Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smooth Transition Autoregressive Models -- New Approaches to the Model Selection Problem

It has been shown in the literature that the task of estimating the parameters of nonlinear models may be tackled with optimization heuristics. Thus, we attempt to carry these intuitions over to the estimation procedure of smooth transition autoregressive (STAR, Teräsvirta, 1994) models by introducing the following three stochastic optimization algorithms: Simulated Annealing, (Kirkpatrick, Gelatt, and Vecchi, 1983), Threshold Accepting (Dueck and Scheuer, 1990) and Differential Evolution (Storn and Price, 1995, 1997). Besides considering the performance of these heuristics in estimating STAR model parameters, our paper additionally picks up the problem of identifying redundant parameters which, according to our view, has not been addressed in a satisfactory way by now. The resulting findings of our simulation studies seem to argue for an implementation of heuristic approaches within the STAR modeling cycle. In particular for the case of STAR model specification, an application of these heuristics might offer valuable information to empirical researchers.
Brief account of a general mathematical theory of political economy / Краткое сообщение об общей математической теории политической экономии

Одна из первый статей в истории экономической науки, в которой предлагается попытаться создать математическую теорию поведения человека, которым движут универсальные мотивы страдания и наслаждения. Статья небольшая по размеру и имеет, главным образом, методологическое назначение.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN READING ATTITUDES AND PERCEIVED PARENTING STYLES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA.

This study examined the relationship between reading attitudes and perceived parenting styles of secondary school students in Anambra State, Nigeria. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the conduct of the study. Design of the study was descriptive survey. The population comprised 4,987 students of public secondary school students in Awka Educational Zone of Anambra State. The sample size consists of 499 students selected through stratified random sampling. Instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Arithmetic mean was used to answer the research questions while pie chart was employed to further represent research question two. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used for the testing of the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study among others reveal that the students' attitude towards reading was positive and highly encouraging. The authoritative parenting style, more than any other, aids in ensuring healthy reading attitude. From the students' perception, the authoritative parenting style was the most prevalent type of parenting because it has the highest influence on the students' reading attitude. The findings also reveal that the relationship between authoritative parenting style and students' attitude towards reading was moderate and positive. The relationship between both authoritarian parenting style and permissive parenting style vis-a-vis students' attitude towards reading were low and positive.Whereas relationship between uninvolved parenting style and students' attitude towards reading was low and negative.The study further recommends that parents should devote more time in teaching their children how to read and that teachers and Ministry of Education should join hands in this venture.
Proteomic Patterns of Nipple Aspirate Fluids Obtained by SELDI-TOF: Potential for New Biomarkers to Aid in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) has been used for many years as a potential non-invasive method to identify markers for breast cancer risk or early detection. Because individual markers have not been optimal, we are exploring the use of surface enhanced laser desorption and ionization time of flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry to identify patterns of proteins that might define a proteomic signature for breast cancer. SELDI-TOF was used to analyze a study set of NAF samples that included 12 women with breast cancer and 15 healthy controls (the latter included three women with an abnormal mammogram but subsequent normal biopsy). In this preliminary report, we present data showing that SELDI analysis of NAF is rapid, reproducible, and capable of identifying protein signatures that appear to differentiate NAF samples from breast cancer patients and healthy controls, including those with an abnormal mammogram who were later proven to be biopsy normal.
The Refentse model for post-rape care: Strengthening sexual assault care and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis in a district hospital in rural South Africa

