Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends and patterns of modern contraceptive use and relationships with high-risk births and child mortality in Burkina Faso

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have stressed the importance of spatial heterogeneity analysis in modern contraceptive use and the relationships with high-risk births. Objective This paper aims to analyse the association between modern contraceptive use, distribution of birth risk, and under-five child mortality at both national and regional levels in Burkina Faso. Design The last three Demographic and Health Surveys – conducted in Burkina Faso in 1998, 2003, and 2010 – enabled descriptions of differentials, trends, and associations between modern contraceptive use, total fertility rates (TFR), and factors associated with high-risk births and under-five child mortality. Multivariate models, adjusted by covariates of cultural and socio-economic background and contact with health system, were used to investigate the relationship between birth risk factors and modern contraceptive prevalence rates (mCPR). Results Overall, Burkina Faso's modern contraception level remains low (15.4% in 2010), despite significant increases during the last decade. However, there are substantial variations in mCPR by region, and health facility contact was positively associated with mCPR increase. Women's fertility history and cultural and socio-economic background were also significant factors in predicting use of modern contraception. Low modern contraceptive use is associated with higher birth risks and increased child mortality. This association is stronger in the Sahel, Est, and Sud-Ouest regions. Even though all factors in high-risk births were associated with under-five mortality, it should be stressed that short birth spacing ranked as the highest risk in relation to mortality of children. Conclusions Programmes that target sub-national differentials and leverage women's health system contacts to inform women about family planning opportunities may be effective in improving coverage, quality, and equity of modern contraceptive use. Improving the demand satisfied for modern contraception may result in a reduction in the percentage of women experiencing high-risk births and may also reduce child mortality.
Being a journalist in a multilingual country: Representations of Dutch among Belgian French-speaking journalists

Abstract In this paper, we examine how the francophone TV audience is introduced to the Flemish community and its language through daily news broadcasts. More specifically, our research looks at how the Dutch language is used when francophone journalists prepare and produce their reports – during all stages of the process –, up until the actual broadcast. We therefore conducted 15 qualitative interviews with TV news journalists employed by the Belgian French-speaking public broadcaster. The interviews were organized around eight topics, e.g. the place of Dutch in the newsroom and the languages chosen during interactions with Dutch-speaking interviewees. From a discursive point of view, we focused on the selected lexical terms and rhetorical tropes (the various uses of the litotes, in particular) to unpack the journalists’ practices, in relation to their representations of Dutch. Our study provides notable insights into their representation of the differences between French- and Dutch-speaking Belgians as a generational issue, their tendency to assess their proficiency in Dutch measured against bilingualism, as well as their wish to beat the cliché of “the unilingual French-speaker”. These observations are coupled with criteria which explain why French might be preferred in the end: the TV audience’s comfort, general intelligibility and subtitling constraints.
Happily lost in translation: Misunderstandings in film dialogue

Abstract This article examines the construal, cross-cultural relay and comprehension of misunderstandings by filmmakers, translators and audiences respectively of Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). It reports on findings of a case-study on implicatures in these two romantic comedies (Desilla 2009/2012/2014). Both genuine and feigned misunderstandings are found in the two films. Inter alia, the analysis will show that misunderstandings can serve comedic and/or narrative functions, the latter pertaining to both characterisation and, more crucially, plot advancement. It is also demonstrated how misunderstandings can permeate only a single layer or both layers of film communication.
Tertiary Stratigraphy and Paleobotany of the Cook Inlet Region, Alaska

-,---------------------------------------Introduction,-------------------------------------Previous geologic studies . Acknowledgments ----Evolution of stratigraphic nomenclature and age assignments------------------------------------------Gwlogy------------------------------------------Paleogene stratigraphy . Chickaloon Formation -,,--------------Flora andage-------------------------Fresh-water mollusks -----,------, Wishbone Formation----------------Neogene stratigraphy-----------------Kenai and Tsadaka Formations,-----,---Structure and tectonics-----------Provincial stages------------,----------Seldovian Stage-,---------------Definition --,Flora-,, Geology-Continued Neogene stratigraphy-Continued Kenai and Tsadaka Formations-Continued Provincial stages-Continued Seldovian Stage-Continued Mollusks-. Age ------------. -----------Homerian Stage-, --Definition ---,AgeClamgulchian Stage ----------------Definition ,--, --_Flora -,--------------Age--------------------------Summary of the floral sequence-----, Fossil-plant localities ------,---------Fossil-mollusk localities ---References-----------------------------------------
The Fragile Breakage versus Random Breakage Models of Chromosome Evolution

