Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Firm‐Size Wage Gaps Along the Formal‐Informal Divide: Theory and Evidence

Observationally equivalent workers are paid higher wages in larger firms. This fact is often named as the "firm-size wage gap" and is regarded as a key empirical puzzle. Using micro-level data from Turkey, we document a new stylized fact: the firm-size wage gap is more pronounced for informal (unregistered) jobs than for formal (registered) jobs. To explain this fact, we develop a two-stage wage-posting game with market imperfections and segmented markets, the solution to which produces wages as a function of firm size in a well-defined subgame-perfect equilibrium. The model proposes two explanations. First, taxes on formal employment generate a wedge between formal and informal size wage gaps. Thus, government policy can potentially affect the magnitude of the firm-size wage gaps. The second explanation features a market-based framework with strategic interactions. Relative to small firms, large firms typically post higher wages for both formal and informal jobs they open. A high-wage formal job attracts a larger pool of applicants than a high-wage informal job. The larger pool of applicants for the formal job, in turn, allows the firm to somewhat lower the initial wage offer, while this second-round effect is negligible for informal jobs. As a result, size differentials are lower in formal jobs than informal jobs. We argue that the observed patterns in the use of social connections in job search and heterogeneity in job preferences can be used to justify the validity of this second mechanism.
Wound Healing and Indigenous Drugs: Role as Antioxidants: A Review

Traditional medicine, especially herbal medicine has recently been receiving heightened interest all over the world. Man from the very beginning has been aware of the health problems and has been taking care of health through diet and drugs for which plants were used extensively. Molecular oxygen plays a central role in the pathogenesis and therapy of chronic wounds. When reactive oxygen species are overproduced, oxidative stress results in detrimental cytotoxic effects causing delayed wound healing. Therefore, elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) could be an important strategy to improve healing of chronic wounds. Currently therapeutic strategies targeting reactive oxygen species (ROS) by antioxidants are being introduced into the treatment of chronic wounds. Natural compounds from medicinal plants having antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities are used as therapeutic agents. Indian medicinal plants with these activities have been identified and their antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects have been reviewed.
Tectonic imbrication and foredeep development in the Penokean Orogen, east-central Minnesota; an interpretation based on regional geophysics and the results of test-drilling. The Penokean Orogeny in Minnesota and upper Michigan; a comparison of structural geology

Cl Introduction Cl Acknowledgments Cl Previous investigations Cl New work C4 Tectonic conclusions and stratigraphic implications C7 Regional considerations Cll Possible equivalence of Niagara fault zone and Malmo discontinuity CH Correlation of stratigraphic sequences north of Niagara-Malmo zonePossibilities and problems C13 Summary C13 References cited C14
PDMS ( Polydimethylsiloxane ) Microfluidic Chip Molding for Love Wave Biosensor

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors, based on piezoelectric effect, are used in many areas since decades. In 1885, Lord Rayleigh introduced the description of the SAW and predicted its properties. Rayleigh waves have longitudinal and vertical shear components that can couple with any media in contact with the surface. This coupling strongly affects the amplitude and velocity of the wave, allowing SAW sensors to directly sense mass and mechanical properties. Their technology is based on several piezoelectric substrate materials, depending of the application areas and the needed sensitivity: quartz (SiO2), lithium tantalate (LiTaO3), lithium niobate (LiNbO3), gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon carbide (SiC), langasite (LGS), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum nitride (AlN), lead zirconium titanate (PZT), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF). Quartz substrate is the most common because the process used for manufacturing is wellknown, furthermore, choosing the cut angle and the wave propagation direction, allows to adapt the temperature dependence of the material and the nature of wave polarization for a specific application. Due to their simplicity, size, high resistance, high sensitivity, versatility, SAW sensors are integrated in a lot of devices in many areas of sensing: pressure [1], chemical [2], vapor [3], humidity [4], temperature [5], mass sensors [6], telecommunications [7], biosensors [8], rheology and seismology [9]. In this context we use SAW sensors based on guided shear horizontal surface acoustic waves (guided SH-SAW) or Love waves, predicted by A.E. H Love in 1911, for detection in liquid media thanks to their great surface sensitivity to mass loading effect and ability to work with adjacent liquid thanks to SH polarization. Recently, the advent of microfluidic systems, introduced by pioneer groups in this area, like The George Whitesides Research Group [10-12], revolutioned the biosensing world. Since it, the development of PDMS chips for microfluidics has known an extraordinary expansion. Nowadays, such devices offer a new approach in many areas, such as biology, ABSTRACT1
A fractional dispersion model for overland solute transport

