Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seizures after stroke : a prospective clinical study.

Stroke is one of the most common causes of epilepsy in elderly. However, there have been very few prospective studies to define the incidence, pattern and outcome of seizures in stroke. Most studies are based on retrospective analysis of hospital records. Hence, we planned this prospective study to see the clinical, radiological and electroencephalographic characteristics of seizures in stroke and their outcome, from a north Indian tertiary care centre. Over a span of approximately 6 years, 269 consecutive patients with stroke were studied and followed up. Thirty-five (13%) of these developed seizures, primarily related to stroke, during mean follow up period of 15.9 months. Twenty of these had infarctions while 15 had haemorrhages. Involvement of the cortical region was seen in most of the patients with seizures. In these patients, 86% of the lesions involved cortical areas exclusively or in addition to subcortical areas on CT scan of the brain. Twenty-seven (77%) developed early seizures, two third of them had immediate post-stroke seizures. None of the patients with early onset seizures developed recurrent seizures or epilepsy, while 50% of late onset seizures developed epilepsy. No specific EEG pattern was found in those who later developed epilepsy. In the present study, early onset seizures after stroke were rather common and did not affect outcome and did not recur even when not treated with anti-epileptics. Late onset seizures were less common but were associated with recurrent seizures.
Establishing and developing strategic relationships – the role for operations managers

Purpose – The objectives of this paper are, first to identify, from the literature, the key themes in the management of strategic relationships, second to apply those themes to understand how exemplary organisations establish and develop strategic relationships and third to determine the role of operations managers in this process. Design/methodology/approach – This empirically based research comprised four phases; interviews with managers to identify exemplars, interviews with managers from 27 organisations, data analysis and testing of the findings. Findings – From a theoretical point of view, a revised definition of strategic relationships has been proposed. Many previously disparate elements of relationships have been brought together into seven dimensions of strategic relationships. The scope and nature of exemplary relationships have been captured within each of these dimensions identifying 24 elements, and suggested the key roles for operations managers in establishing and developing their strategic business relationships. Research limitations/implications – This research has responded to the call to help operations managers understand the skill sets required to help them establish and develop strategic business relationships. It has contributed to the growing literature on business relationships and also provided practical guidance for operations managers. The research has a number of inherent weaknesses including the interpretative nature of the analysis and that the interviews were only carried out with one party to the exemplary relationships. The focus of the research was limited to exemplary strategic relationships and the study was conducted in one sector, though a range of types of organisations were involved. Practical implications – From a practitioner perspective, the outputs from the research have been summarised into a number of guidelines which flesh out the role for operations managers looking to identify, establish, evaluate or strengthen their role in establishing and developing strategic business relationships. Originality/value – The paper provides an original and detailed perspective into the nature of strategic business relationships, irrespective of their position in the supply chain, and identifies how such relationships can be established and developed.
A survey on Swiss women's preferred menstrual/withdrawal bleeding pattern over different phases of reproductive life and with use of hormonal contraception

Abstract Background Today, options for bleeding-free lifestyle are actively promoted by the media, the pharmaceutical industry and health specialists. With regard to contraceptive counselling it is important to find out what women really want. Methods In the present study we collected information on women's attitudes towards monthly bleeding and preferences, if they could have the option to modify their individual bleeding pattern. Furthermore we evaluated the preferences with use of combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs). Switzerland has never been surveyed before with regard to these issues. Questionnaires were distributed in our family planning clinic and two outdoor offices to clients aged 15 to 19 years, 25 to 34 years, and 45 to 49 years. Results Of 530 questionnaires, 292 were eligible for analysis. Around 50 of the participants would appreciate having fewer menstrual period-related symptoms. Some 37% preferred experiencing a monthly bleeding; 32% opted for every 2 to 6 months; and 29%, for no bleeding at all. This heterogeneous distribution did not differ between clients with and without menstrual symptoms. With regard to CHC use, predictable bleeding was rated as very positive and breakthrough bleeding as negative. Conclusion Contraceptive counsellors should be aware that women's wishes differ widely. Predictability of bleeding seems to be more important to them than postponing it. Chinese Abstract 摘 要 背景 如今媒体、药厂以及健康专家都在积极地倡导选择一种没有月经的生活方式。 但是，在做避孕药咨询的时候，了解什么是妇女真正需要的才是至关重要的。 方法 在这项研究中，我们收集关于妇女对月经的态度，以及如果妇女有机会改变她们的月经模式，她们的选择信息。 另外，我们评估了使用复方激素避孕药（CHCs）的妇女对月经模式的选择。 以往在瑞士还未曾有人做过这方面的调查。 在研究中，我们通过我们的计划生育门诊以及两个离苏黎世较近的妇科诊所向15-19岁，25-34岁，45-49岁这三个年龄段的妇女发放调查问卷。 结果 在发出的530份问卷中，有292份是有效的。 50%的参加者希望月经期的相关症状是较轻的。 37%的妇女希望每月有月经，32%的妇女倾向2-6个月一次，29%的妇女愿意没有月经。 是否有月经期的症状并不会影响这种选择差异的分布。 在使用避孕药的妇女中，可预测的出血被看做是避孕药最好的作用，而突破性的出血则被认为是最大的副作用。 结论 避孕药的咨询者需要意识到妇女对月经的要求是有很大差异的。 对于避孕药的使用，可预测的出血模式比推迟月经更为重要。
Circadian and photic regulation of clock and clock‐controlled proteins in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of calorie‐restricted mice

