Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accessing Local Foods: Households Using SNAP Double Bucks and Financial Incentives at a Midwestern Farmers Market

Farmers markets have flourished in recent decades as alternative distribution outlets for small-scale, organic producers. However, one persistent chal­lenge for farmers markets is attracting a diverse range of patrons across the wide socio-economic spectrum. This issue is even more critical when focused on individuals with a limited budget for food expenditures. Thus, we surveyed SNAP and non-SNAP users who attend a Midwestern farmers market in order to investigate motivations for attend­ance, local food values, and the role that financial incentives play in affecting attendance. Additionally, we compared our findings with our previous research on households who receive SNAP and do not attend the farmers market. Our results underscore that the SNAP users at the market have much in common with their non-SNAP market-going counterparts. There are also several critical differences between market-going SNAP users and the non-going SNAP users. In conclusion, while our results show financial incen­tives work to reduce the reproduction of economic privilege at the farmers market, additional initia­tives are required to address other food access bar­riers and to promote food justice in this important and expanding space.
The Adoption of Liquefied Natural Gas as a Fuel in Greek Passenger Shipping: Possibilities and Limitations

Greece has a unique insular character with almost 6000 islands sur- rounding its mainland. This trait is the main reason for Greece devel- oping one of the leading passenger shipping industries in Europe. With increasing exhaust emissions brought about by this excessive shipping activity in its waters, Greece having to deal with air pollution, haz- ardous to populations in its coastal areas and to the country’s environ- ment. Taking the above into consideration alongside the International and European regulations on ship air emissions, it is imperative that a combined e↵ort is made by all involved to reduce these ship air emis- sion. For this to succeed, all alternative options should be looked into. This research examines the limitations and possibilities of the adoption of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as an alternative ship fuel in order to reduce air emissions associated with the Greek ferries. Each aspect of the research indicates that the adoption of LNG is feasible provided the existence of bunkering infrastructure and governmental or EU financ- ing for overcoming the large capital costs. Furthermore, the volatility of the price of LNG, which was found to be higher than that of other fuels, could be a drawback for the change of ship fuel from oil to LNG in small ferry companies mainly based in small ports.
Evaluation of Resident Applicants by Letters of Recommendation: A Comparison of Traditional and Behavior‐Based Formats

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVESTraditional, narrative letters of recommendation solicited by medical students applying for radiology residency are widely used as a selection tool. Letters of recommendation are considered a source of reliable information about the attitudes and behaviors (non-cognitive variables) of the resident applicant. However, in many instances, this information is not present or is highly encoded and cannot be extracted. This study attempted to document the deficiencies of traditional letters of recommendation and determine the effectiveness of a structured letter of recommendation in obtaining information regarding noncognitive variables. METHODSOne hundred thirteen randomly selected letters of recommendation were analyzed by two radiologists with experience in residency selection. Deficiencies in inclusion of information or the ability to extract information about noncognitive variables were documented. A standard behavioral assessment was sent to the writers of these letters of recommendation and these results tabulated. RESULTSThe traditional letters of recommendation were frequently deficient in data regarding the noncognitive variables. In letters that contained such data, two experienced reviewers could not reliably extract the information. The structured form produced clearly identifiable information about the letter writer's assessment of noncognitive variables. CONCLUSIONSTraditional letters of information are frequently deficient in data regarding noncognitive variables. A standardized statement is effective in eliciting information on noncognitive variables related to applicant performance.
Forecasting of Spare Parts Based on Vehicle Condition Monitoring Data A Case Study at Volvo Group

An accurate aftermarket demand forecast is critical for companies within the automotive industry. However, due to erratic and intermittent demand patterns of spare parts, achieving an accurate demand forecast through currently used time-based methods is difficult. Therefore, this thesis aims to predict future demand with causal-based forecasting methods using condition monitoring data, specifically fault codes, as explanatory variable. Furthermore, an evaluation is made on what effects an implementation would result in for the case company Volvo Group. The thesis method combines qualitative as well as quantitative data collection and analysis. Findings from the qualitative part of the study are a list of fault codes as well as a list of part types where a forecast based on condition monitoring data could be appropriate. To maximize potential economic benefits of an improved forecast the initial list of part types was subsequently filtered, which results in the part types: turbos and batteries. Those results were then validated through quantitative analysis using correlation and regression to determine causality between fault codes and spare part demand for three individual turbochargers. The causal relationships were used to create causal-based forecasts on different time horizons. These causalbased models were then compared with currently used time-based models, which show an overall better performance of the causal-based models. Based on the research findings it is discussed that the developed causal-based forecasting method is appropriate for parts with a positive demand trend. Furthermore, it is argued that the developed model is unable to accurately detect single period fluctuations since they are caused by customer behavior which can not be explained by fault codes. The thesis contributions include an analysis approach which can be used in future research, and recommendations for future actions within the case company to further develop the research findings.
Association Between Indoxyl Sulfate and Skeletal Resistance in Hemodialysis Patients