Using the kinematic‐wave overland flow equation and a fractional dispersion‐advection equation, a process‐oriented, physically‐based model is developed for overland solute transport. Two scenarios, one consisting of downslope and the other of upslope rainstorm movements, are considered for numerical computations. Under these conditions, the hydrograph displays a long‐tailed distribution due to the variation in flow velocity in both time and distance. The solute transport exhibits a complex behavior. Pollutographs are characterized by a steep rising limb, with a peak, and a long, stretched receding limb; whereas the solute concentration distributions feature a rapid receding limb followed by a long stretched rising limb. Downslope moving storms cause much higher peak in both hydrographs and pollutographs than do upslope moving storms. Both hydrographs and the pollutographs predicted by the fractional dispersion model are in good agreement with the data measured experimentally using a soil flume and a moving rainfall simulator.
Implementing decentralized storage using blockchain to address data ownership and privacy concerns

The currently seen tremendous increase in events of surveillance, security breaches and unauthorized access intervening people’s privacy, information, personal data requires the need to doubt and put the present model into question which seems dubious, in which third parties control as well as collect tremendous amounts of a person’s personal data. Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies like ethereum have proved in the financial sector that reliable, trustworthy computing is feasible by use of a decentralized network of peers accompanied by a public ledger. We present a decentralized personal data storage based on blockchain and also including proof-of-work that ensures users themselves own and control their data without compromise of security and privacy. We introduce a roll-back mechanism to the blockchain and by implementing an algorithm that converts a blockchain into an automatic access control manager that does not require any trust in a third-party source. The transactions in our implementation are not financial like in the case of cryptocurrencies, rather they are used for instructions, like storing and sharing data. Finally, we discuss the probable future extensions to the blockchain technology that could harness them into an exceptional solution for eliminating the trust related issues prevailing in our society and internet.
Review of Shoulder Injuries and Shoulder Problems in Competitive Swimmers

Swimming is a popular sport, both recreationally and competitively. The repetitive nature of the swim stroke places unique demands on the body. Competitive swimmers spend a considerable amount of time training for their sport, and can swim 110km or more a week. As a consequence of this amount of swimming and the repetitive nature of the swimming stroke, swimmers can develop injuries, most commonly localised to the shoulder. This manuscript will focus on shoulder problems in swimmers and present a review of the factors that may predispose an individual to injury. The EBCSOhost Research Database was initially searched using the keywords: “(Swimming OR Swimmers”) AND “(Competitive OR Shoulder)” AND “(Injury OR Pain)”. This was supplemented by cross-referencing to publications cited by the authors of the initial literature search. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated to compare the different factors associated with shoulder injury. A review of literature split factors associated with shoulder problems into six groups: biomechanics of the shoulder; general swimmer characteristics; injury history; shoulder laxity and range of movement; shoulder strength; general strength. The impact of each factor upon swimming and shoulder injury is discussed and the effect sizes show which factors have the greatest association with shoulder injury in swimmers.
Risk disclosure policies: a cross-sectional analysis of the Greek banking industry

In this paper, we examine the under-researched Greek banking market; inadequate transparency and disclosure about exposures has led to counterparty concerns and renewed strains in bank funding markets. Greek banks, now struggling with the need to increase provisions against bad debts, asset write-offs and with problems of liquidity as a result of being frozen out of the interbank lending market are completely reliant on the European Central Bank. The study examines the impact that Basel II had on the risk disclosure practices in the Greek banking sector. The disclosure practices and their potential relationship with size, risk profile and profitability of the most actively traded Greek banks are examined. In 2010, the latest wave of outcry from investors surfaced, demanding the disclosure of information showing how Greece and Greek banks used derivatives to hide their deficits when Greek banks entered into a large number of private, offmarket swaps from 2001 through 2007. There is a compelling public interest in relevant information being disclosed. The results show that inadequacies still exist despite the fact that Basel II managed to raise the risk disclosing amounts in the annual reports of the Greek banks. The informational content of the disclosures is suspect, due to that little quantitative information is disclosed; favouritism towards qualitative and past related disclosures is revealed. Furthermore, no quasi-norms between the size, profitability or risk profile of the institutions and their risk disclosing quantities is revealed. Dr. Rosemary Skordoulis Principal London School of Business Management London, WC1E 7JN UK Disclosing policies and the quantity of disclosures have evolved, throughout the examined period in the Greek banking industry; yet, transparency issues and quality problems are still present owing to the high degree of secrecy of the internal Greek market.
Neutron Imaging of Lithium Concentration in LFP Pouch Cell Battery

