Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parent-reported sleep problems during development and self-reported anxiety/depression, attention problems, and aggressive behavior later in life.

OBJECTIVE To examine associations between sleep problems during development and subsequent emotional and behavioral difficulties. DESIGN Prospective longitudinal study. SETTING The Dutch province of Zuid-Holland. PARTICIPANTS At time 1 of data collection, a representative sample of 2076 children aged 4 to 16 years participated in the study. OUTCOME MEASURES Parents rated their children's (4-19 years old) sleep at 5 assessments by completing the Child Behavior Checklist. Participants reported on their own emotional and behavioral symptoms at a later assessment (when aged 18-32 years) by completing the Young Adult Self-Report. RESULTS After adjusting for sex, age, socioeconomic status, and parent-rated scores through development for the difficulty being predicted, having any parental reports of sleeping less than others was a risk indicator of high scores on the Anxious/Depressed scale (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.90; P = .01) and the Aggressive Behavior scale (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.02; P = .005). There was some (albeit less robust) support for links between other reported sleep difficulties and later problems. Parental reports of sleeping more than others and nightmares were not associated with later difficulties. CONCLUSIONS Physicians should inquire about sleep problems during child development and should be aware that some, but perhaps not others, may constitute risk indicators of later difficulties.
The apparent effects of ziprasidone on plasma lipids and glucose.

BACKGROUND We examined the effects of ziprasidone on body mass index (BMI) and serum levels of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. METHOD As part of a multicenter study examining different strategies for switching to ziprasidone from other antipsychotics, we evaluated weight and serum glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride measurements at baseline and following 6 weeks on ziprasidone treatment in 37 patients at our site. RESULTS Short-term treatment with ziprasidone appeared to lead to significant reduction in serum cholesterol (p < .001) and triglyceride levels (p = .018) independent of changes in BMI. Ziprasidone treatment appeared to have no significant effect on BMI or glucose level, perhaps due to the small number of subjects. CONCLUSION Ziprasidone appears to independently lead to a lowering of serum lipid levels.
Racial Diversity, Voter Turnout, and Mobilizing Institutions in the United States

Race is often identified as uniquely defining and influencing electoral processes in the United States. However, little empirical research has investigated the consequences of racial diversity for levels of voter turnout or for the nature of mobilizing institutions. On the basis of historical analyses of U.S. politics, we hypothesize that greater racial diversity is associated with lower levels of voter mobilization, weaker mobilizing institutions, and higher barriers to voter participation. Cross-sectional models for the 1950s, the 1980s, and the 1990s are tested with ordinary least squares regression techniques, using states as the unit of analysis. We find that racial diversity is a potent negative predictor of turnout levels, in each time period and in non-Southern, as well as Southern, states and that it has an especially strong relationship in presidential elections. Racial diversity is also associated nationwide with weak state and national mobilizing forces, and more difficult voter registration requirements.
Prevalence and severity of interstitial lung disease in mixed connective tissue disease: a nationwide, cross-sectional study

