Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An overview of methods for determining OWA weights

The ordered weighted aggregation (OWA) operator has received more and more attention since its appearance. One key point in the OWA operator is to determine its associated weights. In this article, I first briefly review existing main methods for determining the weights associated with the OWA operator, and then, motivated by the idea of normal distribution, I develop a novel practical method for obtaining the OWA weights, which is distinctly different from the existing ones. The method can relieve the influence of unfair arguments on the decision results by weighting these arguments with small values. Some of its desirable properties have also been investigated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 843–865, 2005.
Development of a word recognition instrument to test health literacy in dentistry: the REALD-30--a brief communication.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop and pilot test a dental word recognition instrument. METHODS The development of our instrument was based on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), an efficient word recognition instrument used to assess health literacy in the medical arena. Our instrument, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30), consisted of 30 common dental words with various degrees of difficulty. It was administered to 202 English-speaking adults recruited from outpatient medical clinics. We examined the instrument's internal reliability using Cronbach's alpha and its validity by correlating the REALD-30 score to two dental outcomes (perceived dental health status and oral health-related quality of life) and medical health literacy. RESULTS REALD-30 scores were significantly correlated with REALM scores. REALD-30 was significantly related to perceived dental health status in the bivariate analysis. It also was significantly related to oral health-related quality of life in a multivariate analysis. In contrast, medical health literacy was not related to either of the dental outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS The new REALD-30 instrument displays good reliability but only partial validity. Results suggest that dental health literacy may be distinct from medical health literacy and may have an independent effect on dental health outcomes.
Ultrasound-guided microwave ablation: a promising tool in management of benign breast tumours

Abstract Purpose: Non-surgical treatments for benign breast tumours have clinical goals of stopping growth and/or reducing (removing) palpable tumours effect without leaving a surgical scar. The purpose of this non-randomised prospective clinical trial was to assess imaging and clinical outcomes of microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of benign breast tumours regardless of the distance from the tumour to the skin and chest wall. Methods: With approval of the institutional ethics committee and written informed consent, 39 patients with 44 core-biopsy-proved benign breast tumours 3.0 cm or less in diameter assessed by using ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) were prospectively recruited. US-guided MWA was performed under local anaesthesia. The patients were followed up with physical examination, ultrasound elastography and CEUS. Results: The MWA procedure with a mean duration of 74.3 s ± 26.5 was well accepted and tolerated in 41 cases except for three cases. Of 41 tumours with follow-up data, 40 (97.5%; 95% confidence interval: 87.1%, 99.9%) showed complete ablation assessed by using CEUS. The mean volume of the ablated tumours decreased significantly (p = .005) during follow-up. The strain ratio 1-3 months after ablation was higher than that before ablation, and became low 6 months after ablation (p = .022). No epidermal burn was observed in all cases with a mean distance of 7.5 mm ±3.3 from the tumour to the skin. Conclusions: MWA is a safe and effective minimally invasive “patient-friendly” procedure with a very short duration for the treatment of benign breast tumours.
Income Drawdown Schemes for a Defined-Contribution Pension Plan

In retirement a pensioner must often decide how much money to withdraw from a pension fund, how to invest the remaining funds, and whether to purchase an annuity. These decisions are addressed here by introducing a number of income drawdown schemes, which are relevant to a defined-contribution personal pension plan. The optimal asset allocation is defined so that it minimizes the expected loss of the pensioner as measured by the performance of the pension fund against a benchmark. Two benchmarks are considered: a risk-free investment and the price of an annuity. The fair-value income drawdown rate is defined so that the fund performance is a martingale under the objective measure. Annuitization is recommended if the expected fair-value drawdown rate falls below the annuity rate available at retirement. As an illustration, the annuitization age is calculated for a Gompertz mortality distribution function and a power law loss function.
Effect of root and foliar applications of silicon on brown spot development in rice

