Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Income gaps in self-rated poor health and its association with life expectancy in 245 districts of Korea

OBJECTIVES To examine the income gaps associated with self-rated poor health at the district level in Korea and to identify the geographical correlations between self-rated poor health, life expectancy, and the associated income gaps. METHODS We analyzed data for 1,578,189 participants from the Community Health Survey of Korea collected between 2008 and 2014. The age-standardized prevalence of self-rated poor health and the associated income gaps were calculated. Previously released data on life expectancy and the associated income gaps were also used. We performed correlation and regression analyses for self-rated poor health, life expectancy, and associated income gaps. RESULTS Across 245 districts, the median prevalence of self-rated poor health was 15.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.6 to 16.8%), with interquartile range (IQR) of 3.1 percentage points (%p). The median interquintile gaps in the prevalence of self-rated poor health was 11.1%p (95% CI, 8.1 to 14.5%p), with IQR of 3.6%p. Pro-rich inequalities in self-rated health were observed across all 245 districts of Korea. The correlation coefficients for the association between self-rated poor health and the associated income gaps, self-rated poor health and life expectancy, and income gaps associated with self-rated poor health and life expectancy were 0.59, 0.78 and 0.55 respectively. CONCLUSIONS Income gaps associated with self-rated poor health were evident across all districts in Korea. The magnitude of income gaps associated with self-rated poor health was larger in the districts with greater prevalence of self-rated poor health. A strong correlation between self-rated poor health and life expectancy was also observed.
NESTING ECOLOGY OF THE EASTERN BOX TURTLE ( TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA ) IN A FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPE

A paucity of information is available on the nesting ecology of the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). Specifically, minimal research has been conducted on nest site selection and how it relates to nest success. I investigated all aspects of nesting ecology (nesting behavior, nest site selection, clutch size and frequency, nest success, and nest site fidelity) and compared them among 4 study sites: 3 with varying degrees of disturbance and 1 interior forest area. I used radiotelemetry to relocate female box turtles in order to determine their reproductive status throughout the nesting seasons in 2001 and 2002. Using x-ray photography of 38 radio transmittered females, I determined the presence and number of eggs. Thirtytwo females were gravid at least once during my study and egg retention varied from a minimum of 7 – 26 days. The earliest documented nesting date was 27 May and the latest was 11 July. Gravid females moved long distances to nest (up to 450 m), and females in the interior forest moved more than 3 times farther than those at other study areas. I monitored gravid females to observe nesting behavior and mark nest sites. Clutch size ranged from 1 – 9 eggs, and was positively related to female body size. Out of a sample of 57 gravid females, I marked and monitored 39 nests to determine nest fate. Females most often nested in areas with an open canopy, sun exposure for part of the day, and in close proximity to a forest edge. Nest sites had less canopy
Conservative Treatments for Idiopathic Clubfoot : Ponseti ’ s Versus Kite and French Methods

DOI: 10.21276/sjams.2018. 6.10. 1 Abstract: Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inwards and downwards. The affected foot, calf, and leg may be smaller than the other. Most cases are not associated with other problems. Without treatment, people walk on the sides of their feet which cause issues with walking. The treatment of clubfoot has developed over time and can generally be divided into many approaches like: Kite method, Ponseti method, French Method and other surgical method. To examine the efficiency rate of different clubfoot treatment method (Kite method, Ponseti method & French Method). This study was a cross sectional and comparative study. During study the 200 patients with idiopathic legs with clubfoot 240 treated initially with the Ponseti technique that had relapse of their clubfoot were identified. Relapse was defined as a return to casting or surgery due to recurrent deformity. Data collected included demographics, treatment and brace adherence. Patients who sustained initial relapse before the age of two years were compared with those who sustained initial relapse after the age of two years. In this study Pirani Score is used because the Pirani Score is a simple and reliable system to determine severity and monitor progress in the Assessment and Treatment of Clubfoot. This Scoring System uses the different views of the foot to help visualize the issues in the underling soft tissue and bony anatomy. A foot can be assessed in less than a minute and no technical equipment is required. Ponseti method is very much useful and effective treatment for clubfoot patients rather than Kite and French methods.
Wider Boundaries: The Welfare State and International Remittances

Recent theoretical work shows that precautionary savings increase in response to an increase in first-order risk. In addition, it is known that the welfare state, being an insurance or consumption-smoothing mechanism, reduces the negative welfare effect of future income uncertainty. We build a model of remittances and savings under income uncertainty and show that an immigrant will increase his remittances in response to a first-order risk decrease in future income. Using changes in the size and generosity of the welfare state as a measure of changes in future income risk, we empirically test the prediction of our model using panel data of bilateral remittances. Our theoretical prediction is supported by the data: there is a positive relationship between a more generous welfare state in host countries and international remittances (i.e., transfers beyond the borders of the welfare state) by immigrants. The boundaries of the welfare state are wider than previously thought.
SOS: The MOS is not enough!