Background Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is an immune-mediated, systemic disorder of unknown cause. Objective To assess the prevalence, pattern and severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in a cross-sectional study of the nationwide, Norwegian MCTD cohort. Methods 126 patients with MCTD were systematically examined for ILD by high-resolution CT (HRCT), pulmonary function tests (PFT), 6 min walk test (6MWT) and by the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification of dyspnoea. The extent and type of HRCT lung abnormalities were scored according to the CT criteria of ILD recommended by the Fleischner Society. Results All 126 patients were Caucasian, 75% women. At the time of the cross-sectional ILD study, the patients had a mean disease duration of 9.0 years. 52% of the patients had abnormal HRCT findings, most commonly reticular patterns consistent with lung fibrosis (35%). Lung fibrosis was quantified as minor in 7%, moderate in 9% and severe in 19% of the patients. Fibrosis was uniformly concentrated in the lower parts of the lungs and was not associated with smoking. Patients with severe lung fibrosis had lower PFT values, shorter 6MWT and a higher mean NYHA functional class. After a mean 4.2 years' follow-up, overall mortality was 7.9%. Mortality in patients with normal HRCT was 3.3%, as compared with 20.8% in patients with severe lung fibrosis (p<0.01). Conclusions Severe lung fibrosis is common in MCTD, has an impact on pulmonary function and overall physical capacity and is associated with increased mortality.
Myofilament protein gene mutation screening and outcome of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE To determine the influence of a positive genetic test for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) on clinical outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS A cohort of 203 unrelated patients with HCM (mean +/- SD age, 50+/-18 years) was enrolled from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2003. They were followed up for a mean +/- SD time of 4.0+/-1.7 years after genetic testing of the 8 HCM-susceptibility genes that encode key sarcomeric/myofilament proteins. The clinical phenotype of those with a positive genetic test (myofilament-positive HCM) was compared with those with a negative genetic test (myofilament-negative HCM). RESULTS In this cohort of 203 patients, 87 mutations were identified in 126 patients (myofilament-positive HCM, 62%); the remaining 77 patients (38%) were myofilament-negative. Despite similar baseline features, patients with myofilament-positive HCM showed increased risk of the combined end points of cardiovascular death, nonfatal stroke, or progression to New York Heart Association class III or IV compared with the patients with myofilament-negative HCM (25% vs 7%, respectively; independent hazard ratio, 4.27; P=.008). These end points occurred at any age among patients with myofilament-positive HCM (range, 14-86 years), but only in those aged 65 years and older among patients with myofilament-negative HCM. Moreover, patients with myofilament-positive HCM showed greater probability of severe left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, defined as an ejection fraction of less than 50% and a restrictive filling pattern (P=.02 and P<.02, respectively, vs myofilament-negative HCM). CONCLUSION Screening for sarcomere protein gene mutations in HCM identifies a broad subgroup of patients with increased propensity toward long-term impairment of left ventricular function and adverse outcome, irrespective of the myofilament (thick, intermediate, or thin) involved.
Can Costs of Consumption Adjustment Explain Asset Pricing Puzzles

We investigate Grossman and Laroque's (1990) conjecture that costs of adjusting consumption can account, in part, for the empirical failure of the consumption-based capital asset pricing model (CCAPM). We incorporate small fixed costs of consumption adjustment into a CCAPM with heterogeneous agents. We find that undetectably small consumption adjustment costs can account for much of the discrepancy between the observed variance of nondurable aggregate consumption growth and the predictions of the CCAPM, and can partially reconcile nondurable consumption data with the observed equity premium. We conclude that the CCAPM's implications are nonrobust to extremely small adjustment costs. Copyright The American Finance Association 1999.
Users' Influence in Social-service Innovations: Two Swedish Case Studies

Abstract This article uses case studies to address the sources of social innovation, a major contributor to economic growth and welfare services. Following the findings of user-innovation research in the commercial sector, the authors found that social-problem users innovate new social services for solving specific social problems. They also found that superior problem and solution knowledge is one reason for their ability to do this, that their legitimacy with other potential users is an important factor for their innovations' diffusion and that the legitimacy of the new social services' operators with other stakeholders is important for acquiring resources for their projects. This contributes to the understanding of the management of social innovation using the established theoretical framework of user innovation.
Declining job stability: What we know and what it means

Even as various indicators suggest the U.S. economy began a long period of expansion following the recession of the early 1990s, many U.S. workers feel insecure today. That insecurity stems in part from a popular perception that job stability remains low. This perception helped spark analysts' interest in the possibility that job stability has been declining. Their research on the subject is only just beginning to provide answers. The available evidence about whether there has been a general fall in job stability is mixed. What is clear, however, is that job stability has fallen substantially for workers without any college education and for black workers. Moreover, these changes preceded the recent recession by at least a decade. The trends identified in this research raise a number of policy issues related to how workers whose careers involve more job changing and less job security can be assured economic security and opportunities to continue developing skills.
Trial and Lifetime Smoking Risks Among African American College Students

Abstract The authors surveyed 614 African American university students to determine the magnitude of cigarette use, identify risk factors, and develop models to predict smoking. More than half (58.3%) of the participants had smoked at least once, and 9.3% of that group were lifetime smokers. Among the lifetime smokers, 71.3% had smoked during the 30 days preceding the survey. More women (66.8%) than men (56.1%) had tried smoking and were classed as lifetime smokers. Residence, parental, and peer smoking (current and childhood) were associated with trying smoking; age, race/ethnicity, and marital status were additional factors for becoming a lifetime smoker. The risk of being a lifetime smoker was reduced when neither friends nor parents of the student smoked and the student viewed spirituality as important. The results of this study add to the growing understanding of health risk behaviors among African Americans and can be useful in reducing smoking.
Bank accounts and youth financial knowledge: connecting experience and education