Silicon (Si) application is a strategy to manage rice brown spot, but no studies have been conducted on Si as a foliar spray for control of this disease. The purpose of this study was to compare root and foliar Si applications on rice brown spot development, and to determine if there is a biochemical defence response. Rice plants (cv. Metica-1) were grown in a Si-deficient soil that received the following treatments: root application of calcium silicate (CS) (1.25 g/kg of soil), foliar application of potassium silicate (PS) (40 g/L), and control (leaves sprayed with distilled water). Thirty-day-old plants were inoculated with a conidial suspension of Bipolaris oryzae. Si concentration in rice tissue was markedly higher for CS compared with the other treatments. The intensity of Si deposition, as determined by X-ray microanalysis, between the adaxial and abaxial leaf blades of rice plants in the control treatment was similar. Si deposition occurred in both the adaxial and abaxial leaf blades of rice plants that received CS while this Si deposition only occurred on the adaxial leaf blades of plants that received PS. The area under brown spot progress curve (AUBSPC) was not significantly different between the PS and control treatments, but was significantly lower in plants grown in soil amended with CS. The values for the AUBSPC and the number of lesions (NL) per cm2 of leaf area decreased by 37 and 47%, respectively, with CS compared with the control. Conidial germination was not inhibited by PS. The concentration of total soluble phenolics and lignin-thioglycolic acid derivatives was not linked with the reduction observed in the AUBSPC and the NL. Although the concentration of these two biochemical variables seemed to be slightly higher in plants from the control treatment, likely due to the greater disease severity and the NL, rice tissue was not efficiently protected against colonisation by B. oryzae. The results of this study suggest that foliar-applied Si can decrease the intensity of brown spot; however, the level of control achieved was not as great as that obtained when Si was supplied to the roots.
Immigrant Consumption of Sickness Benefits in Sweden, 1981-1991

This study identifies factors influencing the differences in utilization of sickness benefits between immigrants and natives in Sweden. The main conclusion is that the differences in consumption of sickness benefits between foreign born and Swedes, as well as between various immigrant groups are large and persist after accounting for standard human capital factors. Immigrants from traditional labour-sending countries exhibit much higher levels of sickness benefit consumption than Swedes, while immigrants from refugee-sending countries lie in between. This study utilizes a register-based panel containing economic and demographic information on a sample of 110,000 Swedes and immigrants from 16 countries.
The Status Quo of Doctoral Education in Universities in Zimbabwe

Globally, the importance of highly qualified human resources (holders of doctoral degrees) in providing the requisite skills for knowledge economies is well acknowledged. Sadly, African universities are reportedly lagging behind in terms of satisfying the required quantity and quality of doctoral graduates (Harle, 2013). This study was aimed at providing empirical evidence on the status of doctoral education in Zimbabwe as well as identifying the reasons for the status quo. Documentary evidence and telephonic interviews were used to collect data from all the 15 (40%) registered universities in Zimbabwe. The interviews involved doctoral students enrolled in local universities as well as in foreign universities, aspiring doctoral candidates and senior academics based in local universities.The findings showed that six out of the 15 universities were offering programmes at doctoral level in 2014 giving a share of 0.2%. The combined doctoral degree enrolment was 150 translating to a share of 0.18% of the total student enrolments. A total of 28 people graduated with doctorates from Zimbabwean universities in 2014. Approximately 565 academics from Zimbabwean universities were pursuing doctoral degrees at universities in the region notably in South Africa and Zambia and yet only one university in Zimbabwe enrolled students from the region. The reasons for this state of affairs included the stringent regulatory environment regarding doctoral study in Zimbabwe, shortage of supervisors due to brain drain, unavailability of doctoral programmes at 60% of the local universities and inadequate funding and resources. The study the study recommends that ZIMCHE and universities should revisit their standards and regulations. In addition, government needs to adequately remunerate university staff and provide funding for research and doctoral studies.
Have Earnings Announcements Lost Information Content?

We investigate the potential historic decline in the information content of earnings announcements. Like Beaver (1968) we focus on the incremental information content of accounting earnings announcements—whether the announcements convey “new news” to the market as evidenced by unusual price movements. We investigate the price reaction to earnings announcements of a broad range of firms over a 23-year time period (1975 through 1997). We find that, on average, the price reaction to earnings announcements has increased over time. However, the robustness of this finding is called into question based on two factors. First, we find that the change in price reaction to earnings varies depending on the size of firms analyzed. Specifically, we find some evidence that small firms exhibit a decreasing price reaction to earnings announcements over time, while larger firms consistently exhibit an increasing price reaction to earnings announcements. Second, we find that a minority of firms drives the observed increase in price reaction indicating that a cross-sectional mean reaction does not imply such a reaction is typical for individual earnings announcements.
Return and volatility spillovers between Dubai financial market and Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange in the UAE

This article investigates return and volatility spillover effects between Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (ADSE) using two methodologies: A simple asymmetric Vector Autoregressive-Baba, Engle, Kraft, Kroner (VAR-BEKK) framework introduced by Kroner and Ng (1998), and an asymmetric version of the Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) model proposed by Engle (2002). We find that return and volatility transmission mechanisms between DFM and ADSE in the UAE are asymmetric. In particular, there are significant spillover effects in both returns and volatility from DFM to ADSE. The DFM is playing the dominant role, and the feedback effect from ADSE to DFM is relatively weak, albeit significant. These results are consistent with an exchange market in which information is first incorporated into the DFM before being impounded into the ADSE.
Near‐infrared light to aid peripheral intravenous cannulation in children: a cluster randomised clinical trial of three devices