The Population Council conducts research worldwide to improve policies, programs, and products in three areas: HIV and AIDS; poverty, gender, and youth; and reproductive health. This study was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement Number HRN-A-00-98-00012-00 and Subagreement numbers A104.25A and S107019A. The contents are the responsibility of the Population Council and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Any part of this publication may be reproduced without permission for limited distribution provided it is distributed without charge and the Population Council is acknowledged as its source. The Population Council would appreciate receiving a copy of any materials in which the text is used. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement Number HRN-A-00-98-00012-00 and Subagreement numbers A104.25A and S107019A. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. The Refentse Study would not have been possible without the support and contributions of many people. Firstly, we would like to thank the members of the Project Advisory Committee for their guidance throughout the study. We would also like to acknowledge the Department of Health and Social Welfare in Limpopo Province and Mpumalanga Province for their encouragement and support. For their technical support in the training workshop and in developing intervention tools, we are grateful to the Western Cape Provincial Reference Group for Sexual Violence. Carol Wiebe's invaluable support to the project team is also gratefully acknowledged. Finally, we are indebted to the many dedicated service providers at the study site and the courageous women and children who, as survivors of sexual assault, shared their valuable insights with us.
Integrated Genomic Analysis Suggests MLL3 Is a Novel Candidate Susceptibility Gene for Familial Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background: Little is known about genetic factors associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To gain insight into NPC etiology, we performed whole exome sequencing on germline and tumor DNA from three closely related family members with NPC. Methods: The family was ascertained through the Pediatric Familial Cancer Clinic at The University of Chicago (Chicago, IL). The diagnosis of NPC was confirmed pathologically for each individual. For each sample sequenced, 97.3% of the exome was covered at 5×, with an average depth of 44×. Candidate germline and somatic variants associated with NPC were identified and prioritized using a custom pipeline. Results: We discovered 72 rare deleterious germline variants in 56 genes shared by all three individuals. Of these, only three are in previously identified NPC-associated genes, all of which are located within MLL3, a gene known to be somatically altered in NPC. One variant introduces an early stop codon in MLL3, which predicts complete loss-of-function. Tumor DNA analysis revealed somatic mutations and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) integration events; none, however, were shared among all three individuals. Conclusions: These data suggest that inherited mutations in MLL3 may have predisposed these three individuals from a single family to develop NPC, and may cooperate with individually acquired somatic mutations or EBV integration events in NPC etiology. Impact: Our finding is the first instance of a plausible candidate high penetrance inherited mutation predisposing to NPC. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(8); 1222–8. ©2015 AACR.
Failure of language lateralization in schizophrenia patients: an ERP study on early linguistic components.

OBJECTIVE In line with Crow's hypothesis, altered hemispheric lateralization of language would cause the main symptoms of schizophrenia. The present experiment aimed to demonstrate the loss of the hemispheric specialization for linguistic processing in schizophrenia patients at the level of early automatic evoked potentials (N150). METHODS A sample of 10 outpatients with schizophrenia treated with low levels of neuroleptics and 10 matched healthy control subjects were administered 3 linguistic tasks based on stimulus pair comparisons (phonological, semantic and word-picture matching tasks). Laterality scores of early evoked potentials were analyzed during 2 time windows corresponding to the N150- and N400-like components. RESULTS The patients failed to develop the typical left hemispheric N150 component evoked by the first word (S1), which was consistently achieved by the healthy control group in posterior sites (p < 0.01). The effect was specific and stable for linguistic stimuli. As well, for the N150 elicited by the target stimulus (S2), the patients exhibited a lack of linguistic lateralization. In the control task (word-picture matching task), in which S2 was a picture, the 2 groups revealed very similar bilateral recognition potentials. CONCLUSION The results point to a failure of language lateralization in patients with schizophrenia, a deficit involving those linguistic networks automatically activated in the earliest phase of word recognition (N150). Consistent with the current view of schizophrenia, this finding may be related to lack of integration among specific processes and reduced interconnection of underlying linguistic networks.
Reducing conflicts in groupware: Metafunctions and their empirical evaluation

Certain functions in groupware affect more than one user who might have conflicting interests. To describe conflicts arising from the use of groupware functions, we distinguish the roles of the activator and the user affected. As technical means to lessen these conflicts, we develop two metafunctions: visibility of use and negotiability. We expect that these metafunctions reduce role-based conflicts and lead to higher acceptance of groupware-systems among users. To examine these hypotheses we performed an empirical study in six different organizations. Using scenarios to present different design options to users, we confirmed most of our assumptions. Implications of these findings for the design of groupware are discussed.
Breast conservation, mastectomy and axillary surgery in New South Wales women in 1992 and 1995

To measure the increase in uptake of BCT in NSW and its determinants, we examined Cancer Registry records of 2020 women with breast cancer in 1992 and 2883 in 1995 linked to records of their surgical treatment in the NSW Inpatient Statistics’ Collection. In parallel, we examined trends and determinants in axillary surgery for breast cancer. Breast conservation increased from 39% of breast cancer in 1992 to 45% in 1995, mainly in women with the smallest cancers. In 1995, mastectomy was still most common in women with larger cancers (OR for breast cancers 3+ cm relative to <1 cm = 5.6, 95% CI 2.9–10.7) and cancers that had spread beyond the breast (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.4–2.7 relative to localized to the breast). Urban women had fewer mastectomies than rural women. Axillary surgery, common in 1992 (78%) and 1995 (82%), fell steeply with increasing age and more often accompanied mastectomy (93% in 1995) than BCT (67% in 1995). In 1995 the odds for axillary surgery were some two-fold or more higher for all cancers 1 cm or more in diameter compared with those <1.0 cm and highest for 2.0–2.9 cm cancers (OR = 3.3 95% CI 1.7–6.7 relative to <1.0 cm). Regional spread of the cancer at diagnosis was not a strong predictor. In the absence of collection of treatment data by cancer registries, linkage of cancer registry records with hospital inpatient data is an effective alternative for monitoring breast cancer treatment trends. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign www.bjcancer. com
Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in multiple sclerosis

