Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Generalized Dynamic Factor Model determining the number of factors ∗

This paper develops an information criterion for the choice of the number of common shocks for the approximate dynamic factor model developed by Forni, Hallin, Lippi, and Reichlin (2000). In this framework, the number q of common shocks is associated to the number of diverging eigenvalues of the spectral density matrix of the observations as the number n of time series goes to infinity. The criterion exploits this characteristic of the model. We provide sufficient conditions for consistency of the criterion for large n and T (where T is the series length). The paper shows how the method can be implemented and provides simulations and empirics which illustrate its good performance in finite samples.
Information access and retrieval with hypermedia information systems

Students' success with interactive information systems (IIS) such as those found in many CD-ROM applications depends to large degree on their capacity accurately to choose and apply search strategies in response to information needs. IIS systems provide many ways to retrieve information, with some methods being more efficient and effective than others. The purpose of this study was to investigate the search strategies employed by novice users of an IIS system and to analyse the problems and issues that were impediments to successful use. A class of 12 year old students was instructed in the use of an electronic encyclopaedia. The students used the encyclopaedia as an information source for individual projects and on completion their information skills tested and analysed. The study found that students tended to employ inefficient search strategies and experienced difficulty in creating search requests for information related problems.
Knowledge, attitudes & barriers to condom use among female sex workers and truck drivers in Uganda: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND There is limited documentation on knowledge, attitudes and barriers to condom use among female sex workers (FSWs) and truck drivers (truckers). OBJECTIVE To explore knowledge, attitudes and barriers to condom use among FSWs and truckers operating along major transport corridors in Uganda. METHODS Structured questionnaires were administered to explore FSWs' and truckers' knowledge of and attitudes towards condom use among 259 FSWs and 261 truckers. Qualitative data were collected on barriers to condom use using focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS while qualitative data were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analyzed. RESULTS Condom knowledge was high with 97% of FSWs and 95% of truckers agreeing with the statement, "using condoms properly and consistently reduces risk of HIV infection". Attitudes towards condom use were generally favorable with 91% of FSWs and 82% of truckers agreeing with the statement, "condom use is the best method of HIV prevention". Qualitative findings show that poverty, refusal to use condoms by male partners, alcohol use before sex and beliefs that condoms 'kill the mood for sex' remain key barriers to consistent condom use. CONCLUSIONS Consistent condom use among FSWs and truckers is still hampered by economic and relationship factors.
[Applicability of the dietary record by cooked dishes method for estimating dietary intake of populations in the areas other than where the database was developed].

OBJECTIVES The Dietary Record by Cooked Dishes (DRcd) method, which enables simple assessment of food and nutrient intake, is unique because it uses a nutrient database of cooked dishes. Although this method has been validated among the rural Japanese populations for which the database was developed, the applicability of the DRcd for other populations is unclear. In this study, we have examined the applicability of DRcd among an urban population. METHODS Subjects were selected from among patients who underwent cancer screening between 2004 and 2006 at the Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, Japan. Subjects aged 40-69 years, who lived in Tokyo and the surrounding suburbs, were stratified into groups by sex and age. A total of 144 men and women agreed to participate in the study after random selection. Subjects were instructed to keep 4-day dietary records (4d-DR) of all consumed foods and beverages, including dish names, and all dishes were then coded using DRcd codes on the basis their names. The intake of 17 food groups and 40 nutrients was estimated using the dish-based nutrient composition table of the DRcd. Simultaneously, 4d-DR were used to calculate dietary intake independently, which served as a reference. We examined the applicability of the DRcd method using percentage difference and Pearson's correlation coefficients for intakes estimated using 4d-DR and the DRcd. Moreover, the results were compared to those of a previous study. RESULTS A total of 88% of the recorded dishes matched the dish codes of the DRcd database by name. Pearson's correlation coefficient scores of 0.6 or higher were observed for 12 and 10 food groups, and for 34 and 27 nutrients in men and women, respectively. Notably, the intake of majority of the nutrients tended to be underestimated, a difference that was more pronounced in men. In comparison with a previous study, the percentage differences and Pearson's correlation coefficient scores for intake tended to be lower in our study. CONCLUSION As the correlation coefficients (0.6) were high for a majority of food groups and nutrients estimated by DRcd, the DRcd method may be applicable for urban populations. However, regional intake data may be necessary for the estimation of absolute value for the intake of some nutrients.
Diffusion-Weighted Imaging-Negative Patients With Transient Ischemic Attack Are at Risk of Recurrent Transient Events