Studies have shown that “experiential learning” can result in significant knowledge gains in a number of subject areas, but how does “learning by doing” fit into the context of financial education? This new working paper explores this topic and analyzes data from the 2008 Jump$tart survey of high school seniors to examine the relationship between bank account ownership and student knowledge of personal finance. The results are informative for financial education delivery, particularly the importance of providing interactive opportunities for the application and practice of skills and knowledge.
A joint discrete-continuous model considering budget constraint for the continuous part: application in joint mode and departure time choice modelling

This article presents an econometric modelling framework for a discrete-continuous choice structure. The proposed model ensures random utility maximisation (RUM) approach for both discrete and continuous decisions and explicit correlation between the two choices. The continuous choice is modelled as RUM under budget limitation. The model is applied for joint mode choice and departure time choice modelling. The empirical application considers continuous time scale for departure time under daily 24 h time budget constraint. The empirical model is estimated by using data collected in Toronto, Canada. The estimated parameters reveal many behavioural details of commuters’ mode and departure time choices. The RUM-based discrete-continuous model with the incorporation of time budget constraints for the continuous part is a generic econometric model. This article considers modelling ‘mode and departure time’ choice bundle for empirical application of the model. However, the model can be applied for any other similar choice bundle situation, for example, in the case of activity-based travel demand and land use modelling.
The Decision-Making Paradigm of Organizational Design

This paper introduces and explicates the decision-making paradigm of organizational design. We argue that the domains of existing design paradigms are declining in scope, and that the nature of current and future organizational environments requires use of a design paradigm that responds to the increasing frequency and criticality of the decision-making process. In particular, we argue that the decision-making paradigm is applicable when the organizational environments are hostile, complex, and turbulent. The focal concept of the decision-making paradigm is that organizations should be designed primarily to facilitate the making of organizational decisions. The paper sets forth the paradigm's six major concepts and discusses the principal domains of its application. The paper also examines the relationships between the decision-making paradigm and the literatures on 1 organizational decision making, 2 the information processing view of organizations, and 3 the need for compatibility between the organization's design and the design of its technologically supported information systems. The paper concludes by identifying ten organizational design guidelines that follow from the decision-making paradigm.
The Economic Value of Predicting Stock Index Returns and Volatility

Abstract In this paper, we analyze the economic value of predicting stock index returns as well as volatility. On the basis of simple linear models, estimated recursively, we produce out-of-sample forecasts for the return on the S&P 500 index and its volatility. Using monthly data, we examine the economic value of a number of alternative trading strategies over the period 1970–2001. It appears easier to forecast returns at times when volatility is high. For a mean-variance investor, this predictability is economically profitable, even if short sales are not allowed and transaction costs are quite large. The economic value of trading strategies that employ market timing in returns and volatility exceeds that of strategies that only employ timing in returns. Most of the profitability of the dynamic strategies, however, is located in the first half of our sample period.
Buccal Bone Thickness Overlying Maxillary Anterior Teeth: A Clinical and Radiographic Prospective Human Study

Objectives:The aim of this work was to measure the facial bone thickness overlying maxillary anterior teeth according to the periodontal biotype, the tooth position, and the bucco-palatal inclination of the tooth. Materials and Methods:CBCTs of 47 patients were included. The periodontal biotype and the bucco-palatal inclination were examined for all maxillary anterior teeth as well as the sagittal tooth position according to the classification of Kan et al. Buccal bone thickness was measured at 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm apical to the cement–enamel junction (CEJ). Results:At 4 mm from the CEJ, mean buccal bone thickness was 1.0 mm for all teeth and it decreased gradually and significantly in apical direction (6, 8, and 10 mm). A thin biotype was associated with a labial plate thickness half that of a thick biotype at all 4 distances from the CEJ. Class IV of Kan et al classification presented the thinnest facial bone (0.32–0.54 mm), whereas Class III demonstrated the thickest one (1.26–2.09 mm) at all distances from the CEJ. At 10 mm from the CEJ, the facial bone thickness increased with the vestibulo-palatal inclination of the tooth. Conclusion:A thin facial bone wall overlies almost all maxillary anterior teeth.
Privatization and Performance in Eastern Europe: Alternative Scenarios

The paper focuses on the possible outcomes of privatization and considers how different scenarios of privatization lead to varied macroeconomic performance. Alternative scenarios involve changes in efficiency, taxation, wages, income distribution and interactions with the world economy. The consequences of pursuing different scenarios of privatization are simulated using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. Illustrative simulations with the model are carried out for a representative economy, intended to depict a country at the outset of transition. The simulation results suggest that privatization can exert a favourable or adverse impact on the whole economy, depending on the way in which the performance of the newly privatized sector changes. The simulation analysis for Poland shows that some developments accompanying privatization processes might have contributed to recession and budget deficit.
From 1‐word to 2‐words with cochlear implant and cued speech: A case study