Skeletal resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH) in uremia is known, although the mechanism of resistance is not fully elucidated. To clarify the roles of indoxyl sulfate, which is a uremic toxin, in skeletal resistance, we examined the relationship between indoxyl sulfate and biochemical markers of bone turnover in hemodialysis patients. We obtained blood samples from 47 hemodialysis patients and measured serum indoxyl sulfate, intact PTH, oxidative stress marker 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG), and various biochemical markers. The serum concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) were used as bone formation markers, and the concentration of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP‐5b) was used as a bone resorption marker. Serum indoxyl sulfate levels were much higher in hemodialysis patients than healthy subjects. Multiple regression analysis shows that indoxyl sulfate correlated negatively with ALP (β = −1.897, P = 0.042) and BAP (β = −0.310, P = 0.029), independent of intact PTH; however, indoxyl sulfate did not correlate with TRACP‐5b or 8‐OHdG. These findings suggest that indoxyl sulfate may relate skeletal resistance to PTH in uremia.
Modeling confounding by half-sibling regression

We describe a method for removing the effect of confounders to reconstruct a latent quantity of interest. The method, referred to as “half-sibling regression,” is inspired by recent work in causal inference using additive noise models. We provide a theoretical justification, discussing both independent and identically distributed as well as time series data, respectively, and illustrate the potential of the method in a challenging astronomy application.
Panel data analysis of ownership structure and board effectiveness influence on GCC bank performance

This study aims to analyze the influences of board directors’ effectiveness and ownership on bank performance among the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. Five hypotheses were singled-out for further approbation. Unbalanced secondary panel data were collected from 68 banks with a total of 268 observations for the period 2012-2015. During this period, the economy of GCC was experiencing the fall of oil price that resulted in low GDP, increase fiscal deficit, reduction of banks reserves and decline in banks’ profitability and the share prices. These were the critical years to the banks in GCC countries as their performance was crucial. Besides facing diplomatic crisis in the following years, GCC countries strived to improve their financial sector. Secondary data was obtained from banks’ annual reports, websites of stock exchange and Thomson Reuters Datastream. The findings revealed a significant association between board of directors’ effectiveness, government-owned banks, and GCC national ownership with the banks’ performance. Findings also showed the best board structure for banks and the need to unify the regulations among the six countries. As for the policymakers, the outcome of this study might indicate needed reconsideration of the legal infrastructure and facilitates of investment as well as signal to management, investors and auditors the best ways to invest and control the banks. The outcome may help to enhance closer ties among the GCC countries.
La eficiencia energética en la industria: una solución efectiva para ahorrar energía

Companies in the Colombian industrial sector in partnership with the academy are challenged to interact to find, implement, and get the benefits that brings the applying a model for the diagnosis of energy efficiency, since their results, this can contribute to improving methodologies and procedures required in industrial processes contributing to an increase in productivity, and optimizing the use of the required energy in order to reduce the impact generated by the production of a kilowatt in the environment. Bearing these results energy indicators that can be taken as tools for making decisions which involve improvement of facilities or acquire new technologies that power consumption is implied were established.
Mandibular complete denture versus single‐implant overdenture: a systematic review of patient‐reported outcomes