Background and Purpose— Among patients presenting with a transient ischemic attack (TIA), some clinical features predispose to recurrent TIA, whereas others predispose to subsequent strokes. We assessed the implication of negative diffusion-weighted imaging on a baseline MRI in predicting subsequent TIA. Methods— We prospectively studied patients presenting in the emergency department within 12 hours of a TIA (motor or speech). All patients had a MRI within 24 hours of the index event. The primary outcome was TIA within 1 year of study entry. The 1-year risk of stroke was also evaluated. Results— A total of 85 patients had a MRI, among which 35 patients (41.2%) had a diffusion-weighted imaging lesion. The mean time from symptom onset to MRI was 12.1 hours. Patients without a diffusion-weighted imaging lesion on baseline MRI were 4.6 times (27.4% versus 5.9%; P<0.05) more likely to have a subsequent TIA at 1 year than patients with a diffusion-weighted imaging lesion, but 4.3 times (2.1% versus 9.1%; P=0.19) less likely to have a subsequent stroke. Conclusions— The absence of a diffusion-weighted imaging lesion on the baseline scan predicts recurrent transient events rather than stroke.
Managerial Performance Development Constructs and Personality Correlates

The goals of this study were (a) to identify managerial performance development constructs through factor analysis, (b) to understand their motivational determinants using personality correlates, and (c) to examine differences between rating sources. Factor analyses identified 5 developmental constructs: Interpersonal Effectiveness, Willingness to Handle Difficult Situations, Teamwork and Personal Adjustment, Adaptability, and Leadership and Development. Comparisons with Borman and Brush's (1993) managerial performance megadimensions showed that the developmental constructs overlapped with but also added to the day-to-day performance domain. Each of the five factors showed a distinct pattern of personality correlates. Personality correlates supported hypotheses based on socioanalytic theory regarding the motive to get along with others (e.g., Interpersonal Effectiveness correlated with empathy and agreeableness) versus the motive to get ahead (e.g., Willingness to Handle Difficult Situations correlated with potency measures). Rating sources (supervisor, peer, subordinate, and self) showed some differences in their results.
Example-based Acquisition of Fine-grained Collocation Resources

Collocations such as “heavy rain” or “make [a] decision”, are combinations of two elements where one (the base) is freely chosen, while the choice of the other (collocate) is restricted, depending on the base. Collocations present difficulties even to advanced language learners, who usually struggle to find the right collocate to express a particular meaning, e.g., both “heavy” and “strong” express the meaning ‘intense’, but while “rain” selects “heavy”, “wind” selects “strong”. Lexical Functions (LFs) describe the meanings that hold between the elements of collocations, such as ‘intense’, ‘perform’, ‘create’, ‘increase’, etc. Language resources with semantically classified collocations would be of great help for students, however they are expensive to build, since they are manually constructed, and scarce. We present an unsupervised approach to the acquisition and semantic classification of collocations according to LFs, based on word embeddings in which, given an example of a collocation for each of the target LFs and a set of bases, the system retrieves a list of collocates for each base and LF.
Intracerebral study of gamma rhythm reactivity in the sensorimotor cortex

The generators and functional correlates of gamma oscillations within the sensorimotor cortex remain unclear. With the goal of locating the oscillations' sources precisely and then studying the relationship between oscillatory reactivity and ongoing movement, we recorded stereoelectroencephalograms with intracerebral electrodes in eight epileptic subjects awaiting surgical treatment. The sensorimotor cortex was free of lesions and was exhaustively explored with the electrodes. Subjects were asked to perform various self‐paced movements contralateral to the exploration zone, brief and sustained, distal movements and a pointing movement. We used the event‐related desynchronization method to quantify the reactivity of the 40–60‐Hz band before, during and after the performance of movement. A very focused, event‐related synchronization of gamma rhythms was found in all subjects. It was predominantly observed in the primary sensorimotor area and its distribution was consistent with the functional map established using electrical stimulations. Two different temporal patterns were observed, the event‐related synchronization of gamma rhythms was related either to movement onset or to movement offset but was never recorded before movement. This observation suggests that gamma oscillations are more probably related to movement execution than to motor planning. The different patterns argue in favour of multiple functional roles; it has been shown that gamma oscillations may support the efferent drive to the muscles and here we show that they are also likely to be related to somatosensory integration. We therefore suggest that gamma oscillations in the 40–60‐Hz band may support afferent sensory feedback to the sensorimotor cortex during the performance of movement.
Patients with Occupational Contact Dermatitis in Israel

