Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A portable virtual reality balance device to assess mild traumatic brain injury symptoms: A pilot validation study

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) following a head impact or blast exposure can cause diffuse injury to the brain, which can affect sensorimotor, cognitive, and emotional processes. Among the most common sensorimotor symptoms of mTBI is balance impairment. A commonly used assessments of balance following mTBI is the sensory organization test (SOT). This test has shown that postural deficits following head injury may be due to visual-vestibular processing issues, but it is less sensitive to unremitting symptoms that do not spontaneously resolve within a week. Our current project involves demonstrating validity and reliability of a novel low-cost, portable virtual reality-based balance screening device that employs established principles of sensorimotor reweighting and visual-vestibular integration. The goal is to determine if it can replace existing tools that are either prohibitively expensive or lack reliability or sensitivity. Methods: Healthy adults with no known musculoskeletal or neurological injury (n=27; 17 males, 10 females; 22.1±3.9 years) were tested to establish healthy norms. Individuals with mTBI (n=8; 4 males, 4 females; 20.0±1.7 years) were compared to the healthy norms. The new VR-based balance assessment system consists of a Wii balance board (WBB), a large screen television, and a custom-designed software user interface used to collect and process data. Subjects performed six upright postural tasks (three visual conditions either standing directly on the WBB or on foam placed on the WBB). Subjects viewed a virtual reality scene displayed on a 60" television. The three visual conditions were Static Scene, Dark Scene, and Dynamic Scene (Roll at 60 deg/s). The WBB recorded COP at 100Hz for 30 sec. Dependent variables included COP velocity, root mean square, and sway area. Subjects also performed the sensory organization test (SOT), which can be used as criterion-measures for intraclass correlations with the new device. Results: Preliminary data on healthy subjects validates effectiveness of the device to reduce postural stability as sensory input reliability and availability decreases. Additionally, ur results reveal that individuals with mTBI have significantly worse balance scores on the new VR-device (p<;0.001). This highlights its sensitivity to balance disturbance even if when testing a small sample. Comparison of the new device to SOT shows good criterion validity with ROC curves revealing sensitivity/specificity equal or higher than the SOT. COP sway area, velocity, and standard deviation of medial-lateral and anterior-posterior sway were all sensitive dependent variables. In conclusion, this study helps demonstrate that our new VR-based assessment tool is a valid measure for detecting balance related changes in neurologically impaired individuals and can potentially replace much more expensive equipment. Using postural control as an outcome measure of brain injury may help improve identification of individuals with sub-acute symptoms which may be used to guide rehabilitation and clinical decision-making.
Analysing the Dynamics between U.S. Inflation and Dow Jones Index Using Non-Linear Methods

A growing body of literature concentrates on the linear dependence between stock returns and inflation. Although the recent empirical evidence suggested the presence of complexities, to our knowledge only a few works have investigated the existence of a potential nonlinear stock returns-inflation relationship. In order to study in more depth the dynamic attributes of this puzzle, we suggest a quite different framework where the primary goal is to explore the association between their underlying dynamics. Through the use of the Recurrence Quantification Analysis (Webber and Zbilut (1994)), the test for structural breaks of Bai and Perron (1998) and the test for nonlinear causality of Diks and Panchenko (2006), we find evidence in favour of negative nonlinear linkages between the inherent dynamics of inflation and stock returns. The presence of nonlinearity reinforces uncertainty. As long as inter-dependences are complex and nonlinear, small perturbations in fundamentals can lead to unexpected propagations within the financial system.
Cytokines in Chronically Critically Ill Patients After Activity and Rest

Inflammation, a common problem for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), frequently is associated with serious and prolonged critical illnesses. To date, no study has examined whether physical activity influences inflammatory factors in critically ill adults. The objectives of this study were to (a) examine the relationships between type and duration of physical activity and serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), a proinflammatory cytokine; IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine; and their ratio and (b) determine if there are associations between cytokines or their ratio and activity or outcomes. This descriptive feasibility study investigated the approaches to measuring levels of physical activity and its relationship to serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 and the ratio between them in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation during periods of activity and rest. Measurements included serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels, direct observation and actigraphy, and prospective chart review. Ten critically ill patients who were mechanically ventilated for an average of 10 days in a large, urban, teaching hospital were enrolled. The average ratio of IL-6 to IL-10 improved after an average of 14.7 min of passive physical activity, typically multiple in-bed turns associated with hygiene. IL-6, IL-10, and their ratio were not associated with patient outcomes of weaning success or length of stay. High levels of IL-6 were associated with mortality. Cytokine balance may be improved by low levels of activity among patients with prolonged critical illness. The pattern of cytokines produced after activity may improve patients' recovery from prolonged critical illness and mechanical ventilation.
Interest Rate Risk and the Forward Premium Anomaly in Foreign Exchange Markets