For many years, studies of chromosome evolution were dominated by the random breakage theory, which implies that there are no rearrangement hot spots in the human genome. In 2003, Pevzner and Tesler argued against the random breakage model and proposed an alternative “fragile breakage” model of chromosome evolution. In 2004, Sankoff and Trinh argued against the fragile breakage model and raised doubts that Pevzner and Tesler provided any evidence of rearrangement hot spots. We investigate whether Sankoff and Trinh indeed revealed a flaw in the arguments of Pevzner and Tesler. We show that Sankoff and Trinh's synteny block identification algorithm makes erroneous identifications even in small toy examples and that their parameters do not reflect the realities of the comparative genomic architecture of human and mouse. We further argue that if Sankoff and Trinh had fixed these problems, their arguments in support of the random breakage model would disappear. Finally, we study the link between rearrangements and regulatory regions and argue that long regulatory regions and inhomogeneity of gene distribution in mammalian genomes may be responsible for the breakpoint reuse phenomenon.
Homing in on the Higgs Boson

The mediators of the weak force—the W and Z bosons—are both roughly 100 times more massive than the proton, while the photon, which mediates the electromagnetic force, is massless. Based on symmetry principles, one would have expected the W , Z, and photon (collectively called gauge bosons) to all be massless. In order to generate the required symmetry breaking, one must invent a particular set of new particles and interactions, which ultimately provide an explanation of the origin of mass of the elementary particles. The simplest way to do this, and the one that is incorporated in the standard model of particle physics, predicts the existence of a particle called the Higgs boson [1]. The interactions of the Higgs boson with the quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons of the standard model are uniquely predicted by the theory, but the mass of the Higgs boson is a free parameter that can only be determined by experiment [2].
Piezogenic pedal tumors of obesity: Unusual presentation of an innocuous dermatosis

Indian Dermatology Online Journal | January-February 2017 | Vol 8 | Issue 1 56 Peripheral blood mononuclear cell Zn and urinary Zn were also found to be low in such patients. [2] On the other hand, Zn was noticed to help recover appropriate activities of metalloenzymes, hedgehog signaling, and immunomodulation, all of which are required for the normal control of hair growth cycle. [3] Apart from the levothyroxine‐associated alopecia, I presume that concomitant Zn deficiency ought to be additionally considered in hypothyroid patients with alopecia as such association has been rarely reported in the literature. [4]
Financial regulatory reform: a progress report

The 2007-09 financial and economic crisis was the result of a lack of effective regulation. The author addresses the problems with regulations in effect at the time of the crisis and offers proposals for regulation reform to address future crises. He notes that reforms should be based on solid principles, including reduction of system risk and contagion and increased transparency to promote investor protection. Any new financial regulatory structure must be able to achieve these goals, while acknowledging and managing trade-offs between enhancing accountability and mitigating systemic risk from contagion.
Heterogeneous Laramide Deformation in the Uinta Mountains, Colorado and Utah

Previous explanations for the diverse trends of Laramide structures in the Rocky Mountain foreland include reactivation of pre-existing structures, multiple phases of deformation, and complex responses to regional rotations and wrench faults. Recent studies of slickensided minor faults in the east-trending Uinta Arch of the central Rocky Mountains indicate . heterogeneous, oblique-slip displacement and oblique stress orientations. In the northern Uinta Arch near Flaming Gorge Reservoir, minor faults and stress tensor inversions indicate northeast-trending average slip and bl orientations consistent with average regional trends and other foreland studies. In the southern Uintas at Dinosaur National Monument, however, a complex array of minor faults indicates south- to southeast-trending slip and b1 orientations, sub-perpendicular to local faults and folds. A three-dimensional structural restoration confirms "W-SSE shortening in the Dinosaur area. The variable bl directions demonstrate heierogeneous stress within the Uinta c 2) right lateral shear due-to the complex transition in structural vergence between the northeastdirected Uinta Arch and southwest-directed White River Uplift; and/or 3) eastward translation of the Uinta structural block due to impingement of the Sevier thrusts to the west.
Untersuchungen zur Variabilität im Südlichen Ozean mit dem Ozeanzirkulationsmodell BARBI

ACC, antarctic circumpolar current, BARBI model, rossby waves, transport through Drake Passage, coastal kelvin waves, realation windtress transport. - The ACC is the largest ocean current system. This current is driven directly or indirectly by the strong westerly winds, and it is one major topic of this study to investigate the variability of the ACC transport through Drake Passage due to fluctuations in these westerly winds. It is demonstrated, that the relationship between the mean zonal windstress over the southern ocean and the transport through Drake Passage can be described by a simple linear dynamic model, which contains the barotropic and the baroclinic time scales. Another topic of this study is the propagation of Rossby waves under the influence of topography and the connection of the southern ocean with the equatorial and northern latitudes via the interaction of Rossby waves, coastal and equatorial Kelvin waves. Furthermore, the relation between the transport and the bottom pressure on the one hand, and between transport and the meridional difference of potential energy on the other hand is studied further with a channel model.
Physical Activity Is Associated with Attenuated Disease Progression in COPD