Intravenous cannulation can be difficult in children. Recently, new devices using near‐infrared light to make blood vessels visible have become available. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three such devices in facilitating peripheral intravenous cannulation in children. In this cluster randomised clinical trial, daily operating rooms at a tertiary childrens' hospital were randomised to the use of the VeinViewer®, AccuVein® AV300, VascuLuminator Vision® or to a control group. We included 1913 children between birth and 18 years scheduled for elective surgery. Suitable veins for cannulation were more easily visible with the VeinViewer (307/322 (95.3%)) and AccuVein (239/254 (94.1%)) devices than with VascuLuminator (229/257 (89.1%)) (p = 0.03). However, success at the first attempt was not significantly different among groups, ranging from 73.1% to 75.3% (p = 0.93). We conclude that although vein visibility is enhanced, near‐infrared devices do not improve cannulation.
Effect of Leverage on Firm Market Value and How Contextual Variables Influence this Relationship

Using the financial data from 645 companies that were listed in the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) between 2000 and 2009, this paper applied a least square dummy variable (LSDV) model to estimate the effect of leverage on firm market values and examine how contextual variables influence this relationship. The empirical results are as follows. First, the values of leveraged firms are greater than the values of unleveraged firms if we do not consider the probability of bankruptcy. If we simultaneously consider the benefits and costs of debt, we find that leverage is positively related to the firm value until a firm has issued sufficient debt to attain its optimal capital structure. Second, the positive influence of leverage on the firm value tends to be stronger for firms of higher financial quality (firms with greater Z-scores), firms with greater growth opportunities and firms with higher corporate tax rates. Third, the negative influence of leverage on firm value tends to be strengthened if increases occur in a firm's free cash flow, a firm's non-debt tax rate, or the inflation rate it experiences. Finally, leverage may also have a positive effect on firm value provided that a firm with a higher free cash flow, a higher corporate rate or a higher inflation, is able to properly capitalize on the resultant opportunities. These findings provide insight into firms' debt financing decisions, helping firms to maximize their values.
Oil Shocks and the Macroeconomy: The Role of Price Variability*

In this paper we argue that an oil price change is likely to have greater impact on real GNP in an environment where oil prices have been stable, than in an environment where oil price movement has been frequent and erratic. An oil price shock variable reflecting both the unanticipated component and the time-varying conditional variance of oil price change (forecasts) is constructed and found to be highly significant in explaining economic growth across different sample periods, even when matched against various economic variables and other functions of oil price. We find that positive normalized shocks have a powerful effect on growth while negative normalized shocks do not.
A Macroeconometric Model of Income Disparity in China

This Paper examines what impacts, if any, macroeconomic performances and macroeconomic policy have and on income inequality in China during the period 1995-1998. A vector autoregression mode (VAR) is estimated which includes measures of macroeconomic performance, such as inflation and unemployment, and of macroeconomic policy such as money supply and fiscal expenditure. The VAR techniques, “innovation accounting” and “Granger causality,” are utilized to examine the causal linkage, if any, between “macro-factors” and income disparity in China. We find that fiscal spending and unemployment appear to be the most important sources of change income dispersion as far as the “macro” factors are concerned. [C32, D31,011 and 053]
Employment Outcomes of Graduates: The Case of Universiti Utara, Malaysia

