanding advances to banks topped $150 billion, a number that could easily double once the banking sector has adjusted to provisions governing Home Loan Bank membership and products contained in the Financial Modernization (Gramm-Leach-Bliley) Act of 1999. Should bank supervisors worry about this funding trend? The increasing reliance of commercial banks, particularly community banks, on Home Loan Bank funding is a potential threat to safety and soundness because access to advances undermines market discipline, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation cannot raise premiums sufficiently to deter risk-taking. Using quarterly income and balance sheet data for community financial institutions in the 1990s, we assess the effect of Home Loan Bank membership on bank risk. We also examine the relationship between advances and risk among member banks. The evidence suggests that Home Loan Bank members do exhibit somewhat riskier profiles than nonmembers and that risk does increase with dependence on advances. These differences, while statistically significant, do not appear to be economically large. We argue that high capital ratios have kept risk-taking in check. Nonetheless, bank supervisors should remain vigilant to ensure that risk-taking does not increase should capital ratios weaken.
The dwarf phenotype of the Arabidopsis acl5 mutant is suppressed by a mutation in an upstream ORF of a bHLH gene

Loss-of-function mutants of the Arabidopsis thaliana ACAULIS 5 (ACL5) gene, which encodes spermine synthase, exhibit a severe dwarf phenotype. To elucidate the ACL5-mediated regulatory pathways of stem internode elongation, we isolated four suppressor of acaulis (sac) mutants that reverse the acl5 dwarf phenotype. Because these mutants do not rescue the dwarfism of known phytohormone-related mutants, the SAC genes appear to act specifically on the ACL5 pathways. We identify the gene responsible for the dominant sac51-d mutant, which almost completely suppresses the acl5 phenotype. sac51-d disrupts a short upstream open reading frame (uORF) of SAC51, which encodes a bHLH-type transcription factor. Our results indicate that premature termination of the uORF in sac51-d results in an increase in its own transcript level, probably as a result of an increased translation of the main ORF. We suggest a model in which ACL5 plays a role in the translational activation of SAC51, which may lead to the expression of a subset of genes required for stem elongation.
Sediment and nutrient accumulation in floodplain and depressional freshwater wetlands of Georgia, USA

Soil accretion, sediment deposition, and nutrient (N, P, organic C) accumulation were compared in floodplain and depressional freshwater wetlands of southwestern Georgia, USA to evaluate the role of riverine (2600 km2 catchment) versus depressional (<10 km2 catchment) wetlands as sinks for sediment and nutrients. Soil cores were collected from three floodplain (cypress-gum) and nine depressional (three each from cypress-gum forest, cypress-savannah, and herbaceous marsh) wetlands and analyzed for radionuclides (137Cs, 210Pb), bulk density, N, P, and organic C to quantify recent (30-year) and long-term (100-year) rates of sediment and nutrient accumulation. There was no significant difference in organic C, N, or sediment accumulation between depressional and floodplain wetlands. However, P accumulation was 1.5 to three times higher in the floodplain (0.12–0.75 g/m2/yr) than in the depressional wetlands (0.08–0.25 g/m2/yr). Sediment and nutrient accumulations were highly variable among depressional wetland types, more so than between depressional and floodplain wetlands. This variability likely is the result of differences in historical land use, hydrology, vegetation type, NPP, and perhaps fire frequency. Mean (n=12) one-hundred-year rates of sediment deposition (1036 g/m2/yr), organic C (79 g/m2/yr), N (6.0 g/m2/yr), and P accumulation (0.38 g/m2/yr) were much higher than 30-year rates (sediment=118 g/m2/yr, C=20 g/m2/yr, N=1.5 g/m2/yr, P =0.09 g/m2/yr). Higher 100-year (210Pb) sediment and nutrient accumulations likely reflect the greater numbers of farms, greater grazing by livestock, and the absence of environmentally sound agricultural practices in southwestern Georgia at the turn of the century. Our findings suggest that the degree of anthropogenic disturbance within the surrounding watershed regulates wetland sediment, organic C, and N accumulation. Phosphorus accumulation also is greater is floodplain wetlands that have large catchments containing fine textured (clay) sediments that are co-deposited with P.
Achievement of appropriate self-care. Does care delivery system make a difference?

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this article is to review the evidence linking variations in care delivery system with achievement of appropriate self-care. METHODS This synthetic review of the research literature used the Outcomes Model for Health Care Research. The concept of self-care was reviewed from several theoretical perspectives, as was the quality of instruments used to measure aspects of self-care. Finally, studies examining the linkage between care delivery system and self-care were critically analyzed. RESULTS Reliable and valid instruments exist to measure self-care agency and self-care performance, and these data elements are collected routinely in many care settings. Only a few studies, however, have examined the relation between achievement of self-care and variations in delivery systems. CONCLUSIONS Achievement of appropriate self-care may be an outcome measure better suited to nonacute care settings or across the continuum of care. Additionally, work is needed in applying risk-adjustment strategies to the measurement of achievement of appropriate self-care.
Distribution and elimination of the solute and water components of urological irrigating fluids.