The single-implant mandibular overdenture (SIMO) has been proposed as an alternative for edentulous patients who are poorly adapted to their dentures due to low retention and stability of the conventional mandibular complete denture (CD). However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of SIMO, which can be measured by examining patient perception of treatment effects. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the comparative results of CD and SIMO treatments using patient-reported outcome measures. A literature search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Central databases. The search included studies published up to July 2017. The focus question was: 'Do single-implant mandibular overdentures improve patient-reported outcomes compared to conventional complete dentures in edentulous patients? ' Eligible studies were randomised clinical trials (RCT) and prospective studies. After initial screening for eligibility and full-text analysis, 11 studies were included for data extraction and quality assessment (five parallel-group RCTs, two crossover RCTs and four prospective studies). All studies reported marked improvement in satisfaction with the dentures and quality of life measures after SIMO treatment, irrespective of variations in implant treatment protocols and retention systems. Methodological considerations revealed a lack of evidence from RCTs on the comparative effectiveness of the two treatment strategies. Hence, although available evidence suggests considerable improvement in patient-reported outcomes following the insertion of a single implant to retain a mandibular denture, further well-designed comparative studies between SIMO and CD are required to improve the level of evidence and to support the indication of SIMO treatment in routine practice.
On-board compression algorithm for satellite multispectral images

Summary form only given. This paper proposes a low complexity and flexible fixed data rate compression algorithm for multispectral imagery specifically targeted for high-rate instruments used onboard of spacecraft. To reduce the development costs, this algorithm re-use, as far as possible, already existing compressors, such as CNES algorithms already used in previous missions or standard algorithms suited for space missions. The proposed algorithm is then composed of a decorrelation stage performed on spectral channels and can be used in front of existing monospectral compressors. The decorrelation stage is based either on a fixed transform evaluated previously on a set of images or on the Karhunen-Loeve transform locally adapted to the studied block of image, implemented in a scan-based mode
Buyer Power and Information Sharing

We study how buyer power affects producersâ€™ incentives to share information with retailers. Adopting the Bayesian persuasion framework, we show that full information disclosure is optimal only when buyer power is suciently low. Using the presence of retail price recommendations as the proxy for information sharing between producers and retailers, we empirically examine the implication of our model. Consistent with the theory, we find that producers of products whose sales rely more on powerful retailers are less likely to use retail price recommendations
Comparison of Telmisartan vs. Valsartan in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Hypertension Using Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

A prospective, randomized, open‐label, blinded end‐point trial compared telmisartan and valsartan for treating mild to moderate hypertension. Efficacy for 24‐hour control of blood pressure was assessed using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Mean changes in diastolic blood pressure for the last 6 hours before dosing and the nighttime period were significantly greater with telmisartan than with valsartan (p<0.01 for the last 6 hours before dosing; p<0.05 for the nighttime period). Mean changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressures for the 24‐hour interval, the morning, and the daytime periods were significantly greater with telmisartan than with valsartan (p<0.01). The incidence of all adverse events and the most common adverse events were comparable for patients receiving telmisartan and patients receiving valsartan. Neither treatment was associated with cough. These data suggest greater efficacy for telmisartan than valsartan in controlling blood pressure throughout the 24‐hour dosing interval, including the last 6 hours before dosing, and the two agents were similarly well tolerated.
Primary Small Bowel Melanoma. Literature Review and a Case Report

: Small bowel melanoma (SBM) is a rare entity, most of the time poorly diagnosed, and therefore it presents itself late in the course of the disease. Whether arise primarily or metastatically from a cutaneous melanoma, it is difficult to establish. In this report, we present a rare case of primary SBM and review of the current literature. A 50-year-old man is presented with melena and severe anemia in the emergency department. A series of investigations including abdominal ultrasonography (US), esophageal-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGDS) and colonoscopy were normal. Abdominal computed tomography showed a prominent mass which urged for immediate surgery. On laparotomy, the mass was resected, and histologically diagnosed as melanoma. Meticulous postoperative clinical examination revealed no cutaneous lesions. Review of the literature discusses gastrointestinal malignant melanoma and the possibilities of existence of true primary intestinal melanoma.
An Examination of Millennials´ Use of Social Networking Sites in Job Search

Internet accessibility and the evolution of technology have increased rapidly during the last decade, with the development and launches of several social networking sites. Notably, recruitment processes have moved online and today job seekers can view and apply for jobs anywhere in the world through the use of these sites. Similarly, businesses can perform background checks on candidates by reviewing their online social profile. The aim of this study is to examine how millennials use social networking sites in their job search, and to determine if users of one specific social networking site actually have a greater chance at finding employment than users of the other listed sites. To this end, the research question is as follows: What is the impact of the social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on millennials´ method of job search? The research question is answered through a quantitative survey which involves distributing an online questionnaire to respondents via various social networking sites. The participants are asked about which social networking sites they use in job search and if they have any ethical concerns regarding employers’ use of these sites in personnel vetting and selection. The responses reveal that Facebook and LinkedIn are the social networking sites where respondents had successfully acquired a job, and that millennials did not seem concerned with the ethical aspect of potential employers accessing their social networking content.
Overriding Imatinib Resistance with a Novel ABL Kinase Inhibitor