Introduction: COPD progression is variable and affects several disease domains, including decline in lung function, exercise capacity, muscle strength and health status as well as changes in body composition. We aimed to assess the longitudinal association of physical activity (PA) with these a priori selected components of disease progression. Method: We studied 114 COPD patients from the PAC-COPD cohort [94% male, mean (SD) 70 (8) years of age, 54 (16) FEV1 % predicted] at baseline and 2.6 (0.6) years later. Baseline PA was assessed by accelerometry. Multivariable general linear models were built to assess the association between PA and changes in lung function, functional exercise capacity, muscle strength, health status and body composition. All models were adjusted for confounders and the respective baseline value of each measure. Results: Per each 1000 steps higher baseline PA, FEV1 declined 7 ml less (p<0.01), FVC 9 ml less (p=0.03) and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity 0.10 ml/min/mmHg less (p=0.04), while the St George‟s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) symptom domain deteriorated 0.4 points less (p=0.03), per year follow-up. PA was not associated with changes in functional exercise capacity, muscle strength, other domains of health status or body composition. Conclusion: Higher PA is associated with attenuated decline in lung function and reduced health status (symptoms domain) deterioration in moderate-to-very severe COPD patients.
Autonomous navigation in dynamic uncertain environment using probabilistic models of perception and collision risk prediction.

In this document we address the problem of autonomous navigation in dynamic unknown environ- ments. The key of the problem is to guarantee safety for all the agents moving in the space (people, vehicles and the robot itself) while moving toward a predefined goal. In contrast with static or controlled environments, high dynamic environments present many difficult issues: the detection and tracking of moving obstacles, the prediction of the future state of the world and the on-line motion planning and navigation. We moved our research starting from the fact that the decision about motion must take into account the limits of sensor perception, the velocity and future trajectory of the moving obstacles and that it must be related with the on-line updating of the world perception. Our approach is based on the use of probabilistic frameworks to represent the uncertainty about the static environment and the dynamic obstacles and we have developed decision methods that take explicitly into account such information for the autonomous navigation task. At first we focused our attention on reactive approaches. The developed approach is based on the integration between a probabilistic extension of the Velocity Obstacle framework within a dynamic occupancy grid (Bayesian Occupancy Filter). The dynamic occupancy grid gives a probabilistic and explicit representation of the perception limits and of the model error and noise while the Probabilistic Velocity Obstacles compute a probability of collision in time. The probability of collision and hence the choice of the next control, take into account limited sensor range, occlusions, obstacles shape and velocity estimation errors. Simulation results show the robot adapting its behaviour to different conditions of perception, avoiding static and moving obstacles and moving toward the goal. In the second part of the document we move toward more complex strategies, integrating a Partial Motion Planning algorithm with probabilistic representation of the environment and collision risk prediction. We propose a novel probabilistic extension of the well known Rapidly-exploring Random Trees framework and we integrate this search algorithm into a partial planning anytime approach, updating on-line the decisions of the robot with the last observations. We consider at first the case of a short-term prediction based on a classic Multi-Target-Tracking algorithm. Secondly, we consider the case of a longer term prediction based on a priori known typical patterns. We compare two kinds of patterns representation: the Hidden Markov Model representation and the continuous Gaussian Processes representation. The search and planning algorithm is adapted to these different kinds prediction and simulation results for navigation among multiple moving obstacles are shown.
Distortionary Taxes and Public Investment when Government Promises are not Enforceable ∗

We characterize Markov-perfect equilibria in a setting where the absence of government commitment affects the financing of productive public capital. We show that at any date, a government in office only considers intertemporal distortions over two consecutive periods in choosing taxes. We then use our framework to quantify the value of commitment, which we define as that obtained from binding governments to a course of actions that produce the second-best allocations. Because this calculation relies on numerical approximations, we contrast alternative approaches in the literature. We find that both linear quadratic and perturbation methods deliver accurate steady states, but that the former can yield spurious policy implications along the transition. Ultimately, our analysis suggests that very small costs of setting up a commitment technology are enough to prevent its adoption. Furthermore, while households’ decision to forego government commitment may be rational at some initial date, it is nevertheless the case that consumption allocations may differ considerably in the long run. JEL Classification: E61, E62, H11
Working Paper Series Department of Economics University of Verona Patent Value and R & D Competition