Abstract One of the most common occupational diseases is skin disease caused as a result of contact with work-related materials or exacerbated by them. Although occupational-related skin disease is a common condition, it is not considered to be a serious one and, therefore, has not received satisfactory attention in the psycho-social literature or in the social work profession. In our study, 70 occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) patients were interviewed by telephone regarding psychological, social, economic, and subjective issues related to the disease. All patients reported to be affected in their daily living activities, self-image, economic status, and in their interpersonal relationships in the family. Our study seeks to highlight the problems of this population group and serve as a vehicle to facilitate patient's rights.
New Zealand doctors' and nurses' views on legalising assisted dying in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND Assisted dying (AD) has been legalised by statute or court decisions in at least 15 jurisdictions internationally. Nonetheless, only three medical professional bodies (and none in nursing) across those jurisdictions have proactively developed authorised policy, practice standards, guidelines or protocols, or other professional supports for health practitioners who may legally participate in AD services, and the majority internationally remain formally opposed to AD. There is a perceived likelihood that AD may be legalised in New Zealand soon. AIM This study explored the views of doctors and nurses as to support for or opposition to legalising AD, including reasons for those views, what might deter generally willing doctors and nurses from providing AD services and what professional supports were perceived as essential or desirable to enable willing engagement in AD service provision. RESULTS While only 37% of doctors supported legalising AD in New Zealand, 67% of nurses were supportive. Of those respondents who were willing in principle to provide AD services, large majorities identified a range of practical and ethical professional supports as essential to safe practitioner engagement. Those respondents overwhelmingly saw the provision of most of those supports as the responsibility of the medical and nursing professional bodies. CONCLUSION There is a substantial cohort of doctors and nurses in New Zealand who support legalising AD, potentially sufficient for reasonable seeker access to AD services once legalised. However, many doctors in particular still oppose AD, and international research shows that the main barrier to access to legal AD is a lack of capacity and capability among health professionals, due in large part to several related factors, in particular: a lack of either accredited training and education for the AD provider tasks and roles; inadequate immunities within the legislation to protect participating professionals; and most importantly, a lack of practice standards and guidelines authorised by the relevant medical and nursing professional bodies. The challenge is for such protections to be available well in advance of legalisation, so that health practitioners are not at risk ethically or otherwise in early participation.
Lightning surge analysis by EMTP and numerical electromagnetic analysis method

This paper summarizes basic assumption, related problems and the application limit of the well-known EMTP for a lightning surge analysis. As an alternative to the EMTP, numerical electromagnetic analysis (NEA) methods are briefly explained and application examples are demonstrated. Also, a difference between the EMTP and FDTD simulations is discussed. Because the NEA methods solves Maxwell's equation directly with no assumption of a wave propagation mode, the NEA methods are becoming a very powerful approach for the lightning surge analysis.
From creativeness to innovativeness: a firm-level investigation

This paper assesses the existence of knowledge externalities in the form of creative human capital spillovers that affect firm innovative performance. Relying on a large sample of Italian manufacturing firms, a knowledge production function is estimated and the residuals regressed on regional creative workforce indicators interacted with spatial agglomeration variables and measures of knowledge transmission mechanisms. The estimates show that regional density of creative human capital has a positive effect on firm innovativeness only after a critical mass is achieved and only after accounting for the presence of local universities, industrial districts and entrepreneurial activities related to knowledge-intensive services.
Effect of aerobic vs combined aerobic-strength training on 1-year, post-cardiac rehabilitation outcomes in women after a cardiac event.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effect and sustainability of 6 months combined aerobic/strength training vs aerobic training alone on quality of life in women after coronary artery by-pass graft surgery or myocardial infarction. DESIGN Prospective, 2-group, randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS Ninety-two women who were 8-10 weeks post-coronary artery by-pass graft surgery or myocardial infarction, able to attend supervised exercise, and fluent in English. METHODS The aerobic training alone group had supervised exercise twice a week for 6 months. The aerobic/strength training group received aerobic training plus upper and lower body resistance exercises. The amount of active exercise time was matched between groups. The primary outcome, quality of life, was measured by the MOS SF-36; secondary outcomes were self-efficacy, strength and exercise capacity. RESULTS After 6 months of supervised exercise training both groups showed statistically significant improvements in physical quality of life (p = 0.0002), peak VO2 (19% in aerobic/strength training vs 22% in aerobic training alone), strength (p < 0.0001) and self-efficacy for stair climbing (p = 0.0024), lifting (p < 0.0001) and walking (p = 0.0012). However, by 1-year follow-up there was a statistically significant difference in physical quality of life in favor of the aerobic/strength training group (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION Women with coronary artery disease stand to benefit from both aerobic training alone and aerobic/strength training. However, continued improvement in physical quality of life may be achieved through combined strength and aerobic training.
The Effect of Limbal Autograft in Recurrence of Pterygium