Resistance to the ABL kinase inhibitor imatinib (STI571 or Gleevec) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) occurs through selection for tumor cells harboring BCR-ABL kinase domain point mutations that interfere with drug binding. Crystallographic studies predict that most imatinib-resistant mutants should remain sensitive to inhibitors that bind ABL with less stringent conformational requirements. BMS-354825 is an orally bioavailable ABL kinase inhibitor with two-log increased potency relative to imatinib that retains activity against 14 of 15 imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL mutants. BMS-354825 prolongs survival of mice with BCR-ABL–driven disease and inhibits proliferation of BCR-ABL–positive bone marrow progenitor cells from patients with imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant CML. These data illustrate how molecular insight into kinase inhibitor resistance can guide the design of second-generation targeted therapies.
Comparative Statics Analysis of Multiproduct Newsvendor Networks Under Responsive Pricing

We propose a novel analytic approach for the comparative statics analysis of multiproduct multiresource newsvendor networks under responsive pricing. Our approach involves exploiting the properties of the primal mathematical programming formulation and of the dual variables and linking those properties to the concept of convex orders and to properties of the underlying demand function. The use of convex orders allows us to establish our main results without restriction to a specific demand distribution. A major strength of our approach is that it is “scalable,” i.e., it applies to newsvendor networks with any number of “nonindependent” i.e., demand or resource sharing products and resources, without an exponential increase in effort as problem size increases. This is unlike the current approaches commonly used in the operations management literature, which typically involve a parametric analysis of the recourse problem, followed by the use of Jacobians and the implicit function theorem. Providing a rigorous framework for comparative statics analysis, which can be applied to other problems that are not amenable to traditional parametric analysis, is our main contribution. We demonstrate this approach on the optimal capacity decision problem in multiproduct newsvendor networks under responsive pricing, formulated as a two-stage stochastic programming problem with recourse: The firm determines the resource capacities ex ante, in the first stage, when demand intercepts are uncertain, and makes the pricing and production decisions ex post, in the second stage, when demand intercepts e.g., market conditions are fully observed. This particular problem and its variants are well studied in the operations management literature. A comparative statics analysis is integral to the study of the capacity investment decision, as it allows answers to important questions such as the following: “Does the firm acquire more or less of the different resources available as demand uncertainty increases? Does the firm benefit from an increase in demand uncertainty? ” Using our proposed approach, we establish comparative statics results on how the newsvendor's expected profit and optimal capacity decision change with demand risk in multiproduct multiresource newsvendor networks. We also extend our analysis to the study of demand dependence in two-product networks.
L G ] 2 5 M ar 2 01 5 Regularized Minimax Conditional Entropy for Crowdsourcing

There is a rapidly increasing interest in crowdsourcing for data labeling. By crowdsourcing, a large number of labels can be often quickly gathered at low cost. However, the labels provided by the crowdsourcing workers are usually not of high quality. In this paper, we propose a minimax conditional entropy principle to infer ground truth from noisy crowdsourced labels. Under this principle, we derive a unique probabilistic labeling model jointly parameterized by worker ability and item difficulty. We also propose an objective measurement principle, and show that our method is the only method which satisfies this objective measurement principle. We validate our method through a variety of real crowdsourcing datasets with binary, multiclass or ordinal labels.
Optimization of a medium for the rapid urease test for detection of Campylobacter pylori in gastric antral biopsies

We developed a buffered azide-free urea medium which is sensitive, specific, and nontoxic for rapid detection of Campylobacter pylori in gastric biopsies. Detection of urease produced by the organism provides the basis for the test. The substrate is urea in monobasic sodium phosphate buffer, and phenol red provides indication of the pH change that results from urease activity. A rapid change from yellow to red occurs in the presence of C. pylori, even at low concentrations of the organism. A slower color change occurs with higher concentrations of other urease producers, such as Yersinia enterocolitica and Proteus mirabilis. Experience with 51 patients with our medium showed excellent results in detection of C. pylori in gastric mucosal biopsies. In clinical research and practice, a rapid bedside test will be helpful for rapid diagnosis of C. pylori-positive patients.