OBJECTIVE Irrigating fluids are used to dilate mucosal spaces and to remove blood and cut tissue from the operating field during endoscopic procedures. We have studied their disposition, since irrigating solutions are sometimes absorbed and may therefore be regarded as intravenous drugs. MATERIAL AND METHODS The distribution and the rate of elimination of four irrigating fluids containing glycine, mannitol and sorbitol were studied after infusing 0.75 ml/kg/min of them over a period of 20 min in 10 male volunteers. Kinetic calculations were based on 12 blood samples collected over 120 min using traditional pharmacokinetics for the solutes and volume kinetics for the water component. RESULTS The solutes had distribution half-lives of between 3 and 7 min; the elimination half-lives were 39 min (glycine), 97 min (mannitol) and 33 min (sorbitol). The volume of distribution during steady state was between 20 and 36 litres, while the volume of the body fluid space expanded by the water component of the irrigating fluids varied between 6 and 9 litres. Although the solutes became distributed over a much larger space than the infused fluid volume, the intersubject variation was smaller for the solute concentrations than for the dilution of the plasma fraction of the blood. CONCLUSIONS The kinetics of the solute and water components of urological irrigating fluids can be analysed and compared using computer-based mathematical models.
Direct conductance measurement of single DNA molecules in aqueous solution

We have studied electron transport in DNA duplexes, covalently bonded to two electrodes in aqueous buffer solutions, by repeatedly forming a large number of DNA junctions. The histogram of conductances reveals peaks at integer multiples of a fundamental value, which is used to identify with the conductance of a single DNA molecule. The measured conductance depends on the DNA sequence and length. For (GC)n sequences, the conductance is inversely proportional to the length (greater than eight base pairs). When inserting (A:T)m into GC-rich domains, it decreases exponentially with the length of A:T base pairs (m) with a decay constant of 0.43 A-1. This work provides an unambiguous determination of single DNA conductance and demonstrates different conduction mechanisms for different sequences.
Intestinal metabolism of plasma free fatty acids. Intracellular compartmentation and mechanisms of control.

Fatty acid metabolism in intestinal mucosa has been examined primarily in regard to lipid absorption. Since earlier studies suggested intestinal utilization of plasma free fatty acids (FFA), we investigated mucosal metabolism of plasma FFA in rats. Mucosal radioactivity (1 per cent of administered) was maximal 2 min after i.v. [14C]palmitate. Of mucosal 14C, 42 percent was in water-soluble metabolites, including CO2 and ketoacids, 28 percent in phospholipids, and only 16 per cent in triglycerides. The specific activity of mucosal triglyceride fatty acids (TGFA) was 11 times that of serum TGFA, confirming in situ synthesis. Double isotope experiments showed marked differences in the metabolism of fatty acids entering mucosa simultaneously from lumen and plasma. Whereas luminal fatty acids were chiefly esterified to triglyceride, plasma FFA were preferentially oxidized and incorporated into phospholipids. Crypts did not differ from villi, indicating that intestinal metabolism of plasma FFA is related to their site of entry into epithelial cells. Mucosal metabolism of i.v. [14C]palmitate was minimally affected by glucose administration. However, intraduodenal isocaloric ethanol inhibited mucosal oxidation of FFA by 60 per cent, and increased incorporation into triglycerides nearly twofold. During lipid absorption, mucosal uptake of plasma FFA doubled and incorporation into intestinal lymph triglycerides was increased sixfold. These studies demonstrate an intracellular compartmentation of fatty acids in the intestinal epithelium. In contrast to absorbed luminal fatty acids, plasma FFA in the fasting state are both an energy source and a substrate for the synthesis of tissue phospholipid. The fasting contribution of plasma FFA to mucosal and lymph triglyceride is minimal, but it increases during ethanol administration and fat absorption.
User-Perceived Quality of Service in Video on Demand Services

Video on Demand (VoD) is an Internet service with a growing appeal to the mass market, and is of increasing importance to Internet service providers' revenue. This master's thesis presents a subjective assessment on the user-perceived quality of service of an imaginary VoD service. By implementing the SAMVIQ methodology of subjective video quality assessment, the state of the art video codec H.264/MPEG-4's resilience to packet loss is examined. Through the recreation of several residential usage scenarios, different amounts of packet loss is added to H.264/MPEG-4 content encoded at diversified bitrates. The results suggest that random packet loss rates above 0,1% deteriorates the perceived quality to such an extent that it is not acceptable to the end-user. High-bitrate encoded content is relatively more affected than low-bitrate content, and bursty packet loss is preferred to loss categorized as non-bursty.
Encyclopedia of Japanese Business and Management