This paper shows that even adjusted for the time-varying risk premiums implied by the yield curves across countries, uncovered interest parity is still strongly rejected by the data. Moreover, factors that predict the excess bond returns are found not significant at all in predicting the foreign exchange returns. These results reject the joint restrictions on the exchange rate and interest rates imposed by dynamic term-structure models, suggesting that foreign exchange markets and bond markets may not be fully integrated and we have to look beyond interest rate risk in order to understand the exchange rate anomaly. Copyright 2007 The Ohio State University.
Corporate Technology Portfolios and R&D Performance Measures: A Study of Technology Intensive Firms

This paper examines the relations between technology portfolio strategies and five commonly used research and development (R&D) performance measures. Patent and financial data of 78 US-based technology companies from 1976 to 1995 were gathered and analysed to investigate how a well-managed technology portfolio can create synergy and affect R&D performance. A technology portfolio can be characterized by its composition and technology concentration. A valuable technology portfolio that consists of patents with higher average citation made and self-citation ratio can have a positive effect on firm value. Our findings suggest that large firms may enjoy advantages for technological innovation because they can exploit synergy effects of their technology portfolios. Technology concentration strategy does not work well because firms focusing on few technology fields can experience diseconomy to patents received since high-quality patents are increasingly difficult to obtain. This paper lays the groundwork for future empirical research on technology portfolio and R&D performance.
Assessing the impact of stakeholder dialogue: changing relationships between NGOs and companies

In seeking to respond to criticisms regarding their social and environmental actions, companies have increasingly looked towards processes of stakeholder dialogue and engagement to increase trust and accountability, and provide better processes of communication regarding their activities. However, while stakeholder dialogue has become an increasingly central aspect of a companies CSR strategy, there is little detailed analysis, by which to assess the impact of these processes of dialogue in improving relationships between business and civil society. Similarly, little research has been conducted into the way in which dialogue impacts upon company strategy and policy, or upon how the dialogue process is perceived by the civil society organizations that the companies seek to bring into dialogue. This article provides some insight into these areas by reflecting on the initial findings of an ongoing research project (CRADLE) into the impact of dialogue and exchange on the shaping of CSR. It presents the findings from a postal questionnaire distributed to companies NGOs and facilitator groups regarding the impact of CSR dialogue processes. In conjunction with subsequent interview findings, the article discusses both company and NGO attitudes towards stakeholder engagement processes, and the impact that this has had in changing organizational practices. In particular, it looks at the types of dialogue being undertaken, the links between dialogue and trust and the role of dialogue in shaping organizational learning. In general, the findings present an informative overview of the current perception of the value of dialogue processes from a cross-section of groups directly involved within the CSR arena. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human metapneumovirus in children tested at a tertiary-care hospital.

BACKGROUND Respiratory infections are the leading cause of outpatient visits in the United States, but the etiology of many of these infections is unknown. Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a recently discovered virus that causes respiratory infections. METHODS Respiratory specimens obtained from patients <or=18 years old, between 1 October 2000 and 31 August 2002, were tested for hMPV. The results of testing for other viruses and epidemiological information were obtained from the hospital databases. A logistic regression model, including sex and age of the patient and year and season in which the specimen was obtained, was used to determine the factors associated with hMPV infection. RESULTS hMPV was detected in 6.2% of patients tested and was significantly more common among children 3-24 months old than in older or younger children. The seasonal occurrence of hMPV was similar to that of respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus, with most cases occurring in the winter and spring. In this tertiary care-center population, patients with hMPV infection often had underlying chronic conditions. CONCLUSIONS hMPV is common among young children with apparent respiratory infections, suggesting that it is a significant cause of symptomatic respiratory infections.
of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization Consumer Preferences for Detailed versus Summary Formats of Nutrition Information on Grocery Store Shelf Labels