In mammals, behavioural and physiological rhythms as well as clock gene expression in the central suprachiasmatic clock (SCN) are phase‐shifted by a timed calorie restriction (T‐CR; animals receiving at midday 66% of their daily food intake). The molecular mechanism of SCN depends on feedback loops involving clock genes and their protein products. To understand how T‐CR mediates its synchronizing effects, we examined the rhythmic expression of three clock proteins, PERIOD (PER) 1, 2 and CLOCK, and one clock‐controlled protein (i.e. vasopressin; AVP) in the SCN of mice either fed ad libitum (AL) or with T‐CR. Moreover, we evaluated expression of these proteins in the SCN of AL and T‐CR mice following a 1‐h light pulse. The results indicate that, while PER1 and AVP rhythms were phase‐advanced in T‐CR mice, the PER2 rhythm showed an increased amplitude. CLOCK was expressed constitutively in AL mice while in T‐CR it was significantly reduced, especially after feeding time. A light pulse produced a delayed increase in PER1 and a larger increase in PER2 expression in the SCN of T‐CR mice than in AL animals. In addition, light exposure triggered an increase in AVP‐ir cells in both AL and T‐CR mice, and also of CLOCK expression but in T‐CR mice only. The circadian changes in clock and clock‐controlled proteins and their acute responses to light in the SCN of T‐CR mice demonstrate that metabolic cues induced by a calorie restriction modulate the translational regulation of the SCN clock.
Internal Audit Outsourcing and the Risk of Misleading or Fraudulent Financial Reporting: Did Sarbanes-Oxley Get It Wrong?

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) prohibits companies from outsourcing internal audit work to their external audit provider. Competing predictions on the effects of this prohibition stem from two academic arguments relating to the provision of nonaudit services by the external auditor: knowledge spillover and economic bonding. Using proprietary data, we investigate whether companies that outsourced internal audit work to their external auditor pre-SOX had a higher risk of misleading or fraudulent external financial reporting (accounting risk). Consistent with the knowledge spillover argument, our results indicate that prior to SOX, outsourcing internal audit work to the external auditor is associated with lower accounting risk as compared to keeping the internal audit function (IAF) entirely in-house or outsourcing the work of the IAF to a third party other than the external auditor. The magnitude of the relation is significant, as outsourcing to the external auditor is associated with a 23 percent reduction in accounting risk relative to firms that kept the IAF in-house.
PERCEIVED PROFITABILITY AND FARMERS‘ CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR

Attempts to reduce land degradation by influencing the management behaviour of farmers will be better informed when the relative importance of factors influencing the use of ‘conservation’ practices aimed at enhancing longer-term land productivity can be quantified. Land managers' perceptions of the technical feasibility and profitability of such practices will play an important role in the decisions about their use. Of particular interest is the relative importance of an individual's perceptions of the profitability of conservation behaviours and the individual's conservation orientation. In a pretest-post test study the influence of prior perceptions about two ‘conservation’ practices, and of environmental orientation, on the subsequent behaviour of farmers is investigated. A logistic regression model is developed to show the relative influence of perceptions of profitability and technical feasibility and of personal environmental concern on the choice of conservation practices. Perceived profitability was the most important factor influencing the use of conservation practices.
A Change of Direction: The 2006 Parliamentary Elections and Party Politics in Slovakia

A detailed examination of the 2006 parliamentary elections in Slovakia highlights the evolving pattern of party competition in the country. A transformation of the party political scene in the country has taken place, from one dominated by questions of the character of the political regime, illiberal democracy and nationalism into one in which socio-economic themes are of key importance for political parties to mobilize voters and win elections. Nevertheless, although socio-economic themes are now more salient, other dividing lines that shaped Slovak party politics in the 1990s, especially national appeals, remain significant for smaller, niche parties.
Effect of injection-current fluctuations on the spectral linewidth of semiconductor lasers.