Data on the labor market outcomes of graduates of the Universiti Utara Malaysia were analyzed using an ordered logit model. The type of degree, ethnicity, and number of job applications submitted are found to be significant determinants of labor market outcomes. Accounting graduates were found to obtain the best labor market outcomes. Malay graduates had significantly less favorable labor market outcomes. The findings for unemployed graduates support two current programs in Malaysia: re-training for the long-term unemployed and job matching assistance. The findings also suggest that universities should monitor the skill-demands of job vacancies and give specific consideration to Malay graduates. Copyright 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation 2008 East Asian Economic Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The Relationship of Glycemic Exposure (HbA1c) to the Risk of Development and Progression of Retinopathy in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) demonstrated that a regimen of intensive therapy aimed at maintaining near-normal blood glucose values markedly reduces the risks of development or progression of retinopathy and other complications of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) when compared with a conventional treatment regimen. This report presents an epidemiological assessment of the association between levels of glycemic exposure (HbA1c) before and during the DCCT with the risk of retinopathy progression within each treatment group. The initial level of HbA1c observed at eligibility screening as an index of pre-DCCT glycemia and the duration of IDDM on entry were the dominant baseline predictors of the risk of progression. The shorter the duration of IDDM on entry, the greater were the benefits of intensive therapy. In each treatment group, the mean HbA1c during the trial was the dominant predictor of retinopathy progression, and the risk gradients were similar in the two groups; a 10% lower HbA1c (e.g., 8 vs. 7.2%) is associated with a 43% lower risk in the intensive group and a 45% lower risk in the conventional group. These risk gradients applied over the observed range of HbA1c values and were unaffected by adjustment for other covariates. Over the range of HbA1c achieved by DCCT intensive therapy, there does not appear to be a level of glycemia below which the risks of retinopathy progression are eliminated. The change in risk over time, however, differed significantly between the treatment groups, the risk increasing with time in the study in the conventional group but remaining relatively constant in the intensive group. The risks were compounded by a multiplicative effect of the level of HbA1c with the duration of exposure (time in study). Total glycemic exposure was the dominant factor associated with the risk of retinopathy progression. When examined simultaneously within each treatment group, each of the components of pre-DCCT glycemic exposure (screening HbA1c value and IDDM duration) and glycemic exposure during the DCCT (mean HbA1c, time in study, and their interaction) were significantly associated with risk of retinopathy progression. Similar results also apply to other retinopathic, nephropathic, and neuropathic outcomes. The recommendation of the DCCT remains that intensive therapy with the goal of achieving near-normal glycemia should be implemented as early as possible in as many IDDM patients as is safely possible.
InSAR bias and uncertainty due to the systematic and stochastic tropospheric delay

We quantify the bias and uncertainty of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) displacement time series and their derivatives, the displacement velocities, by analyzing the systematic and stochastic components of the temporal variation of the tropospheric delay. The biases due to the systematic seasonal delay depend on the SAR acquisition times, whereas the uncertainties depend on the standard deviation of the random delay, the number of acquisitions, the total time span covered, and the covariance of the time series of the stochastic delay between a pixel and the reference. We study the contribution of the wet delay to the InSAR observations along the western India plate boundary using (i) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer precipitable water vapor, (ii) stratified tropospheric delay estimated from the ERA‐I global atmospheric model, and (iii) seven Envisat InSAR swaths. Our analysis indicates that the amplitudes of the annual delay vary by up to ~10 cm in this region equivalent to a maximum displacement bias of ~24 cm in InSAR line of sight direction between two epochs (assuming Envisat IS6 beam mode). The stratified tropospheric delay correction mitigates this bias and reduces the scatter due to the stochastic delay. For ~7 years of Envisat acquisitions along the western India plate boundary, the uncertainty of the InSAR velocity field due to the residual stochastic wet delay after stratified tropospheric delay correction using the ERA‐I model is in the order of ~2 mm/yr over 100 km and ~4 mm/yr over 400 km. We discuss the implication of the derived uncertainties on the full variance‐covariance matrix of the InSAR data.
Correlates of economic growth in developing countries: a panel cointegration approach

The inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) has been found to play a crucial role in the economic growth of receiving countries. Using panel cointegration techniques, this perception was found to be mitigated by an empirical approach that yields different results from previous studies. While the growth in real FDI has an influence on real GDP growth across developing countries in the short-run, year-to-year periods, it does not explain real GDP in the long-run. Rather, it appears to be the economic factors internal to a country that have the most influence on real GDP over time: human capital (measured by literacy rates), export trade, and monetary and fiscal policy.
Pathways of trunk neural crest cell migration in the mouse embryo as revealed by vital dye labelling.

Analysis of neural crest cell migration in the mouse has been difficult due to the lack of reliable cell markers. Recently, we found that injection of DiI into the chick neural tube marks premigratory neural crest cells whose endfeet are in contact with the lumen of the neural tube (Serbedzija et al. Development 106, 809-819 (1989)). In the present study, this technique was applied to study neural crest cell migratory pathways in the trunk of the mouse embryo. Embryos were removed from the mother between the 8th and the 10th days of development and DiI was injected into the lumen of the neural tube. The embryos were then cultured for 12 to 24 h, and analyzed at the level of the forelimb. We observed two predominant pathways of neural crest cell migration: (1) a ventral pathway through the rostral portion of the somite and (2) a dorsolateral pathway between the dermamyotome and the epidermis. Neural crest cells were observed along the dorsolateral pathway throughout the period of migration. The distribution of labelled cells along the ventral pathway suggested that there were two overlapping phases of migration. An early ventrolateral phase began before E9 and ended by E9.5; this pathway consisted of a stream of cells within the rostral sclerotome, adjacent to the dermamyotome, that extended ventrally to the region of the sympathetic ganglia and the dorsal aorta. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)