The health-related problems caused by poor diet choices has elevated the policy importance of how to communicate nutrition information more effectively to consumers at the point of purchase. At the same time, food retailers want to provide their customers with nutrition information in the format their shoppers prefer. The shopping environment, which includes the provision of nutrition information, is a way that food retailers can differentiate themselves from the competition. In this article, we present a simple model of the demand for nutrition information and empirically evaluate consumer preferences for two different formats. We compare nutrition information on grocery store shelf labels in the Greater San Francisco Area presented in detailed and summary formats. The detailed nutrition information provides an explicit description of specific nutrients but may be more costly to process and difficult to understand. Summary nutrition information reduces processing effort but provides a condensed description of nutritional content. The results indicate that there are higher mean preferences for detailed nutrition labels but also a greater dispersion of preferences. Nutrition-conscious consumers are more likely to prefer detailed information. The summary format may benefit shoppers who are less likely to use other forms of information.
Trends in professional education programs for teachers

Increasingly, politicians, bureaucrats, the business community, members of our communities and even members of the teaching profession, are asking questions about professional preparation for teachers, questions like: What is the value of teacher education? What should beginning teachers know and be able to do? How can we make judgements about what they know and are able to do? How can teacher preparation contribute to the retention of high quality beginning teachers who continue to grow and learn?
Determinants of Entrepreneurs' Activities: New Evidence from Cross-Country Data

This paper provides an empirical investigation of the main determinants of entrepreneurial activities across three groups of countries over the period 2004–2008, by specifically examining the importance of institutional setting and economic growth on entrepreneurial activities. The classification of countries is based on the Economic Freedom Index and the World Economic Forum (2011) which groups them on the basis of whether they are innovation-driven, efficiency-driven, or factor-driven countries. On the one hand, empirical results find a positive and significant role for economic freedom to accelerate entrepreneurial activities and growth in innovation and efficiency-driven countries characterized by strong institutional systems. On the other hand, the results suggest that in factor-driven countries characterized by relatively less economic freedom and weak institutions, there is a significant negative relationship between economic freedom and entrepreneurial activities.
Essays on Energy Demand and Household Energy Choice

This thesis consists of four self-contained papers related to energy demand and household cooking energy. Paper [I] examine the impact of price, income and non-economic factors on gasoline demand using a structural time series model. The results indicated that non-economic factors did have an impact on gasoline demand and also one of the largest contributors to changes in gasoline demand in both countries, especially after the 1990s. The results from the time varying parameter model (TVP) indicated that both price and income elasticities were varying over time, but the variations were insignificant for both Sweden and the UK. The estimated gasoline trend also showed a similar pattern for the two countries, increasing continuously up to 1990 and taking a downturn thereafter. Paper [II] studies whether the commonly used linear parametric model for estimating aggregate energy demand is the correct functional specification for the data generating process. Parametric and nonparametric econometric approaches to analyzing aggregate energy demand data for 17 OECD countries are used. The results from the nonparametric correct model specification test for the parametric model rejects the linear, log-linear and translog specifications. The nonparametric results indicate that the effect of the income variable is nonlinear, while that of the price variable is linear but not constant. The nonparametric estimates for the price variable is relatively low, approximately 0.2. Paper [III] relaxed the weak separability assumption between gasoline demand and labor supply by examining the effect of labor supply, measured by male and female working hours on gasoline demand. I used a flexible semiparametric model that allowed for differences in response to income, age and labor supply, respectively. Using Swedish household survey data, the results indicated that the relationship between gasoline demand and income, age and labor supply were non-linear. The formal separability test rejects the null of separability between gasoline demand and labor supply. Furthermore, there was evidence indicating small bias in the estimates when one ignored labor supply in the model. Paper [IV] investigated the key factors influencing the choice of cooking fuels in Ghana. Results from the study indicated that education, income, urban location and access to infrastructure were the key factors influencing household’s choice of the main cooking fuels (fuelwood, charcoal and liquefied petroleum gas). The study also found that, in addition to household demographics and urbanization, the supply (availability) of the fuels influenced household choice for the various fuels. Increase in household income was likely to increase the probability of choosing modern fuel (liquefied petroleum gas and electricity) relative to solid (crop residue and fuelwood) and transition fuel (kerosene and charcoal).
Wage Setting, Social Pacts and the Euro: A New Role for the State