This paper describes early language development in a deaf Spanish child fitted with a cochlear implant (CI) when she was 1;6 years old. The girl had been exposed to Cued Speech (CS) since that age. The main aim of the research was to identify potential areas of slow language development as well as the potential benefit of CI and CS. At the beginning of this research the child was 2;6 years (she had been using the CI for 12 months). Adult–child 30‐minute sessions were videotaped every week for 1 year (13–24 months of CI use), and transcribed according to CHAT norms. Measures of phonemic inventory, intelligibility, lexicon, and grammar development were obtained. Part of the data were compared with data from two normally hearing (NH) children with the same mean length of utterance (MLU). In order to confirm trends observed during these 12 months of observation, an extra set of data was obtained in the next 3 months (25–27 months of CI use). Results in the initial 12 month period (13–24 months of CI use) showed irregular language development in the deaf child. The development of her phonemic inventory and lexicon progressed at a rate that was similar to, or faster than, that of NH children. However, the slow acquisition of articles and also the slow development of MLU suggested that the child might have problems with grammar. Data from the next 3 months (25–27 months of CI use) confirmed this trend. Results are discussed in relation to similar studies in other languages. Potential benefits of CS are also discussed.
The values of biological diversity: a travelogue

Biological diversity is an abstract, scientific concept and both evaluating its condition and, to great extent, justifying its conservation requires expert knowledge. Accordingly, regulating and managing biological diversity presupposes standardisation and methods for managing uncertainty. To be acted on, the concept must be promoted, passing, in this process, through various institutions, such as intergovernmental organisations and national administrations. This paper examines how the principle of biological diversity conservation is defined, focusing on the values of biological diversity and how this notion has ‘travelled the world’. The paper includes a study of how the principle of biological diversity was applied in a specific case of insect control in Sweden.
Transparency and Monetary Policy with Imperfect Common Knowledge

Is it desirable that central banks be more transparent in the communication of sensible information when agents have diverse private information? In practice, there exists some consensus about the benefits of acting in this way. However, other studies warn that increasing the precision of public information may raise the volatility of some aggregate variables - in particular, the price level - due to the disproportionate influence that it exerts on agents' decisions, and that this, in turn, will have negative effects on welfare. This paper studies the welfare effects of varying levels of transparency in a model of price-setting under monopolistic competition and imperfect common knowledge. Our results indicate that more precise public information never leads to a reduction of welfare in this framework. We find that the beneficial effects of decreased imperfect common knowledge due to a more precise common signal always compensates the potential rise in aggregate volatility. Moreover, we show that, in contrast to what has previously been assumed, the variability of the aggregate price level has no detrimental welfare effects in this model.
The Relationship Between Financial Deepening and Economic Growth in Tanzania

The study examines the relationship between financial deepening and economic growth in Tanzania. The ratio of bank deposit liability to nominal gross national product is used as a measure of financial deepening and modelled for relationship with real per capita income. The static ordinary least squares (SOLS) and the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimation methods are used. The model examines the periods of financial repression and of financial liberalization. The results suggest that though the real interest rate has insignificant impact overall, it is mixed for the two periods under consideration. Whereas, its impact on financial deepening is negative during the period of financial repression, it exerts a small but positive impact on financial development during the period of financial liberalization. The relationship between financial deepening and economic growth appears to be surprisingly negative and significant overall and during the period of financial liberalization but insignificant during financial repression. The results from the tests for causality suggest that financial deepening and economic growth are however independent in Tanzania. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of a short-term whole body vibration intervention on lean mass in elderly people.

OBJECTIVE To clarify whether a short-term whole body vibration (WBV) training has an effect on lean mass (LM) in the elderly. METHOD 49 non-institutionalized elderly (20 men) participated in the study. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the WBV or control group. A total of 24 elderly trained squat positioned on a vibration platform 3 times per week for 11 weeks. LM at the whole body, upper and lower limbs was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the effects of the intervention on the studied variables and also to determinate the changes within group throughout the intervention period including age and height as covariates. RESULTS 11 weeks of WBV training led to no changes in none of the LM parameters. CONCLUSION A short-term WBV therapy is not enough to cause significant changes on LM in non-institutionalized seniors.