The effect of current fluctuations on the linewidth of semiconductor lasers is analyzed using the single-mode rate equations. Since the time scale of such fluctuations can generally be longer than the intrinsic time scale of relaxation oscillations, current fluctuations are modeled using a non-Markovian random force in the rate equation governing the carrier dynamics. In the absence of nonlinear-gain effects, the contribution of current fluctuations to the linewidth is negligible at all power levels. However, when the gain saturation resulting from spectral hole burning is included, current fluctuations are found to give rise to a power-independent contribution to the linewidth. At low operating powers, this contribution is small compared with the spontaneous-emission contribution. For InGaAsP lasers, the power-independent contribution is estimated to be approx.1 MHz/. mu.A and can significantly affect the intrinsic linewidth at high power levels (>10 mW). Furthermore, the line shape is not strictly Lorentzian and tends towards Gaussian with increasing power. We have discussed the dependence of the line shape and linewidth on various device parameters.
ICT use and total factor productivity growth: intangible capital or productive externalities?

What accounts for the exceptional TFP growth performance in some ICT-using industries after the mid-1990s in the USA and some other OECD countries? Productivity gains in the production of ICT are given as the answer. But technical progress in upstream industries, in general, should not raise TFP growth in downstream industries. This article investigates two explanations for this apparent puzzle: the existence of intangible capital and the externalities of ICT investment. Using newly constructed comprehensive data covering 16 OECD countries for 24 industries for a period of 32 years, I find evidence of intangible capital accumulation, but no evidence of positive spillovers from ICT use. Results show that what would have considered as a perfect case of spillovers from ICT use under conventional method is the impact of R&D and other intangible capital. Once these two channels are accounted for in the model, neither domestic nor foreign ICT spillovers exist.
Using Self-Determination Theory to Explain Sport Persistence and Dropout in Adolescent Athletes

Motivational characteristics are influential in shaping adolescents' desire to persist in sport or to discontinue their sport participation. Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) was utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. This theory examines whether sustained participatory involvement, defined as continued participation in the sport through the next year, was influenced by individuals' self-determined motivation and by the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Four hundred ninety two soccer players between the ages of 13 and 17 years comprised the sample. Results indicated sport dropout was explained by higher levels of amotivation, external regulation, and introjected regulation and by lower satisfaction of relatedness and autonomy needs. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge base on sport dropout as they supported many of self-determination theory. Los aspectos motivacionales poseen una gran importancia sobre la persistencia o el abandono de la práctica deportiva en los adolescentes. En este estudio, partiendo de la teoría de la autodeterminación (Deci y Ryan, 2000), se trató de comprobar cómo incidían en la persistencia o el abandono los diferentes tipos de motivación y las necesidades psicológicas básicas de autonomía, competencia y relaciones sociales. En el estudio participaron 492 futbolistas, con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y 19 años. Los resultados demuestran que el abandono es explicado por altos niveles de desmotivación, motivación externa e introyectada, y bajos niveles de satisfacción con la autonomía y las relaciones sociales. Estos hallazgos pueden contribuir a conocer mejor el abandono deportivo y minimizarlo a partir de las propuestas de la teoría de autodeterminación.
Weak Societal Roots, Strong Individual Patrons? Patronage & Party Organization in Portugal

We examine why patronage may constitute an important dimension of analysis in the study of Portuguese political parties and the evolution of its party system. In particular, we are interested in exploring two inter-related aspects: first, what is the role of patronage for party organisations in Portugal? And second, how does it impact on intra-party functioning? Overall, access to state resources appears to be crucial in the rapid building of the party organisations and in their subsequent maintenance, potentially creating also barriers to entry for new competitors. This pattern is to a large extent explained by the context in which parties emerged in Portugal, which substantially shaped their organisational structure and societal roots.
Commodity-Choice Behavior with Pigeons as Subjects

Starting from an initial (baseline) budget line, income-compensated price changes always resulted in substitution effects consistent with the Slutsky-Hicks theory. This behavior cannot be explained by a simple random-behavior model. Similar changes in relative prices that did not originate from the initial (baseline) budget line resulted in "undersubstitution effects": The composition of consumption changed in the expected direction, but the magnitude of change was not large enough to be consistent with the initial commodity bundle chosen. These undersubstitution effects are not explainable by shifting preference patterns or anchoring effects found in inconsistent choice sequences with human subjects.
Educating the Future of Agriculture: A Focus Group Analysis of the Programming Needs and Preferences of Montana Young and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers.