This paper shows how neutron radiography can be used for in situ quantification of the lithium concentration across battery electrodes, a critical physical system state. The change in lithium concentration between the charged and discharged states of the battery causes a change in number of detected neutrons after passing through the battery. Electrode swelling is also observed during battery charging. The experimental setup and the observations from testing a pouch cell with LFP cathode and graphite anode are reported here. The bulk Li concentration across the electrode and folds of the pouch cell is quantified at various states of charge. To interpret the measurements, the optics of the neutron beam (geometric unsharpness) and detector resolution are considered in order to quantify the lithium concentration from the images due to the thinness of the electrode layers. The experimental methodology provides a basis for comprehensive in situ metrology of bulk lithium concentration.
Bacterial-Fungal Interactions Highlighted using Microbiomics: Potential Application for Plant Growth Enhancement

Artursson, V. 2005. Bacterial-Fungal Interactions Highlighted using Microbiomics: Potential Application for Plant Growth Enhancement. Doctoral dissertation. ISSN 1652-6880, ISBN 91-576-6926-0. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and bacteria can interact synergistically to stimulate plant growth through a range of mechanisms that include improved nutrient acquisition and inhibition of fungal plant pathogens. These interactions may be of crucial importance within sustainable, low-input agricultural cropping systems that rely on biological processes rather than agrochemicals to maintain plant health. The first goal of the present work was to further develop and optimise a method, bromodeoxyuridine immunocapture, suitable for the identification of actively growing bacteria in soil containing abundant AM fungi. DNA was extracted from soil that had been incubated with BrdU for 2 days, and the DNA was isolated by immunocapture of the BrdUcontaining DNA. The actively growing bacteria in the community were identified by 16S rRNA gene PCR amplification and DNA sequence analysis. One of the actively growing bacteria, Bacillus cereus strain VA1, was isolated from the soil, tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) and shown to clearly attach to AM fungal hyphae. It was subsequently shown, however, that this bacterial strain had preferences for non-vital AM fungal hyphae, whereas one of the control strains, Paenibacillus brasilensis PB177, actually showed greater attachment to vital hyphae. A second objective was to study the impact of specific AM fungi and plant type on the actively growing soil bacterial communities, by using the BrdU method in combination with a fingerprinting technique (e.g. terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, TRFLP). This microbiomics (e.g. molecular tools for analysis of complex microbial communities) approach revealed distinct differences in bacterial community composition within the treatments, and the putative identities of the dominant bacterial species, activated as a result of Glomus mosseae inoculation, were found to be mostly uncultured bacteria and Paenibacillus sp. , indicating the great significance of using an approach not relying on the culturability of the bacteria. Finally, Paenibacillus brasilensis PB177, previously shown to be associated with AM fungi, was shown to inhibit growth of several phytopathogenic fungi. In summary, the results of these studies provide novel valuable insights to consider when developing combined microbial inocula (e.g. bacteria and AM fungi) for enhancing plant growth within sustainable agriculture in the future.
Extracting and studying the antioxidant capacity of polyphenols in dry linden leaves (Tilia cordata)

Medicinal potentials of the flowers and leaves of Tilia species (Linden) make them valuable plants in pharmacognosy researches. The present study is an attempt to investigate the optimal conditions for the extraction of phenolic compounds from Tilia cordata leaves harvested from the coastal mountains located at the west of Syria. The optimal extraction conditions of phenolic compounds were determined using the conventional liquid–solid method using different ethanol–water ratio, temperature and extraction time. Total phenolic content and the radical scavenging activity of a number of the dried leaves extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and scavenging of DPPH (2,2diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl) radical respectively. The best phenolic yield (1.37±0.0021 g/100 g DW) was obtained using 40% ethanol at 75 °C for 30 min. Whereas the best IC50 (0.3303±0.0896 mg/ml) was obtained using ethanol 60% at 75 °C for 30 min and was correlated with a phenolic yield of 0.49±0.0014 g/100g DW. The high content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity found in the dried leaves extract of linden leaves indicated that it might be considered as a potential source of nutraceuticals in the future.
Evaluating the potential for grey seal predation to explain elevated natural mortality in three fish species in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Despite 2 decades of very low fishing levels, numerous NW Atlantic demersal fish stocks have failed to recover from collapsed states or are presently collapsing. In the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, adult natural mortality (M) appears to be the demographic rate that most limits population productivity in at least 3 species: Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, white hake Urophycis tenuis and winter skate Leucoraja ocellata. The causes of elevated M are not well understood, though there is indirect evidence consistent with an effect of predation by grey seals Halichoerus grypus. However, direct evidence is lacking due to uncertainty in the seal diet. Consequently, Monte Carlo simulations were undertaken using data on the spatial overlap between the seals and the fishes and a seal food-consumption model, to estimate the plausibility that different seal-diet compositions could explain observed M levels. Under the simulation assumptions, we find that predation could explain up to 20 to 50% of M in adult white hake and cod even if these species comprise a small percentage of grey seal diets (<25%). If seals consume some of these fish only partially, by selectively feeding on soft tissues, a predation effect becomes more plausible. Preda- tion can also plausibly explain the observed elevated M in adult winter skate, even if they com- prise a negligible (<0.1%) percentage of the grey seal diet. Though the simulations deal with the factors that shape the potential for predation, a greater understanding of prey selection is required to conclude whether grey seals are actually adversely impacting these fish populations.
Pectic Oligosaccharides and Other Emerging Prebiotics