Door de Europese monetaire integratie staan overheden voor een enorme economisch-politieke uitdaging. Niet langer kunnen ze door middel van waarde-inflatie de economische tekorten oplossen. Het gevolg was dat de Eurolanden loonbepalingen gebruiken om de economie bij te sturen. Opmerkelijk is dat in tegenstelling tot de wijdverbreide verwachting, loonbepalingssystemen in West-Europa de laatste 25 jaar gecentraliseerd zijn gebleven. En de band tussen overheden en sociale partners zijn eerder inniger dan losser geworden. Hassel onderzoekt in Wage Setting, Social Pacts and the Euro. A New Role for the State loonbepalingssystemen in West-Europa. Ze laat zien dat overheden hebben gekozen voor onderhandelingen met de sociale partners en niet voor de deregulering van de arbeidsmarkten. Hassel brengt de economische en politieke voordelen van de onderhandelde loonbepalingen naar voren, tegen de achtergrond van een strikter monetair beleid en een toegenomen economische openheid
Determinants of Bile Formation During Development: Ontogeny of Hepatic Bile Acid Metabolism and Transport

The studies cited in this brief review stress that the development of hepatic transport processes is extraordinarily complex. Important changes in hepatic morphology and synthetic capacity are required before maturation of membrane carriers for bile acids. Transport systems at both poles of the hepatocyte develop independently. An increase in bile acid synthesis at several stages during the development appears to be an ontogenic event that is programmed to occur in concert with functional maturation of the enterohepatic circulation. Expression of specific membrane transporters for bile acids can be observed in fetal liver and postnatal ileum during periods of expansion of the bile acid pool. It is likely that specific defects, such as congenitally absent or defective bile acid transport proteins, will eventually be discovered in rare patients with undefined cholestatic syndromes. The absence of active ileal bile acid transport has recently been demonstrated in several children with congenital bile acid malabsorption. Whether bile acids can actually induce or regulate production of their own carriers during development has not been determined, but an increase in bile acid pool through feeding of exogenous bile acid has been shown to stimulate an increase in plasma membrane carriers for bile acids in adult rat liver. Thus, a number of factors, including available driving forces for transport, bile acid pool size and composition, effectiveness of intracellular compartmentation and transfer, and the function of membrane carriers, can all contribute to low rates of bile flow and bile acid secretion, depending on the stage of development.
The Impact of Holiday Trips on Life Satisfaction and Domains of Life Satisfaction

This study analyses the contribution of holiday trips to the levels of life satisfaction reported by individuals with and without disability by using an approach in which life satisfaction is seen as a combination of various life satisfaction domains (health, job, housework, household income, dwelling, and leisure). Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we estimate a two-layer model which proposes that satisfaction with different domains of life are interrelated and wherein life satisfaction depends on the weight that the individual allocates to each of these domains. The results show that disabled people who participate in holiday trips obtain higher levels of satisfaction with health, job, and housework than do nondisabled ones, especially when this participation is more intense. In addition, satisfaction with health and household income has a significant effect on the overall life satisfaction reported by disabled individuals. Public policy recommendations are given.
Changes of Muscle Mechanics Associated With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency and Reconstruction

Abstract Hsiao, S-F, Chou, P-H, Hsu, H-C, and Lue, Y-J. Changes of muscle mechanics associated with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency and reconstruction. J Strength Cond Res 28(2): 390–400, 2014—Isometric and isokinetic knee strength deficits were examined on patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury before and after ACL reconstruction. Muscle strengths of the uninjured and injured knees were measured from an ACL injured (n = 12) and a control (n = 15) group. Five isometric (10, 30, 50, 70, and 90° of knee flexion) and 5 isokinetic (50, 100, 150, 200, and 250°·s−1) strengths of quadriceps and hamstrings were measured prereconstruction and postreconstruction (3 and 6 months). Compared with the controls, the uninjured knee showed normal strength and patterns of length-tension and force-velocity relationships. Compared with the uninjured knee, the injured knees showed a generally 25–30% decrease in quadriceps and hamstrings strength with normal patterns of length-tension and force-velocity relationships. By 3 months of reconstruction, weakness of quadriceps of the injured knees was exacerbated, particularly at lengthened positions (∼ 40% of the uninjured knees at knee flexion 70 and 90°) and at slower velocities (∼35% of the uninjured knees at the 50 and 100°·s−1, p < 0.05), with flattened patterns of mechanical output. By 6 months of reconstruction, the quadriceps of the injured knees still showed significant weakness (∼50% of the uninjured knees) in both contraction types (isometric at knee flexion 90° and isokinetic at 50°·s−1, p < 0.05). The hamstrings of the injured knees had not shown significant changes after reconstruction. A strengthening program placing emphasis on greater knee flexion angles and slower movement speed with sufficient training duration post ACL reconstruction is recommended because of long-lasting and exacerbated weakness during 3 and 6 months postreconstruction.