The average age of farmers and ranchers is rising and each year, there are fewer young and beginning farmers and ranchers (YBFR). Therefore, it is critical that agricultural educators and programmers provide learning opportunities that develop the knowledge and competencies YBFR need to be successful. The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory to identify and explain the interaction between educational drivers, educational needs, and programing preferences of YBFR in Montana, in order to develop future programming recommendations. Focus groups were utilized to gather data from a purposive sample of YBFR. A grounded theory was developed using constant comparison analysis. YBFR identified business management skills, legal knowledge, communication skills, and skills associated with technologies as educational needs. Barriers such as distance, time, and lack of awareness prevented educational event attendance. Programs were considered successful if they provided networking opportunities, relevant content, and a positive, interactive environment. YBFR utilized different delivery formats ranging from email to face-to-face. Preference was placed on longer duration events featuring a variety of information. Agricultural educators need to decrease barriers and increase positive elements to reach this audience. Agricultural organizations must collaborate to create comprehensive, impactful programs focused on developing the skills and knowledge of YBFR.
Exploring the impact factor of positive word-of-mouth influences satisfied customers

Numerous studies have explored the satisfaction and positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) relationship; however, empirical research has not reached consistent conclusions. This study examines the key moderating factors to explain the inconsistent relationship between satisfaction and PWOM in previous research. We employed data from bank customers (n = 240) in Taiwan to explore three moderating variables, namely product involvement, perceived risk, and tie strength, which determine whether satisfaction has an impact on PWOM intention or behaviour. The hierarchical regression method was used to examine the main and interaction effects of these moderating variables. The empirical results indicate that (1) product involvement and tie strength have positive influences on word-of-mouth intention and behaviour; (2) the interaction effect of product involvement and perceived risk has a positive influence on PWOM intention and behaviour. This study suggests that financial service institutions should identify target customer groups to allocate its resources effectively and simultaneously reduce expenditures on ineffective strategies, depending on the different moderators. Finally, implications and limitations for future research are discussed.
An appropriate test of the Kuznets hypothesis

The Kuznets hypothesis, that is, inequality first rises and then falls as the economy advances, is often tested by regressing inequality on income and its squared term (along with other determinants). Findings of a significantly negative coefficient on income and a significantly positive estimate on the quadratic term are commonly taken as evidence supporting the inverted-U Kuznets curve. Although intuitive, Lind and Mehlum (2010) argued that the conventional approach is flawed and proposed an appropriate test for a U-shaped association. We revisit the validity of the Kuznets hypothesis by applying the novel testing strategy of Lind and Mehlum (2010) to annual US data over the period 1917 to 2007. Inconsistent with the Kuznets hypothesis, the test results overwhelmingly reject the combined null hypothesis of an inverted-U or monotone relationship in favour of a U-shaped linkage between income inequality and economic development. Moreover, the results are robust to changes in inequality measures and functional specifications.
Investigating the Stability of Survival Model Parameter Estimates for the Probability of Default: Empirical Evidence over the Credit Crisis

Using a large portfolio of credit card loans observed between 2002 and 2011 provided by a major UK bank, we investigate the stability of the parameter estimates of discrete survival models, especially after the start of the credit crisis of 2008. Two survival models are developed for accounts that were accepted before and after the crisis, and we find that the two sets of parameter estimates are statistically different to each other. By applying the estimated parameters onto a common test set, we also show that they give different predictions of probabilities of default. The changes in the parameter estimates are then investigated. We theorise them to be due to the quality of the cohort accepted under different economic conditions, or due to the drastically different economic conditions that was seen in the UK economy, or a combination of both. By estimating survival models for accounts that were accepted during the downturn and non-downturn periods, and by creating test sets which either keep the macroeconomic conditions or the cohort quality unchanged, we are able to test for each effect. The results are displayed in terms of distributions of predicted probabilities, which show that both macroeconomic conditions and cohort quality do affect probabilities of default, with economic conditions having a larger effect.
Exchange Rate Pass-Through in ASEAN: Implications for the Prospects of Monetary Integration in the Region

This paper investigates, for the first time, the degree of exchange rate pass-through to domestic prices in all five founding members of ASEAN. For this purpose, a three-variable-recursive VAR model was applied that uses the Choleski decomposition method along the distribution chain of pricing, using data for the period 1968 to 2001.The results show that a strong case for entering a currency union can be made for the cases of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, as in these countries there appears to be the case of exchange rate disconnect. A case for common currency can also be made for Indonesia but for entirely different reasons. For this country, an independent monetary policy is a clear source of shock to the economy and therefore a currency union would tend to eliminate them. Finally, a weaker case for a common currency can be made for the Philippines as evidence of some exchange rate pass-through to inflation was found but not to import prices.