A prebiotic is a selectively fermented ingredient that results in specific changes in the composition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefit(s) upon host health. The most widely accepted prebiotics are lactulose, inulin, fructooligo‐ saccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and the human milk oligosacchar‐ ides (HMO). However, there is a growing list of potential prebiotics although the evidence for these, especially in humans, is not as well established as for FOS and GOS. Some of them are already commercialized but others such as polydextrose (PDX), pectic oligosaccharides (POS), bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS), polysaccharides derived from algae and sugar alcohols are still in the early stages of development. This chapter summarizes the scientific literature regarding the manufacture and the evaluation of the properties of this group “emerging prebiotics”.
A review of the predictability and prediction of ENSO

A hierarchy of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) prediction schemes has been developed during the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program which includes statistical schemes and physical models. The statistical models are, in general, based on linear statistical techniques and can be classified into models which use atmospheric (sea level pressure or surface wind) or oceanic (sea surface temperature or a measure of upper ocean heat content) quantities or a combination of oceanic and atmospheric quantities as predictors. The physical models consist of coupled ocean-atmosphere models of varying degrees of complexity, ranging from simplified coupled models of the “shallow water” type to coupled general circulation models. All models, statistical and physical, perform considerably better than the persistence forecast in predicting typical indices of ENSO on lead times of 6 to 12 months. The TOGA program can be regarded as a success from this perspective. However, despite the demonstrated predictability, little is known about ENSO predictability limits and the predictability of phenomena outside the tropical Pacific. Furthermore, the predictability of anomalous features known to be associated with ENSO (e.g., Indian monsoon and Sahel rainfall, southern African drought, and off-equatorial sea surface temperature) needs to be addressed in more detail. As well, the relative importance of different physical mechanisms (in the ocean or atmosphere) has yet to be established. A seasonal dependence in predictability is seen in many models, but the processes responsible for it are not fully understood, and its meaning is still a matter of scientific discussion. Likewise, a marked decadal variation in skill is observed, and the reasons for this are still under investigation. Finally, the different prediction models yield similar skills, although they are initialized quite differently. The reasons for these differences are also unclear.
Clinical Decision Support Systems for Effective Management of Patients with Barrett ’ s Esophagus using Optical Endomicroscopy

Optical endomicroscopy (OE) is a novel imaging modality that captures real-time, histology-like microscopic pictures of tissue during endoscopic procedures to allow physicians to make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions real-time. It will provide early diagnosis for patients for better clinical outcome and save healthcare cost. Because OE image video quality is low and the semantic interpretation is challenging, it has not been widely adopted in clinics. The goal of this project is to conduct a comparative effectiveness study to compare several modalities of OE and to develop a Clinical Design Support System that optimizes diagnostic models among different modality. Specifically, we will carry out this comparative effectiveness study on surveillance of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) patients, who are at high risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Using this CDSS that consists of novel algorithms for quality control, information extraction, and integration of different types of OE images with other diagnostic imaging modalities, we hope to provide final effectiveness measure of various OE modalities.
Impact of HIV Status, CD4 Count and Antiretroviral Treatment on Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes in a Low-Burden Country

Background: Few data is available in low-burden TB-HIV countries on TB treatment outcomes. We evaluated TB patients (pts) characteristics by HIV status and compared treatment outcomes in relation to HIV status, CD4 count and antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 447 adult TB pts who registered and initiated treatment in our center from 2014 to 2015. Results: Pts were categorized as HIV-negative (n = 399, 89.3%), HIV-positive on ART (n = 42, 9.4%) and HIV-positive not on ART (n = 6, 1.3%). The proportion of pts with extended TB therapy was higher among HIV-positive pts (p = 0.03). Increased age was associated with higher death rates regarding treatment success (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.01 - 1.17, p = 0.03). Statistically significant higher mortality was found among HIV-positive pts on ART (OR 9.93; 95% CI 1.36 - 72.37, p = 0.03) and HIV-positive pts not on ART (OR 397.00; 95% CI 44.27 to 3559.91, p ≤ 0.0001) compared to HIV-negative pts. When multivariate analyses were restricted to HIV-positive pts, being not on ART was associated with higher mortality (OR 40.0; 95% CI 4.37 - 365.78, p = 0.001). Conclusions: There was significant difference in death rates between HIV-positive and HIV-negative TB pts. HIV-positive pts not on ART had a significantly higher mortality.