When it comes to analysis and interpretation of the results of subjective QoE studies, one often witnesses a lack of attention to the diversity in subjective user ratings. In extreme cases, solely Mean Opinion Scores (MOS) are reported, causing the loss of important information on the user rating diversity. In this paper, we emphasize the importance of considering the Standard deviation of Opinion Scores (SOS) and analyze important characteristics of this measure. As a result, we formulate the SOS hypothesis which postulates a square relationship between the MOS and the SOS. We demonstrate the validity and applicability of the SOS hypothesis for a wide range of studies. The main benefit of the SOS hypothesis is that it allows for a compact, yet still comprehensive statistical summary of subjective user tests. Furthermore, it supports checking the reliability of test result data sets as well as their comparability across different QoE studies.
Are All Audits Born Equal?

By convention, the quality of an audit is understood to relate to the joint probability that its conduct results in the detection and reporting of material financial statement errors. Early research into this phenomenon suggested a positive relationship between audit firm size and audit quality. This has resulted in a plethora of studies in which a fundamental element of the research design has been to segment data samples into portions relating to large and small audit firms and to test for evidence of audit quality differences apparently associated with the size of the firm conducting the audit. Many such studies have concluded that larger audit firms do indeed provide higher quality audit services. Typically however, the quality of audit services provided by large firms (of which there are very few) has been assumed to be or treated as homogenous. While the collapse of Arthur Andersen lead to some work which questioned this approach, on the whole, the large firm homogenous quality assumption stands. This paper examines the quality of disclosures pertaining to the high risk issue of goodwill impairment testing made by a sample of large Australian listed corporations in the first year after their transition to A-IFRS. All firms in the sample were clients of Big 4 auditors. However, disclosure quality and compliance levels varied substantially, with audit firm identity appearing to explain a substantial proportion of observed cross sectional variation.
Karyotypic and ras gene mutational analysis in idiopathic myelofibrosis

Summary. Karyotypic analysis was performed in a total of 69 patients with well‐characterized idiopathic myelofibrosis. Karyotypic abnormalities were detected in 46% of cases examined during the chronic phase (29/63); with three abnormalities, del (13q), del(20q) and partial trisomy 1q, accounting for 75% of all abnormalities at diagnosis. The absence of del(5q), trisomy 8 and 21, as well as the rarity of monosomy 7, contrasts with pooled published data and may reflect our exclusion of closely related disorders, in particular MDS with fibrosis. Chromosomal aberrations increased to approximately 90% (8/9) in patients analysed during acute transformation. Mutational activation of codons 12, 13 and 61 of N‐, Ha‐ and Ki‐ras genes were assessed by polymerase chain reaction and hydridization with synthetic non‐radioactive digoxigenin‐labelled probes. Three mutations were detected in samples of peripheral blood DNA taken from 50 patients during the chronic phase of their disease: one N12 Asp (GGT GAT) and two N12 Ser (GGT AGT) mutations. The results from this study indicate that karyotypic abnormalities are present in at least 29% of cases at diagnosis and that del(13q), del(20q) and partial trisomy 1q are the most frequent findings. Ras mutations were relatively infrequent (6%) and appeared restricted to the N‐ras gene. Karyotypic analysis at diagnosis was found to be of prognostic significance.
Inhibition of intrathyroidal dehalog enation by iodide

Iodide is a trace element and a key component of thyroid hormones (TH). The availability of this halogen is the ratelimiting step for TH synthesis; therefore, thyroidal iodide uptake and recycling during TH synthesis are of major importance in maintaining an adequate supply. In the rat, the thyroid gland co-expresses a distinctive pair of intrathyroidal deiodinating enzymes: the thyroid iodotyrosine dehalogenase (tDh) and the iodothyronine deiodinase type 1 (ID1). In the present work, we studied the activity of these two dehalogenases in conditions of hypoand hyperthyroidism as well as during acute and chronic iodide administration in both intact and hypophysectomized (HPX) rats. In order to confirm our observations, we also measured the mRNA levels Journal of Endocrinology (2011) 208, 89–96 0022–0795/11/0208–089 q 2011 Society for Endocrinology Printed in Great for both dehalogenases and for the sodium/iodide symporter, the protein responsible for thyroidal iodide uptake. Our results show that triiodothyronine differentially regulates tDh and ID1 enzymatic activities, and that both acute and chronic iodide administration significantly decreases rat tDh and ID1 activities and mRNA levels. Conversely, both enzymatic activities increase when intrathyroidal iodide is pharmacologically depleted in TSH-replaced HPX rats. These results show a regulatory effect by iodide on the intrathyroidal dehalogenating enzymes and suggest that they contribute to the iodide-induced autoregulatory processes involved in the Wolff–Chaikoff effect. Journal of Endocrinology (2011) 208, 89–96
Generalized Discrepancy for Domain Adaptation