Objective: To assess the influence of common mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation on multiple sclerosis (MS) risk in cases and controls part of an international consortium. Methods: We analyzed 115 high-quality mtDNA variants and common haplogroups from a previously published genome-wide association study among 7,391 cases from the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium and 14,568 controls from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 project from 7 countries. Significant single nucleotide polymorphism and haplogroup associations were replicated in 3,720 cases and 879 controls from the University of California, San Francisco. Results: An elevated risk of MS was detected among haplogroup JT carriers from 7 pooled clinic sites (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07–1.24, p = 0.0002) included in the discovery study. The increased risk of MS was observed for both haplogroup T (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.06–1.29, p = 0.002) and haplogroup J carriers (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.01–1.22, p = 0.03). These haplogroup associations with MS were not replicated in the independent sample set. An elevated risk of primary progressive (PP) MS was detected for haplogroup J participants from 3 European discovery populations (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.10–2.01, p = 0.009). This elevated risk was borderline significant in the US replication population (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 0.99–2.08, p = 0.058) and remained significant in pooled analysis of discovery and replication studies (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.14–1.81, p = 0.002). No common individual mtDNA variants were associated with MS risk. Conclusions: Identification and validation of mitochondrial genetic variants associated with MS and PPMS may lead to new targets for treatment and diagnostic tests for identifying potential responders to interventions that target mitochondria.
The effect of training doctors in communication skills on women’s satisfaction with doctor–woman relationship during labour and delivery: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial in Damascus

Objectives To determine the effect of training residents in interpersonal and communication skills on women’s satisfaction with doctor–woman relationship in labour and delivery rooms. Design A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial. Setting 4 tertiary care teaching maternity hospitals in Damascus, Syria. Participants 2000 women who gave birth to a living baby in the four study hospitals and consented to participate in the intervention took part in the study. Women with difficult labour and high-risk pregnancies were excluded. All were interviewed at home after discharge. Interventions A specially designed training package in communication skills was delivered to all resident doctors at the four hospitals. Primary outcome measures The main outcome measure was women’s satisfaction with interpersonal relationships in labour and delivery rooms measured via a series of questions on a Likert scale modified from the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale. Results At the individual level, the mean for the average satisfaction score was 3.23 (SD 0.72) of a possible score of 5 in the control group and 3.42 (SD 0.73) in the intervention group. Using generalised linear mixed models, we were unable to detect a difference between the mean for the average satisfaction score of women in the intervention arm and that of women in the control arm; the 95% CI associated with the effect of the intervention ranged from –0.08 to 0.15. Conclusions Despite slight changes in the observed residents’ communication skills, the training package in communication skills does not seem to be associated with higher satisfaction scores of women. This raises the question of whether training individuals without further structural changes in the delivery of care and without further reinforcement of the training can have an impact on improving the quality of doctor–patient communication. Trial Registration Number ISRCTN80243969
Geoscientific Model Development Toward a minimal representation of aerosols in climate models : description and evaluation in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM 5

A modal aerosol module (MAM) has been developed for the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5), the atmospheric component of the Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1). MAM is capable of simulating the aerosol size distribution and both internal and external mixing between aerosol components, treating numerous complicated aerosol processes and aerosol physical, chemical and optical properties in a physically-based manner. Two MAM versions were developed: a more complete version with seven lognormal modes (MAM7), and a version with three lognormal modes (MAM3) for the purpose of long-term (decades to centuries) simulations. In this paper a description and evaluation of the aerosol module and its two representations are provided. Sensitivity of the aerosol lifecycle to simplifications in the representation of aerosol is discussed. Simulated sulfate and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass concentrations are remarkably similar between MAM3 and MAM7. Differences in primary organic matter (POM) and black carbon (BC) concentrations between MAM3 and MAM7 are also small (mostly within 10 %). The mineral dust global burden differs by 10 % and sea salt burden by 30–40 % between MAM3 and MAM7, mainly due to the different size ranges for dust and sea salt modes and different standard deviations of the log-normal size distribution for sea salt modes between MAM3 and MAM7. The model is able to qualitatively capture the observed geographical and temporal variations of aerosol mass and number concentrations, size distributions, and aerosol optical properties. However, there are noticeable biases; e.g., simulated BC concentrations are significantly lower than measurements in the Arctic. There is a low bias in modeled aerosol optical depth on the global scale, especially in the developing countries. These biases in aerosol simulations clearly indicate the need for improvements of aerosol processes (e.g., emission fluxes of anthropogenic aerosols and precursor gases in developing countries, boundary layer nucleation) and properties (e.g., primary aerosol emission size, POM hygroscopicity). In addition, the critical role of cloud properties (e.g., liquid water content, cloud fraction) responsible for the wet scavenging of aerosol is highlighted. Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 710 X. Liu et al.: Toward a minimal representation of aerosols in climate models
Time Delays for the Giant Quadruple Lensed Quasar SDSS J1004+4112: Prospects for Determining the Density Profile of the Lensing Cluster