Background: Assessing the effect of limbal autograft shifting in recurrence of pterygium. Methods: This single-center study was carried out in a tertiary health facility. A review of data on consecutive patients who underwent pure limbal autografts shifting after pterygium resection was done. In all the cases, the pterygia extended at least 3 mm beyond the limbus. The resected each limbal grafts included a width of 1.5 mm and a length of 2 or 3 mm of limbus and a depth of 250 μm. Schmer test was performed at the eighth month postoperatively. Pterygium recurrence was accepted endpoint of the study. One patient had recurrent pterygium, whereas the others had primary pterygium. Patients with other ocular surface diseases or ocular pathology and, patients who discontinued follow-up visits were excluded from the study. Results: The study included 10 patients, with 5 males and 5 females. Median age of the patients was 40 (25 - 70). Follow-up was conducted for a minimum of 8 months for patients with recurrence and at least for 16 months for non-recurrent cases. Recurrence was observed in 6 patients out of 10, in one patient, atypia was reported and excluded from the study. Four recurrent patients experienced decreased levels of tears. The rest one patient with recurrence had not any tear abnormality. The remaining 4 patients responded well to the surgery. Because of the high recurrence rate, it was decided to terminate the study. Conclusions: Limbal autografts shifting alone is not an appropriate treatment for primary pterygium because of the high recurrence rate.
Computer-supported phonological awareness intervention for kindergarten children with specific language impairment.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to determine whether kindergarten children with specific language impairment (SLI) could develop phonological awareness skills through computer intervention and whether speech manipulation (i.e., slowing speech rate and enhancing transitions) in instruction produced additional learning. METHOD The effects of a computer-supported phonological awareness program on a variety of items, including word analysis, syllable analysis, rhyme, phoneme analysis, syllable synthesis, and phoneme synthesis, were tested following a pretest-posttest 1-posttest 2 design. Twenty-four kindergarten children with SLI in the Netherlands received 3.5 hr of phonological awareness intervention via a computer program using either normal speech (12 children) or manipulated speech (12 children). A control group of 12 kindergarten children with SLI played computer vocabulary games. RESULTS The results showed positive effects of the intervention for the normal speech group. Eighteen weeks later, the effect size was still substantial; however, no additional effects of speech manipulation were found. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The results suggest that kindergarten children with SLI benefit from computer intervention for phonological awareness skills.
Effect of zinc deficiency on the weight, cellularity and zinc concentration of different skeletal muscles in the post-weanling rat

Zinc-deficient (ZD), weight-restricted (WR), pair-fed (PF) and ad lib. -fed (AL) Sprague-Dawley male rats were killed after feeding the respective Zn-deficient and Zn-supplemented diets from 3 to 8 weeks of age. Animals killed at the start of the experiment served as a baseline control (BC). Four different skeletal muscles – biceps brachii, soleus, plantaris and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) – were studied for changes in weight, the number and diameter of muscle fibres and Zn concentration. The soleus muscle had the highest concentration of Zn. It was the only muscle to reduce its Zn concentration due to Zn deficiency. There was a loss of muscle fibres during normal growth (groups BC v. AL) in the soleus muscle (P < 0.05). The estimated length of muscle and the diameter of the muscle fibres in all four muscles increased significantly (P < 0.001). Therefore postweanling growth appears to occur as a result of longitudinal and transverse increases in the dimensions of these muscles. The reduction in muscle fibre number in ZD rats compared to BC animals may occur within the range of expected fibre loss during normal growth. Fibre loss in ZD rats may be more affected by feeding-pattern-dependent metabolic changes than by a deficiency of Zn per se (groups ZD v. WR). Soleus fibre loss in ZD rats may be related to the high Zn concentration in this muscle. The effect of Zn deficiency per se on muscle fibre diameter may be inaccurately interpreted by comparing the ZD animals with their PF and AL controls. There was no significant difference in fibre diameter in any of the four muscles when ZD and WF rats were compared.
Central Iberia around the Last Glacial Maximum

The currently most widely accepted model of population dynamics in Southwest Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum depicts the Iberian Peninsula as a human refugium. However, this refugium was generally thought to be limited to the coastal areas of Iberia, while the interior lands of the Spanish plateau were explicitly excluded as areas of significant human settlement. According to what we have termed the “crossing-area model,” these inner territories supposedly had no Solutrean settlements, only ephemeral visits corresponding to the passage of hunter-gatherers en route between the more favored coastal areas. In this paper we test the validity of this model in light of new data from several sites in Central Iberia, namely from the Madrid Basin and the southeastern foothills of the Central System mountain range. We conclude that the crossing-area model does not explain the current data and therefore should be reassessed. Consequently, we propose to open up new avenues of research aimed at approaching the central region of Iberia in its own cultural and ecological terms.