We present a new algorithm for domain adaptation improving upon the discrepancy minimization algorithm (DM), which was previously shown to outperform a number of popular algorithms designed for this task. Unlike most previous approaches adopted for domain adaptation, our algorithm does not consist of a fixed reweighting of the losses over the training sample. Instead, it uses a reweighting that depends on the hypothesis considered and is based on the minimization of a new measure of generalized discrepancy. We give a detailed description of our algorithm and show that it can be formulated as a convex optimization problem. We also present a detailed theoretical analysis of its learning guarantees, which helps us select its parameters. Finally, we report the results of experiments demonstrating that it improves upon the DM algorithm in several tasks.
Global Exponential Stabilization of a Two-Dimensional Pool-Boiling Model

In this study, a nonlinear PDE pool-boiling model of two spatial components (2D) is considered. An output-based P-control law is applied to stabilise unstable equilibria of the system. Subsequently, the local and global stability of the closed-loop system are analyzed and the respective regions in parameter space where local and global exponential stability can be obtained are determined.
Peace building after Civil War: A Critical Survey of the Literature and Avenues for Future Research

How and why do some civil wars end in a peace that endures while other civil wars re-ignite? The existing literature comes to contradictory and puzzling conclusions. For example, while some scholars and development practitioners argue that differences in post-conflict peace-building outcomes were to be explained by the intervention of the international community, other scholars focus on how a civil war ends —whether it ended in a government victory, a rebel victory or a negotiated settlement. By contrast, more recent studies find that states’ attributes such as the level of economic development; pre-war level of democracy; the degree of ethnic fractionalisation; and state dependence on oil exports influence the outcomes of post-conflict peacebuilding. Although these explanations focus on different aspects and use different explanatory variables to explain the variation in post-conflict peacebuilding, they are complementary and overlapping in many important ways. This paper presents an in-depth review of a wide body of theoretical and empirical research on post-conflict peacebuilding. The review covers three stands of literature on peace and conflict research which include: (1) those that focus on the root causes of the initial conflict, (2) those that focus on how the original war was fought, and finally, (3) those that focus on post-conflict peacebuilding. The insights from this literature reveals that while existing studies on the transition from civil war to peace have yielded considerable insights, there are a number of weaknesses and gaps. Some policy conclusions are drawn and directions for future research are suggested.
Nighttime blood pressure dipper pattern is more frequent in type 2 diabetes with normal renal function compared to chronic kidney disease

It has been reported that patients with non-dipper blood pressure pattern have worse kidney function compared to patients with normal dipper pattern. In our observational study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of dipping pattern of nocturnal systolic blood pressure and 24-hour blood pressure control in patients with type 2 diabetes and normal renal function CKD() (n=90) compared to their peers with diabetic chronic kidney disease CKD(+) (n=90). All patients underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We found that nighttime blood pressure dipper pattern was significantly more frequent in patients with type 2 diabetes and normal renal function compared to their peers with diabetic chronic kidney disease (27.7% vs. 13.3%; p=0.016). Mean systolic blood pressure during daytime, nighttime and 24-hour periods were significantly higher in the CKD(+) group, although the percentage of patients achieving 24-hour blood pressure control was not statistically different in two study groups. Our study could have clinical implications regarding recommendations for ABPM and the choice of drug regimens in hypertensive patients with diabetes and CKD.
Effects of Self-Care Model on Blood Pressure Levels and Self-care agency in Patients with Hypertension

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure and primarily encountered in adults and especially elderly individuals, is a cause of death of 7.6 million people per year and is diagnosed in 90 million people every year (Lawes, Vandur Hoorn, Rodgers, 2008; Nixon, Müller, Lawy, Falvey, 2009). According to the World Health Organization, hypertension is one of the leading causes of death and affects almost 1 billion people worldwide (Nixon, Müller, Lawy, Falvey, 2009; 2007 ESH-ESC, 2007). In Turkey, according to a 2003 study, hypertension incidence is 31.8% overall, 36.1% for women and 27.5% for men (Altun et al., 2005). High blood pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and can lead to myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure (Kaya et al., 2009). Hypertension is preventable with changes in lifestyle. Self-care is key for dealing with chronic health problems including hypertension (Goahr et al., 2008). Public health nurses can help individuals with hypertension to perform self-care with appropriate instruction and reinforcement. Therefore, the role of a nurse in self-care of hypertension patients includes planning, administering, and evaluating the nursing interventions as follows: training the individual in lifestyle changes, increasing awareness of potential complications of hypertension, and observing behavioral changes following such instruction (Pearson, Vaughan and Fitsgerald, 2000).
The Relationship of a Performer’s Visual Communication to Evaluations of Music Performance Quality by Expert and Novice Judges