We investigate the dependence of the time delays for the large-separation gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1004+4112 on the inner mass profile of the lensing cluster. Adopting the mass model whose innermost density profile is parameterized as \rho \propto r^{-\alpha}, we derive a series of mass models which can fit observational data and then compute the probability distribution functions of time delays. We find that larger \alpha has longer time delays, longer tails at the higher end of the probability distribution, and larger model uncertainties. The ratios of time delays slightly depend on the slope \alpha. Among others, time delays between images C and A (or B) have little dependence on the inner slope, particularly when the time delays are short. The dependence of time delays on \alpha is well fitted by a linear form, which reflects well-known degeneracy between the mass profile and time delays. We perform a Monte-Carlo simulation to illustrate how well the inner slope can be constrained from measurements of time delays. We find that measurements of more than one time delays result in reasonably tight constraints on the inner slope (\sigma_{\alpha} \lesssim 0.25), while only one time delay cannot determine the inner slope very well. Our result indicates that time delays indeed serve as a powerful tool to determine the mass profile, despite the complexity of the lensing cluster.
On the Transmission of Monetary Policy Shocks

Empirical studies reveal that monetary policy shocks generate long-lasting effects on real GDP, countercyclical real wages before World War II and procyclical real wages afterwards. In this paper, we construct a dynamic general equilibrium model to explain the observed output persistence and the evolving nature of real wage cyclicality. The model features three important rigidities: staggered price-setting, staggered wage-setting, and an input-output structure. We show that, while no subset of the model with fewer ingredients can produce both the desired patterns of real wage dynamics and persistent movements in aggregate output, the model with all three features successfully accounts for these empirical regularities. In particular, it explains how the real wage can change from being countercyclical or acyclical to being procyclical as the input-output structure becomes more sophisticated, while at the same time delivering significant output persistence. The ascending sophistication of the input-output structure in the model mimics the rising complexity of the input-output connections from the prewar period to the postwar period in the actual economies, a trend that is documented in the literature.
Genome-wide mapping in a house mouse hybrid zone reveals hybrid sterility loci and Dobzhansky-Muller interactions

Mapping hybrid defects in contact zones between incipient species can identify genomic regions contributing to reproductive isolation and reveal genetic mechanisms of speciation. The house mouse features a rare combination of sophisticated genetic tools and natural hybrid zones between subspecies. Male hybrids often show reduced fertility, a common reproductive barrier between incipient species. Laboratory crosses have identified sterility loci, but each encompasses hundreds of genes. We map genetic determinants of testis weight and testis gene expression using offspring of mice captured in a hybrid zone between M. musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus. Many generations of admixture enables high-resolution mapping of loci contributing to these sterility-related phenotypes. We identify complex interactions among sterility loci, suggesting multiple, non-independent genetic incompatibilities contribute to barriers to gene flow in the hybrid zone.
Embodied Mobile Robots

With the growing research in autonomous systems, the issue of embodiment has become a fundamental issue in artificial intelligence. However, the necessity of embodiment is a perspective that has been a focus in artificial intelligence only in the recent years. It remains an undeveloped concept and a term that has been thrown around in conflicting contexts. This paper discusses embodiment, its interpretations, misinterpretations and the role it has played in artificial intelligence to date and specifically in the realisation of the “ intelligent autonomous robot” . While some believe that simply placing a controller in a physical environment constitutes a sufficient degree of embodiment, we wish to emphasise that agent-world interaction must develop away from this “ON-World” approach and seek to concentrate on “ IN-World” interaction, participation, and adaptation.