The Encyclopedia of Japanese Business and Management is the definitive reference source for the exploration of Japanese business and management. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of this field, the Encyclopedia consolidates and contextualises the leading research and knowledge about the Japanese business system and Japanese management thought and practice. It will be welcomed by scholar and student alike as an essential resource for teaching, an invaluable companion to independent study, and a solid starting point for wider exploration.
WEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE OF BEST PRACTICE: THE SPANISH EXPERIENCE

The Spanish Code of Best Practice, Olivencia Code, contains 23 recommendations regarding the composition, size and operating characteristics of the Board of Directors that aim to increase its supervisory duty. This paper analyzes the market reaction to announcements of compliance with the Code of Best Practice made by Spanish firms. It also tries to determine how different firm characteristics may explain these excess returns. The results obtained indicate that the market reacts positively to firms announcements of compliance with the Code of Best Practice when they imply a major restructuring of the Board of Directors, while no wealth effects are observed for announcements that relate to isolated recommendations of the Code. We also observe that the worse the firm prior performance and the lower the ownership held by large shareholders the higher the observed abnormal returns.
Utility of Homeostasis Model Assessment of β-Cell Function in Predicting Diabetes in 12,924 Healthy Koreans

Sung et al. (1) are to be commended for their efforts in reporting on the utility of a homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of β-cell function (HOMA-β) as a measure of insulin secretion to predict the development of diabetes in a large population ( n = 12,924) followed through retrospective medical record review. They conclude by questioning the utility of HOMA-β in predicting the development of diabetes. This conclusion is problematic, though, and likely to be biased. Sung et al. do not adequately address the physiological relationship between insulin sensitivity and secretion in their analysis. It is well know that a hyperbolic association exists between these two measures, and this has been …
Distributed Systems and Multi-Point Video Recording

II. BACKGROUND Abstract: This paper describes the application of distributed system techniques to an MIT Media Lab sponsored project on multi-point video recording. The two main improvements to the system are: (1) An algorithm to calculate optimum camera angle based on the locations of other cameras in the system and (2) A method of forwarding information between out-ofrange cameras via intermediaries, so that all cameras in the system are aware of each other. A. Existing Equipment and Software Configuration
Approximate Code Search in Program Histories

Very often a defect must be corrected not only in the current version of a program at one particular place but in many places and many other versions -- possibly even in different development branches. Consequently, we need a technique to efficiently locate all approximate matches of an arbitrary defective code fragment in the program's history as they may need to be fixed as well. This paper presents an approximate whole-program code search in multiple releases and branches. We evaluate this technique for real-world defects of various large and realistic programs having multiple releases and branches. We report runtime measurements and recall using varying levels of allowable differences of the approximate search.
MUTATIONS IN THE USH1C GENE ASSOCIATED WITH SECTOR RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA AND HEARING LOSS

Purpose: To determine the molecular cause of sector retinitis pigmentosa and hearing loss in two affected siblings. Methods: Direct DNA sequencing of the USH1C gene was performed in two affected siblings. Putative pathogenic sequence changes were assayed in their parent's chromosomes and in control chromosomes. Clinical examination included visual acuity measurement, visual field measurement, electrophysiologic assessment, and fine matrix mapping. Retinal imaging with fundus photography, scanning laser ophthalmoscope (fundus autofluorescence), and optical coherence tomography was performed. Hearing and vestibular function was also assessed. Results: The siblings were aged 42 years and 40 years, and both were compound heterozygotes for the p.R103H missense change and the novel splice site change c.2227-1G>A in the USH1C gene. Both alleles were found to be in trans. Neither allele was identified in a panel of 866 control chromosomes, and both were considered pathogenic. Both siblings had sector retinitis pigmentosa restricted to the inferior and nasal retina. Fundus autofluorescence imaging showed a clear demarcation between normal and abnormal areas of retina, which corresponded to areas of reduced sensitivity on fine matrix mapping and loss of visual field. Both siblings had severe hearing loss but were able to develop language. Conclusion: We report a novel molecular cause of sector retinitis pigmentosa associated with hearing loss representing a new phenotype associated with mutations in the USH1C gene.
Room-Temperature Operation of Discrete-Mode InGaAs–AlAsSb Quantum-Cascade Laser With Emission at $\lambda=3.3\ \mu$m

Discrete-mode quantum-cascade lasers have been developed in the InGaAs-AlAsSb-InP materials system. For an uncoated 10-μ m-wide ridge waveguide and 3000-μm-long cavity, the laser had a threshold current density J<sub>th</sub> of 4.2 kA·cm<sup>-2</sup> (I<sub>th</sub>=1.5 A) at 300 K with a slope efficiency of 80 mW/A. A stable single-mode emission near 3.3 μ m with a sidemode suppression ratio of nearly 25 dB was observed and a tuning coefficient of 0.22 nm/K was obtained in the temperature range of 253 K <; T <; 303 K.