Joyce Eastlund Gromko, Advisor The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of a performer’s visual communication (e.g., nonverbal communication, attractiveness, and facial expressions) to evaluators’ judgments of music performance quality. A secondary purpose was to investigate whether characteristics of the evaluators (e.g., expert vs. novice) would influence judgments of performance quality. The music evaluators consisted of music experts and novices drawn from college age students (163 undergraduates and 16 graduates) enrolled in music classes during Fall 2005. Experts were music students (N = 80) majoring in music performance and music education; novices were non-music students (N = 99) majoring in early childhood education. Experts judged technical proficiency to be higher under the casual condition when compared to the formal condition; novices judged technical proficiency to be lower under the casual condition when compared to the formal condition. Novices judged musical understanding more highly than expert judges, regardless of performance condition. The level of music experience of the judges may have affected their evaluations of the formal performance condition and may have created an expectation for higher accuracy in technical proficiency and musical understanding. From this finding, I concluded that music expert judges do take physical attractiveness, performing by memory, and nonverbal and verbal communication into consideration when evaluating performance quality and these are accompanied by higher expectations.
Generalized Spectral Characterization of Graphs Revisited

A graph $G$ is said to be \textit{determined by its generalized spectrum} (DGS for short) if for any graph $H$, $H$ and $G$ are cospectral with cospectral complements implies that $H$ is isomorphic to $G$. In \cite{WX,WX1}, Wang and Xu gave some methods for determining whether a family of graphs are DGS. In this paper, we shall review some of the old results and present some new ones along this line of research.
Life’s Simple 7 and Risk of Incident Stroke: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study

Background and Purpose— The American Heart Association developed Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) as a metric defining cardiovascular health. We investigated the association between LS7 and incident stroke in black and white Americans. Methods— The Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) is a national population-based cohort of 30 239 blacks and whites, aged ≥45 years, sampled from the US population from 2003 to 2007. Data were collected by telephone, self-administered questionnaires, and an in-home examination. Incident strokes were identified through biannual participant contact followed by adjudication of medical records. Levels of the LS7 components (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, and diet) were each coded as poor (0 point), intermediate (1 point), or ideal (2 points) health. An overall LS7 score was categorized as inadequate (0–4), average (5–9), or optimum (10–14) cardiovascular health. Results— Among 22 914 subjects with LS7 data and no previous cardiovascular disease, there were 432 incident strokes over 4.9 years of follow-up. After adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, and region of residence, each better health category of the LS7 score was associated with a 25% lower risk of stroke (hazard ratios, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.63–0.90). The association was similar for blacks and whites (interaction P value=0.55). A 1-point higher LS7 score was associated with an 8% lower risk of stroke (hazard ratios, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.88–0.95). Conclusions— In both blacks and whites, better cardiovascular health, on the basis of the LS7 score, is associated with lower risk of stroke, and a small difference in scores was an important stroke determinant.
Overview of the Accounting and Economic Effects of Foreign Currency Changes 2 . 1 The Accounting Effect of Foreign Currency Variability

The purpose of this study is to analyse the economic effect of foreign currency translation adjustments and to investigate the relationship between these adjustments and firm value, for a sample of 181 Australian multinational corporations, with foreign subsidiaries concentrated in three specific geographical regions (Asia, Europe and NAFTA). The study is based on collected data for the five-year period from 2000 to 2004, and uses a two-stage market model methodology, resulting in the implementation of a cross-sectional time series model to test for the affect of translation differences on computed excess returns. The study finds that translation adjustments in income statements and in shareholders’ equity are significantly related to excess returns. These results are consistent with accounting exposure being contributory to firm value.
Effects of experimental warming on survival, phenology, and morphology of an aquatic insect (Odonata)

1. Organisms can respond to changing climatic conditions in multiple ways including changes in phenology, body size or morphology, and range shifts. Understanding how developmental temperatures affect insect life‐history timing and morphology is crucial because body size and morphology affect multiple aspects of life history, including dispersal ability, whereas phenology can shape population performance and community interactions.