This paper aims at characterizing the dynamics of R&D competition within the pharmaceutical domain, focusing on the role of patent disclosure, the extent of uncertainty, and role of scientific advances. Following the empirical literature in the economics of innovation, we employ patents as a proxy for innovations and patent citations as a measure of knowledge utilization and spillovers. Pharmaceuticals are a unique setting in this respect, given the characteristics of the innovation process, that make patents an important means for appropriating returns from R&D. All in all, the analysis provides evidence that in the pharmaceutical industry research advances through a process of trial-and-error, where both successes and failures set the ground for subsequent innovations. The disclosure of the information about new compounds or new mechanisms of action play an important role in this industry fostering R&D efforts and competition in identified therapeutic markets in the search for new marketable products building both on failures and successes. The outcome of this process is highly uncertain and building on a success provides no certainty about the outcome of the search. Indeed, discontinued patents building on previous failures exhibit a higher citation rate. We also contribute to the debate about the relevance of citation in measuring patent value by looking at the relationship between patent citations and product sales. University of Verona University of Florence and IMT, Lucca University of Florence This paper is the result of the “R&D competition” research project carried out jointly with Adrian Towse and Martina Garau of the Office of Health Economics, London, UK. A preliminary draft of the paper has been presented to the DRUID Summer Conference 2006 (Copenhagen), to the 11th ISS Conference (Sophia-Antipolis), to the IHEA conference, Sixth World Congress, and to the “Health Economics and The Pharmaceutical Industry” Conference (IDEI, Toulouse). Comments and suggestions by Fabio Montobbio, Mark Supekar, Cristina Tinti, Mathias Dahm and conference discussants and participants are gratefully acknowledged.
Tree-Ring Dating of Extreme Lake Levels at the Subarctic–Boreal Interface

Abstract The dates of extreme water levels of two large lakes in northern Quebec have been recorded over the last century by ice scars on shoreline trees and sequences of reaction wood in shore trees tilted by wave erosion. Ice-scar chronologies indicate high water levels in spring, whereas tree-tilting by waves is caused by summer high waters. A major increase in both the amplitude and frequency of ice floods occurred in the 1930s. No such change was indicated by the tree-tilting chronologies, but wave erosion occurred in exceptionally rainy years. According to the modern record, spring lake-level rise is due to increased snowfalls since the 1930s. However, the absence of erosional marks in a large number of years since 1930 suggests a high frequency of low-water-level years resulting from dry conditions. Intercalary years with very large numbers of marked trees (e.g., 1935) indicate that the interannual range of summer lake levels has increased since the 1930s. Increased lake-flood frequency is postulated to be related to a slower expansion of arctic anticyclones, favoring the passage of cyclonic air masses over the area and resulting in abundant snowfall in early winter. Conditions in summer are due to the rate of weakening of the anticyclones controlling the position of the arctic front in summer. This position influences the path of the cyclonic air masses, which control summer precipitation and consequently, summer lake levels in the area.
Growth and bulb yield garlic varieties affected by nitrogen and phosphorus application at Mesqan Woreda, South Central Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, particularly at Mesqan Woreda appropriate fertilizer management was the major problem accounted for low productivity of garlic. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted with the objective to investigate the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus levels on growth and bulb yield of two garlic varieties at Beressa watershed, Mesqan Woreda, South Central Ethiopia under supplemental irrigation from November to April 2010 to 2011. The treatments consisted of two garlic varieties Local (farmers’ variety) and Tsedey92 (G-493), 4 levels of Nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha) and 3 levels of Phosphorus (0, 50 and 100 kg P2O5 ha -1 ) arranged in randomized complete block design. Data on growth and bulb yield were collected. Varieties differed significantly on plant height, leaf area index, shoot dry weight and bulb yield. Nitrogen significantly affected bulb yield along with all the growth parameters. Phosphorus had significant influence on number of leaf per plant and bulb yield. Number of leaf per plant and bulb yield were significantly affected by the interaction of N and P. The highest bulb yield of 3.34 t/ha was achieved at 100 kg N + 100 kg P2O5/ha, and was 244% higher than the control and statistically similar to the yield of 3.27 t/ha obtained from 100 kg N and 50 kg/ha P2O5 application for variety Tsedey92. Hence, it may be tentatively concluded that the farmers at Beressa watershed should apply 100 kg N and 50 kg P2O5 /ha using variety Tsedey92 to improve bulb yield of garlic.